Being the Church in the World: Responding to the Earthquake in Colombia

Right now, communities around the world are experiencing the devastating effects of natural disasters. Families in Indiana are recovering from flooding, Hawaii is facing the impact of a hurricane, and devastating earthquakes have struck Colombia and Indonesia. People are facing loss, displacement, and uncertainty—and our prayers and compassion extend to all of them.

As a church, we want to be people who respond when our neighbors are hurting.

At St. Philip, we have a particularly personal connection to the devastation in Colombia. Pereira, a city deeply connected to members of our congregation, is among the areas significantly impacted by the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck western Colombia on August 10.

We give thanks that Catalina and Mike's family members are safe and accounted for. But the impact on their community is immense.

We invited Catalina and Mike to share with our congregation about their connection to Pereira and what this disaster means for their family and community.

Hearing from someone with family and deep connections to the region reminds us that this isn't simply a news story happening somewhere far away. These are people we care about. These are our neighbors. And this is an opportunity for us to be the church in the world.

Responding Through Lutheran Disaster Response

Because of our connection to Pereira, St. Philip is making the earthquake recovery effort in Colombia our particular congregational focus right now.

We will be collecting donations for Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR), an organization we trust to respond to disasters both in the immediate aftermath and throughout the long process of recovery.

LDR works with local partners to help communities respond, recover, and rebuild. Their commitment doesn't end when the immediate crisis fades from the headlines. They stay for the long haul, accompanying communities as they work to rebuild their homes, livelihoods, and lives.

When gifts are designated for a specific disaster response through LDR, 100% of those gifts are used for that response.

A $5,000 Challenge

Catalina and Mike have put their faith into action in a tangible way. They have generously committed $5,000 toward earthquake recovery efforts in Colombia, and they are challenging the St. Philip congregation to match their gift.

We may not be able to travel to Colombia or physically help with the recovery, but we can stand with our neighbors from right here in Raleigh.

Every gift matters.

If you would like to participate in St. Philip's congregational effort, you can give through St. Philip and designate your gift for LDR. We will send those gifts directly to Lutheran Disaster Response.

If you would prefer to give directly to Lutheran Disaster Response and support disaster recovery efforts in other areas, you can do that as well. LDR responds to disasters across the United States and around the world, and gifts can be directed toward specific responses or given to support disaster response more broadly.

Being the Church in the World

We often talk at St. Philip about the church being everywhere. We talk about God's love reaching beyond these walls and beyond our own backyard.

This is an opportunity to live that out.

When one part of the body hurts, the whole body is called to respond.

So we invite you to pray for the people of Colombia, pray for all those impacted by natural disasters around the world, and give as you are able.

Together, let's be the church—not just in our backyard, but in the world.

All donations given through St. Philip for the Colombia earthquake response will be sent to Lutheran Disaster Response.