Prayers, resources offered in wake of bridge collapse
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A newspaper ad from the people of The United Methodist Church reaches
out to those affected by the Aug. 1 bridge collapse in Minneapolis.
Sponsored by the Minnesota Annual Conference, the half-page message ran
Aug. 8 in the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. A
UMNS photo illustration courtesy of United Methodist Communications
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By United Methodist News Service*
Aug. 8, 2007 | MINNEAPOLIS (UMNS)
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Bishop Sally Dyck
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As the search for missing people continued in the Mississippi River, the
people of The United Methodist Church offered up prayers, compassion
and coping resources to those affected by the deadly Interstate 35W
bridge collapse.
Eight people remain missing and are presumed dead from the Aug. 1
disaster that already has killed five people and injured 100 others.
A half-page advertisement ran in the Twin Cities' two largest
newspapers to remind readers that the people of The United Methodist
Church are praying with them. The ad was published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Aug. 8 - the one-week anniversary of the collapse.
The headline "For all the days that end in why" appears against a
ghosted photograph of the collapsed bridge, along with the message:
"In memory of those whose lives were lost,
With compassion for those who lost loved ones,
In gratitude for those who risked their lives to rescue, recover, and give care,
The people of The United Methodist Church pray with their neighbors."
The ad is sponsored by the Minnesota Annual Conference in
collaboration with United Methodist Communications, the denomination's
communications agency. The photograph is by Russ Scheffler, an annual
conference staff member.
"We felt very strongly that we needed to make a community response
because this is the sort of disaster to which we can all relate," said
Minnesota Bishop Sally Dyck. "We've all crossed bridges before, and most
of us in Minnesota have crossed this particular bridge.
"It causes people to have a sense of vulnerability-of how fragile our
lives are. We wanted to give a message to the community as a whole that
the people of The United Methodist Church care and we are praying for
them."
“We felt very strongly that we needed to
make a community response because this is the sort of disaster to which
we can all relate.”–Bishop Sally Dyck
Last week, Dyck asked United Methodists to pray for those affected by
the bridge collapse and urged them to spend a portion of Sunday's
worship services to remember the victims, their families and friends,
along with those engaged in rescue and recovery.
The annual conference also is providing worship and spiritual care
resources to help those struggling to deal with the aftermath of the
bridge disaster. They are available at www.minnesotaumc.org .
Meanwhile, flags flew at half staff on Aug. 8 to mark the one-week
anniversary of the tragedy, while church bells tolled in downtown
Minneapolis the evening before as residents observed a moment of silence
for the victims.
The 40-year-old, eight-lane bridge collapsed during the evening rush
hour, sending people, vehicles and tons of metal and concrete into the
Mississippi River. Dyck called the collapse "perhaps one of the most
frightening disasters we have had to face as a state."
News media contact: Marta Aldrich, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org .
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