The Minot Daily News has another article this week on an ELCA congregation in Minot. This time they are highlighting First Lutheran, which is located very close to the river. It was saved from major flooding by the dikes that were built right outside its doors. Unfortunately sewage backup led to extensive damage of their basements.

The fact that this is the second article on the churches from the paper and the content of this article really drove home for me that disaster response is a marathon, not a sprint. Reading Pastor Ken Nelson’s words about the added decisions flooding has brought to First Lutheran’s leadership from the usage of space, the clean up of damages and connection with church members makes one exhausted thinking about it. Yet, as Pastor Ken eloquently put it at the end of the article, as we look forward to Easter: “There is resurrection even in this life. You can live again in houses that looked like tombs last July.” I’m sure there’s a sermon in there somewhere :).

Please continue to keep the people of Minot in prayer during this Lenten season as they continue to be defined not by this tragedy but their inclusion in the body of Christ to which we all belong.

Read the article: First Through the Flood

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

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

My name is Matthew Ley and I am the Program Interpreter for ELCA Disaster Response. Last week I had my first trip to Minot, ND to check in on the progress made since the flooding from this past summer and to host a respite retreat for the local ELCA pastors. It was a bit of a roller-coaster event emotionally as I learned about and saw first-hand the devastation caused by the flooding. However, because of this event I was able to connect with an amazing set of ordained and lay leaders of this church. I figure the best way to get across what happened is to walk you through the days.

Tuesday, Jan 24, 2012
My first introduction to Minot after the airport was arriving at Sherie & Pat Heine’s house around 11:30pm. With hotels being booked solid with oil workers and people working around the disaster, my search for rooms were met with either no’s or price tags upwards of $160/night. And so Sherie, Western North Dakota Synod Vice-President, and her mother, Pat, graciously agreed to house me during my time. Although it wasn’t official until Toughy, their dog, made sure I passed muster.
(more…)

Early this morning severe storms with high winds, and in some places tornadoes, pounded the South and Midwest. One of the heaviest hit areas was Alabama, where the storms and tornadoes led to two confirmed deaths in Birmingham, AL. Soon afterward the governor declared a state of emergency. Search and rescue work continues in heavier hit Montgomery, AL. We have also heard from our companions in the region that Faith Lutheran Church in Clay, AL was not damaged, but the building has lost power and some members of the congregation have been affected.

The state has also been in the midst of recovery from storms on April 27, 2011 that struck the northwest part of the state. One of the affects of this was major damage to Christ Lutheran in Cullman, AL. You can read more in this Field Report and at the LDR Volunteer page.

In these coming days, please keep all those affected in prayer, that God may bring them comfort. Also, keep the first responders, members of the Southeast synod, Pastor Larry Richardson and Faith Lutheran as well as the Lutheran Ministries of Alabama in prayer, that God may give them strength and patience for the days ahead.

As we learn more please check the ELCA Disaster Response webpage and the Lutheran Disaster Response site for more information. If you are in the area and want to know more please contact Ron Turney (ron.turney@lmal.org) or Heather Turney (heather.turney@lmal.org) of Lutheran Ministries of Alabama (205-259-6480).

Just got forwarded a great article from today’s Minot Daily News which highlights how members of the ELCA are responding to disaster. The story is about the Tree of Hope Fair, hosted at First Lutheran in Minot this past Sunday. The event sprung from the idea that with the extensive flooding in Minot this past summer many people may have lost their decorations for the Christmas season. To help make the season brighter, the fair offered donated holiday decorations for free, that people could come and take.

A great aspect of the event was the shared opportunity in hosting it, as highlighted by a comment posted to the article by Pastor Mike Pancoast, Associate Pastor of First Lutheran:

While the event was held at First Lutheran, the whole thing was really an effort of ALL the Minot-area congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The coordinator for the marvelous snacks and refreshments served on Sunday was Sue Roise from Zion Lutheran. Deanna Syvertson from Bethany was a coordinator for the set-up and sorting that took place on Saturday. I know there were volunteers from Peace Lutheran in Burlington and Christ Lutheran here in town, not to mention the dozens of other volunteers from across the denominational spectrum.

There are so many great things in here, it’s hard to decide which to lift up. This is the ELCA at work, doing God’s Work with our hands. These are Churches highlighting the meaning of Christmas in true acts of giving. Here we see Christians loving God through their loving service to the neighbor. Gotta say it brings a smile to my face and a lightness to my heart. Amen!

Read the Article: Tree of Hope Fair — First Lutheran event brightens Christmas for area residents

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

Missouri River flooding in Sioux City: Photo Credit FEMA

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

I am Kevin Massey, Program Director for Lutheran Disaster Response.  I’m in Minot North Dakota this week connecting with these flood affected communities and people that I met last month when I was here.  Volunteer operations are underway to help clean up and plan for repair and rebuilding a little down the road.  Information about how you can help is below.

But first, I began my travels last week visiting communities along the Missouri River.  The ELCA Western Iowa Synod organized workshops at St. John Lutheran Church in Council Bluffs Iowa and at Augustana Lutheran Church in Sioux City Iowa.  We gathered Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Assembly of God pastors from Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota serving in communities that have lived all spring and summer under the threat of flooding.

When I was driving from Council Bluffs Iowa to Sioux City Iowa, I had to follow a detour to avoid a portion of Interstate 29 that is closed due to flooding.  I remembered how nearly six months ago I stood on an overpass of this same Interstate 29 north of Fargo and saw it underwater.  So many communities have spent months and months enduring flooding that seems endless.

From the Missouri River Valley I flew to Minot North Dakota.  When I was in Minot a month ago the water was still up and we hadn’t been able to assess yet the damages to so many homes, churches, and business.  The water is down now, and the results of catastrophic and heart breaking.  Thousands of people remain displaced.  Thousands of homes are ruined, some beyond repair. 

I delivered cleaning supplies to a volunteer group working on gutting out a flooded home in Minot.  This home is across the corner from Christ Lutheran Church.   I met three wonderful Lutheran volunteers working at this home.   Dennis and Diane Wiesenborn, members of St. John Lutheran Church in Fargo and Vic Voth, a member of Concordia Lutheran Church in Red Wing Minnesota were working on gutting out the home of a Minot couple in their eighties. 

Pictured left to right: Diane Wiesenborn, Vic Voth, and Dennis Wiesenborn.

These wonderful volunteers are what this ministry is all about.  Lutherans from around the country give so much to love and serve their neighbors.

Later I visited the flooded home of Pastor Heather Brown and her husband David Iversen  in Minot.  Pastor Brown serves the Trinity Lutheran Parish of Glenburn and Lansford North Dakota north of Minot.  Pastor Brown’s home was flooded two feet over the first story. Heather described the generosity and hard work of parishioners of her parish who pitched in and accomplished the necessary gutting of the home.  Pastor Brown and her husband are arranging to live in a FEMA trailer on the property of one of the parishioners until repairs to their home can be accomplished.  Heather shared, “We could not have made it through this without our wonderful parishioners!”

Pastor Heather Brown at her flooded home in Minot

I admired Pastor Brown for her courage and optimism in the face of her loss.  She described that so many people lost more and have harder rebuilding ahead of them.  She brings a sense of hope that even though many face hard work, they are not alone.

Please pray for the people of all the areas of North Dakota that have been affected by this catastrophic flooding.  Many worry about being forgotten and we can remember them continuously in our prayers.  We pray also for those affected by many other disasters, such as tornados across the country in places like Joplin Missouri and Cullman Alabama. 

While volunteer operations in many parts of the country are still unfolding, Lutheran Disaster Response in North Dakota is ready to host volunteer groups from the region and outside the region to help in clean up in Minot and other communities affected by flooding.  Please share this opportunity with your local Lutheran congregations and organizations. 

• Rubber boots/rubber gloves
• Work gloves
• Goggles or safety glasses
• N-95 masks or any mask that has two straps on it
• Hammers
• Brooms
• Large buckets
• Pliers
• Wonderbars or crowbars.