Severe storms, including tornadoes, hit Northern Illinois and the Fox Cities region (including the cities of Appleton, Menasha, and Neenah) of Wisconsin on July 27. An EF3 tornado touched down in the Fox Cities area around 1 p.m. and remained on the ground for more than 20 minutes, cutting a roughly 12-mile path of destruction, according to the Associated Press.

Bishop Dan Schwerin of the Northern Illinois–Wisconsin Episcopal Area calls for prayer:

Beloveds, the state of Wisconsin faced severe weather on Monday, and damage seems to have been most acute in the Fox Cities area of Wisconsin. People lost homes. Many are reckoning their losses tonight.

Psalm 46 affirms that "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of great trouble." We seek refuge, shelter, and solid ground—and we also seek strength, the inner resources to face what is next. I would offer this prayer:

God, our help in ages past,
We thank you that you are God in all our days.
Lord, make haste to help us.
Grant shelter and neighborliness to those in want.
Surface our griefs that we may share them.
Give us to know the solidarity of your Comforter, ever present to offer hope.
Raise up your body of Christ, across our ecumenical expressions,
across interfaith bridges, and surface your love in all of us,
that your face may shine in ways that heal and make new.
Make us generous neighbors, in this day and every day.
We ask this in the power and love we know as Christ. Amen.

Northern Illinois's Disaster Response Team, led by Colin Monk, is in Wisconsin, helping to provide assistance.

Dan Schwerin, Bishop

Northern Illinois–Wisconsin Episcopal Area
The United Methodist Church