Progress!

To borrow a phrase from Garrison Keillor, “It’s been a busy week here in Mobile.” A significant part of internship is to complete a project in the internship setting – and of course write about it in a paper which is submitted to faculty on campus. Our project has grown out of our work with LDR. Since a major component of LDR’s plan for our work this year was congregational disaster preparedness, we selected this area for our project.

We have spent about half of each week in October and November reading and researching on this topic, compiling resources from LDR, other organizations like the American Red Cross and VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster), and government agencies including FEMA, Homeland Security, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Using the information from all this research, we have compiled a CD of resources and prepared a presentation which can be given to congregations to help them plan and prepare for disasters BEFORE they occur.

Two big deadlines were on our calendar this week. First, we reported on our progress and gave our presentation for a group of LDR staff members here in Alabama. Second, after some quick revisions, we gave the presentation to members of our internship congregation. We really worked hard to get the information together and prepare the Powerpoint presentation and a script, so that we won’t leave out any important information. It was quite a relief to come home Thursday evening and relax because both of those initial presentations were done!!

We still need to make some additional revisions and complete a manual that congregational teams can use as a guide for preparations, but the bulk of the research is behind us. We are already in the process of contacting Lutheran congregations all over the state of Alabama and will begin traveling with the presentation soon.

But for now, our attention has shifted from LDR to the congregation. We are busy today preparing for the Adult Sunday school class and worship tomorrow, and the first midweek Advent worship this week. As I go back to work on my sermon for Wednesday, I'll leave you with these words - the first verse from "The Advent of Our God" (hymn #22 from the Lutheran Book of Worship, written by Charles Coffin.)

"The advent of our God shall be our theme for prayer;
Come, let us meet him on the road and place for him prepare."