Lutherans in the Gulf Coast Area Demonstrate Resiliency

Baton Rouge, La. (ELCA)-MRC — On a calm sunny September afternoon, massive piles of wreckage line the ocean coast of Biloxi, Miss. Wood planks and other debris can be seen floating in the ocean almost one month after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. "I was overwhelmed with the magnitude of the devastation," said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson. "But my impression of the devastation of creation" was "surpassed by the resiliency of faith in people in the midst of such destruction."

Hanson, presiding bishop of the 4.9-million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and president of the 66-million-member Lutheran World Federation, traveled Sept. 21-22 to the Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast, where he met with Lutherans and others working on the "front line of service" to meet the needs of hurricane survivors.

In an informal meeting Sept. 21 at Grace Lutheran Church, Long Beach, Miss., Hanson expressed his appreciation to a group of 30 Lutheran pastors, associates in ministry, disaster response volunteers and others for "being the presence of Christ" in their communities. He also listened to pastors share information and stories about how Lutheran churches on the Gulf Coast have been transformed into health clinics, distribution centers, shelters for survivors and volunteers, and more.

Some "people of faith almost feel guilty about losing the capacity to pray. Know that an entire church is praying, praying on your behalf," Hanson told the group. Relief and recovery work following Hurricane Katrina "will be a long process," and "I am proud to say that we are really here for the long haul." Hanson encouraged pastors, associates in ministry and volunteers to take time to "refresh yourselves and allow someone else to step in, so you can come back renewed to serve."

As of Sept. 21 members of the ELCA and Lutherans around the world have contributed more than $7 million to support hurricane relief and recovery work, Hanson told the group. "I am grateful for (Lutherans) who are pouring out their generosity with gifts small and large, which becomes the fuel for the capacity to help people respond over the long haul."

"This is a church of abundance," said Heather L. Feltman, director for ELCA Domestic Disaster Response and director for Lutheran Disaster Response, a ministry of the ELCA and Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Feltman, who traveled with Hanson, told pastors that national and local staff of Lutheran Disaster Response are working to provide immediate assistance to people displaced from their homes, communities and work as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

Lutheran Disaster Response coordinators are setting up tent camps to house hundreds of volunteers needed for clean-up work and debris removal, Feltman said. "The massive destruction will require a weekly rotation of volunteers in and out of (Gulf Coast) areas for months to come," she said. Tents are being set up in church parking lots and courtyard areas because "churches have limited capacity to house volunteers."

In addition to volunteer management, Lutheran Disaster Response is providing emotional and spiritual care for hurricane survivors and care for caregivers; hardship grants to Lutherans and others who need assistance for expenses such as housing, child care and any health-related needs not covered under insurance or FEMA grants; support for Lutheran churches serving as shelter and distribution centers on behalf of the Red Cross; long-term rebuilding of homes and communities; and care for the special needs of children through Camp Noah, a week-long day camp for children who have experienced disaster.

In an interview, Feltman said Lutherans have been a critical force in meeting the needs of survivors of Hurricane Katrina. The hurricane "caused catastrophic devastation in the Gulf Coast," she said. "When the Red Cross, Salvation Army and FEMA came to set up, there were only so many usable structures. One thing we've seen with this disaster is the response of the faith community. Lutheran churches not heavily damaged by the hurricane have stepped in, providing support and shelter early in relief response. Our churches in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi have really responded and helped in the overall relief effort."

Christus Victor Lutheran Church, Ocean Springs, Miss., became a 24-hour health clinic, distribution center and shelter. The church narthex is a Red Cross intake, registration center. Its fellowship hall serves as a food and material distribution center, and its Sunday school classrooms and sanctuary are sleeping areas, "all designed to help meet the needs of hurricane survivors," said Feltman. The church parking lot is filled with tents housing volunteers from across the country, who have come to assist in the recovery process.

"And, in the midst of it all, worship takes place. People gather to hear the Good News, pray and sing, and kneel at the table," said Feltman.

Suzy Harvey, parish administrator and associate in ministry at Christus Victor, said the church was "one of the first up-and- running places for people to get help in Ocean Springs. We were already well known in the community, so people came to us for help. When the time came we were situated and ready."

Harvey said about 60 to 70 percent of Ocean Springs was devastated by the hurricane. "About 70 families at Christus Victor have homes that can no longer be lived in as of Sept. 21."

"Hundreds of people are coming to the church for assistance," Harvey said. "We are working around the clock to meet their needs. Our ministry is to help people and (to) be the body of Christ."

At Bethel Lutheran Church, Biloxi, Miss., the library was turned into a health clinic, and the sanctuary provided sleeping arrangements for volunteers, church and Red Cross staff. The church's fellowship hall served as a distribution center.

"God left Bethel Lutheran Church standing for a reason," said Judy Bultman, a member of Bethel Lutheran Church.

Lutheran clergy in Baton Rouge, La., joined with other faith leaders to "create a new federation of people working together to meet the needs" of hurricane survivors, according to the Rev. Robin J. McCullough-Bade, Lutheran Church of Our Saviour, Baton Rouge. She said faith leaders there are working together based on mutual compassion and the desire "to meet human needs. This is a new time for us to be creative about team ministry. Many of us get this mission and understand that the only way we can move on in response to disaster is if we can work together. In the midst of such destruction, we came together."

According to John Gilbert, retired chair of the board, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, the "distinction of who helps whom, who receives help, is not based on what denomination one is from. It's recognizing that when one part of the body hurts, everyone is there to help. And, that's clearly what I saw."

Thrivent is a Minneapolis-based not-for-profit financial services organization serving members of the ELCA and other Lutheran church bodies. It is giving $1 for every $2 given by Thrivent members to Lutheran disaster response funds, up to $300 per member. Thrivent is prepared to give as much as $2 million in additional funds.

On Sept. 8 Thrivent and Habitat for Humanity announced a financial, volunteer and advocacy alliance designed to increase Habitat's capacity to build more affordable housing in the United States, including the Gulf Coast area. The alliance, "Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity," represents a four-year, $105 million commitment by Thrivent. Thrivent has specifically earmarked $5 million of the total to rebuild homes in the Gulf Coast region.

Gilbert, who traveled with Feltman and Hanson to the Gulf Coast, said "a real re-awakening" for him was witnessing Lutheran pastors, some of whom have lost their homes, continue "to serve as caregivers. Pastors, too, need to have someone tend to their needs," he said. "To watch people get on with it, get things fixed, put forth the effort unselfishly is a reaffirmation of the kind of people that Lutherans are. It is very apparent that we are all one body in Christ."

Feltman, Gilbert and Hanson met with Lutheran pastors and others from Louisiana at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Baton Rouge, Sept. 22. The group viewed pictures of churches and homes in hurricane-affected areas in the state. Hanson told the group the church "will be (in the Gulf Coast) until communities are rebuilt and congregations are revitalized."

"It's important for people to know that (Hurricane Katrina response) is going to be a long-term process, and I say that in the way that the acute phase of this disaster is lasting much longer than it usually does. Debris and clean-up will take a longer period of time, as did the search and rescue. I ask people to be patient with us, that we need to do it a piece at a time and do it well, and that together we can make a difference," said Feltman.

DOMESTIC DISASTERS:

Editors: When listing organizations receiving funds to aid survivors of major disasters inside the United States, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands, please include:

ELCA Domestic Disaster Response, P.O. Box 71764,
Chicago, Illinois 60694-1764
Credit card gift line: 1-800-638-3522
Credit card gifts via Internet:
www.ELCA.org/disaster/katrina