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Covenant Church Reaching Out to Arsenic Victims
NEW SWEDEN, ME (May 5, 2003) - Like many of their neighbors, pastor Shelly Timber
and members of the Evangelical Covenant Church of New Sweden have been
overwhelmed with shock and disbelief after a dozen members of the nearby
Gustaf Adolph Lutheran Church were poisoned by arsenic-laced coffee at a
church function on April 27, leaving one dead and two in critical
condition.
"We all very much need and are asking for the prayer support of all people
of faith," says Timber. Because this is a small community (population 650)
with only three churches, Timber has been deeply involved in helping
residents cope. The Covenant church hosted a prayer service for the
community and Timber has also visited with victims and their families at
the Bangor hospital where they are being treated. The poisoning incident
and the shooting death - reportedly self-inflicted - of a Gustaf Adolph
Lutheran church member who is suspected of being responsible for the
poisoning have brought national media to town, making it difficult for
people in this close-knit community to grieve, says Timber. "We hope the TV
cameras leave soon," she says.
"Breaking news of the shooting [suicide] have sent people spiraling to new
depths," Timber says, "some asking when will this end. Pray for this
community . . . the implications are so very, very painful. We need the
intervention of God." The Covenant church of New Sweden has organized a
relief fund to support the families of poisoning victims. The fund is
overseen by Timber and two other local pastors. Donations can be sent to
G.A. Lutheran Families Relief Fund, P.O. Box 47, New Sweden, ME, 04762.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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