04/15/2015

ELCA responds in aftermath of northern Illinois tornado damage

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will provide assistance for survivors of the tornadoes and storms that devastated portions of northern Illinois April 9. In partnership with Lutheran Disaster Response, Lutheran Social Services of Illinois and the ELCA Northern Illinois Synod, the group has created a “Tornado Relief Fund” to be administered through Lutheran Social Services of Illinois.

The areas affected include Lee, Ogle, DeKalb, Winnebago, Boone and McHenry counties in Illinois.

“The tornados did great damage in communities that are a significant part of our synod,” the Rev. Gary Wollersheim, bishop of the ELCA Northern Illinois Synod, wrote in an April 10 pastoral letter to members of the synod. “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed.”

Two people died “from the destructive tornados, a number of injuries and a great deal of property damage” also occurred, Wollersheim wrote. “As people of faith we may be ‘perplexed, but not driven to despair.’ We gather with our partners and seek out the best ways to bring hope and healing in the aftermath of the storm.”

Wollersheim said support for the tornado relief fund will “provide direct assistance to survivors as well as long-term assistance as people rebuild their lives, homes and businesses.”

Three ELCA congregations close to the tornado’s path were not directly impacted but there are reports of members who were affected, according to the Rev. Joseph Chu, associate program director, Lutheran Disaster Response.

The congregations – St. John’s Lutheran in Ashton, Ill., St. John’s Lutheran in Creston, Ill., and Faith Lutheran in Rochelle, Ill. – will each receive $2,000 from the ELCA Northern Illinois Synod to help in their relief efforts.