Disaster Response

Donations make long-term flood recovery possible

Thanks to donations, LCMS Disaster Response is able to assist in recovery efforts and build its capacity to respond to future disasters.

LWML grant helps provide disaster-response trailers

The 26 trailers will increase the capacity of LCMS districts and congregations to respond to disasters in their own communities.

Fire destroys church’s building, but not ‘God’s plans’

St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northrop, Minn., is a total loss, but its attached elementary school is expected to be back in operation by April 18.

Church reaches out after Kansas shooting

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Newton, Kan., helps its “shaken” community after the deadly Feb. 25 rampage in nearby Hesston, Kan.

In March’s ‘Lutheran Witness’

Mercy — from its scriptural foundation to how it appears in our daily lives — is the focus of the magazine’s March issue.

Synod supports districts, congregations after storms

The Synod responds to disasters in four states: flooding in Illinois and Missouri, and tornadoes in Mississippi and Texas.

LCMS Disaster Response trains district, church responders year-round

Relief efforts following the late-December tornadoes in North Texas and flooding in the Midwest underscore the importance of training local responders ahead of time.

Photo gallery: LCMS responds to December 2015 floods

Volunteers from the International Center of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, LCMS Disaster Response, and New Beginnings Lutheran Church in Pacific, Mo., were among those cleaning up flood-damaged homes in Fenton, Mo., on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016.

Photo gallery: LCMS responds to flooding in Watseka, Ill.

Volunteers converge at Calvary Lutheran Church in Watseka, Ill., to clean flood-damaged homes on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016. In December 2015, a large flood ravaged a large swath of the town.

Synod supports districts, congregations in disastrous-storms recovery

LCMS Disaster Response training and resources enable district disaster responders to coordinate recovery efforts in the aftermath of destructive storms and flooding.

Photo gallery: Flood damage in St. Louis, other Missouri communities

Floodwaters swept through St. Louis and other Missouri communities in the days following Christmas 2015, and the massive flooding damaged homes and business while also closing several roads, including highways and interstates.

Preparedness, training aid in recovery in aftermath of Texas tornadoes

Texas District responders partner with local LCMS congregations to organize recovery efforts following the Dec. 26 storm.

Disaster-response conference offers how-to info, advice

This year’s conference, Oct. 6-9 in St. Louis, brought together some 100 district disaster-response coordinators, pastors and laypeople involved in disaster work.

KFUO Audio: Disasters and Mercy

KFUO Radio host Andy Bates talked on Oct. 7 with the Rev. Terry Makelin, the Rev. Tom Heren and the Rev. Seth Clemmer about the life and mercy work of their congregations in the wake of disaster in their communities.

LCMS disaster assessment begins

The massive amount of rain has burst dams and blocked roads. Pastors Denninger and Meyer discuss the differences between this disaster and Hurricane Hugo as they determine how to best serve the needs of the community and help with recovery.

LCMS Disaster Response helps amid Southeastern after-flood

LCMS Disaster Response Manager Rev. Michael Meyer deploys to assist the LCMS Southeastern District in essential damage assessments, as flooding continues in South Carolina.