March 22, 2010

CHICAGO – The Rev. Emily A. Nesdahl led worship this past weekend at Harwood (N.D.) Elementary School because the building for the congregation she serves, Maple Sheyenne Lutheran Church, was isolated by overland flooding from the Sheyenne River.

The Harwood congregation was ready. They had talked about this possibility on Sunday, March 14, and spread the word this past week about worship at the school location through the news media and e-mail. Nesdahl and others went to the church building on Thursday, March 18, to pick up hymnals and worship supplies for this past weekend.

This wasn't the first time the congregation was forced out of its building by overland flooding, she said. Last year's record floods forced the Maple Sheyenne congregation to worship at another location, she said.

Fortunately, the church building is safe from floods, she said, because it rests on high land. Access roads to it are blocked by high water, and will probably remain so for another couple of weeks, Nesdahl said. She said the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) congregation hopes to return to its building for Easter worship April 4.

To the south many Lutherans were watching rivers and tributaries in the Fargo, N.D.-Moorhead, Minn., area this past weekend. Volunteers placed more than 1 million sandbags along the banks of the Red River in the past two weeks to protect the metropolitan area. The river crested March 21 at 37 feet, more than three feet below last year's record crest. It appears the metropolitan area was spared serious flood damage to buildings and structures, though overland flooding is likely to remain for a few weeks while the river slowly subsides.

The middle school and high school campus at Oak Grove Lutheran School, Fargo, which sits next to the Red River, is closed today, March 22, because of high water levels. Classes are expected to resume tomorrow, when the river is expected to be at a safe level for students and staff, according to the school's Web site. Elementary school classes are being held as usual on another part of the campus.

Classes at the ELCA's Concordia College, Moorhead, are being held as usual. Last week the school canceled classes for a day to enable students and staff to fill sandbags and put them in place.

Olivet Lutheran Church, Fargo, kept open "The Ark," a place for volunteers to rest, have a hot meal and coffee. Olivet's pastor, the Rev. Jeffrey L. Sandgren, said the congregation will keep its doors open until floodwaters recede. It also has a database of volunteers ready to help people protect their homes from flooding.

Bonnie Turner, Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota and director, Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) North Dakota, said residents of North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota need to continue to be diligent.

"We can't relax totally until that water goes down," she said. Rivers and tributaries in other parts of North Dakota have not yet crested, said Turner. LDR North Dakota is gathering information on other communities and their efforts to limit flooding, Turner said.

Meanwhile, Nesdahl said people have been "great" about adapting to conditions caused by the high water. "They exhibit a sense of community and care for one another," she said.

Information about LDR North Dakota is at http://www.lrrnd.org/, on the Web.

Information about Oak Grove Lutheran School is http://www.oakgrovelutheran.com/, on the Web.

Information about Olivet Lutheran Church is at http://www.olivet.org/, on the Web.

ELCA News Service