Lutheran Services in Tennessee Announces Flood Volunteer Information

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Services in Tennessee Inc. (LST), Nashville, has named a Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) site coordinator and established a phone number for volunteers who wish to help with flood cleanup in middle Tennessee.

Jim Wirshing has been named site coordinator for LDR in middle Tennessee, said the Rev. P. Morgan Gordy, Lebanon, Tenn., chair of the disaster task force for the Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Volunteers seeking information about work possibilities and housing can call 615-630-8565, she said.

Eventually, LDR hopes to establish its long-term operation for middle Tennessee at Rau-Wood Retreat and Conference Center, a Nashville Lutheran camping facility, Gordy said. The camp was heavily damaged by the flooding and will require cleanup before it can be used, she said.

LDR is a collaborative ministry of the ELCA and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

Gordy said at least three, and probably four, Nashville-area Lutheran congregations will house volunteers who help with the cleanup. Flood water has receded or begun to recede, and people whose homes or businesses were flooded have begun the long process of cleaning up, removing damaged furniture and carpets, and rebuilding inside, she said.

"There are still many houses needing to be mucked out," Gordy said. "We look forward to volunteers coming here. We have congregations ready to receive them."

Gordy said LDR in middle Tennessee is working with "Hands On Nashville" and local county governments to coordinate volunteer assistance.

The church's response to the disaster is led by LST in partnership with Lutheran Episcopal Services Mississippi (LESM), Gordy explained. LESM is providing the fiscal support and assistance with disaster consultation and expertise. LST will administer the program in Tennessee, she said.

Earlier this week LDR provided a $10,000 emergency grant to LESM to help organize initial responses to the flooding in west and middle Tennessee.

The ELCA Southeastern Synod reported that area Lutheran churches were secure but most received some minor water damage. For example, the Rev. Richard E. Roberts, St. John's Lutheran Church, Nashville, said the lower level of the church building -- with Sunday School rooms, a nursery and other meetings rooms -- flooded with a few inches of water, damaging carpet and inside walls made of sheet rock.

The damage could have been much worse, Roberts told the ELCA News Service. The church is near the Opryland Resort and Convention Center, and the Grand Ole Opry House, both of which sustained considerable flood damage. "We're very blessed," he said.

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Nashville, which had been reported to be cut off by flooded roads, is now accessible and was not damaged, Gordy said.

At least 20 people died in Tennessee, and another 10 died in Kentucky and Mississippi as a result of the weekend storm. President Barack Obama declared a major disaster for parts of Tennessee. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has initiated its assessment of the damage, and FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate visited the area May 6.

--- Information about Lutheran Disaster Response is at http://www.ldr.org/ on the Web.
Information about Lutheran Services in Tennessee Inc. is at http://www.lstn.org/ on the Web.