Covenant News

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.

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