Response to Butte and Valley Fires

 September 17, 
2015
  
Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the hills-
from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

Gracious God,
We pray for those whose lives, homes and property have been endangered by fires in northern California. We thank you for the many firefighters and first responders who are putting their lives in danger to bring relief and comfort. We pray for favorable weather and rain that will help end this devastation, and bring healing and hope to lives and lands that have been scarred by the effects of these fires. And in all things, we trust in the power of the resurrection to remind us that there is no disaster that is beyond your capacity to bring life from death and hope from despair. We pray this in the name of Christ, Amen.


 
 
Grace, mercy and peace be with you in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ.
 
The devastation has been of a scale that we can scarcely comprehend.  Fires have grown from a few hundred acres to tens of thousands of acres in a matter of hours.  The Butte and Valley fires have been fueled by drought seared grasses, brush and trees, leaving behind more than 900 burned out homes and hundreds of other structures, and the shattered dreams and lives of thousands of people.  In spite of the favorable weather of the past few days, the fires have yet to be contained, and the Cal Fire website lists nearly 10,000 structures that are still threatened.  2 lives have been lost, and 4 of the nearly 8,000 firefighters on the lines of these fires have been injured.
 
In our Lutheran family, four congregations have been directly affected by these fires:
 
  1. Faith Lutheran in Pioneer, near the site where the Butte fire began.  The church and many of its members are without power, or using generators until power can be restored.  The fire originally threatened the Pioneer and Pine Grove areas, but turned toward the south and east as it moved from Amador into Calaveras County.
     
  2. Mountain Ranch Lutheran in Mountain Ranch.  At this time it is not known for certain if the church has survived, despite earlier reports to the contrary.  It is also not known how many members may have lost their homes, but the entire community of Mountain Ranch and the surrounding communities were well within the Butte Fire burn area.  The town of Mountain Ranch remains closed, and many of the people who live there are staying with relatives, friends, or in evacuation shelters.  Farm animals and other pets are being kept in shelters or ranches outside of the affected area.
     
  3. Faith Lutheran in Murphys.  Faith Lutheran and the community of Murphys appear to have been spared.  Murphys and the towns of Angels Camp and San Andreas are being used as staging and respite areas for fire crews.  As far as is known, no members of Faith lost homes, though many were under evacuation orders for a few days, and have now been allowed to return home.
     
  4. Galilee Lutheran in Kelseyville.  The Valley Fire has threatened much of Lake County, which is one of the poorest counties in the state in terms of per capita income.  Some people here have not only lost their homes, but their places of employment were also destroyed.  Some members of Galilee have been evacuated, and it is believed some of these people have lost their homes.  As is the case in Mountain Ranch, residents are not yet being allowed into the area to see if their homes survived the fire.  At one point, the Valley Fire was growing at the rate of nearly 25 acres per minute. 
 
The Red Cross and other relief agencies have already begun to respond, and donations of cash and material are being generously offered.  We are grateful for all who have supported these efforts to deal with the immediate needs of the people most affected by these fires.
 
Lutheran Disaster Response - LDR -- (http://www.elca.org/en/Our-Work/Relief-and-Development/Lutheran-Disaster-Response/Ways-to-Give) and Lutheran Social Services of Northern California - LSS -- (https://lssnorcalorg.presencehost.net/get-involved/donate.html) are also ready to receive donations that will be used to offer support, healing and hope.  I have spoken with the directors of both of these agencies, and they have assured me that donations given to LDR and LSS will be used to deal with more long term needs of the affected areas, as the weeks and months wear on and assistance from many sources begins to dwindle.  Lives and communities will need to be rebuilt, and this is something that takes time.  LDR and LSS are known for accompanying communities and families impacted by disasters for the long haul; they are often among the last to leave.  They will coordinate with local congregations and relief agencies to put your gifts to the best and most needed uses.    
 
Please, generously support the relief work of LDR and LSS as you consider offering your financial gifts to help the people and communities which have been affected by the Butte and Valley Fires.  Their immediate needs are being met - let's commit to being there for the long journey of recovery and rebuilding by giving to LDR or LSS.  Thank you.
 
God's Peace,
Bp. Mark
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