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Create in Me
At the annual Create in Me retreat held recently at Lutheridge, I had the opportunity to talk with participants from several states, including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee about the work of LDR Carolinas. It was the perfect time to connect with people in those areas who have had experience preparing for and/or recovering from various disasters.
I also had the opportunity to share my experience and teach some basic and intermediate knitting skills. The intermediate knitters learned to knit this “Almost Lost Dishcloth.” The shape reminds me of the appearance of a hurricane!
During the weekend, with the theme Creation from Chaos, the words of the preachers and bible study leader used portions of Genesis including the stories of creation, the Tower of Babel, and the great flood, along with a portion of the story of Job’s trials, to reflect on various kinds of chaos we experience in life.
It was good to be reminded of God’s creative work in the world. And to be reminded that while God did once destroy life in the flood, God promised to never do that again, marking that covenant by hanging the bow in the clouds. The beautiful rainbow that gives us such delight is also an enduring sign that God hung up his weapon of destruction, retiring from battle forever. God will no longer war against creation.
Old Testament scholar Terence Fretheim explained in his work that this covenant should remind us to NOT describe severe storms, floods, and hurricanes as God’s judgement.
Pastor Ray and I remember seeing a sign in a church narthex during our first disaster experience after Hurricane Katrina which expressed that belief. That large hand-lettered sign read: “Katrina was an act of nature. What you do here is an act of God.”
That sign reminds me that in disaster recovery, and in every creative endeavor, we become co-creators with God as we allow God’s presence in the chaos to free us, change us, and guide us.
Ruth Ann Sipe
p.s. For my knitting friends, here is the pattern for the Almost Lost Dishcloth shown above:
Cast on 14 stitches.
Row 1 (and all odd rows) Knit across
Row 2 Slip one stitch as if to knit, knit 3, yarn over, knit until last 2 stitches, turn.
(Slipping the first knit stitch of these rows creates a smooth finished outside edge.)
Row 4 Slip 1, knit 3, yarn over, knit until last 4 stitches, turn.
Row 6 Slip 1, knit 3, yarn over, knit until last 6 stitches, turn.
Row 8 Slip 1, knit 3, yarn over, knit until last 8 stitches, turn.
Row 10 Cast off 4 and knit to end. (should be 14 stitches)
Repeat these rows to create 14 points.
Cast off, leaving enough yarn to draw up the center and sew edges together. Weave in ends.
Adapted from The Almost Lost Washcloth Pattern – Simply Notable (archive.org)
Spring Has Sprung
Spring has sprung, and with the arrival of spring comes the threat of severe thunderstorms, hail, damaging winds, and even tornados. Do you know how to be prepared for these threats?
Not every storm is dangerous, but every storm has the potential to become dangerous and no thunderstorm should be dismissed. Thunderstorms have the potential for heavy rain, lightning strikes, power outages, wind damage, and more. To be prepared, you need to be informed. There are several ways in which to receive alerts on potential weather threats.
One of the most common ways to receive severe weather alerts is through IPAWS. Organized by FEMA, the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) is the nation’s alert and warning infrastructure. It provides an effective way to alert and warn the public about emergencies using the Emergency Alert System (EAS), Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Weather Radio All Hazards, and other public alerting systems from a single interface. IPAWS is used to send notifications for three alert categories—Presidential, AMBER, and Imminent Threat. You can find more information here.
Another way is with a weather radio. The NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) All Hazards, is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting forecasts, warnings, and emergency information 24 hours a day. It is a comprehensive weather and emergency information service available to the public. All-hazards messages include weather events, technological incidents like chemical spills, AMBER alerts, and national emergencies. NWR also broadcasts EAS notices. More information can be found here.
Severe alerts may be received by your cell phone without any special apps, but there are apps that you can use to keep aware of weather conditions and even receive lightening alerts. Your local National Weather Service (NWS) also posts weather information on apps like Facebook and Twitter. You can receive them by following your local NWS office (enter your zip code here).
Being prepared for spring and summer thunderstorms means being weather aware. Monitor the weather by one or more of these services. Weather radios can be programmed to only receive alerts for your county and specific certain weather events. Many of these radios also include battery backups so they will continue to operate even during a power outage.
The National Weather Service provides more information here, including the difference between watches and warnings. Make a plan, including where to go in your house to shelter from a storm, have flashlights handy with spare or rechargeable batteries, and have a way to monitor weather conditions, including an all clear if a severe thunderstorm or tornado warning is issued for your area.
Ready to Meet the Challenge!
“The best help you hope you’ll never need” might well describe the ministry of Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR). While the coast and mountains of the Carolinas are beautiful and popular vacation destinations, they are vulnerable to disaster. Hurricanes, floods, blizzards, ice storms, power outages, and train derailments can wreak havoc on both people and propoerty.
While Lutherans aren’t always first on the scene, this church has a reputation for staying long after the crisis, being there for the long-term recovery. Thanks to your Mission Support dollars and a generous LDR grant, a new program of healing and recovery is now in place.
Together, the North and South Carolina Synods, along with LDR, have called a clergy couple, the Rev. Ray Sipe and the Rev. Ruth Ann Sipe, to a shared position as disaster coordinators and network builders. The Sipes began this new call just a few days ago, on February 15. The purpose of this position is to increase disaster preparedness and develop a network of people, congregations, and resources in the Carolinas who can respond when disasters occur. Pastor Ruth Ann pointed out the misperception that this ministry involves only response after a crisis when, in fact, preparedness ahead of time is most essential.
Pastor Ruth Ann and Pastor Ray have served congregations in the NC Synod since their ordination in 2008. Together during seminary, they spent January 2006 as volunteers with LDR in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, following Hurricane Katrina. They returned to the Gulf Coast to serve their internship year (2006-07) again with LDR in both Bayou La Batre and Mobile, Alabama. As their internship project, they developed a program on personal and congregational preparedness which they offered to ELCA congregations in Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas.
When asked what excited them about this ministry, Pastor Ruth Ann said, “Finding ways to help people help each other.” And, Pastor Ray commented, “Showing people how to be prepared themselves. You need to be prepared yourself before you can help someone else.”
When asked about specific ways individuals and parishes can get on board with this work, the Sipes offered a number of possibilities. Financial gifts and offerings are significant, but there are many other needs:
- Putting together a disaster response team in your congregation.
- Identifying local people with specific skills to share, such as those who could serve on a congregation or roofing team.
- Opening your church building as a warming or cooling shelter for people who have been uprooted from their homes.
- Housing relief volunteers from other states in your church building as a halfway point to the disaster site.
- Partnering to make a strong impact—smaller congregations with larger ones.
- Brainstorm how your congregation and parishioners can be prepared and be ready to respond.
Current needs and updates will be posted on the new LDR Carolinas website.
When facing a crisis or an unknown future, we often receive this advice: hope for the best and prepare for the worst. How comforting and encouraging it is to know that LDR Carolinas and the Sipes stand ready to meet that challenge!
Pastor Ray and Pastor Ruth Ann will be glad to hear from you! Let them know about the resources your congregation has. Want more information about ways you can help? Contact the Sipes via their office in North Carolina (at the synod office in Salisbury) by calling 704-633-4861, or by using their LDR Carolinas email addresses: [email protected] and [email protected].
Story Attribution:
Pastor Joseph A. Miller (retired, Salisbury)
This article originally appeared on the North Carolina Synod website.