We came together to talk about serving community needs in Hernando County.
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The ELCA has provided more than $1 million in support for HIV/AIDS programs in Africa.
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Haiti
On January 12 at 4:53 p.m., a magnitude 7.0 earthquake rocked the island country of Haiti, primarily impacting its capital of Port-au-Prince and its nearly two million residents. It is believed that over three million citizens of Haiti are affected. The epicenter of the quake was centered approximately 10 miles west of Port-au-Prince. Offices, hotels, houses and shops have collapsed. Over 30 aftershocks ranging from 4.2 to 5.9 have already been recorded.
The city is without electricity and the telephone network has been overloaded with calls making it impossible to reach friends and family.
The presidential palace is in ruins and many churches have been destroyed. Hospitals that were not directly impacted by the quake are overflowing and the search for survivors is intense. Already one of the poorest countries in the world, this catastrophe will exacerbate the suffering felt by many already living with hunger and poverty.
The ELCA, through the Lutheran World Federation, is already responding to the critical needs of survivors in Haiti. Thankfully, the LWF offices and staff on the island were spared in the earthquake, making it possible for work to begin immediately. Staff there will focus their immediate efforts on issues of water safety and sanitation, assisting with medical triage, and providing emergency sheltering for the many who are now homeless. The ELCA has long-standing relationships in Haiti through several organizations and the Lutheran Church in Haiti.
Please hold the people of Haiti in your prayers. Suggested prayer petitions are provided by the ELCA Worship. Include these prayers in your personal time of devotion and in your Congregation Prayers. You can also share this bulletin insert with the members of your congregation to encourage prayers and gifts.
Gifts to ELCA International Disaster Response help us to provide immediate and effective support to communities which are in need. Please consider giving to support the needs of this response and others like it. Information on giving is provided in the box on the right “How You Can Help.” 100% of your gift will be used in full to bring life sustaining support to this crisis. Thank you for your prayerful consideration.
By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept, when we remembered Zion…
"Oh! My gosh" were the only words I could say when someone called Mrs. Winemiller (the wife of Rev. Paul Winemiller an ELCA retired pastor) and ask her to turn the television to CNN to see what was happening in Haiti. I did not know what else to say. I remember a few weeks prior to the earthquake, people were telling me how happy they were because this year we were exempt from hurricanes. Unfortunately what we did not know was that the worst was yet to come.
As I sat down trying to comprehend what I was seeing, the book of Isaiah and Psalm 137 came to mind and I begun to get insight from them. Seeing how some of the people were evacuated from the island for safety, and me abroad feeling helpless, psalm 137 begun to make sense to me. By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept, when we remember Zion…
Pastor Joseph Livenson Lauvanus was finally able to travel back to Haiti on Friday, January 29th with the assistance of ELCA Disaster Response. He flew to the Dominican Republic, where he then traveled via a UN Humanitarian Relief Convoy back to Haiti. This is his first letter describing his impressions after returning to his homeland after the disaster. Please keep Pr. Lauvanus in your prayers. Below is a picture of Pr. Alfred Eniel and the Lutheran Church of Carrefour, the original Eglise Lutherienne d'Haiti congregation in Haiti.
“You know, God is quite good to us in spite of it all.” These are the words of Pastor Joseph Livenson Lauvanus when talking about recent events in Haiti. Even when things are looking the most desperate, we can see God’s hand. In the aftermath of the horrible destruction of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake, we are forced to rely on these words even more. We need to depend on God. We need to listen to his guidance, knowing that he will lead us. So often we want to depend on our own intelligence, or determination, but truly in this case we must be patient, do what God calls us to do, and know that when CNN is gone, God will still be calling us to assist…and to pray.
God in our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult, we will not fear. – Psalm 46
On Tuesday, January 12, just after 5pm, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit the southern part of the country of Haiti. The international media is reporting that conditions in the country are extremely critical and most communication and travel to and from Haiti have ceased. Please pray for the Haitian people and those on the ground in Haiti.
Lutheran Services Florida (LSF) staff and volunteers are working around the clock to assist in the processing of Haitians arriving in Florida following the devastating earthquake that struck the nation's capital on Jan. 12.
About 25,000 Haitian Americans holding dual citizenship in the United States and Haiti are expected to arrive in the next week, mostly in Florida, according to Eric Tillich, Vice President for Agency Advancement at LSF.
"People are coming here basically with nothing except maybe a backpack," said Tillich, "after losing everything in the earthquake."
Gifts to ELCA International Disaster Response help us to provide immediate and effective support to communities which are in need. Please consider giving to support the needs of this response and others like it. Information on giving is provided in the box on the right “How You Can Help.” 100% of your gift will be used in full to bring life sustaining support to this crisis. Thank you for your prayerful consideration.
On January 12 at 4:53 p.m., a magnitude 7.0 earthquake rocked the island country of Haiti, primarily impacting its capital of Port-au-Prince and its nearly two million residents. It is believed that over three million citizens of Haiti are affected. The epicenter of the quake was centered approximately 10 miles west of Port-au-Prince. Offices, hotels, houses and shops have collapsed. Over 30 aftershocks ranging from 4.2 to 5.9 have already been recorded.
. Include these prayers in your personal time of devotion and in your Congregation Prayers. You can also share this 
Lutheran Services Florida (LSF) staff and volunteers are working around the clock to assist in the processing of Haitians arriving in Florida following the devastating earthquake that struck the nation's capital on Jan. 12.
