Visit www.ldr-sepa.blogspot.com to talk to others about how congregations are dealing with Haiti, H1N1 and other important issues!  

Haiti Response: What Lutherans are Doing
Lutherans are responding in many regards to the tremendous disaster in Haiti. For information on response by Lutheran international partners, Lutheran World Relief and Lutheran World Federation, visit www.lutheranworldrelief.org and www.lutheranworld.org.

Congregations are also very involved in raising funds and gathering very specific material donations as requested by Lutheran World Relief.

Visit www.elca.org and www.lcms.org for the latest from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.

Here at Liberty Lutheran Services, our Refugee Resettlement, Foster Care/Adoption Programs and Disaster Response programs are keeping up with our respective partner networks to understand developments for Haitians with various designations…children already in the adoption process, children who have lost parents in the earthquake, repatriated individuals, etc. Currently, we are supporting the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society in advocating for Temporary Protected Status for Haitians here.

A number of individuals and congregations are doing great things.  If you wish to create health kits, please click here to learn how.  See below for a downloadable list of local Methodist churches that are serving as drop-off points for health kits as well. 

Financial donations are strongly preferred in the current relief stage of the disaster. Visit www.lutheranworldrelief.org to make a contribution. Thrivent members’ donations will be matched.

Material donations of health kits and quilts are also being sought by Lutheran World Relief. Visit www.ldr-sepa.blogspot.com and www.lutheranworldrelief.com for details.

A number of congregations are interested in volunteering in Haiti. Information on medical volunteers is being collected locally by the Salvation Army. For more information on this particular volunteer opportunity visit www.ldr-sepa.blogspot.com.

There are no opportunities through the Lutheran Network that I know of at this time due to the instability of the situation and the needs for very specialized trained response teams. However, I invite those who do hear of opportunities to share them through the blog, and I will do the same.  This will be a way to communicate about volunteer opportunities that arise, and about other Haiti related response activities that you are participating in, so that others may join you.

H1N1 – Thinking about Congregational Life

Throughout the past days, we’ve been seeing health alerts from various interfaith groups, county health departments, national news outlets and more about H1N!.  All schools are temporarily closed throughout Mexico. President Obama advises concern, but not alarm. Concern seems to be less about severity, but more about uncertainties, like how quickly this virus might spread.

In any case, this is a good time for congregations to think about how to minister in the face of situations that might arise out of any pandemic, like suggested or mandated social distancing.

Some tips to be cognizant of if the impact if H1N1 progresses:

Limit exposure
• Consider how communion is administered; think about how to minimize person to person contact.
• Sharing the peace…consider “sharing the Purell” as well.
• Limit pot-lucks, and other non-essential large gatherings.
• Give permission to not shake hands.

Creative ways to worship
• Make use of Eucharistic ministers to do more small group visits and communion.
• Hold worship on-line…include a worship outline, sermon, music…maybe use PowerPoint.

To think about now
• Make best use of your website.
• Think about ways to hold conference calls for meetings.
• Pull out your congregational calling tree and test your email distribution list.
• Research blogging, and other means of online communicating.

Special thanks to Pastor Dan Bodine, Community of Love Lutheran Church, for many of these tips.

Click here to see extensive information from the ELCA about H1N1. 

Finally, the Pennsylvania Office of Public Health Preparedness has issued a request for volunteers to help run mass vaccination sites for later on in the year (Mid November-mid December.)  Volunteers are needed in the medical arena (LPN, RN and Paramedic, mainly individuals that can give injections) and non-medical that would be screeners, opening band aids, runners, etc. All volunteers will receive in-time training at the sites. More information can be found at https://www.servpa.state.pa.us/.