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Home News LCMS Disaster Training Offered as Service Opportunity on MLK Day

Photo by Hayley Wallace.

 

by Hayley Wallace

 

In spite of icy road conditions on Monday, Jan. 16, around 35 participants took part in the free 6-hour training workshop offered by Rev. Michael Meyer of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Disaster Relief as part of Concordia’s planned service opportunities to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

This training session took place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Janzow’s Cattle Conference Room. Meyer instructed participants on responding to disasters as well as helping victims feel safe while sharing the love of Christ. Meyer explained how this type of care is different from many secular organizations, and he emphasized the importance of caring for both the body and soul in the midst of suffering. The training served to not only prepare churches for disasters, but to also demonstrate just what an LCMS volunteer team looks and functions like.

Whether those in attendance wished to help internationally or locally, the training allowed participants to learn how to be properly prepared to take action when needed, and each participant came out with a FEMA certification as a faith-based first responder and a member of the “Lutheran Early Response Team.”
“A big highlight of the day for me [was] that we can help people regardless of our skill sets and the fact that we are ‘Lutheran Early Response Team’ means that we can just go and show love to people while showing them the Gospel,” freshman Kirsten Wagner said.

With the mindset of being able to assist in her own community when the opportunity arises, Wagner believes that a response team on campus would be highly beneficial to Concordia and the surrounding area, serving as a great way for students to take part in local disaster relief.

“I learned as a whole how the LCMS Disaster Response coordinates teams to assess and address community needs immediately after a disaster and in the following weeks and even months. This can be an amazing opportunity to really express our Christian faith through acts of mercy while we do good to our neighbors,” freshman Olivia Hunt said.

The other events that had been planned for MLK Day—an event celebration service, Flood Buckets, and Feed the Children—were canceled due to the icy roads on Monday. The Flood Buckets event, in which volunteers filled 250 buckets with cleaning supplies to be shipped all over the United States, was made up on Wednesday, Jan. 18, and volunteers completed the task in less than two hours.

Concordia’s MLK committee, Rev. Russ Sommerfeld, Dr. Kathy Miller, Dr. Tobin Beck, Professor Bryan Moore and Rehema Kavugha, began meeting weekly in August to prepare for the special day.

“We wanted this to be a combination of service opportunities and something that would be more than a speaker,” Miller said. “We wanted some variety and also wanted student involvement which included not only offering service events, but also with the entertainment.”

In addition to Monday’s events, Gary Spiller will also be speaking in chapel and from 7-8:30 p.m. in Weller Auditorium on Tuesday, Jan. 24 as part of the MLK Day celebration. Spiller is a Concordia alumnus who has served as an educator for 17 years and is currently Executive Director of Student Services and Innovation for the School District of University City in St. Louis, Missouri.

 

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