LCMS World Mission Blog

Photo: (From left) Rev. Dr. David Birner, associate executive director, International, LCMS World Mission; Rev. John Mehl, regional director of Asia, LCMS World Mission; Rev. Ito, a retired pastor of the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church who is volunteering with the Japan Lutheran Emergency Relief cooperative relief effort; and LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison.

LCMS President Dr. Matthew C. Harrison and LCMS ministry leaders grasped for words to express the enormity of the devastation from the deadly March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power accident after their return June 19 from Japan. Their often somber trek included meeting with leaders of the Japan Lutheran Church and making available an additional $1 million to assist with long-term recovery.

Members of the accompanying LCMS ministry team included: Dr. David Birner, associate executive director with LCMS World Mission; Rev. John Mehl, regional director for Asia, LCMS World Mission; Rev. Glenn F. Merritt, director of Disaster Response with LCMS World Relief and Human Care (WR-HC); Darin Storkson, Asia director for WR-HC; Dr. Naomichi Masaki, associate professor of systematic theology at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind.; and Al Dowbnia, communications director, WR-HC.

To date, caring LCMS supporters have given more than $2 million for LCMS relief efforts in Japan that will continue for years to come.
Read the entire Reporter article by Kim Plummer Krull at http://classic.lcms.org?18861.

Access additional updates, photos and videos from the LCMS World Relief and Human Care Facebook page www.facebook.com/LCMSWRHC and the LCMS World Mission Facebook page www.facebook.com/LCMSWorldMission.