This week, more than 70 disaster response and ministry leaders from throughout the Synod and around the world are in St. Louis for the first International Disaster Response Conference for Lutherans. 
Church leaders are here from as far away as Haiti, Japan, Australia, Chile, India and Kenya.
It’s always a joy to spot a classmate, especially when it’s Rev. Isaiah Obare from Kenya!
Rev. Glenn Merritt, director of Disaster Response with World Relief and Human Care, led the service.
Rev. Masahiro Ando of the Japan Lutheran Church preached. 
You can read his sermon here. And you should. Because it was pretty fabulous.
There is something to be said for having all these Lutherans in one place, working together across one table, sitting together in one room, singing together in one chapel.
It reminds us that the Church is not just our congregation, or our circuit, or district, or even our Synod. It is the Body of Christ, built as He wills, and spread out across countries and continents.
And that, I think, is pretty darn comforting.
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I missed Carlos till you pointed him out, Jan. Cool.
The sermon was great. I read it this morning.
Aw! I see our friend Carlos from Chile. Now that makes me wish I was visiting the IC that day. He’s a rock star. You should have him write for the LW. 🙂
Balconies are great for taking photos or you can be like me and just stand in the middle of the aisle during a procession. Oops.
(a) Buy a camera that doesn’t make that horrid ‘ka-chink’ every time you take a photo. (b) Sit in the balcony so no one sees you. (c) Don’t use a flash. (d) People should not know you were ever there.
Ta da!
I want to know how you surreptitiously take these awesome photos mid-service. Seriously. I sometimes get the feeling that I need to document our time in our congregation but can’t think of a way to take pics without looking like a cheeseball. I guess you’ve got good lighting in the IC, but still. They’re fabulous.