Guidelines for Support
1. Ohio judicatories provide care and assistance for member congregations and communities consistent with their mission and purpose. Initially, judicatory assistance is pastoral care for the congregation and rostered leaders and consultation concerning disaster assessment. Judicatories may also communicate to their membership the opportunity for timely financial and volunteer support for congregations and communities experiencing a disaster. Gifts should be acknowledged and disbursed appropriately according to judicatory policy.
2. For a disaster of sufficient scope -- as determined regionally by members of the LDR Ohio Coordinating Committee in consultation with committee leadership or national LDR -- a local strategy team will be formed to coordinate Lutheran disaster response. The strategy team known as the Steering Committee may include representatives of district and synod congregations, the Lutheran fraternal organization and social ministry organizations. LDR will participate as possible.
3. The Steering Committee will also provide direction concerning the collection and equitable distribution of funds raised for disaster response, including the need for the regionally identified social ministry organization to receive and manage the funds. The committee and the social ministry organization will develop acceptable guidelines to process these funds.
4. The Lutheran fraternal also serves a key role in mobilizing resources for disaster response and will match funds according to established policies and procedures. Although immediate response may be attractive to members of the congregation and community, communicating those opportunities to judicatory membership can lead to matching dollars and greater stewardship in giving.
5. Recommendations for social ministry organization management of Lutheran Disaster Response Ohio funds include the following:
- Set up a separate bank account for LDR Ohio funds.
- Establish a system to access LDR Ohio funds. Require if possible that an emergency or disaster response agency (i.e. United Way, Red Cross, etc.) reviews, processes and approves requests for funds. Funds will be released in one of two ways:
-- Completed “Request for Assistance” form and supporting documentation as authorized by the local steering committee,
or
-- Completed “Request for Assistance” form and supporting documentation approved by the district and synod disaster coordinators and the LDR Ohio Coordinating Committee chair and/or designee.
- Bids or invoices for emergency services and assistance should be attached to “Request for Assistance” forms.
- Checks should be made payable to vendors or to the organizations providing services.
- Two individuals should sign checks issued from LDR funds.
- Should LDR funds be advanced to another organization to expedite assistance in times of emergencies, receipts for disbursements should be obtained for the advanced funds.
