Today marks the one year anniversary of the deadliest tornado in the last 60 years that tore through Joplin, Missouri. 160 people were killed, many more were left injured and homeless. Main stays of the community were destroyed, like the local high school and Peace Lutheran Church (ELCA).

In the year since there have been many stories of Lutherans from Joplin and across the country coming together to respond. Lutheran Disaster Response, the domestic arm of ELCA Disaster Response, has been working through Lutheran Family and Children’s Services of Missouri to coordinate our on the ground response. Part of this work has been to work wit the Long Term Recovery Committee to help address the unmet needs and case management of those affected by the tornado. Lutheran Disaster Response was also able to bring in trainers to help the committee lay the groundwork for how to move forward.

Immanuel Lutheran Church and Martin Luther Lutheran School, both Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, have given of their resources and time to house and feed volunteers. The school also served as the location for a Camp Noah, a program created by Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota, which helps children affected by natural disasters to deal with the trauma. The camp was so successful that four more camps are schedule for this summer as well as a God’s Can Do Kids program for the fall.

Amidst all of this work within the local community there have also been volunteers from around the country showing up to help, lending a day, a week, a professional skill, whatever they had. To give a sense of what these groups experience and as a reminder that Joplin is not forgotten I would like to share a reflection from Kelli Joseph who travelled with a group to volunteer in Joplin:

St. Timothy’s Lutheran Church in Omaha, NE sent a group of 13 individuals to assist in Joplin from April 23 – April 29. The group had a variety of opportunities to serve while in Joplin. Some of these opportunities were bigger and some seemed smaller. The construction manager (Trent) was organized, informed and wonderful to work with. There are no unimportant jobs, no unimportant people, no unimportant acts of kindness. The group experienced loving the people they served when 1) they met the owner of the first Habitat home we worked on, 2) they served the victims of the tornado when we dispensed clothing, cleaning supplies and food, 3) the mothers came to pick up the children they cared for during Stepping Out, 4) as well as meeting a man from NE whose wife was in a nursing home and had worked for Habitat in his past. The group saw God each day they worked – in everything from the fun food snacks that were provided for lunch, to the care that the people at Abundant Life gave to us and the tornado survivors at Stepping Out, to having a different type of work each day so none of our muscles were overtired, to the weather that was without rain until the morning they left.

The experience for this group has created an awareness of our needs versus wants and an appreciation for all God has given us. The faith and determination of the people in Joplin is amazing and has been such an inspiration to our group. They have learned that with God’s help they can do things they never thought possible. The group returned to Omaha humbled, thankful, tired, inspired – but most of all they were blessed by the people in Joplin, the people they went to serve.

So today we stand in remembrance with the people of Joplin to both remember the tragic affect nature can have in our lives and give thanks for the role the church can play in mending lives and livelihoods.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities in Joplin and Missouri check out the LDR volunteer page.

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

Under the title “Praise on the Parking Lot,” Peace Lutheran Church of Joplin, MO included a special event with their regular worship service this morning. The congregation returned to their now empty lot at the corner of Wisconsin Ave. and 20th Street in Joplin. Friends and neighbors joined them under a tent that was erected on the former parking lot. It was on this same parking lot that the congregation held worship the Sunday following the tragic tornado which destroyed their church building, and much of Joplin, May 22, 2011. This service was an opportunity to remember, and lament, the past while continuing to focus on the future. As a sign of this focus the congregation hosted a picnic style lunch open to all who attended after the service.

This seeming simple, yet extremely powerful, act of worship and rememberance is truly the heart of ELCA Disaster Response. It is the church standing in the face and aftermath of disaster to proclaim that though we may be shaken by tragic acts of nature our faith holds us firm and sustains us. It is truly an act of the church continuing to be church in the midst of disaster.

Let us add our prayers of rememberance and thanksgiving to those of Peace. And this Tuesday, on the one-year anniversary of the tornado, let us again pray, that the commuinity of Peace and the people of Joplin know they and their situation are not forgotten.

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ABOUT PEACE LUTHERAN: In the months since the tornado destroyed their building, the congregation of Peace Lutheran has been enjoying the welcoming hospitality of Bethany Presbyterian Church at Main and 20th which shares its office and worship space. Congregational workshops have been held in which values, beliefs and mission have been discussed and defined. A building committee is now actively engaged in the work of determining where Peace will build a new facility and what shape that facility will take. The goal is to take time now to discern where God is leading Peace for the future, for the sake of the Gospel.

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

The Joplin Globe had a great article today on Joplin recovery effort following the May 22, 2011 tornado that hit the city. The topic of the article is “the warehouse” an aptly named, well, warehouse that means more to its local community than the unassuming name implies. The warehouse is the staging ground for much of the recovery efforts carried out in Joplin, including that of Lutheran Disaster Response.

Through the doors of this building have walked thousands of volunteers from all over the country who have come to help. Also highlighted is Immanuel Lutheran Church (LCMS) that was a major actor, along with Martin Luther School, in early and continuing efforts in feeding, housing and organizing volunteers.

It’s a great read on how in times of need being the hands and feet of our corporate body is a calling for all who bear the name of Christ. Check out the full article Volunteers Focus on Rebuilding, not Theology.

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

The Bismarck Tribune had an article on Monday that highlighted some pretty great work being done by a local Thrivent chapter on behalf of those affected by flooding in Bismarck and Minot. Members of Burleigh County Chapter are organizing a family fun day called the North Dakota Flood Recovery Event for May 12. The goal of the event is to help remind the people of Minot and Bismarck that they will not be relegated to “out of sight, out of mind” status. The group also recognizes that the work continues through groups like Lutheran Disaster Response.

A great story of Lutherans remembering and working together for the sake of their neighbors, Lutherans and non-Lutherans alike. Check it out: Thrivent sponsoring flood relief benefit at Civic Center

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

The Minot Daily News had a good piece last week that in part highlights the role of Lutheran Disaster Response work in the long process of disaster response. The topic of the article is a discussion of the Minot Unmet Needs Committee with government officials of the continuing need following the June 2011 floods. The estimate is around one billion dollars in need. At the end of the article Shirley Dykshoorn, state director for Lutheran Disaster Response in North Dakota (a program of Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota), is quoted about the vital nature of matching material needs with volunteer resources.

The article in general is a nice reminder of how LDR is involved for the long-haul and in many ways behind the scenes. Also, Shirley’s words are spot on and really drive home the importance of proper coordination in disaster response.

To learn more read the article: Billion dollar shortfall

To volunteer check out Hope Village

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

At least 64 tornadoes touched down in 14 states last week leading to over 50 deaths, thousands of destroyed homes and displaced peoples. To help lift up the response we have created a bulletin insert for your use. Download it here.

You can also learn more at the ELCA Disaster Response page U.S. Severe Spring Storms and support the effort through donations page.

If you are interested in volunteering, please visit the Lutheran Disaster Response volunteer page.