Prayer Requests

[Brian Stoffregen]

ELCA News

Oct. 1, 2015
ELCA congregation to hold vigil in Roseburg, Ore.

Faith Lutheran Church, a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in Roseburg, Ore., will hold vigil Oct. 1 at 7:00 p.m. (Pacific Time) following a shooting at Umpqua Community College there. A gunman opened fire on campus, killing at least 13 people and injuring more than 20 others.

"I have not heard from any students – the names of victims have not been released. We have one teacher at the school who is a member of Faith Lutheran, and she is OK," said the Rev. Jane C. Baker, pastor of the congregation.

"Roseburg is a small community of 21,000 people. We're not near any major city, and there's not another ELCA congregation within 70 miles from here," said Baker. "But we have a presence here."

Baker said an invitation has been extended for the community to attend the vigil, including ecumenical and faith partners. "We gather this evening to be with one another and to pray for families, students and everyone involved," said Baker. "Tonight we look to God. No one else has the words for this now."

[Team Hesse]

Yeah, I just texted him to see if he was OK.  He said that one of his employees was teaching at the school but he too is OK.  But all is chaos, as you can imagine.

Actually, I do not have to imagine.....Tomorrow is my son's 33rd birthday. Two classmates of his and a teacher were murdered by a young man in a school shooting in Moses Lake 20 years ago. The family of one of those victims is the largest "clan" in my congregation. The memories pour in.....The ramifications of this day are only beginning for the people of Roseburg.


Lord have mercy


Lou

[LutherMan]

Comfort dogs offer solace to students, faculty after Oregon shooting (+video)
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2015/1006/Comfort-dogs-offer-solace-to-students-faculty-after-Oregon-shooting-video

[Donald_Kirchner]

I was a bit skeptical when I first heard of them and their "ministry," but seeing the videos and reading the stories has made a believer out of me. 

[Weedon]

They don't work for cat people...

[Donald_Kirchner]

So start a comfort cat ministry. You can recruit the 20 lb plus sealpoint presently sitting on my lap.    His name is Gustav Ling, but we call him Gus the Good because he's such a nice guy.

[Eileen Smith]

Prayers for those in Paris - the injured, the hostages, those who died, loved ones.   The news simply stuns.

[Donald_Kirchner]

Kyrie Eleison!

[LutherMan]

Prayers for those in Paris - the injured, the hostages, those who died, loved ones.   The news simply stuns.

France has seen much violence recently.  Prayers ascend...

[Charles Austin]

I am recalling many happy days in Paris, which has always vied with Rome as my favorite city in the world. It is a place of great class, refinement, and beauty. In the 19th Century, Paris was the center of the world and virtually every American scholar, artist, writer, philosopher and seeker of wisdom went there, often for several years. I went first in 1976 and have returned many times. How terrible that this great city and its people should have this happen.
On the other hand, Paris has suffered before. In the Franco-Prussian war (1870-1871) it was under siege for months and without food and other necessities of life. The Nazi occupation brought more suffering.
France has also had its own revolutions and internal terrorism.
I feel deep sadness at today's events.

[LutherMan]

So start a comfort cat ministry. You can recruit the 20 lb plus sealpoint presently sitting on my lap.    His name is Gustav Ling, but we call him Gus the Good because he's such a nice guy.

I have a sealpoint too, but he is nowhere near 20 lbs.  His name is Ratso, and he is a loving and playful cat full of vim and vinegar...

[LutherMan]

I am recalling many happy days in Paris, which has always vied with Rome as my favorite city in the world. It is a place of great class, refinement, and beauty. In the 19th Century, Paris was the center of the world and virtually every American scholar, artist, writer, philosopher and seeker of wisdom went there, often for several years. I went first in 1976 and have returned many times. How terrible that this great city and its people should have this happen.
On the other hand, Paris has suffered before. In the Franco-Prussian war (1870-1871) it was under siege for months and without food and other necessities of life. The Nazi occupation brought more suffering.
France has also had its own revolutions and internal terrorism.
I feel deep sadness at today's events.

They should never allowed so many Muslims in...

[Dan Fienen]

I am recalling many happy days in Paris, which has always vied with Rome as my favorite city in the world. It is a place of great class, refinement, and beauty. In the 19th Century, Paris was the center of the world and virtually every American scholar, artist, writer, philosopher and seeker of wisdom went there, often for several years. I went first in 1976 and have returned many times. How terrible that this great city and its people should have this happen.
On the other hand, Paris has suffered before. In the Franco-Prussian war (1870-1871) it was under siege for months and without food and other necessities of life. The Nazi occupation brought more suffering.
France has also had its own revolutions and internal terrorism.
I feel deep sadness at today's events.

They should never allowed so many Muslims in...

It remains to be seen, much too early to tell, whether any of the attackers were from the French Muslim community.  It has been condemned by at least one leader of the French Muslim community.

Our own 9/11 was not carried out, as I recall, by members of the American Muslim community.

Thinking back to the Oklahoma City bombing what group of people should we have not let so many in to prevent the actions of Timothy McVveigh?

[readselerttoo]

My wife and I have close friends from college days who live in the Marais and the 10th arr.  We are in contact this eve with them by Skype and pray for their safety.   

IMO, both France and Germany need to wake up to their immigrant problem, a problem that has been addressed by Partie Le Pen and yet ignored by the French assembly, for the most part.  Closing the borders for the time being was a sensible move by Hollande.

[Eileen Smith]

A few weeks ago, in our congregation, we were discussing a reading from James, specifically James 5:16 - pray for one another.  I commented that we need to be vulnerable to one another to even ask for prayer.  For me that's hard.  But I will be bold to do so.

May I ask for your prayers.  For five years I've been fighting a rare cancer, neuroendocrine cancer to be specific.  there is no cure, but it can be stabilized.  I'm no longer stable on my present medication and a chemo drug has been prescribed.  It's been three weeks and I still cannot obtain approval from my insurance company.  I simply ask for your prayers for peace during this turbulent time.  It's hard to hear that your cancer has now progressed from the GI area to the spine, be told there is something that can stabilize it, and hear, "Denied."  I simply need peace.

Thank you all very much.  Eileen