First Lutheran Church Duluth invites all to a day of prayer and remembrance of Ben Larson, his family and all the victims of the Haiti earthquake on the one year anniversary of this disaster.   Organized Prayer times in the church sanctuary will be 8:00-9:00 a.m., 12:00-12:30 p.m., 3:45-4:45 p.m. and 7:00-7:30 p.m.  Bells will be rung at 3:53 pm the time of the earthquake in support of “Bells for Haiti.”  Free will offerings will be accepted for ELCA World Relief efforts in Haiti.  The Sanctuary will be open all day for people to come and pray as their schedule allows.

Benn Judd Larson- son of Pastors April Ulring and Judd Larson

Ben Larson was the son of First Lutheran Church Pastors Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. April Ulring (ELCA Bishop Emeritus) and Associate Pastor Rev. Judd Larson and a seminary student at Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa.  He died in the earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010 while on a mission trip to Haiti with his wife Renee and cousin Jon Larson who were also  seminarians at Wartburg. Listen to Jon and Renee’s recent MPR radio interview on how they’ve rebuilt their lives since this tragedy.   

In the “Bells for Haiti” initiative, Haiti advocates are asking churches, schools, universities, and city halls across the country to toll their bells in unison on the one-year anniversary of the earthquake-January 12, 2011, at 3:53 PM CST-for 35 seconds, the duration of the Haiti quake.  See the “Bells for Haiti” Facebook page and www.flcduluth.org  for additional information.