United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India (UELCI)
The United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India (UELCI) is a communion of eleven member churches spread out mostly in the East and Central India including North Eastern states with a membership of approximately 2 million. Each member church has its own unique cultural and historical context, with different mission histories. The communion was founded in 1926 as a Federation of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India and went through a metamorphosis and now is known as the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India .
Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church (TELC), the Arcot Lutheran Church (ALC), the India Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELC) and the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church (AELC) are the Lutheran churches which have their presence in the affected areas: Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu; the affected villages were Sothukuppam, Sonankuppam, Devanampattinam and Modasalodai. Other affected places include Nagapattinam, Kanchipuram, Kanyakumari, Pondicherry , an Union Territory . In neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, the following places were seriously affected: Machilipatnam, Visakhapatnam , Nellore and Srikakulam.
The immediate response of UELCI and its related churches was to carry out a preliminary survey and assess the situation. Church leaders visited the affected areas. Bishop Gideon Devenesan of the Arcot Lutheran Church (ALC) pressed into service pastors and youth members of the church to study and monitor the situation.' The church with the assistance of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India (UELCI) and the CASA, opened feeding centers in several places in Cuddalore and Pondicherry .
Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church (TELC) also reported of the opening of feeding centers. The TELC operated in Nagapattinam and Karaikal, and in some of the worst affected places. Similar initiatives were also taken by Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church in the coastal belt of Andhra Pradesh. In Chennai ( Madras ) the Christian Community organized feeding programmes for the victims in the coastal belt. The UELCI organized teams to study the situation and monitor the disaster. It has also appealed to its partners to support the immediate feeding centres and medical camps.
UELCI: uelci.blogspot.com
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