Preparing for Disaster

This morning all eyes in the Upper Midwest, if not the nation, are on the Red River Valley. The Red River of the North, which flows between Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota on its way northward to Canada, has now surpassed its own record flood stage. At our house, we have been watching the news reports with great concern since my wife once lived in Fargo, my son went to college in Moorhead, and we are well acquainted with some of the area Lutheran congregations and their pastors. Classes at Concordia College, one of our ELCA schools, were cancelled for the better part of this week to allow students to help in sandbagging efforts. As of this morning, the campus has been closed and the section of Moorhead in which Concordia is located is being evacuated. The next few days will tell the story of how land and people are affected. Please join me in prayer.

(The photograph from Concordia's website shows President Pam Jolicoeur helping students fill sandbags.)

Disaster can strike anywhere. You know the stories of floods, hurricanes, tornados and fires. Is your congregation prepared? Lutheran Disaster Response, a collaborative effort of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, suggests three steps that every congregation should take to prepare. These come straight from the LDR website:

1) Identify a back-up location, where your congregation could gather for worship or prayer, in the event that your facility is either inaccessible or damaged in some way.

2) Backup all important church documents and directories, and have copies stored in an off-site location for use in the event that the original files are lost or damaged.

3) Identify a member, or a team of members, to serve as the primary point of contact in the event of a disaster. Then, develop and distribute a congregational phone tree, including cell phones or alternative locations, so that the entire membership can be easily located and accounted for after something has happened.

Lutheran Disaster Response also has a very useful manual available for download called Preparing for Disaster: A Guide for Lutheran Congregations. As we enter a season with volatile weather, this is an especially good time to have your congregation council do some thinking and preparation.

For information and downloads visit the LDR website: http://www.ldr.org/

For information regarding ELCA Disaster Response and how to help financially: http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Responding-to-the-World/Disaster-Response.aspx

For information from FEMA on preparing at home: http://www.ready.gov/

Concordia College website: http://www.concordiacollege.edu/

Lutheran Study Bible

When we were kids, my brother and I received identical Christmas gifts. Every year. From everyone. Mom and Dad. Grandma Clements. Grandpa and Grandma. Uncle Bruce. Two of everything were wrapped up and placed under the Christmas tree. Of course, we had to open our gifts at the exact same time too, lest one of us spoil the surprise for the other. It could only have been worse if we were twins!

I do not know who imposed the rule. Perhaps it was intended to prevent tears and fist fights. Come to think of it, my mother still lives by the rule! I wonder if Mom is to blame!

Last Wednesday, my brother called and had something of a Christmas morning glee in his voice. His new Lutheran Study Bible had just arrived from Augsburg Fortress. I have been waiting patiently for its publication, but now my brother had his copy and I did not have mine. He had unwrapped his treasure before I had even seen a package. The kid inside me wanted to cry “foul!”

Fortunately, I received my new Bible later that day. Like most pastors I have lots of Bibles and I cannot say that I actually need another. However, I have long been looking for just the right resource for teaching and leading Bible studies in congregations.

In the past week, I’ve been using Lutheran Study Bible for my reading and devotions and so far I really like it a lot. It has a number of useful articles and lots of helpful study notes. I especially appreciate the Lutheran perspectives in the study notes. It is my personal opinion that Lutheran Study Bible will be a real asset to our ELCA members in their studies at church and in their private devotional reading.

Have you gotten your copy yet? If so, what do you think? If not, are you considering it? I would like to know! --JC

Security

The news report yesterday began with these sad words: "A scary yet familiar scene unfolds during a Sunday morning church service...."

This time the tragedy played out at First Baptist Church in Maryville, Illinois. It could have been anywhere. The pastor was shot dead as he preached.

Our prayers are with the people of First Baptist Church.

In my sabbatical I have shifted to my study of worship. As part of my plan, I recently visited a very large, non-Lutheran congregation. I would guess that there were about 1,000 people attending the worship service. It was the first service of the day with another to follow about 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first. There were people everywhere.

Traffic flow into the building was easy. The hallways are very wide and can accommodate the crowds. I simply followed the flow of people to find the auditorium. Once seated I made note of the emergency exits. I don't know when or how I developed this habit, but I usually know how to get out of a theater, hotel, airplane or church. I still live by the Boy Scout motto, "Be prepared."

I suppose it was the size of the crowd and the free and easy access to this church that made me think about security. I know some churches have security guards. Often they are not in uniform. Uniformed security personnel inside a church could raise anxiety and make the environment feel less safe. As I write that, I realize that I am a member of a congregation with a uniformed guard who watches the parking lot and helps people cross the street. I feel safer for his presence. I frankly do not know what security measures are in place at the megachurch I was visiting.

We do not live in a particularly safe world. However, statistically speaking, chances are pretty good that we will all be physically safe in church next Sunday. But, the news report did include that word "familiar." The number of church related tragedies seem to be increasing.

What does your congregation do to make itself safer? How far is going too far in taking precautions? Is it a good idea to practice a fire drill on a Sunday morning? Should ushers and greeters be on the lookout? For what? Or who?

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