Mission Endowment Fund

Fall Grants totaling $42,629 is the LARGEST Amount Ever Awarded in MEF's 13 year history!

The Fall Grant Recipients were:

• Seminary Scholarships - $15,000
• New Congregations - $5,129
• Campus Ministry - $7,500
• New Ministry Projects - 
• Lutherhill Ministries: $5,000 for Zion Retreat Center
• Zion Lutheran: $2,000 for Heights Community Children's Choir
• Peace Lutheran: $3,000 for Installation of Ropes Course
• Bethlehem: $5,000 for Sophia's Children in New Orleans

New Ministries Supported at St. James in Houston and St. Paul in Freeport

The Rev. Pedro Suarez, Director for Evangelical Outreach, announced grants for St. James – Houston and for St. Paul – Freeport. 

St. James - Houston

Members of St. James Lutheran Church recently voted to redevelop their ministry in hope of doing outreach to the community.  The redevelopment began October 1, 2011.  A redevelopment team consisting of Rev. Raymond LeBlanc, an ordained pastor serving basically only on Sundays, and Aura Suarez, a lay minister, that would begin at 30 hours per week, to do outreach development to the immediate multicultural community, with a specific outreach to Latinos. 

Together, they are developing a missional plan that will invigorate the existing congregation and will create a new worship experience in Spanish as well. This plan will have a focus on children and families.

Saint Paul - Freeport                                                                                         

Saint Paul Lutheran Church in Freeport, Texas for many years has seen the migration of its members out of their town and the growth of a lively Latino population.  St. Paul’s council is interested in reaching out to the Latinos under the guidance of our synod.  Pastor Preston Weatherly is currently helping there on a regular basis on Sundays supported by Pastor Pedro (Pete) Lopez from St. John's in Angleton, and Rosy Delgado from the Latino community in Freeport.

 In spite of having a pastor come only once a week, they began youth activities to reach out to the young population around them. They recently asked the local schools if they might know of a musician that could come and help. Now they have a great keyboardist that livens up their worship.

Rosy Delgado used to live in Wisconsin a few years ago and was instrumental in getting a Latino ministry satellite going there.  Rosy who now lives in the Freeport area is a very gregarious person and knows what to do to get a Prayer Circle/Bible Study going.  Although she is limited in her English, that has never stopped her. Her testimony on how she went from being homeless with her 4 children and how the Lord helped her through the Lutheran church to overcome a multitude of obstacles, continues to be her motivation.

$16,700 in Seminary Scholarships Enabled by Mission Endowment Fund

Fall 2012 seminary scholarships were awarded by the synod’s Candidacy Committee to four Master of Divinity Candidates, Adrienne Merritt a middler taking on-line classes, and three juniors:  Eyeul Bedane at Lutheran School of Theology – Chicago, Ashley Dellagiacoma and Jennifer Kindsvatter both at Luther Seminary – St. Paul.

These four scholarships totaling $16,700 were made possible by the Park Place Fund of the Mission Endowment Fund.  They are intended to help students graduate with minimum seminary debt.

The Park Place Fund is the result of a gift of over $1,000,000 given to the Mission Endowment Fund by Park Place Lutheran Church on its closing.  This fund is to be used primarily for seminary scholarships.

January Mission Moment

Be a “Yes” to others!

The Epiphany season celebrates Jesus as the Light to the nations, beginning with the celebration of the magi, wise men from afar who followed the star to find the Christ child.

Many of us use this season to focus on how the Light of the world is reflected in and through our global work. As a new ELCA missionary, this global work together as a church is now my passion and calling.

My work in the Central African Republic includes developing educational programs for Sunday schools and new elementary schools in remote villages. These programs existed before I arrived two months ago, but the Lutheran church in the Central African Republic asked for an educational adviser to help these pro­grams improve and better serve the people. They recognize, as we do, the importance of education — not only to build leaders within the church, but also to have a better life overall.

In my work, I recently visited one of our newest schools, the Peouri School, which was just built as a permanent structure. It also has three open-air, straw-roof structures and is building one more. The school, first built 10 miles away, had to be moved because of civil unrest seven years ago. The people had fled to town, but insisted that their Lutheran school follow them! After the doors re-opened, others in town are now taking advantage of the Lutheran school’s reputation for good teaching. It has become the largest of the 20 village schools supported by the church, with 720 students enrolled.

My work with this school and others happens only because of people like you. You make it possible for people like me to preach, teach, build, grow, heal and strengthen the global church in over 40 countries. Thank you for the support.

Your undesignated gift helps to support me plus our 240 missionaries around the world — where it’s needed most.

In these challenging economic times, we missionaries rely heavily on your generous gifts to help keep our global mission programs running to share God’s grace and blessings with all.

We are a church that believes Jesus is God’s “Yes” to us. Our lives can be a “Yes” to others. Will you join us in sharing the Light of the world through our global work? Please give today!

Hand in hand with you,

Susan Smith, ELCA Missionary, Central African Republic

Learn more at www.ELCA.org/missionarysponsorship

Make a gift at http://www.elca.org/4missionaries

Christine Donahue
TLGCS Mission Interpreter Coordinator
cedonahue@gmail.com

New Hope in Missouri City Welcomes Julia Miller

Julia Miller graduated from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA.  She was serving as the Director of K-5th Grade Formation at the Church of St. Asaph and as a religion instructor at St. James School, an Episcopal Middle School in suburban Philadelphia.

Julia has roots in Texas, however, originally coming from Sante Fe, Texas.  She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Texas State University with a Major in Theatre.

Julia's experience and passion are in Youth and Family Ministry, Children's Ministry, Preaching, Evangelism, Pastoral Care and Visitation.

Julia describes her passion for ministry:

"As one who was brought to faith through evangelism, I feel called to do ministry with a congregation that wishes to develop missions or to invigorate its own sense of community and develop new ministries.  As someone with experience with children, I feel called to help children and youth find their own voices as evangelists.

She will be ordained and installed as Associate Pastor at New Hope Lutheran Church in Missouri City this Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 4 pm. Reception immediately following. Clergy and Associates In Ministry are invited to vest. The color of the day is red. 

Synod welcomes Chris Hicks

We are deeply grateful for the dedication, commitment and leadership provided by Sally Ahrens in the many roles she has filled in her service to the synod, especially for the most recent work she has done being Peggy's assistant for 12 1/2 years. Her partnership has been instrumental in attention to details, high quality events and much more. The high integrity of Sally's work is much appreciated.  You can join us in thanking Sally by writing a short note with your own thoughts to Peggy@gulfcoastsynod.org as she will collect them to be gifted to Sally when we celebrate her ministry. 

In order to have a good transition there will be an overlap between Sally and new leadership. We are very happy to announce that Chris Hicks will join Peggy and the whole staff beginning this week.  This is a wonderful time as we celebrate and transition together. 

"God's word. Our hands." Not just words but a challenge, one that Chris has taken seriously at Living Word in Katy, where she and her family have been members for 20 years. Egypt, Bolivia, and Indonesia are all places they have also called home. Whether organizing a Global Mission Festival, teaching, weaving to garbage collectors in Cairo or working with Peggy on this new synod leadership development initiative, Chris is always amazed and excited to see what God is up to!

December Mission Moment

A More Secure Future

In Quibdo, Colombia, Jency (pictured left) has a bright future thanks to her mother’s hard work and your generosity to ELCA World Hunger.

It wasn’t so long ago that Jency’s mother, Aida, and her friends Jenny and Vianney were driven from their villages by guerrilla raids and made their way to the city.

Through your gifts, the three women learned how to run a small business – and now the customers of their spa, Tesoro de la Selva (Treasure of the Forest), enjoy the natural products the women make, as well as the flowers they grow.

“Women have to work and care for our families, even with the stigmatism of being displaced,” says Jenny. Aida is pleased with the organizing and business training she and her friends received, saying, “This is a huge success. We were helped with personal growth, how to run a business and made aware of our rights as women.”

Vianney sums it up: “Our quality of life and the lives of our families improve,” she says. “Without this business and income, life would be very difficult.”

The women are constantly improving their products and services. They are also looking forward to certifying their products for sale in mainline supermarkets and stores. Thanks to your gifts to ELCA World Hunger, Jency and children like her can look forward to a more secure future.

Thank you for your generosity! Without your gifts, stories like this would not be possible. For more information on ELCA World Hunger, visit:

http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Responding-to-the-World/ELCA-World-Hunger.aspx

We cannot be quiet about what we have seen and heard!  Acts 4:20

Christine Donahue
TLGCS Mission Interpreter Coordinator
cedonahue@gmail.com

November Mission Moment

A Common Calling

The role of the deaconess in the ELCA is first and foremost to act as a bridge connecting the church with the needs of the world.
According to Megan Ross, an ELCA deaconess serving in Balige, Indonesia, “Our image is that of washing feet. As Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, so we, too, are called to humble service.”

In the spirit of that humble service, Megan is working with a school through the Protestant Christian Batak Church in the Sumatra region of Indonesia to train women to serve as deaconesses like herself.

The school, supported in part by gifts to Mission Support — the percentage of weekly congregational offerings that is shared with synods and ELCA churchwide ministries — provides training the women need to serve their communities and be that connection to Christ that many of their communities desperately need.

“In Indonesia, some of the deaconesses live in villages far from what Americans would consider a comfortable life,” Megan says. “But here, village life is the way of life for many people, so the diaconal heart and humble serving encompasses all of life and those in need.”

The women at the school learn theology, community organizing, pastoral care, first aid and English language skills. They serve in ministries designed to help those in need. “After they graduate the headquarters office sends them to different places, so we train them as Jesus loves us,” says the school’s director, Serepina Sitanggang.

“Nowadays there are many ministries we are doing in the Batak area in Sumatra like mining ministry, children’s ministry and elderly people ministry.”

“The culture here is more centered on hospitality and community rather than the individualism of the (United States),” Megan says.

“The rules here are strict, but they smile even as they clean or do other daily tasks. They are deeply committed to their faith,” Megan continues. “The students come here out of a greater sense of calling to serve God and all God’s people.”

While Megan is having quite an impact on students as a teacher at the school, the experience is having a significant impact on her own life, as well. The experience is teaching Megan a lot about her own calling and reinforcing what it means to be a deaconess in new ways. “I believe the Spirit led me here,” she says. “There are many things that are different about life in the U.S. and life in Indonesia. What is the same, what transcends the language barrier and other differences, is our desire and common calling to love God and love neighbor.” “Even though there was so much unknown, I felt peace in coming here,” she continues. “And that, I believe, was the Spirit.”
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Without your mission support, ministries like this would not be possible. Thank you for supporting our ELCA here and around the world! For more information on deaconesses, visit www.elca.org/deaconesses

We cannot be quiet about what we have seen and heard! Acts 4:20

Christine Donahue

TLGCS ELCA Mission Interpreter Coordinator

cedonahue@gmail.com 

October Mission Moment

“What is this?”

The woman stared down at the Church of the Beloved table with a puzzled look.

Ryan Marsh — pastor of the church — and members of the ELCA congregation were staffing the table at the Main Street Halloween party in Edmonds, Wash. They were handing out candy to families along with the rest of the city’s businesses and organizations.

But on the table was also something unique: a bowl of sand bristling with tall, skinny, lit candles.

“Tomorrow is All Saints Day,” Ryan told the woman. “That’s why tonight is called ‘All Hallow’s Eve’ or ‘Halloween.’ So, if you want, you can light a candle here to pray ‘thanks’ to God for someone important to you.” She looked intently at the bowl of sand and said, “How much?”  “How much?” Now Ryan was puzzled.   “How much does it cost?” she said. “It doesn’t cost anything. It’s free,” Ryan replied. She quickly took a candle, lit it and placed it in the sand. She stood there looking at the flickering flame for a moment, and then her eyes began to well with tears. “Thank you,” she said. “I needed to do that.”

Children seemed to like — and get — the experience the most. The little pyromaniac boys were more excited about the prayer station than the candy. Running up to their parents they would yell, “Mom! Can I light a prayer candle? Can I?” At one point 14 children were crowded around the sand bowl saying their prayers, with parents and guardians lined up behind them. A Church of the Beloved member might ask, “So, who’d you pray for?” after a child stuck a lit candle in the sand. The answers: “My grandma’s dog.” “My uncle who died.” “The soldiers in the war.” “My dad.”

Assessing the success of their prayer table at the street fair, Ryan observes, “God was showing us a different way to love our neighbors. We weren’t offering ‘a harvest alternative to Halloween.’ We weren’t asking people to come into our church domain. “We were joining with the established expression of our neighborhood, in the public marketplace, alongside businesses and community services, and there, on common ground, we offered our unique way of serving Edmonds. There was nothing confrontational about it. It was what our neighborhood wanted, and it was what we had to offer: a moment of prayer and gratitude that flowed in and out of the party.”

By the end of the night, the three members from Beloved had handed out more than 3,000 pieces of candy and over 200 candles had been lit. Ryan says, “We were convinced that God is alive and at work in Edmonds — even on Halloween.” Perhaps especially on Halloween.

How does your church reach out into your community? Share with us how your church serves your community. Everyone has a story to tell! Email Christine Donahue, Mission Interpreter Coordinator at cedonahue@gmail.com

Your mission support dollars help congregations serve their communities in a multitude of ways. Thank you! You help make stories like this possible.

For more information on where your mission support goes, see the attached document or visit: www.elca.org/stewardship