By Megan K. Mertz
Three congregations of the Lutheran Church in the Philippines (LCP), a partner church with The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, are in the area hardest hit by Typhoon Haiyan, which tore through the country Friday, Nov. 8 and is one of the strongest storms ever recorded. At least one of those congregations is reported to have significant damage.
More than 10,000 people are feared dead and thousands more have lost their homes in the wake of the typhoon — also known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda.
The Rev. James Cerdeñola, president of the LCP, reported, “We have three congregations in the areas worst hit by the storm. One is in Mahayag, Albuera, Leyte (a coastal town), and the pastor, the Rev. Xavier James Palattao, told me that almost all houses in his area including those of our members are either totally destroyed or significantly damaged by Yolanda’s winds. The church building and the parsonage were not spared.”
Area Lutherans also have lost crops and livestock.
“Our human-care department, the Mindanao District officers, together with our ALERT team (Active Lutherans Emergency Response Team) are working hard to bring about relief and comfort to the victims,” Cerdeñola wrote in an email.
Following reports from LCP leaders, the LCMS pledged to make available to the LCP up to $100,000 for immediate typhoon relief that will be used to provide food, water, shelter, clothing and medical care for those affected. The LCMS also is offering to match up to $50,000 for donations gathered by member churches of the International Lutheran Council, of which both the LCMS and the LCP are members.
At the request of Cerdeñola, a team of LCMS disaster-response ministry leaders tentatively plans to travel to the Philippines as early as Tuesday, Nov. 12, to help assess the situation and begin planning the long-term recovery process with members of the LCP. So far, assessments have been hampered by damage to the lines of transportation and communication.
The team from the LCMS will include the Rev. Glenn Merritt, director of LCMS Disaster Response; the Rev. Ross Johnson, co-director of LCMS Disaster Response; the Rev. Steven Schave, associate executive director of the Office of International Mission; Deaconess Pamela Nielsen, associate executive director of LCMS Communications; and Rick Steenbock, an LCMS missionary communications specialist based in Germany.
“After hearing of the ‘largest typhoon’ in recorded history and a report from the president of our partner, the Lutheran Church of the Philippines (LCP), that at least three congregations as well as the homes of pastors and church members would need to be rebuilt, the LCMS is engaging its mercy response to find the best way to assist,” said the Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, president of the LCMS.
“These funds will provide some immediate relief, and I am deeply grateful to our generous donors for making this grant possible,” Harrison continued.
After leaving the Philippines, Typhoon Haiyan traveled westward toward Vietnam.
If you would like to help LCMS Disaster Response in its ministry to support those devastated by disaster:
- Make an online gift here.
- Mail checks payable to “The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod” (with a memo line or note designating “LCMS Disaster Relief”) to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, P.O. Box 66861, St. Louis, MO 63166-6861.
- Call toll-free 888-930-4438 (8:10 a.m. to 4:10 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday).
Because the LCMS typically receives nearly half of its annual charitable support in the months of November and December, donors are encouraged to prayerfully consider a gift to LCMS Disaster Response that is in addition to any planned year-end gift intended to help sustain the ongoing witness and mercy work of the Synod.
For more information about the Synod’s response to disasters, visit lcms.org/disaster.
Megan K. Mertz is a staff writer with LCMS Communications.
Updated Nov. 11, 2013 / Nov. 12, 2013 / Nov. 13, 2013
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Please let us know when you have a bulletin insert designed and available for disaster response for the Philippine typhoon. Black and white bulletin inserts are highly effective for those of us who serve older congregations with folks who are not computer literate but who are very generous with their support of mission and disaster relief efforts of the synod. Thanks.
Please keep checking back. We hope to have one posted before the end of the day.
What Keith said. I came to the site today hoping you’d have one on posted today. Hopefully soon the bulletin insert will be available.
I would like a bulletin insert also available as soon as possible please. Thank you.
If we collect donations, which would be the most helpful? Should we send them immediately, or send it as one after collecting for several Sundays?
Thank you, Pastor!
We can easily receive gifts either way, so my recommendation is to use whichever approach will be simplest for your congregation.
Because Disaster Response takes a ‘long haul’ view of its work, gifts will be valued today, tomorrow and anytime in the months to come. For that reason, your members may want to help immediately and for the long haul which is a mixed approach – send the first collection immediately, then gather additional gifts over a period of time and make a second congregation gift.
If you have additional questions, please call the Donor Care Line: 888-930-4438 My team will be more than happy to help you.
Mark Hofman, Executive Director
Mission Advancement
They ARE coming. I was asked to proof the final version late this afternoon.
Go to http://www.lcms.org/disaster
The bulletin inserts are available for download there, in both color and B&W.
It seems that if I donate online, I can’t specify my gifts towards the Philippines. How do I know that my donation will go directly to help those in the Philippines?
I also suggest you put a GIVE NOW button on your main website page, it is hard to find where to give.
Below is Mark Hofman’s response.
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First, thank you for your willingness to help! I have been asked to respond to your posted question.
I apologize for any frustration we’ve caused.
In response to the concern you and others have expressed, we are taking steps to activate a special Hurricane/Typhoon account and will be switching the online donation page over from the general disaster fund to the Hurricane/Typhoon fund. Anything that comes in to that account between November 9 (first date of our response effort) through the next several weeks will be used for the Philippines relief effort.
We’ve stopped setting up designated accounts for each individual disaster event because the costs associated with managing those kinds of very tightly restricted accounts are excessive, and there are other more cost-effective ways to make sure we honor donor intent, making more money available for actual relief efforts.
The switch will take a day or two for reasons that are too lengthy to explain, so keep checking back.
You can also send an email to “mission.advancement@lcms.org” with the date and amount of your online gift, and the last four digits of the credit card you used, and we can add a special note in your gift record of “Philippines Relief Only”.
The approach we use to draw funds out of the typhoon/hurricane account first. If still more is needed, we will draw from the general disaster fund (if funds are available). This ensures we don’t end a disaster relief cycle with unused gifts sitting in an account we cannot tap for another disaster.
The LCMS and the Mission Advancement staff adhere to the Code of Ethical Principles and Practices, and the Donor Bill of Rights, as a member of the Association of Lutheran Development Executives (ALDE). Our management of donated funds goes through an annual independent external audit to ensure we comply with donor intent whenever a gift is restricted.
Again, thanks for taking the time to inquire and for your willingness to help with this relief effort!
Mark Hofman, Executive Director
Mission Advancement
I am with a Lutheran Church in Southern Maryland and would like to begin a mission response to help with the disaster in the Philippines, however I am unable to get your bulletin insert to come up. I will be happy to provide the other information to our congregation but the insert would be great! Thanks
Lois, thank you for letting us know. I sent links to you in a separate email. I’d appreciate knowing if you cannot open them. May God richly bless your day.
Diane Grimm
LCMS Church Information Center