February Mission Moment - The Gift of Community

Kristina Johnson admits “feeling discouraged” the day the enormous box arrived in the mail from the churchwide organization of the ELCA. Kristina is the pastor mission developer for Iglesia Luterana La Vela, a Spanish-speaking mission start in Greensboro, N.C. Getting a new congregation on its feet is an exhausting undertaking, Kristina notes.

The moment Kristina saw what was in the box and read the note tucked inside, she felt a “tinge of love” in her heart. La Vela is one of 24 ELCA mission starts that received a communion vessel set commissioned for and used in worship at the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.

Each vessel in the set was handmade of natural and recycled materials by local artisans of fair-trade companies. The global origin of the tools — including Uganda, Palestine, Bangladesh and Guatemala — serves as a reminder of the universal nature of God’s work.

The colorful basket liner was woven by women in San Marcos La Laguna, Guatemala, for MayaWorks, a collaboration of women from Guatemala and North America. Their mission is to empower Maya women to end their cycle of poverty and improve their lives.

Kristina has used the communion vessels weekly since receiving “this amazing gift” and reports that her members have been visibly moved by the handcrafted beauty. Irina Ortega, La Vela’s sacristan who is originally from Peru, is touched by the meaning behind the communion set. “We felt a lot of kindness and affection for others when we received (these vessels), thinking how they were made in other parts of the world. It brings us closer to other Christians. We’re so far away from India, Guatemala, Africa … . But these things that were sent to us bind us to them. (The gift) unites us with other Christians all over the world.”

And with all the members of the ELCA.



These Ghanaian cocoa farmers, part owners of the

Divine Chocolate Corporation, reap multiple benefits

 from sales of their fair-trade chocolate.



This February, if you love chocolate, it is painful to learn that the cocoa trade often involves child slavery, abusive work conditions and prices so low farmers cannot feed their families on the income.

LWR’s partner, SERRV, works with the Kuapa Kokoo cocoa farmers’ association in Ghana, West Africa, to produce Divine. Kuapa Kokoo is involved in the process “from bean to bar.” They adhere to all Fair Trade principles and invest a portion of their proceeds into community development projects such as building wells, funding schools, and providing medical clinics.

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Thank you for your continued support of your church, our synod, and our churchwide ELCA. Without your gifts, stories like this would not be possible.

For more information on Fair Trade, click here.

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

Christine Donahue
TLGCS ELCA Mission Interpreter Coordinator
cedonahue@gmail.com