The Truth about the Stewardship of LCMS World Relief and Human Care | The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod

06-28-2010: The Truth about the Stewardship of LCMS World Relief and Human Care | The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod

For the sake of our work of mercy and those in need around the world, and to provide reassurance to our donors, it is necessary to respond to the Jesus First Delegate Letter No. 9. As chairman of the Board for Human Care, I have requested our board Vice Chair, John Edson (a Certified Public Accountant), to prepare a response.

Rev. Bernie Seter
Chair, Board for Human Care

Welcome to Michigan, North Dakota

Michigan, North Dakota

When we were driving from Wadena, Minnesota, to Devil's Lake, North Dakota, we passed through "Michigan" on Highway 2. Now having been born and raised a good part of my early life in the Great Lake State of Michigan, I was rather amused to drive through "Michigan" in North Dakota. The town was formed in 1883 when a Post Office was established. One item I learned on this trip to North Dakota was that the oldest towns and cities in North Dakota are about 125 years old. At the beginning of the 20th century, North Dakota was still frontier land. Around the turn of the century, people made money by collecting one ton of buffalo bones to sell for $3. You can read about the history of the town here.

View Michigan City, North Dakota in a larger map

A Major Disaster Waiting to Happen!

Rev. Carlos Hernandez and I went to Devil's Lake, North Dakota, after visiting the tornado damage in Wadena, Minnesota. Carlos has written his reflections below on Devil's Lake.

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REFLECTIONS  By Rev. Carlos Hernandez, Director, Districts and Congregations, LCMS World Relief and Human Care

"A Major Disaster Waiting to Happen!" 

Devil's Lake, North Dakota,  Jun 22, 2010 -  North Dakota Governor John Hoeven was in town today. He is concerned, like many residents of this lakeside  community 40 miles from the Canadian border, about the rapid rise of Devil's Lake that every year is expanding its boundaries and over-flowing into farm and grazing land as well as residences.

"It is a major disaster waiting to happen," says Rev. Tim Stout, Pastor of St. Peter's LCMS here in Devil's Lake. 

Pastor Stout goes on to explain that if the lake rises just three feet more over the embankments (like Levees in New Orleans) the town of Devil's Lake would suffer something like the fate of the Ninth Ward in New Orleans.

 A typical scene of homes being flooded by the ever-rising Devil's Lake. This homes belongs to
John Nord, a member at St. Peter, LCMS in devil's Lake, Tim Stout, Pastor. 

We are here today by invitation, not to respond to a disaster, as we did yesterday in Wadena, Minnesota, but to assist Pastor Stout and his congregation "think through" what St. Peter's.   might do to prepare in what he feels is an inevitable disaster that would leave much of Devil's Lake residents homeless.

"St. Peter's is on high ground and would spared," Pastor Stout explains, "maybe we could serve as a shelter."

Both Pastor Stout and Bill Sharpe of the North Dakota District, who is with us today on a tour of the area, agree that as  folks lose their homes to the rising Devil's Lake, affordable housing might be a need that the congregation, District and other Lutheran entities could address.

6 Pastor Stout visits with one of his members, Stuart Gessner, standing by a lake created by the
ever-expanding Devil's Lake. Mr. Gessner  said he once grew corn where a Lake now  stands.  

Supported by Bill Sharpe, District Disaster Coordinator, Pastor does not want to wait for the disaster to happen, but to be prepared.

Yet another challenge that we toured was the Lakota Indian Reservation. The embankments in the reservation are scanty or non-existent leaving the Indian community there in an even more perilous situation.

"Road Closed" signs dot the landscape around the ever-rising, ever-expanding Devil's Lake that is
"a major disaster waiting to happen,"  fearful town folks lament. 

Overwhelmed by the multiple challenges in the face of an inevitable disaster and wondering where to start in preparing for such a disaster,   Pastor Stout asks us, "How can you help us?"

We made it very clear that LCMS WRHC stands ready, in partnership with the North Dakota District, to "bring to the table" capacity-building  resources so that St. Peter's congregation might be prepared to demonstrate the overflowing Mercy of Christ in the face of any impending disaster.

Pastor Hernandez may be reached at 314-956-2005 or prcarlos@aol.com

Kit Foxes Near Tolna North Dakota (Devil's Lake)

Last evening while driving on roads being reclaimed by Devil's Lake near Tolna, North Dakota, we encountered a few young coyote  kit foxes (thanks Bernie!).

Spiritual Needs in the Face of Disaster

Rev. Carlos Hernandez sent me his latest reflections on the tornados that hit Wadena, MN. (He wrote them while I drove to Devil's Lake, North Dakota).

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REFLECTIONS  By Rev. Carlos Hernandez, Director, Districts and Congregations, LCMS World Relief and Human Care

"Spiritual Needs in the Face of Disaster

Wadena, Minnesota,  June 21, 2010 -  We arrived here on Monday and met with Minnesota North District President, Don Fondow, WRHC Board Chairman Pastor Bernie Seter, Pastor Stephen Metzler of St. John's, the local LCMS congregation and several Circuit Pastors to tour the tornado's damage and to assess its impact on the congregation and community.

Our tour of some of the town's most devastating destruction, homes completely and totally downed, especially around Wadena High School, actually sent one of the Circuit Pastors with us today into shock and gave another, an upset stomach.

I wondered, "If the tornado's destruction so physically and emotionally affected seasoned pastoral caregivers, imagine how it has impacted everybody else."

The part of town around Wadena where the tornado caused the most damage has been closed off and we had to be escorted into the area by personnel from the county sheriff's office.

The destruction here is certainly far worse than we expected and as Pastor Stephen Metzler assessed, 100 percent of his members of St. John's congregation have been affected by the tornado's fury.

Yet the physical, and emotional impact of the tornado has opened up opportunities for sharing the gospel and addressing spiritual needs as well.

This became quite evident when our entourage - District President Fondow, WRHC Chirman Pastor Bernie Seter, several Circuit Pastors, Pastor Collver and I - stood in Pastor Metzler's office to de-brief from what we had seen and to hear his assessment of the tornado's impact on the congregation and community.

After he showed us a News  Clip from a Minneapolis-St. Paul TV Station that featured St. John's Sunday Service and Pastor's Metzler's message to the congregation that the "tornado was not the wrath of God and that He is still our protective and caring God," someone from our group asked him, "How has the tornado impacted you?"

Pastor Metzler shows a News clip featuring his  gospel message on the Sunday afte the disaster, "...the tornado is not God's punishment. God is loving, forgiving and protective" - a comforting message to a distraught and frightened community.

With a bit of "survivor's guilt" in his voice, he sheepishly confessed that house with totally and completely unaffected.

"The real impact of the tornado for me," he said, "has really been tremenous evangelistic opportunities as we minister to people in their physical needs, but also clarify for them theologically that the tornado is not God's punishment and that He is still our loving, forgiving and protective Lord. People ask us; they want to know."

When we saw in the TV News clip that the Mayor of the town had spoken at the heavily attended service the Sunday after the tornado landed in Wadena, one of the Pastors in our group asked,

"Is he a member?"

"No," answer Pastor Metzler.

Another Pastor, grasping the impact of Pastor Metzler's spritual ministry in the community in these days following the tornado that crushed residences, businesses and spirits jumped in with,

"Not yet!"

Another Pastor in the Circuit with us today, Kirk Lee, also shared concerning the opportunities he had to share the gospel at the funeral service of the lone LCMS victim of the tornado, Margie Schulke of Almora, Minnesota.

Our day concluded with a prayer by President Fondow as we concluded our day of assessment and pastoral care in Wadena in the face of one of the most destructive disasters in the town's history. 

Pastor Hernandez can be reached at 314-956-20050

and at prcarlos@aol.com

Mighty Mississippi in Minnesota

Mississippi in Minnesota by HWY 2

Imagine my surprise, driving along Highway 2 (from Wadena to Devil's Lake North Dakota) in Northern Minnesota when I crossed the Mississippi River! While intellectually I knew that the Mississippi started someplace up in Minnesota, I wasn't quite prepared to see it. The mighty Mississippi looks more like a creek than a large river up here in Minnesota. A vastly different appearance than I am used to in Saint Louis, MO.

The Length of the Mississippi (from Wikipedia)

Wadena Tornado Further Reflections

When you get to Wadena, you have to stop and look. The power of the tornado is amazing, even more amazing is that no one lost their life. At the time of our visit 238 homes were declared uninhabitable (destroyed). Many other homes were badly damaged but could be repaired. Only days after the event, most of the people we spoke with told us that they were fine and if you could help someone else help them. Shock still reigned and yet people were resilient and in good spirits. On the lot of one destroyed home, a group of teenagers set up a volley ball net and began to play.

The house pictured above has painted on it, "God is good all the time," and "God saved my family. We were in here!" This seems to reflect the sentiment of the community -- while the damage is great, things could have been much worse. For instance, a sheriff deputy told us that on the day the tornado hit Wadena, the town had scheduled a parade at 7 PM; the tornado hit at 5 PM. Had the tornado hit two hours later the loss of life would have been greater. If the tornado had shifted four blocks over, it would have gone through downtown. 

Saint John Lutheran Wadena

Damaged Parish Hall

Sanctuary Roof Damaged, Saint John Wadena

Pastor Stephen Meltzer, explains how the tornado affected his church members

Saint John Lutheran Church, Wadena, MN, sat just north of the major tornado damage. The church itself did not escape damage, having a portion of its roof blown off. Pastor Steven Meltzer said that nearly 100% of his members are affected by the tornado (that is suffering moderate to major damaged) and that probably 50% of them have lost their homes. Saint John's Lutheran Wadena held service Sunday morning after the tornado, where Pastor Meltzer said, "This storm is not the result of God's wrath."

In a cemetery across from the church stands a crucifix amidst fallen grave stones, destroyed trees, and buildings. This sight reminded me of the crucifix standing in the ruined cathedral in Port-au-Prince after the earthquake. At first it seemed rather surprising to see a crucifix standing amidst the destruction, yet it really is not. For in the midst of life's greatest tragedy -- death -- the cross of Jesus remains, for he passed through death to life first for us. Among fallen gravestones, the cross of Jesus stands, for he shall call us and raise us from the dead in our bodies on the Last Day. This is the great hope we have. In this life, we live under the shadow of the cross (theology of the cross).