June 2017
On Sunday, June 11, Lutheran Church Charities (Northbrook, Illinois) responded to a house explosion in Marengo, Illinois. The incident occurred around 5 a.m. and totaled several houses with more than 40 other homes damaged. A gas leak was suspected as the cause.
“Through God’s grace and mercy, we are thankful that no lives were lost and only a few people had minor injuries,” said LCC President Tim Hetzner. “Families who were the closest to the explosion had minutes to evacuate their homes with whatever they had on them.”
Joining Hetzner in evaluating the situation to see how Lutheran Church Charities could respond was LCC Executive Director Joshua Gale and LCC Director of Disaster Response Kathy O’Day.
LCC K-9 Comfort Dog staff, apprentice trainers and handlers with 10 LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs representing Illinois, California, Ohio, and Massachusetts were in Marengo by late that afternoon to bring the mercy, compassion, presence and proclamation of Jesus Christ to impacted families and first responders.
Working with Rev. Glen Borhart from Zion Lutheran Church in Marengo, LCC immediately provided financial assistance to help Zion members that were affected and other families within the community, including feeding displaced families and the first responders who were helping them.
LCC handed out over 50 LCC K-9 stuffed dogs while meeting with displaced families and first responder families. Hetzner also reported meeting with Marengo’s police chief and fire department chaplain to discuss the immediate and ongoing needs of the community.
LCC also was present at Zion Lutheran Church on Monday afternoon to attend a community meeting with the impacted families as well as to attend a church service there at 6:30 p.m.
LCC will continue to provide ongoing support through Zion Lutheran Church to help the Marengo community through this devastating event. Donations can be given through Lutheran Church Charities’ website. “Zion Lutheran Church is doing an excellent job in helping the community they serve each and every week,” Hetzner added.
First reported through Lutheran Church Charities website.