Lutheran Disaster Response Visit
On August 8, 2025, Pacific Health Ministry’s (PHM) Rev. Amy Crowe joined the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Lutheran Disaster Response Program Manager, Zaya Gilmer, at a memorial paddle out in Maui. Later that day, during the noon remembrance event, several PHM members — Rev. Anke Flohr, Chaplain Elaine Morin, and Alita Charron — joined Rev. Amy, who serves as the Maui Disaster Recovery Spiritual Care Coordinator, and Ms. Gilmer at the County Building to sit with and support the community as they gathered to honor the victims of the Maui Fires, which devastated the island two years ago.
With the wind sweeping through the crowd, many were reminded of the same fierce gusts that fueled the deadliest wildfire in the United States since 1918 (Carli, L. 2023. National Fire Protection Association).
PHM has been providing spiritual care services and Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) courses on Maui in response to this devastating event. Rev. Amy continues to offer spiritual care to survivors and spiritual caregivers themselves. We thank the ELCA’s Lutheran Disaster Response, whose support provides spiritual care to those affected on Maui and helps train spiritual leaders to offer ongoing support to their congregations.