LCMS President Matthew C. Harrison offers words of comfort following the tragedy in Boston: “Like the death of our Lord Christ Himself, we pray that, even in this dark hour, the sacrifice and pain of those affected will not be in vain, but redound in good as yet unseen.”
Disaster Response
New video spotlights ‘From Horror to Hope’ in Haiti
A new video, “From Horror to Hope: Haiti 2013,” highlights how the Synod’s body-and-soul response to the 2010 earthquake there continues to make a difference to Haitians.
Physical, spiritual outreach continues to Sandy survivors
By Kim Plummer Krull Nearly three months after Superstorm Sandy, eight elderly, single women struggling to resume their lives along the hard-hit New Jersey Shore were among those offered a helping hand with debris and tree removal by Shepherd’s Heart…
LCMS reaches out to Hattiesburg congregation, community after tornado
By Sarah Schafer The LCMS began reaching out Monday, Feb. 11, to LCMS families and the Hattiesburg, Miss., community after a tornado struck the city Sunday, Feb. 10. The storm caused major damage. According to early reports, it injured as…
Vacation Bible school program to benefit Missouri Synod disaster response
ST. LOUIS, January 23, 2013—Mission offerings collected through the new Concordia Publishing House (CPH) vacation Bible school (VBS) program for 2013, “Tell It on the Mountain – Where Jesus Christ is Lord,” will benefit a special fund of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) that aims to help those suffering from a disaster.
Christmas outreach to superstorm survivors continues into new year
By Kim Plummer Krull While Congress and insurance companies continued to crunch numbers concerning Superstorm Sandy financial assistance, congregations in the LCMS Atlantic and New Jersey Districts made Christmas a bit happier for families who lost their homes and for those…
God 'works through dogs' to comfort returning Sandy Hook students
By Kim Plummer Krull Will Luther, Moses and Isaiah be at school, too? Callers didn’t necessarily ask about the K-9 Parish Comfort Dogs by their individual names, but that’s who they meant when they contacted Sandy Hook Elementary School as classes prepared…
Comfort Dogs bring solace to Sandy Hook students
By Kim Plummer Krull Will Luther, Moses and Isaiah be at school, too? Callers didn’t necessarily ask about the K-9 Parish Comfort Dogs by their individual names, but that’s who they meant when they contacted Sandy Hook Elementary School as classes prepared…
LCMS provides $551,500 in grants for Sandy relief
ST. LOUIS, December 21, 2012—The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) has released $551,500 in grants to help in the Superstorm Sandy relief effort, including $200,000 that is being used for a special Christmas initiative.
LCC Comfort Dogs bring smiles back to Newtown
By Paula Schlueter Ross Abbi, Barnabas, Chewie, Hannah, Maggie, Ruthie, Luther, Prince and Shami — the nine four-legged disaster-response workers who arrived in Newtown, Conn., on Saturday, Dec. 15, to assist the shaken residents — “have brought peace and comfort everywhere…
One school shooting victim has LCMS ties
A child who had attended Sunday school at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Newtown, Conn., was among those killed by a gunman Dec. 14 at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown. The Rev. Glenn F. Merritt, director of Disaster Response for…
'Being present' most important for disaster response
By Kim Plummer Krull ST. LOUIS — Sporting his U.S. Army uniform, the Rev. Rod Armon looks like he’s prepared should a disaster hit anywhere near Doniphan, Neb., the community where he serves as pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church.…
Few spots remain for National Disaster Response Conference
If you’re a member of an LCMS congregation who’s involved in disaster response, you might want to consider attending the Synod’s Fourth Annual National Disaster Response Conference, Oct. 8-10 at the LCMS International Center in St. Louis. A limited number of…
Training helps strengthen tornado response in Henryville
By Kim Plummer Krull More than three months after an EF-4 tornado devastated Henryville, volunteers equipped with Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT) training are among those still helping the southern Indiana community pick up the pieces. “Initially, we saw a lot…
LCMS missionaries, partner church staff OK after Japan quake
Initial contact with LCMS missionaries and partner church staff in Japan indicates that they are safe after the devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake that struck the east coast of the island nation March 11. Also, no major property losses among Lutherans have yet…