In the wake of fierce August storms that tore through Northern Illinois—toppling trees, damaging homes, and leaving dangerous debris—Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT) volunteers answered the call to serve.

Over the course of eleven days, 43 LERT chainsaw volunteers completed work at 23 sites in Batavia, Belvidere, Carpentersville, Darien, Lisle, and Wheaton, Illinois. Using their training and equipment—including bobcats, tractors, and boom lifts—they dedicated 451 volunteer hours to serve both homeowners and churches. More importantly, they shared the mercy, compassion, presence, and proclamation of Jesus Christ with those facing loss after the storm.

The final three homeowner sites required advanced lift and rigging techniques to carefully remove a large tree, bringing it down limb by limb without damaging nearby homes, sheds, or power lines. Throughout the day, two neighboring residents watched the team’s progress, offering food and drinks in gratitude. By evening, the dangerous tree was gone, and the neighbors expressed deep relief and joy. “You were truly a blessing,” they told the volunteers.

These efforts followed the August 16 microbursts and straight-line windstorms that swept across the LCMS Northern Illinois District. The storms left behind uprooted trees, broken limbs, damaged homes, and downed power lines, creating hazardous conditions for families and congregations.

In the immediate aftermath, Lutheran Church Charities Disaster Response staff and LERT volunteers immediately assessed needs and provided hands-on help to those in need.

LCC Disaster Response was sent a thank you note from a family in Belvidere to share with the team that did all-day lift work at their home. Part of it reads: "Philippians 2:3-4 states, '…value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of others.' Nothing epitomizes the work of the LERT volunteers more than the note above. What gracious servants of the Lord all of you are! We appreciate all that was done and cannot thank you enough."

LCC Disaster Response extends heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers who gave their time and talents to help families recover from this disaster. Special appreciation also goes to Immanuel, Belvidere for graciously hosting volunteers each morning as they served in one of the hardest-hit communities.

On August 16, powerful microbursts and straight-line wind storms tore through towns across the LCMS Northern Illinois District, leaving behind widespread destruction. Uprooted trees, broken limbs, damaged homes, and downed power lines created dangerous conditions for many families and congregations.

In the aftermath, Lutheran Church Charities (LCC) Disaster Response staff and Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT) volunteers immediately stepped in to serve. Equipped with compassion and chainsaws, they began assessing needs and providing hands-on help to those affected.

Last week, LCC Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT) chainsaw volunteers answered God’s call to serve, traveling from across the country to Hendersonville, North Carolina. Serving out of Mt. Pisgah Lutheran Church, these teams brought more than chainsaws and construction tools—they brought compassion and spiritual encouragement to those still recovering from Hurricane Helene.

LCC disaster response staff, chainsaw instructors and experienced volunteers helped two new New York teams from St. James Lutheran Church in St. James and Calvary Lutheran Church in East Meadows received in-depth chainsaw training while serving on homeowner sites, which has prepared them to serve with skill and confidence in future deployments.

With 15 chainsaw sites and 2 construction projects completed—totaling 554 volunteer hours—this week’s ministry demonstrated that LERT’s work is about more than cleanup. It’s about restoring hope, encouraging the weary, and sharing Christ’s love with every saw cut, every conversation, and every prayer lifted in service.

Here are the stories. 

Feeding Body and Spirit
Behind every chainsaw and hammer was the dedicated team from Trinity Lutheran, Athens, GA, serving meals out of their food trailer to nourish both body and spirit. Their faithful service ensured volunteers stayed energized, ready to continue sharing God’s love through action.

A Nationwide Mission of Service
This ministry was made possible by the faithful partnership of churches and volunteers from across the country:

Atlantic District
Calvary, East Meadows NY – Nick Caputo, Pastor Sean Chapman
St. James, St. James NY – Alex Hartmann, Eric and Meredith Johansson, Doug Miller, Jacob Mittelstaedt, Pastor Neil Mittelstaedt, Tony Romano, Jim Sauer, Ken Seltzer, Don Smith
St. John, Holbrook NY – Chris Polley
St. John’s, Sayville NY – Steve Lindfors
Florida-Georgia District
Trinity, Athens GA – David Bacastow, Charles Bissett, Pastor Tim Davis, Marty Lambert, Jessica O’Rear
Our Redeemer, Jacksonville FL – Richard Paris

Northern Illinois District
Immanuel, Dekalb IL – Pete Springmire
Immanuel, Dundee IL – Matt Flynn
Prince of Peace, Palatine IL – Jim Beckley
St. John, Dillsboro IN – Steve Black, Ruth Weisbrod
Southeastern District
Hope, Wake Forest NC – David Critchley

South Wisconsin District
St. Paul, Janesville WI – Lark Sanders

LCC also thanks Mt Pisgah in Hendersonville and Trinity in Tryon for sending many flood recovery supplies back with us for the South Wisconsin flooding that just occurred.

Make This Ministry Possible
LCC Disaster Response relies on the generosity of donors to fund training, equipment, and deployments like this one. Your gift helps volunteers continue bringing God’s love to families in need.

Disaster Response volunteers and staff from Lutheran Church Charities are continuing cleanup efforts and bringing a comforting presence to residents of Milwaukee, WI, and its suburbs after historic flooding devastated the area earlier in August. In a two-day span over August 9-10, the region received about 10 inches of rain.
 
Rising water prompted hundreds of rescue calls across Milwaukee and adjacent suburbs as four rivers crested at record levels, representing a 1,000-year flood event.
 
In response, LCC affiliate church Brookfield Lutheran is serving as a hub for disaster response, providing meals, phone hotline help, and Spiritual First Aid™ assistance. On Sunday, the church welcomed dozens of community members for a free breakfast and a time of worship, specifically sitting with them and listening to their stories, said Brookfield relief coordinator Mary Stafford-Nunez.

LCC Disaster Response is also on-site to make assessments and provide first-stage help with mucking, gutting, drying, and mold treatment. LCC is providing Tyvek suits and boots for LERT workers.

 “The first step has been to establish intake for case management files and help people start the recovery process,” said Mark Brueggemann, LCC Crisis/Disaster Response Coordinator for the Southern Wisconsin District. “This was the kind of flooding you see with a hurricane. A lot of people don’t have insurance coverage.”
 
Help is also coming from North Carolina. Trinity Lutheran in Tryon, N.C., which dealt with flooding in April, is donating mold remediation cleaner and other items.
 
The list of families needing help grows each day. Please keep the people of southern Wisconsin in your prayers during these difficult days and consider making a gift to help the recovery efforts of LCMS families.

Lutheran Church Charities, in partnership with The Coming King Foundation, announced a Care & Remembrance Gathering featuring the installation of 95 Hearts of Mercy & Compassion and the unveiling of the Hill Country Flood Memorial Wall honoring the 137 lives lost in the tragic disaster over the Fourth of July weekend along the Guadalupe River Basin.

This public event — led by LCC President/CEO Rev. Chris Singer and hosted by Kerrville artist Max Greiner — will begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, August 14, 2025, on the grounds of The Empty Cross monument at The Coming King Foundation Sculpture Prayer Garden in Kerrville, Texas.

“Our hearts are with the people of the Texas Hill Country after such a devastating tragedy,” Rev. Singer said. “Respectfully and compassionately, we desire to be present with the community for a time of reflection, prayer, and mourning. Even amid sorrow and grief, we believe God is close to the brokenhearted and offers hope and comfort. We invite all who are hurting and in need of support to attend this Remembrance Gathering with us and our ministry partner The Coming King Foundation.”

In addition to the 95 HMCs, which are being delivered from Illinois, Oklahoma, and Texas, LCC will deploy a contingent of 29 staff members and volunteers, including eight K-9 Comfort Dog teams from Texas and Oklahoma and a four-member LCC Care Team from Gloria Dei Houston

The Hill Country Flood Memorial Wall, a 160-foot undulating limestone structure designed by Greiner, traces the curvature of the Guadalupe River. Bronze plaques will bear the names of those lost in the flood and will recognize the first responders, volunteers, and churches that provided critical care and support.

LCC’s Hearts of Mercy & Compassion (HMCs) will be displayed in front of the Memorial Wall as an interactive tribute. Attendees will have the opportunity to write personalized messages of hope, love, and encouragement for the families of those who passed away.

The Care & Remembrance Gathering also will feature eight LCC’s K-9 Comfort Dog teams from Texas and Oklahoma. These purebred Golden Retrievers and their trained handlers will provide emotional support, prayer, and peaceful companionship to help attendees process stress, grief, and loss.

In addition, LCC will deploy a four-member Care Team trained in Spiritual First Aid™ to offer compassionate, trauma-informed care.

Volunteers serving in Kerrville this week include:

Pax Comfort Dog, St. Paul Fort Worth, Texas 
Phoebe Comfort Dog, St. Paul Fort Worth, Texas 
Olive Comfort Dog, St. Paul Fort Worth, Texas 
Handlers: Janice & John Marut, LuAnn Kelly, Laura Lewallen, Bob Hampton, Veronica Vorva, LaRae Witsaman

Triton Comfort Dog, Messiah Plano, Texas 
Handlers: Marti Martz, Jane & Jerry Baedke

Elijah Comfort Dog, Our Redeemer Wichita Falls, Texas 
Handlers: Kelly Shivertaker (Bethany Austin, Texas) and Ken Wehmeyer (Bethany Austin, Texas)

Persis Comfort Dog, Christ The Redeemer Tulsa, Oklahoma 
Handlers: Roxy & Steve Hurry, Lori Knoepfel

Gabriel Comfort Dog, Messiah Houston, Texas 
Handlers: Janet & Charles Cook

Joy Comfort Dog, Gloria Dei Houston, Texas 
Handlers: Karen & Kim Gastler

The 95 hearts and crosses are being driven 22 hours from LCC headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois, with stops at Christ The Redeemer in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and St. Paul, in Fort Worth, Texas. Eric Wendelbo of Christ The Redeemer will deploy as an HMC volunteer.

An LCC Care Team from Gloria Dei Houston will include Susanne Franson, Fred Heiner, Roberta Heiner, and Dawn Petersen.

“We are so grateful for these servants of Christ to join us for the Remembrance Gathering and show comfort and care to the community of Kerrville,” said Rev. Singer. “We know that they are traveling hundreds of miles to be there for people who are still hurting and in need. We are so thankful for their help.”

The Gathering event marks LCC’s third ministry trip to the Hill Country region as part of its ongoing disaster response and community support efforts.

Junior High Youth Spread Sweetness for a Cause

Even more support emerged last week when the Junior High youth at Trinity Lutheran in Villa Park, IL, held a Lemonade/Cookie Sale fundraiser to help families impacted by the July 4 flood in the Texas Hill Country. 

With bright smiles, homemade cookies, and ice-cold lemonade, the youth set up their stand to raise funds for those still struggling to rebuild their lives after the devastating flooding in Texas. The floods, which left many families displaced and in need, struck a chord with the group, inspiring them to take action in the most heartfelt way they knew — serving up treats with a side of compassion.

Adding even more warmth to the day, LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Michael (LCC Staff) made a special appearance, greeting visitors with his gentle presence and wagging tail. Children and adults alike couldn’t resist stopping for a friendly pat, a quick photo, and a cool drink. Michael’s visit reminded everyone that comfort and care can come in many forms — sometimes with fur and four paws.

Neighbors, church members, and passersby came out to show their support, turning the sale into a community gathering filled with laughter, generosity, and shared purpose. Every glass poured and cookie sold helped bring hope to families hundreds of miles away.

The Junior High youth proved that you don’t have to be a grown-up to change the world — just willing to lend a hand, bake a cookie, and pour a little lemonade for those in need.

Lutheran Church Charities can provide this assistance because faithful, generous donors and volunteers are willing to support and serve. Thanks to you, LCC will BE THERE as long as necessary to provide the mercy, compassion, presence, and proclamation of Jesus Christ to those who are struggling, suffering, and in need.

“We spent time at command centers in Kerrville and Center Point, speaking with search and rescue responders and meeting FEMA disaster response center survivors who were registering for assistance,” said Denise Snider, director of LCC Human Care.

What they have endured is overwhelming, and the recovery will last for months. Survivors of a flooded subdivision were mucking and gutting their homes when LCC teams stopped by to talk and pray.

Joined by LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Teams Elijah (Our Redeemer - Wichita Falls, TX) and Joy (Gloria Dei - Houston, TX), the LCC group also attended a vigil for the victims at the Memorial Wall in downtown Kerrville on Saturday night, hearing harrowing stories of survival and deep loss. 

“At all of these we were able to offer a listening ear to the many stories shared, a caring touch or hug, a prayer and hope in Jesus Christ,” said O’Day.

Along the Guadelupe River

The first thing you notice is the smell.

A waft of musty mud. The stink of trash and debris. All of it 20 or 30 feet over head. Smushed in branches.

“Large trees were uprooted and bending in the direction of the wall of water that came down the river,” said LCC Director of Disaster Response Kathy O’Day.

During the deployment, O’Day and Disaster Crisis Response and Volunteer Engagement Coordinator Jason Johnson hiked along part of the Guadalupe River that recently had been combed by search and rescue first responders.

“You see washed up vehicles and other items swept down the river and deposited in places they shouldn’t be,” O’Day described. “You think about the lives lost and those missing and being searched for. And as you walk, you feel as though you are walking on sacred ground.”

A husband-and-wife self-rescue

When the flooding was at its peak, the rising water was halfway up the first floor window for a U.S. Army veteran who lived in Hunt, Texas.

Home with his wife, the man knew he had to make a plan fast.

LCC Director of Human Care Denise Snider heard his account during the deployment and marveled at his faith.

With sheer strength, the man managed to pry open the partially submerged window and turned to his wife with how to escape. “Hold your breath,” he told her.

He grabbed her hand and helped her squeeze through the window. As she made it out, he swam right behind her, still clinging to her hand.

Above raging river, the sky crackled with lightning, providing enough light to make out a branch dangling from trees overhead. They swam to it. Clinging to the branch, they swung around to the trunk, where the man tied his belt around his wife and a higher branch on the tree. Then he anchored himself to another part of the tree.

For the moment, they were both safe.
As the waters receded, they swam to safety. On solid ground, they made their way to neighbors’ homes, rescuing them from the water. His military training had prepared him for the moment, the man thought. But there was more.

Reflecting on the experience, the man shared that God’s strength gave him the ability to open the window, protect his wife, cling to the tree, and have energy to help others.
He gave all the glory to God, praising Him for His saving grace.

Tears at Camp LaJunta

Sitting at the entrance to Camp LaJunta in Hunt, Texas, a young man was in tears.

As Kathy O’Day and Jason Johnson approached, they noticed he was wearing a camp t-shirt. As a child, he had gone to camp here for many years and now had sent his son too.

Memories came back to him, and it hurt to know that so many boys were lost and traumatized by the flooding days earlier.  

Others were hurting too.

The man’s best friend lived along the river with his family, including an 18-month-old baby. When the flood waters hit, they were sleeping upstairs and awoke to a loud noise about 3:30 a.m.

Rushing downstairs, the discovered the first floor was filling with water, including the baby’s room. Their son was standing up in his crib with the water at his neck.

God had woken them up at the exact moment to save their child, he said. They made it to safety.

God is still working. Through the volunteers coming from all over. In the stories other families have told.

He thanked the LCC team for coming, listening to his story, and being a part of a God moment with him. 

A call back to faith

At the Kerrville town vigil on Saturday, LCC teams noticed a young woman who appeared to show signs of heat exhaustion. Kathy O’Day quickly got her some water. Denise Snider found a doctor to assist.

A short time later, the woman was refreshed, and they took a moment to thank the doctor. On her phone, the doctor showed a photo of a door at Camp Mystic, where she and a friend had helped recently. The image showed a beam of light shining through a crack in the door. But her friend, who took the same photo, had no light beam on hers.

“I’m not a Christian,” the doctor confessed.

But something about the light shining through the door crack made her believe God was reaching out to her.

O’Day invited the doctor to pray with her.

Was this encounter another sign? In the midst of this awful tragedy, was God using an unplanned moment to call her back to faith in Jesus?

She believed it was. 

LCC asks that supporters pray for this doctor in the weeks ahead. May she come more into the knowledge and love of Christ.

UPDATE: On Thursday, July 10, Deaconess Kathy O'Day, director of LCC Disaster Response, and Denise Snider, director of LCC Human Care, will lead teams of volunteers in the Texas Hill Country to bring comfort, care, and support to LCMS churches, first responders, and community residents affected by the July 4 flash-flooding. Joining them will be Jason Johnson, Disaster Crisis Response and Volunteer Engagement Coordinator. 

​A team from Gloria Dei Houston will meet them there — with LERT-trained volunteers working with Deac. O'Day and Johnson, and Spiritual First Aid™- trained volunteers going with Snider.

Two K-9 Comfort Dog teams also will deploy Thursday evening:
- Team Elijah from Our Redeemer Wichita Falls, Texas, with Eddie Carlton (retired police) and Willie Reneau
- Team Joy from Gloria Dei Houston with Karen and Kim Gastler

The home base for ministry work this week will be at Hosanna Lutheran Kerrville.

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Lutheran Church Charities President/CEO Rev. Chris Singer announced Monday that LCC is planning to deploy to the Texas Hill Country to BE THERE to offer HOPE TO THE HURTING after catastrophic rains, rapid rises in river levels, and massive flash flooding overwhelmed multiple communities over the July 4 weekend. The tragic weather event took the lives of more than 100 people, including dozens of children at campgrounds along the Guadalupe River basin.

LCC has been invited by Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) Texas District President Rev. Dr. Jon Braunersreuther and Texas District Disaster Response Coordinators Julie Tucker and David Ricks as soon as it is safe to travel and perform much-needed ministry work.

“The scope of this disaster is massive, both in lives tragically lost and the wide area that has been impacted,” Rev. Singer said. “Our hearts are broken at the devastation. Lives have been upended and torn apart. We are praying fervently and eager to be on-site to help as soon as possible.”



Search and rescue operations continue with around-the-clock response from local, state, and national first responders. Hundreds of officers and support staff are working in Kerr County and the region northwest of San Antonio known for its rolling hills and winding rivers.

LCC staff — plus LCC volunteers in Texas and Oklahoma — are standing by to mobilize and travel to affected areas.



LCC is prepared to lend Disaster Response expertise and send LCC Care Teams trained in Spiritual First Aid™ to provide physical, emotional, and spiritual care to those affected by this ongoing tragedy.

With several roads and bridges washed out, travel around Kerrville and the surrounding region is limited. LCC is planning to send K-9 Comfort Dog and Hearts of Mercy & Compassion teams as soon as it can.

This week, LCC is focusing its assistance on serving the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) Texas District, plus working alongside LCMS pastors and congregations participating in community care efforts, including Kerrville, Boerne, San Antonio, and Houston. 

Rev. Singer has been in communication with LCMS district officials, while the directors from all four LCC ministry areas are talking daily with pastors in the region, assessing locations in the region to bring comfort and care.

Weather is another factor impacting deployment plans. The Texas Hill Country continues to see a pattern of rainstorms throughout the week.

Working with Hosanna Kerrville and other LCMS churches in the area, plus San Antonio and Austin, LCC is aggregating local resources to help residents, while preparing LCC volunteers when they arrive to help.

LCC can provide this assistance because of faithful, generous donors and volunteers who are willing to support and serve. 

“The financial support you can offer right now will go directly to helping families and LCMS congregations in the Texas Hill Country and bring HOPE TO THE HURTING,” Rev. Singer said. 

Hurts still linger a year after two fires and flash flooding ravaged the mountain community of Ruidoso, New Mexico.

“Today, emotions are all over the map,” said Melissa Moody, a Village of Ruidoso employee who works with the town’s Parks and Recreation Department. “Some are still shellshocked and struggling. Some are ready to move on. Some accept the consequences of living here. But all of us are coming together to be a stronger community.”

On Tuesday, Ruidoso paused to remember, reflect, and celebrate resilience a year after the 2024 natural disasters that took the lives of two people, destroyed 1,400 homes, and burned more than 25,000 acres. Hundreds of people from the community came to the town’s Wingfield Park for an event with the theme “United By Loss, Defined By Grit.”

Lutheran Church Charities was on hand to bring HOPE TO THE HURTING with the handlers of K-9 Comfort Dog Persis (King of Kings - Glenpool, Oklahoma) and K-9 Comfort Dog Elijah (Our Redeemer - Wichita Falls, Texas). The teams worked in conjunction with Rev. Jason Rust of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Ruidoso and nine congregation members trained in Spiritual First Aid™.

The group also brought Hearts of Mercy & Compassion and crosses for the community to sign at the gathering. It marked the third visit by LCC staff and volunteers since the disaster — with previous trips focused on Disaster Response cleanup and Spiritual First Aid training.

“LCC is reaffirming its commitment to long-term care, healing, and hope for the people of Ruidoso,” said LCC President/CEO Rev. Chris Singer. “In the midst of despair and loss, we want this community to find the comfort, strength, and hope need for healing. LCC will continue to bring prayer, Scripture, and resources for Ruidoso and Shepherd of the Hills.

The day the South Fork Fire broke out, Melissa Moody didn’t think much of it. Fires happen in the New Mexico mountains from time to time.

When her boss called and told her to join the Emergency Operations Center, she delayed. She had to finish doing payroll.

Her boss called again, ordering her to the EOC, which had to evacuate three times as the wildfire spread.

In the days and weeks that followed, Moody operated Ruidoso’s mobile kitchen, feeding dozens of families, then a few hundred, and eventually 800 people three meals a day. Seven days a week for nearly a month.

“Those weeks are a blur,” Moody said while preparing for the remembrance event. “I didn’t see my family for three weeks.”

Ruidoso remembers, though.

As K-9 Comfort Dog teams for Persis and Elijah walked downtown the morning before the community event, shopkeepers and residents reflected on the fear and anxiety they felt during mandatory evacuations, subsequent flooding after the fires, and the devastation that was left behind. The mountains around the town still show treeless burn scars of where they fire raged.

“Encouragement is needed here.”

“Thank you for coming.”

“We’re glad you came.”

T-shirt vendors. Bar owners. Restaurant wait staff. All expressed a gratitude that people outside the community care and want to help.

Back at Wingfield Park, Moody listens as Rev. Singer shares a message of hope and spiritual encouragement with the community.

As a Village of Ruidoso admin who is back to selling fishing permits for the Parks & Rec Department, she sees something else.

“We’re going to be stronger because of this,” she said, looking over the crowd. “People still need help. They need support with finances and the essentials. But now they know that people care — and help is available. Your group is a big part of that.”