Disaster Response

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…