Tag: Crisis

Situation: Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem. Photo: Albin Hillert/Life on Earth The humanitarian crisis continues to worsen – almost 70% of Gazan residents are displaced, and resources such as food, water and medical supplies are in short supply. The death toll has far surpassed those of previous conflicts in the region in recent decades.     Response: Lutheran Disaster Response is supporting: Augusta Victoria Hospital. The hospital is procuring medical supplies and providing accommodation for patients and staff unable to return to their homes in Gaza. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. The church is providing…

Situation: The Augusta Victoria Hospital on the Mount of Olives. Photo: Albin Hillert/Life on Earth Due to escalating conflict in Gaza and Israel, a severe humanitarian crisis is rapidly unfolding in the Holy Land. Response: Lutheran Disaster Response is providing support to Augusta Victoria Hospital to procure medical supplies and accommodations for patients and staff who are unable to return to their homes in Gaza between treatments.   Be part of the response: Pray Please pray for those impacted by the humanitarian crisis in the Holy Land. May God’s healing presence give them peace and hope in their time of…

Courtney Geibert, Redwood City, CA Warm-up Question What is your relationship with nature and the planet?  Climate Crisis and Stewardship In March 2023, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its final report on climate change. Drawing from the research of over 700 scientists, the IPCC spent thirty-five years recording the physical science, impacts, and mitigation of climate change. According to the IPCC, humans have made unprecedented changes to our planet in a short time, resulting in irreparable harm to people and the environment. Today, over 3 billion people live in countries susceptible to climate impacts such…

On Thursday, April 20, 2023 the ELCA Church Council adopted the church’s sixteenth social message, titled “Earth’s Climate Crisis” — an action that acknowledges the urgency of this critical moment and our responsibility as Christians to respond decisively. On this Earth Day, 2023, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton released a video on the ELCA’s Facebook page highlighting this call to action. Eaton named this as a “moment of Kairos, a critical moment in time when God is calling for decisive action in history.” This action will need to happen in our congregations and communities, but also reach far beyond them, because…

Situation: On Feb. 24, armed conflict broke out between Russia and Ukraine, causing a humanitarian crisis. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 2 million people are seeking refuge in neighboring countries, including Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Moldova. There are major humanitarian concerns for both internally displaced people and refugees.        Response: Lutheran Disaster Response is supporting these member churches through Lutheran World Federation: German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovakia Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in…

Jen Krausz, Bethlehem, PA Warm-up Question Have you or anyone in your family ever donated blood? What was the reasoning behind this act? Home Crisis The American Red Cross announced on January 11 that because U.S. blood supplies are at extremely low levels the country is facing an unprecedented blood crisis. “If the nation’s blood supply does not stabilize soon, life-saving blood may not be available for some patients when it is needed,” warned in a joint statement with America’s Blood Centers and the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies.  The agency said that the current surge in COVID-19…