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8 Nov
2012

Nov 8 2012
Hurricane Sandy Update (INTERVIEWS)
Tim Mathiesen
Announcement, North American Mission
News, Relief Efforts

Warren Geraghty, Regional Pastor for the Eastern Region, visited CLB congregations affected by Hurricane Sandy. During his trip he video recorded some updates from the pastors. The following are two videos of conversations with pastors.

Pastor Bruce Hillman and Pastor Brad Hoganson
Hillside Lutheran Brethren Church in Succasunna, New Jersey. 

 

Pastor Gary & Anne Kitchin
Bunker Hill Lutheran Brethren Church in Princeton, New Jersey.

 

Pastor Todd Anderson
Messiah Lutheran Church in Browns Mills, New Jersey.

 

CLICK HERE for other Hurricane Sandy Updates

CLICK HERE to give to the CLB Hurricane Relief Fund

 

2 Nov
2012

Nov 2 2012
Hurricane Sandy Update: Peace Christian Church
Tim Mathiesen
Announcement, North American Mission
Relief Efforts

hurricane update

Above photo from Huntington, Long Island, NY’s Facebook Page

A quick update from Pastor Kevin Foss, Peace Christian Church, NY: Thanks so much for all your prayers! Without any power and no TV I feel so out of touch with all that has happened. Brief moments on the internet here at church has given us some info. The stories of church members and families and friends that have been impacted by Sandy have been countless and hard to hear. We have been moving along one day at a time. The phone is ringing off the hook here at church. We have almost 100 kids in our preschool day care program here at Peace. Some preschool staff members have not been heard from due to power outages.

Now that there is power at the church we are doing all we can to assist families in need. There has been no school this week and we are uncertain when schools will re-open. Physical, mental and emotional exhaustion is beginning to set in for me and so many others...it's overwhelming at times.

Keep praying!
Pastor Kevin Foss
Peace Christian Church, Bohemia, NY

The following is an update posted on Peace Christian Church's Facebook Page:

We now have power at church. If you still don't have power and need a place to store food, charge up your cell phone, get warm, connect to the internet, or sleep over now that the evenings are getting cold, please stop by, or call the church at 631-589-0651. We want to help you in any way we can. If you need manual labor to help with damage to your home or property, please call us for help. If anyone has a generator that they are willing to drop off at the church to be used to help those in need, please bring it by ASAP.

CLICK HERE to give to the CLB Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund

CLICK HERE for other Hurricane Sandy Updates on the CLB Network website

1 Nov
2012

Nov 1 2012
Hurricane Sandy Update #02
Tim Mathiesen
Announcement, North American Mission
Relief Efforts

hurricane update

Above photo from Huntington, Long Island, NY's Facebook Page

All in all, in spite of Super Storm Sandy’s deep and wide devastation, I would say that our northeast congregations are doing quite well. Our churches have not sustained the kind of damage that coastal areas and New York City have experienced because our churches are located off the coast – some further inland than others. Still, many of our people are being challenged by loss of electricity, freezer foods and heat. The day temperatures are in the mid-fifties but the nights are around forty degrees so it can get chilly. Some of our areas will be without power for more days to come and possibly into next week.

Though I have not been able to contact all pastors/churches due to the power outage, I have heard that there’s been modest damage to parsonages and churches but nothing of significance so far. I have been encouraged as I’ve heard of our people reaching out to their neighbors in need. One church which has bathrooms/showers has opened them to the community. Today I spoke with a pastoral family making their home available to friends and neighbors to get cleaned up and take a warm shower. Yes, praise the Lord for generators!

Though I am deeply saddened by the storm’s devastation, especially along the coastlines, I am encouraged to hear about our Lutheran Brethren people pulling together to care for each other and those around them.

A few prayer requests:

 

  • That our churches in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York regain their electrical power.
  • That Our Tuscarora Inn & Conference Center (our Bible camp) regain power. The annual women’s retreat is scheduled for this weekend. It may be cancelled due to loss of power and inability to travel due to many fallen trees.
  • That in the midst of challenging times, we would remember that God has many good purposes in all this (Romans 8:28).
  • That we would still seek the Lord for opportunities to care for others and also share the Gospel (John 14:6).

 

Thank you for praying for us.

Trusting Christ,

Warren Geraghty
Eastern Regional Pastor

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