Although the rivers have started to recede and sandbag dikes successfully held back the rising Red River, disaster officials say the danger has not passed for those living along the watery border separating North Dakota and Minnesota.

A fresh dumping of snow has added 10-12 inches of moisture to an already oversaturated landscape. When it thaws the rivers are expected to swell again in mid-April, with the potential threat of an even higher crest than the already record-setting 40.82 feet of March 28 - higher than any time in recorded history.

"[The snowfall] would be very lovely," said Gina M. Powers, administrator at First Congregational UCC in Moorhead, Minn., "if it wasn't already for the epic flooding and threat of more."

Throughout the crisis, UCC churches in North Dakota and Minnesota have offered care and assistance to their communities. The UCC's National Disaster Ministries has been in regular contact with state disaster coordinators and much needed cleanup supplies are en route.

Reached by cell phone at the Fargo Dome, the Rev. Kevin Cassiday-Maloney, pastor of First Congregational UCC in Fargo, N.D., was "making lots and lots of sandbags." He's been working as one of the virtual army of volunteers who produced the five million of sandbags needed to raise the Fargo-Moorhead dikes to the 43 foot level.

"It's almost a party atmosphere here," he said of the massive sandbagging operation. Yet, he was well aware of the other side of the disaster at hand. "I'm so impressed that the church has reached out to those who are most vulnerable – there's nearly an overabundance of people supplying food and assistance."

Church members at First UCC Fargo have opened their homes to others in the congregation forced to evacuate as the city's primary dikes were threatened. "The individual response – people taking care of each other – is impressive," said Cassiday-Maloney.

On the north side of Fargo, members of Plymouth Congregational UCC were utilizing the church's phone lines to reach shut-in and elderly members, ensuring their safety and offering transportation out of evacuation zones.

Plymouth UCC's pastor, the Rev. Aaron Roberts, expressed pride in the congregation which has "been working the [phone] lines non-stop" in efforts to locate people since evacuation orders were issued.

Plymouth UCC also hosted a volunteer group from a Catholic boy's school in Wisconsin. They had come to sandbag and the church provided hot meals prepared by church members and space for them to clean up and rest.

Across the river in Moorhead, First UCC similarly hosted out-of-town volunteers last week and is expecting a group of AmeriCorps volunteers to arrive April 1. "The church has been very fluid in its response – meeting needs as they come up," said Powers. "[The need] is a moving target and the congregation continues to be whatever resource it can be."

A coalition of over 30 organizations gathers each day for a conference call in an attempt to coordinate volunteer efforts. The Rev. Robert Broeder, the Minnesota Conference Disaster Relief Coordinator, sees this as an integral part of the overall response. "We're able to see the big picture of where resources are needed and find where we can help," he said.

Having recently toured the area north of Moorhead, Broeder was struck by how far floodwaters travel over the flat terrain. "It looks like the Great Lakes or the ocean – there are placed where you can't see the other 'shore' of the floodwaters," he said.

Most churches continue to offer worship services despite the devastation. "[They] have been a real source of strength for me and other community members," said Powers.

Roberts expected to continue worship services at Plymouth UCC. "Whether there are three or 300, we'll worship," he said. Noting that although the church was only three blocks from one of the dikes, he felt their church facility was in less danger than other sites, "but there's no place in Fargo that's totally safe."

Many in the Red River Valley remember the flooding that devastated Grand Forks (N.D. and Minn.) in 1997. Northern Plains Conference UCC Disaster Ministries Coordinator, the Rev. Lindy Holt, organizing relief efforts in Mayville, N.D., said the Red Cross had arrived to set up an evacuation center.

Holt says the memory of the 1997 floods is still fresh for local residents. "Mayville was affected in '97 when so many Grand Forks people came," Holt said of those who relocated to the college town 40 miles from Grand Forks. "It is really painful for them."

While much attention has focused on the cities of Fargo and Moorhead, and the Red River that separates them, flooding has been extensive, especially in North Dakota's plains region.

When the Missouri river that passes through Bismarck and the central portion of the state overflowed its banks, it forced the evacuation of many, including the sons of Northern Plains Conference Minister the Rev. Wade Schemmel.

Schemmel stresses the importance of the special offerings being collected for flood relief and the help they will provide in cleanup efforts. Beyond the financial assistance, he pointed to the crews of volunteers that are already organizing out of the Conference's 52 congregations.

"Flooding of this magnitude results it so much personal trauma [from] dislocation and destruction of property," Schemmel said. "We see our churches being a place of spiritual outreach and physical assistance – we're prepared to do whatever we can."

The Sheyenne River, a tributary of the Red which winds its way through the southeast corner of the state, has caused flooding in some communities. Holt mentioned several UCC congregations threatened by the rising Sheyenne in the towns of Wahpeton, Hankinson and Jamestown.

Valley City, also located along the Sheyenne, has experienced flooding of its own, yet Congregational UCC - safely located on higher ground – has opened its 3,000 square foot fellowship hall for evacuees.

"We've let the Fargo-Moorhead churches know that if they have evacuees they're welcome to come here," said the Rev. Carleton Borden, pastor at Congregational UCC of Valley City. "As long as we're above water, we'll be offering our space."

Looking to the weeks ahead, Broeder is uncertain of what will happen with the onset of warmer weather. "It's a waiting game now," he said. "We're praying there's a slow rest of the melt. If so, there's a good chance we won't have the devastation of the 1997 flooding in Grand Forks."

State disaster ministries have provided 1,000 ceanup kits to to Mayville, N.D., and 1,000 sets of personal protection equipment are on their way from the UCC's National Disaster Ministries to Moorhead, Minn. These supplies will be utilized in the coming months as the danger of flooding subsides and crews can begin the difficult work of restoring homes and lives.

"I've really seen people honoring the UCC covenant through [the flooding]," said Roberts. "Their prayers and offers of support do a lot for us."

Adding her thanks to the outpouring of national support for local congregations, Powers said, "It is truly an opportunity to see God working in the midst of a tragic event."

The UCC's National Disaster Ministries has established an online giving page where you can contribute to the ongoing flood relief efforts in North Dakota and Minnesota.