August 19, 2010

CHICAGO – The 4.5 million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will mark the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina during Sunday worship Aug. 29, the day Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Worship and liturgical resources for the anniversary are available on the ELCA website.

The people of the Gulf Coast taught an entire nation about "courage, perseverance and hope," said the Rev. Kevin A. Massey, director for Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR). LDR is a collaborative ministry of the ELCA and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS).

Across the country and around the world there will be solemn remembrances of the people and places lost "in that terrible storm," said Massey. He told the ELCA News Service that while it is essential to acknowledge the anniversary, "it is important to remember the actual event" and the "signs of help, hope and healing" in the five years since the hurricane.

"On Aug. 29, 2005, our land experienced the worst natural disaster it has ever faced. Hurricane Katrina devastated numerous states and affected millions of people," said Massey.

"I hope that congregations of the ELCA will especially surround the people of the ELCA Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod, ELCA Southeastern Synod and the LCMS Southern District with prayer and thanksgiving for their courage and ministries," he said. "We know that members and pastors of both synods and district will be commemorating the anniversary with solemn remembrances. We want Lutherans everywhere to do the same."

Lutherans will also remember the more than 50,000 Lutheran volunteers who traveled to the Gulf Coast "to help their neighbors in need," said Massey. "We remember the countless many who prayed and gave gifts to support the recovery efforts of the church in these communities."

Also being remembered are the 37,000 Lutheran young people and adult volunteers who gathered in New Orleans for the 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering. "We give thanks to God for their enduring generosity," said Massey.

"Our Lutheran Disaster Response case management program served over 11,000 households," he said. "Our records show that we've connected those clients with more than $29 million worth of services and resources. We're very proud of the assistance provided."

"As we move to the next five years, where we hope and pray for more signs of recovery, we still mourn for what happened but also remember with great appreciation the service and witness that followed," said Massey.

The Rev. Michael W. Rinehart, bishop, ELCA Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod, Houston, said a blessing that surfaced in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina "was the presence and kindness of strangers."

"People came from across the country and, in some cases, from other parts of the world … with a desire to serve and help. Their willingness to serve has been a real blessing. We received love and care from so many different places. There was a real sense of the Body of Christ gathered together," said Rinehart.

"It is easy for congregations to feel isolated. Everyone at some stage of life may find themselves dependent on the kindness of strangers. It is a humbling experience to know that we are not alone," he said.

Rinehart will preach Aug. 28 at a special Hurricane Katrina memorial service at Christ the King Lutheran Church, Kenner, La. On Aug. 29 he will worship with members at Grace Lutheran Church in New Orleans and preach at an interfaith service at St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans. Christ the King and Grace are congregations of the ELCA.

According to Rinehart observances in response to Hurricane Rita and other storms from the 2005 hurricane season will be held across the church in September.

Worship and liturgical resources to commemorate the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina are at http://www.ELCA.org/worship/, and a message from the Rev. Kevin A. Massey is at http://blogs.ELCA.org/disasterresponse/post/fifth-anniversary-of-hurricane-katrina-19, on the ELCA's website.

Information about Lutheran Disaster Response is at http://www.ldr.org/, on the Web.

ELCA News Service