Last Tuesday the Minot Daily News had an article highlighting Christ Lutheran Church and their story since the flooding last June. It was a great read, especially having been there last month and being able to put faces and places with the names. But even with that added value for me I think it’s a wonderful example of what Lutheran Disaster Response is all about and offers one really good lesson on disaster preparedness.

I’ll let the article speak for itself but I’ll give you three things to look for:

1) how can cell phones play a role in disasters and how is this related to disaster preparedness?

2) what does it look like to be church in the midst of disaster?

3) why is it important for the church to be present ‘for the long haul’ in disaster response?

Enjoy the read and a shout out to Pastor Mike Johnson for some great words of wisdom in here.

Check out the article: ‘Prayer is our biggest need’: Christ Lutheran Church keeps faith alive during hard times

Monday night Cyclone Giovanna made landfall on the east coast of Madagascar with winds upwards of 120 mph. Over the next two days it dumped up to one foot of rain, with the hardest hit area being just east of Madagascar’s capitol, Antananarivo. The storm led to 19 deaths, nearly 11,000 people displaced and almost 5,000 damaged or destroyed homes. In the hard-hit district of Brickaville 88% of the schools were damaged. The storm moved past the island country on Thursday but there are fears it may double back and hit the southern part of the country.

Madagascar is home to one of the largest Lutheran churches in the world, the Malagasy Lutheran Church, with a population around 3 million members. As this church and the remainder of the country start the work of recovery and rebuilding please keep them in prayer, that God may calm the waters and winds and bring them peace.

To learn how the ELCA accompanies the Malagasy Lutheran Church see the Global Mission page on Madagascar

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Gifts to ELCA International Disaster Response allow the church to respond globally in times of need. Donate now.

Violence continues to plague the new country of South Sudan as tribal cattle raids have become more frequent and intensified. As the situation unfolds, the Lutheran World Federation is building on its strong presence country to bring aid to those in need. One of the many services is looking towards ways to build sustainable and lasting peace for the people of the region. Towards this end they are working with the Church of Sweden to bring in workers to provide psychosocial support for traumatized individuals.

It is a great example of how international organizations are finding greater opportunities to work together through umbrella organizations like the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Action by Churches Together (ACT) Alliance. The ELCA is a proud member of both.

To learn more of how these two are working together and to learn how and what their peace-building and psychosocial services are, read the LWF newsletter: Helping People Heal

To better grasp the full extent of the LWF’s work in South Sudan see their webpage: South Sudan

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Gifts to ELCA International Disaster Response allow the church to respond globally in times of need. Donate now.

Flooding in the southeast part of Australia seems a bit like deja vu. This same area of the states Queensland and New South Wales was hit by major flooding in January 2011. According to the Lutheran Church of Australia, the damages have not reached the same levels as last year. Though coming on the heels of last year’s flood the effects may be amplified as people are still recovering. Please keep the people of this area and the Lutheran Church of Australia in prayer, that they may be granted the patience and peace of God in this time of renewed disaster.

Last Thursday a fairly momentous occasion happened in Haiti. A new project, that has involved many months of conversation, negotiation, community input and planning came together with the groundbreaking for the Gressier Model Village. This village of 200 housing units and community space will provide some of the hardest hit families of the 2010 earthquake with a new home and a new start.

Built with community involvement and depending on community management once up and running, it empowers residents to have an active role in building and owning their future. Built with green technologies, it is finding better ways to integrate people with their environment. Built to be earthquake resistant the building practices, it brings a focus on disaster risk reduction. Built in conversation with the national government, local and international non-governmental organizations, it has support and a common understanding from all concerned parties.

And these are just a few of the amazing benefits why the ELCA has committed $3.5 million dollars to the project and has played a leading role in its creation. As the work in Haiti continues to transition from short-term relief to long-term development, it is projects like this that are leading the way. Makes one proud to say this is our church at work and puts a tangible ring to the phrase “God’s work. Our hands.”

To read more about this project, as well as the amazing work to stave off a cholera epidemic being doing by the ELCA and our partners in Haiti, check out the ELCA news release: Lutherans break ground for a new resettlement village in Haiti.

The president has just declared two counties in Alabama (Jefferson & Chilton) federal disaster areas. This means they are now able to receive federal funds to help them respond to the effects of severe storms, tornadoes and flooding early last week. Other counties maybe included once the total assessment of damages has been carried out. You can read more about it in the FEMA News Release.

Due to the immensity of damages and the large turnout of volunteers the city of Clay has put a hold on volunteer involvement until they have a coordinated “volunteer day” on February 11. To learn more see the city’s Volunteer & Donors page.