Special Appeal - Your Donations Needed to Assist Families with Flooding in the Midwest

LCC Affiliate Congregation with K-9 Comfort Dog Katie Needs Comfort and Help

1 Corinthians 16:14, “Do everything in love.” 

Imagine having your city surrounded by water where no one can get in or leave, loss of electricity, cell service hit and miss, homes flooded, and people with nowhere to go or ability get out. That is what LCC K-9 Comfort Dog congregation Trinity Lutheran faced – and is still facing. LCC has been in repeated contact with them to help and to spread the word to others to help!

Please Help with Your Donations!

Dollar per Dollar (as always with LCC) your gift will go to what you gave it for!!

Trinity Lutheran Church in Fremont, Nebraska, has been and will continue to be a beacon of hope to their community that has been inundated with flood waters. The church opened their doors to be a shelter for four days to people who had to evacuate their homes. It is also the home of LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Katie.

Trinity Lutheran Church and School’s theme verse for this academic year is from 1 Corinthians 16:14, “Do everything in love.”

Lutheran Church Charities has already sent $1,000 to Pastor Anthony Gerber at Trinity Lutheran Church to use for immediate needs. Please help Lutheran Church Charities continue to serve Trinity Lutheran in their desperate need as they serve their congregation and community.
 
Through showing love as the body of Christ, Trinity continues to care for a hurting community. In four days, they built relationships with evacuees, volunteers, community leaders, and each other as they served, shared stories, laughed, cried, prayed and worshiped together. Many members who volunteered stated, “Instead of sitting in Bible studies talking about how to be the church in our community, we now are being the church.”  They learned that Christ’s love and care shown to others transcends barriers that might normally be in the way, and that they really can love their neighbor who speaks a different language and of another nationality.

Donate - LCC Disaster Response Nebraska Flooding Fund

Pastor Gerber stated, “Every person who entered the church, whether it was an evacuee or volunteer, will feel the love of Christ and know they were family.” Dawn Gilfry, Top Dog for Katie Comfort Dog, and her team provided comfort and care to those who stayed in their church and are continuing to reach out to them as they were moved to another shelter. They are committed to following and helping these families through this long recovery process that is just beginning.
 
Pastor Gerber and Dawn Gilfry state they are currently assessing how many church and school families are affected. They know 1 staff member, 1 congregation member, and 5 school families have lost their homes completely. They anticipate many more families with losses will be identified in the coming days as the water begins to recede both within their congregation and in their community. They will be helping people with basic needs and housing expenses. 
 
Your donations are greatly needed to help LCC and Trinity Lutheran Church serve their members and their community. If you are so moved, please donate now, and please keep Trinity and their surrounding communities in your prayers during their long recovery.

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LCC Disaster Response is in Contact with LCMS Churches in Rockford and Freeport, Illinois to Assist with Flood Recovery

Lutheran Church Charities Disaster Response has been in contact with the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS) churches in Rockford and Freeport to offer assistance with pumping water from homes and mucking as the water recedes.

Currently the Rock River through Rockford, Machesney Park, Latham and Byron, and the Pecatonica River through Freeport are at major flood stage and continuing to rise. Over 200 homes and businesses have been evacuated and are filling with water. The Winnebago County Sheriff reports the river is not expected to crest until the end of the week or later, which means more properties may be affected. Currently the dam/locks are wide open to help the rivers continue their outflow. They anticipate homeowners will be out of their homes for many weeks and flooding will be slow to recede with more snow melt coming down river from Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Donate - LCC Disaster Response Flooding Fund

Donate - LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Fund

LCC is also watching the river levels in surrounding areas of our district that may also experience flooding in the days and weeks ahead with snow melt and warmer temperatures occurring. If you know someone that is in need of assistance in the Northern Illinois District (NID), please contact Lutheran Church Charities Disaster Response at 866-455-6466 or [email protected]. Our LCC LERT teams are willing to respond with the mercy, compassion, presence and proclamation of Jesus Christ to those suffering and in need.

Please keep all those affected by flooding in the Northern Illinois District and surrounding states in your prayers as they face many losses and a long recovery.

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Trailer Needed for Disaster Response 4 Wheeler to Get into Flooded Areas

Your financial assistance is needed to get a trailer to haul our 4 wheeler to flooded areas to bring in pumps to help people pump out their homes. The trailer we had to haul the 4 wheeler is now being used to haul the Disaster Response Boom Lift for our chainsaw teams. Most recently it was used by LCC LERT teams to transport the Boom Lift to Panama City, Florida.
 
Due to the current flooding situation, we are in urgent need of this trailer to haul our 4 wheeler. Cost of the trailer is $3,000. If you are moved to help us, please click the button below. THANK YOU!!!

Donate - Disaster Response 4 Wheeler Trailer

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Working Together, Serving Christ, so we can serve others IN HIS NAME!
 
Peace in Jesus Christ,

Tim Hetzner
President/CEO 
Lutheran Church Charities