LCC LERT VOLUNTEERS PROVIDE CRUCIAL DISASTER RESPONSE HELP FOR HENDERSONVILLE, N.C., RESIDENTS10/23/2024
Lutheran Church Charities Lutheran Early Response Teams (LERT) volunteersarrived this weekend and began disaster response assessments in the Hendersonville, N.C., area before initiating tree cutting and debris removal. By Tuesday, 25 LCC volunteers from the Northern Illinois, Southeastern, and Missouri districts of the LCMS were on the ground serving homeowners whose properties had leaning and damaged trees. LCC LERT volunteers are scheduled to be in North Carolina until at least November 9. Over the last few days, LCC LERT volunteers have removed trees from three homes in Hendersonville that were creating unsafe areas in a neighborhood, including at the mayor’s house. “She was very pleased with the care and professionalism shown by the team in cutting a leaning tree safely from her backyard and removing the large root ball from her front yard,” said Deaconess Kathy O’Day, director of LCC Disaster Response. “There is a lot of damage everywhere you look. Please continue to pray for all those affected and for those coming to serve in these communities from around the country.” According to officials, more than 225 people have died in North Carolina from Hurricane Helene and 82 remain missing. As work is being completed, the need for assistance is growing. Pastor Jonathan Christensen of Mount Pisgah Lutheran Church in Hendersonville had received at least 20 new requests for help in the last few days. LCC LERT teams are working from three large sites using boom lifts and bobcat movers to removed downed and damaged trees. Stories of help and encouragement are emerge daily:
READ MORE stories of homeowners who have been helped by LCC LERT teams on the LCC HURRICANE RESPONSE page. LCC Human Care received a request from Pastor Philip Robarge (pictured) of Tabor Lutheran Church in Chicago to help a family in need. Dear Caring LCC Community, I am reaching out today with an urgent plea for help on behalf of a family that has recently found themselves in significant financial hardship. A family who is an intricate part of the Tabor family has faced an unexpected and serious medical issue. This family’s wife and mother unexpectedly faced a serious medical issue. Unfortunately, she was uninsured at the time, leading to an overwhelming amount of medical debt that the family is struggling to manage. The burden of these bills is threatening their financial stability, and they are in dire need of support. This situation has placed a heavy emotional toll on them, as they have these unforeseen medical expenses have left them with limited options. This is a crucial time for them, and any help can make an enormous difference in their ability to recover. Contributions will go directly toward paying off medical bills from the hospital. If you can offer any assistance it would be a great blessing. Even a small contribution can go a long way in alleviating the immense pressure this family is under. Your generosity will provide them with hope in this incredibly difficult moment. Thank you for your consideration, and I hope we can come together to make a difference for this family in their time of need. God Bless! Rev. Philip Robarge Lead Pastor Tabor Lutheran Church Your generous donations will provide the family with crucial resources and emotional support helping them navigate through this difficult period. Thank you for showing mercy and compassion of Jesus to those in need. On Sunday, October 20, three dedicated LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry teams were present at the visitation of Sarah Niederkorn, a remarkable young woman whose life was cut short. LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Abednego (Immanuel - Crystal Lake, Illinois) Eunice (LCC Staff), and Samson (Zion - Marengo, Illinois) were there to provide emotional support, embodying LCC’s mission of community care in times of need. Sarah, a graduate of Cary-Grove High School with honors, had a profound dream of transforming mental health support for others. Her unwavering compassion extended far beyond her love for reading and music; she was a cherished member of the Cary-Grove Buddies program, always ready to lend a helping hand to friends and family. Sarah's positive impact on the Cary community will be remembered by all who had the privilege to know her. On Saturday, October 19th, LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Rejoice (St. Paul's - Janesville, Wisconsin) and Tobias (Lord of Glory - Grayslake, Illinois) brought comfort and love to those attending the Visitation and Celebration of Life for Barbara Hill, a remarkable servant who embodied the spirit of Jesus' love for others. Her daughter, Cindy, one of our dedicated Volunteer Apprentice Trainers, honored her mother by reading a poignant poem titled "Others," found in Barbara's Bible, capturing her essence beautifully. This moment not only celebrated Barbara's life but also highlighted Cindy's commitment to carrying on her mother's legacy of serving others in love as Jesus does through her ministry work with LCC, reminding us all of the profound impact one life dedicated to love can have on a community. The LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry had the opportunity to participate and bring comfort to those attending the Kirkpatrick Foundation Animal Conference in Oklahoma City. During the three-day conference, the teams greeted the attendees and also had the opportunity to meet and greet the people visiting the Oklahoma Zoo, where the conference was being held. This year special comfort was brought to the staff and attendees of the Kirkpatrick Foundation as they recently lost their director and friend Louisa McCune to cancer. Dona Martin, LCC staff was able to present a Heart of Mercy & Compassion to the Kirkpatrick Foundation that the conference attendees signed for the family of Louisa. LCC K-9 Comfort Dog teams bringing the mission of LCC to Oklahoma: Peris Comfort Dog (King of Kings - Glenpool, Oklahoma) Keren Comfort Dog (Immanuel - Ellsworth, Kansas) Elijah Comfort Dog (Our Redeemer - Wichita Falls, Texas) Daniel Comfort Dog (Immanuel - Joplin, Missouri) From veterans and Red Cross workers to needy families and law enforcement officers, Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc on the lives of North Carolina residents of every walk of life. High winds and high water devastated the western part of the state taking the lives of 95 North Carolinians and isolating communities. Helene tore a deadly path through the mountains of western North Carolina, dumping extreme rainfall and causing catastrophic flash flooding. Numerous locations received 1-2 feet of rain or more between Sept. 24-28. Some towns are in ruins. There are toppled trees everywhere; roads, bridges, and driveways are washed out; homes and businesses have been destroyed by flooding and landslides. Many homes remain without power or running water. In response, Lutheran Church Charities answered calls for help last week, deploying a six-member LCC Care Team trained in Spiritual First Aid™ to Asheville, N.C., on Friday. Drawing from three different churches in two states, the team distributed food and supplies and offered spiritual and psychological support to those affected by the storm and the first responders who are helping them. Serving on the LCC Care Team are Heidi Gilbert-Then, a parish nurse from Faith Lutheran Sussex, Wisconsin; Crystal Sherrill, Bethel Lutheran Claremont, N.C.; Jordan Sherill, Bethel Lutheran Claremont, N.C; David Hedrick, Bethel Lutheran Claremont, N.C; Tina Simmons, Bethel Lutheran Claremont, N.C.; and Tony Spencer, St. Stephens Hickory, N.C. “The people impacted by the hurricane are dealing with a lot of loss and grief. I’m grateful our team was able to step into their lives to offer encouragement and the hope of Jesus as they start the long process of healing. Please join us in praying for them throughout their recovery journey,” said Heidi Then. Read daily mini-stories about the LCC Care Team’s boots-on-the-ground ministry on the LCC Hurricane Response Page. Led by professional counselors Dawn Petersen of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Houston, Texas, and Jeanette Singer of Lord of Glory Grayslake, the LCC Care Team paid special attention to the biological, livelihood, emotional, social, and spiritual unmet needs of the residents of Ruidoso, who had endured so much tragedy and internalized it for months. The Care Team started its ministry of caring by handing out a Heart of Mercy & Compassion at Shepherd of the Hills to Pastor Jason Rust and his wife Rebecca (pictured at right) during Sunday service, followed by a pastor-to-pastor dinner among the Singer and Rust families. The Rusts have been on the frontline of ministering to the community for the summer and fall. Pastor Rust is also a volunteer firefighter in town. HMCs were also presented to officers at the Ruidoso Police Department and to officials at Ruidoso town hall, all of whom bravely helped evacuate community members at the height of the wildfire. Over three days, the LCC Care Team visited more than a dozen locations, encouraging residents across a spectrum of backgrounds — hospital ER staff, first responder dispatchers, firefighters, nursing home and assisted living center residents, property owners, and mobile home park residents, Boys & Girls Club children — all of them with anxieties about the fire and flood. Workers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency helped by pointing out additional people who could benefit from extra attention and care. LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Persis with handlers Steve and Roxy Hurry of King of Kings Lutheran Glenpool, Oklahoma, were welcomed by dog lovers at fire stations and nursing homes. One woman who had the ashes of past golden retrievers in urns in her room delighted at Persis’s calm presence. “The Care Team was able to experience meaningful moment after meaningful moment,”said LCC President/CEO Rev. Chris Singer. “We encountered people who were putting on a brave face after months of coping after so much of their town was decimated. Some were guarded and slow to talk about what had happened. Others were more willing to share what they were going through. But one thing was clear — all of them needed to hear the hope and joy of Jesus that can be experienced no matter the circumstances.” On Tuesday, at one of the final ministry stops of the trip, Persis Comfort Dog and her handlers the Hurrys, plus other LCC Care Team members, played and talked with a group of children at the Ruidoso Boys & Girls Club after-school program. The LCC Care Team listened to their stories about wildfire smoke filling the sky and how they had to hurriedly flee to shelters with their families. Afterward, the children sat down and wrote about what the visit meant. One child summed it up: "I forgot about all of my problems." The visit lasted only an hour, but the joyful interaction seemed to be a divine appointment for the kids to experience peace and hope for a short time. READ MORE about the Disaster Response part of the deployment Lutheran Church Charities returned to Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Ruidoso, New Mexico, last weekend and this week for a six-day deployment that included training in early disaster response and chainsaw work, plus administering Spiritual First Aid™. Ruidoso has continued to recover from the South Fork Fire and flash flooding that devastated the mountain town in June, destroying 1,400 homes and businesses. LCC teams from three states began arriving on Friday at the invitation of Pastor Jason Rust of Shepherd of the Hills. Counselors from Gloria Dei Lutheran in Houston, Texas, and Lord of Glory Lutheran Greyslake, Illinois, joined the Persis K-9 Comfort Dog team of King of Kings Lutheran Glenpool, Oklahoma, and LCC Disaster Response personnel from Illinois. Pastor Rust requested LCC’s help after reaching out to two pastors in Texas for assistance. In turn, the Texas pastors recommended LCC, which began the new partnership with Shepherd of the Hills. Also unique on the New Mexico deployment was that church members went directly from classroom training into the field for practical ministry work — with the ultimate aim of pointing their hurting neighbors and friends to the hope found only in Jesus. 21 TRAINED, CERTIFIED BEFORE SERVING IN THE COMMUNITY A day-by-day account of LCC Disaster Response ministry work: Friday, October 11 The deployment started with Deaconess Kathy O’Day, LCC Director of Disaster Response, and Marty Johnson, LCMS and LCC Chainsaw Instructor, meeting with members of Shepherd of the Hills to assess damage in the region caused by the wildfire. The LCC Disaster Response team also got to check out an equipment trailer the church purchased with grant money supplied by the Disaster Response division of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. The trailer is outfitted with a workbench and shelves to hold saws, personal protective equipment (PPE), gasoline, bar oil, and other tools for church members who are certified in Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT) training. Many thanks to the Synod. With these supplies, volunteers will be preparedto serve their disaster affected community and share the hope of Christ. Saturday, October 12 Marty Johnson, LCMS and LCC Chainsaw Instructor, taught nine members of Shepherd of the Hills how to operate a chainsaw, drag safely, and fell, buck, and limb trees. “It was a very good day and all felt they learned a lot in both the classroom and working in the field,” O’Day said. “All the saws and PPE were used from their new team trailer. On Monday, this new LERT team will start helping homeowners clear burnt trees from their properties with LCC guidance. They are excited to be the hands and feet of Christ to their neighbors.” Sunday, October 13 Deaconess Kathy O’Day, LCC Director of Disaster Response, and Marty Johnson, LCMS and LCC Chainsaw Instructor, taught basic Lutheran Early Response Training (LERT) to a group of 21 students from three churches: Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Ruidoso, New Mexico; Mission Lutheran Las Cruses, New Mexico; and St. John’s Lutheran, Orange, California. All 21 were certified and now form the newest LERT team in the LCMS Rocky Mountain District. “It is good to see how the Disaster Response ministry is continuing to grow with volunteers willing to share the mercy, compassion, presence, and proclamation of Jesus Christ in service to those suffering and in need,” O’Day said. Monday, October 14 The new Shepherd of the Hills LERT chainsaw crew worked at the homes of two congregation members to remove numerous burnt and damaged trees. Homeowners are responsible to clear their property of these trees before they can rebuild or sell their home, according to town bylaws. Insurance does not cover these costs. “Both homeowners were so appreciative of having this removal work done by their own church family,” O’Day said. “It was a privilege to watch these volunteers enthusiastically begin to develop their team and minister to those they will be serving. READ MORE about the LCC Care Team part of the deployment. Our amazing apprentice trainers and LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs in-training gathered for a Fall Festival potluck! It was a beautiful time of fellowship, delicious food, and a few fall-themed training activities! One of the most special things about these gatherings is seeing all of our apprentice trainers supporting and encouraging each other—not just in the work of training the dogs, but in every aspect of life. Whether celebrating victories in training or walking alongside one another during personal challenges, our volunteers are there for each other like family. It’s a reminder that we’re not just training dogs, but building life-long friendships as well! Together, we’re stronger and better equipped to serve those in need. We are so thankful for our volunteer apprentice trainers, who give their time, love, and endless patience to help shape the next generation of LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs.
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