Hurricane Ida Relief — South Central District

"Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer." (Psalm 4:1)

As WELS men and women in the South, we are all familiar with the destructive power of a hurricane. Undoubtedly, you have prayed for those who were in the path of Ida. God is indeed merciful. It is good to remember one way he provides relief is through fellow believers. To that end, I am sharing with you a letter written by a layman and pastor in our district. In it you will hear the opportunity to help provide relief by working directly with WELS Christian Aid & Relief or the WELS churches on the front lines in Louisiana. May God have mercy on them as they recover, and may he use us to answer their prayers.

We are forgiven!
Pastor Caleb Schoeneck
South Central District Secretary

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Brother and Sisters in Christ,

We have three sister congregations in Louisiana that were in the path of Hurricane Ida. They are relatively small congregations and the main problem they face is lack of electricity. Their main needs right now are gas for generators, water and ice. WELS Christian Aid and Relief is providing assistance. The congregations are asking for additional help to address their own needs and the needs of their communities. If you would like to donate directly to them, you can click on these links:

Cross Of Glory Lutheran Church, Baton Rouge, LA: https://www.crossofglorylutheran.com/

Trinity Lutheran Church, Abita Springs, LA: http://trinityabita.org/

Crown of Life Lutheran Church, New Orleans, LA: http://www.crownoflifenola.com/

If you prefer to donate directly to WELS Christian Aid and Relief and have it designated for Hurricane Ida, it will also be used to help not just our churches in Louisiana but also any WELS churches in the Northeast that may have been affected. You might also consider a regular monthly gift, even a small one, for the wonderful work they are doing. Click here:

WELS Christian Aid Relief: https://wels.net/serving-others/christian-aid-relief/

Donate: https://community.wels.net/sslpage.aspx?pid=394

There may be opportunities in the near future to help these communities clean up and repair. We will let you know. Disasters like this one are a challenge but they can also be an opportunity. It is an opportunity for us to participate in helping others. It is also an opportunity to pray. We pray that God would keep all our brothers and sisters in Christ safe. We pray that God would use this challenge to strengthen the faith of believers. We also pray that God would use this disaster to create opportunities for the gospel of Jesus to be shared in those communities.

Damaged roof of Trinity Lutheran Church (WELS) in Abita Springs, Louisiana

Interior water damage at Trinity Lutheran Church (WELS) in Abita Springs, Louisiana.

Fallen trees at church parsonage in Abita Springs, Louisiana.