October 24, 2007

More than 20 wildfires continue to burn and grow across southern California, fueled by the strong and persistent Santa Ana winds and drought conditions across most of the region. At this emergent stage in this disaster, Lutheran Disaster Response and its affiliate agency, Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest, are assessing the needs of the affected communities. Lutheran Disaster Response coordinator Tempie Beaman has been in near constant communication with local clergy as well as representatives from the ELCA Pacifica and Southwest California Synods and the LCMS Pacific Southwest District. Additionally, she has coordinated a number of Lutheran chaplains to provide spiritual care to evacuees at a number of shelters in the area.

Recent news reports state that nearly 1,500 homes have been completely destroyed with the worst of the damage concentrated in San Diego County. Perhaps more astoundingly, nearly one million people have been ordered to evacuate their homes as fires continue to spread unpredictably. Some of those evacuees are seeking temporary shelter at places like Qualcomm Stadium, home of the NFL’s San Diego Chargers, as well as at schools, churches, and homes of family and friends. With thanksgiving, it is also being reported that the volunteers who have organized at local shelters to help those displaced nearly outnumber the evacuees themselves.

Bishop Murray Finck, ELCA Pacifica Synod, reports that a number of clergy from the synod have been part of the evacuation orders as well as countless members of Lutheran congregations. At this time, Bishop Finck is not aware of any church structures that have been affected, but he and his staff continue to monitor the news for information. Leaders from the Southwest California Synod and Pacific Southwest District are also reporting that no church structures have been reported as affected at this time.

Contrary to some news reports that seem to be focused on the wealthy, this disaster is likely to have an impact across economic classes. Southern California, like other densely populated areas, is home to many who are underprivileged, including a large population of undocumented persons. While the full extent of this tragedy is yet to be seen, there is likely to be a need for Lutheran Disaster Response to assist in the long-term recovery process, and it will be our mission to seek out those who may otherwise be overlooked or underserved.

Seven counties in total have been declared both federal and state emergency areas, and emergency responders, namely fire crews from around the state, continue to battle the fires, assist families in evacuating, and care for any injured. The weather continues to be uncooperative with wind gusts reaching near-hurricane speeds and dry, hot air continuing to blow in from the desert. Cooler air and moisture are expected to arrive towards the end of the week which will be a welcome relief to residents wanting to return home and firefighters struggling for containment.

At this time, we pray for the many communities in southern California that continue to watch and wait for the fires to be contained. We pray for the local, state, and federal officials who are aiding in the early response to this tragedy. And we pray for the hundreds of thousands who are displaced from their homes and feeling uncertainty about what exactly the future holds.

To contribute:

By mail: ELCA Domestic Disaster Response P.O. Box 71764 Chicago, IL 60694-1764

By phone: (with a major credit card): 800-638-3522

On the Web: (with a major credit card over a secure connection): Click here

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In service,
Heather Feltman, Executive Director
Executive Director, Lutheran Disaster Response
Director, ELCA Domestic Disaster Response

Lutheran Disaster Response
Bringing Help and Hope...
Phone: 773-380-2748
Fax: 773-380-2493
Visit us on the Web at www.ldr.org

If you want to receive updates the minute the news breaks, subscribe to our ELCA Domestic Disaster Response Listserv. You will receive an e-mail message with the latest update.

February 7, 2008

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
(Psalm 27:1)

I write to invite you and your congregation to join brothers and sisters throughout the world in prayer for peace and reconciliation in Kenya. Pray for the church in Kenya, its leaders, for those who have lost loved ones to the violence, for those who are displaced, and for our mission personnel who continue to serve in Kenya. ELCA missionaries include two Young Adults in Global Mission, a husband and wife team providing leadership to the Nairobi International Lutheran Congregation, and an Africa-wide health consultant and his family. Mission personnel continue to work in-country, even as Global Mission staff monitors the situation to ensure their safety.

Since the end of December, what we have heard from our companion churches and mission personnel confirms what has been widely reported in the media: that serious ethnic conflict and violence in Kenya continues in the wake of that country's disputed presidential election. Hundreds of thousands of Kenyan children, women, and men have been forced to flee their homes. This unrest has its roots in ethnic divisions that were reinforced by colonial rule and have shaped post-colonial life in Kenya. It also is rooted in the wide gap between "haves" and "have-nots" in that country. The emerging pattern of violence threatens the future of one of the most stable countries in Africa and could have enormous implications on other countries in the region.

This church is working with the churches in Kenya and global Lutheran and ecumenical partners to meet urgent human need. The Lutheran World Federation has two member churches in Kenya. The ELCA has a companion church relationship with the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church (KELC). The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is in altar and pulpit fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK). From the very first days of the crisis, both churches have provided emergency food and supplies to families in the slums of Nairobi and in other parts of Kenya affected by the violence. The ELCA responded immediately, sending a $10,000 grant to our companion church and a $15,000 grant to Church World Service, which helped coordinate the work of Action by Churches Together in the initial days of the crisis. (ACT is a world-wide coalition of Protestant and Orthodox churches engaged in disaster response.) The ELCA also coordinated its response with Lutheran World Relief, a ministry of both the ELCA and the LCMS.

Please visit www.elca.org/disaster for updates and for ways individuals and congregations can give.

Our Global Mission staff continues to be in close communication with the KELC's Bishop Zachariah Kahutu, both by phone and e-mail. Gaylord Thomas, director of the ELCA's Africa desk, traveled to Kenya to provide encouragement and support to our companion church and also to ELCA mission personnel serving in Kenya.

Regionally, the All Africa Conference of Churches and Inter-faith Action for Peace in Africa are working with churches and faith groups in Kenya as they seek to build peace and achieve democratic accountability, transparency, and national unity in the midst of this crisis. Support includes visits, such as the recent trip of global church leaders organized by World Council of Churches.

May God, our refuge, give strength and wisdom to those seeking peace and justice as they seek to break the spiral of violence and bring peace and reconciliation in Kenya.

In God's grace,

The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

You may contribute as follows:

By mail: ELCA International Disaster Response P.O. Box 71764 Chicago, IL 60694-1764

By phone: (with a major credit card):               800-638-3522

On the Web: (with a major credit card over  a secure connection): Click here