Update: KYW report on Lutheran disaster response

KYW has posted a written piece based on our interviews here.

I haven’t heard it on the air, yet The piece aired at approx. 11:23 this morning, and may air again through the day.
In case the link expires, here is the text:

Local Religious Groups Reach Out to Katrina Survivors
by KYW’s Nancy Griffin

Tuesday marked a National Day of Remembrance for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and many Lutherans in Southeastern Pennsylvania were among the millions taking part in services around the region.

A year has come and gone since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina but Bob Fisher of The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America says their resolve to serve the victims of the Gulf is unwavering:

“On this National Day of Remembrance for the survivors. Lutherans are in prayer. We are in this for the long-haul. We’ve already sent $25 million and thousands of volunteers, from the Philadelphia area.”

Mary-Ann Gleason is one of them:

“It was really a personal response for me — in thinking about what Christ sacrificed (and who he was) to everyone of Christian faith. The things that I helped with were removing trash, delivering meals and also just visiting with the people there who needed to know that people up here care.”

As I noted Friday when the interview took place, I said that the ELCA had sent $25 million to the Gulf, and that thousands of ELCA volunteers, including hundreds from our Synod, had contributed a total of 600,000 volunteer hours. I also talked about our ongoing work providing spiritual and emotional care to children and caregivers.

Despite the challenges of getting a complex story into a brief air segment, the key message got across: Lutherans are in it for the long haul!