The Lutheran Layman - Spring 2021 by Lutheran Hour Ministries

Spring 2021

Better Together

Community

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Better Together Kit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Nurturing Your Faith. . . . . . . . . . . 9-10 Households of Faith Impact . . . . . . 11 #HOPEABOUNDS. . . . . . . . . . 12-15 LLL Spring Virtual Event . . . . . . . . 18 Changing Lives Globally. . . . . 20-21 Gospel Adventures. . . . . . . . . . 22-23

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A Place to Belong

by REV. DR. MICHAEL ZEIGLER, Speaker of The Lutheran Hour

turned the corner by the row of townhomes, a cluster of housing units, four all scrunched together under one roof. Our house had been just down the road on a military base in North Dakota. I had not been back there in 20 years. I was serving with the Air Force Reserves and had been sent to that base for a week of temporary duty. I wondered if the old house was still there. Have you ever been back to visit an old childhood home? Being in that place brings you back. Good or bad, it left a mark on you, left you with some sense about the importance of having a place to belong. When I arrived, it took a moment for it to settle on me. First, I thought I was on the wrong street. What happened to our house? It turns out the base management had other ideas for that space and the building had been demolished. The loss I felt that day, standing where my old house once stood, in some ways was unique to my life experience. Having grown up in a military family and serving in the military myself, I have lived in 22 different houses. Maybe I was being overly sentimental when I saw the house gone, and it felt like a part of my soul had been erased. But at the same time, I get the sense there is a universal human experience of longing for home, a home that always seems to be just out of our reach. And I believe that Jesus stands with us in this experience. In some ways, each of us has wandered from the home that God would provide for us, preferring instead to hold onto things that will never provide the security we are looking for, things that will always leave you empty like a barren fig tree. And yet still, Jesus stands with us and for us. Jesus used that fig tree as a sign for us. I admit it is a strange sign, and striking behavior

… wherever Jesus is with His people, that is where you belong. for Jesus. It is the only time in the Gospel of Mark (11:1-25) that Jesus uses His power for destructive purposes. He is getting our attention. He wanted to show them, and He wants to show you that without Him, home will always be out of reach. We only make matters worse by clinging to the world’s promises for security. That is why the temple building in Jerusalem had also come under God’s judgment. The building, the structure, had become their god. To save His people, God destroyed His house. He cast that house out of their sight to help them more clearly see the home that we have in Jesus. Jesus is the living temple from which God’s heart will never depart. On the barren tree that was His cross, Jesus sheltered us from God’s just judgment against our sin. Like a sturdy roof over our head, Jesus weathered it all for us. And on the third day, He rose again from death, restoring the temple that is His body, so that you would always have a place to belong. At some point between all those moves, it finally dawned on me. In between structures, I was still at home because I was with my family. What made my family a secure place to belong was that my mom and dad, by God’s grace, raised us under the shelter that is Jesus Christ. Whenever we moved, my parents’ first priority was to find a church, a community of Jesus followers who gathered together to hear God’s Word and to pray, to practice forgiving and being forgiven, to receive life from God and to share it with everyone. They knew, and you know, that whatever your physical address happens to be in this present passing age, wherever Jesus is with His people, that is where you belong. =

Vol. 92, No. 2 Spring 2021 Chad Fix, Editor

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Andrea Thompson, Layout

Subscription: $5. Printed quarterly. Send color photos for use. Photos sent to the paper may not be returned. Lutheran Hour Ministries, The Lutheran Hour, Bringing Christ to the Nations, BCTN, This is the Life, Ayer, Hoy y Siempre, Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones, Esta Es La Vida, Para el Camino, THRED, and The Hoffmann Society are ® registered marks, or SM service marks. The Puzzle Club is a service mark and trademark of Int’l LLL. All rights reserved, 2021 Int’l LLL.

LHM Response Center: 1-800-876-9880

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Bringing Christ to the Nations—and the Nations to the Church

Sairung was practicing a non-Christian religion when she heard about Jesus for the first time through a radio program produced by LHM—Thailand. When she contacted our staff to learn more, they introduced her to their Bible Correspondence Courses and referred her to a local church. She is now regularly worshiping and preparing to be baptized! To continue supporting our mission, visit LHM.ORG/GIVE or use the enclosed envelope.

What if every Christian saw his or her neighbor as a gift from God with gifts to share?

Better Together

by MEGAN MCDANIEL

Community

hat if every Christian saw their neighborhood as a place where God intentionally planted them? What if every Christian saw his or her neighbor as a gift from God with gifts to share? How would that change how we view, interact with, and serve our neighbors? In 2018, Lutheran Hour Ministries partnered with Barna Group—an industry leader for research-based insights about faith and culture, leadership and vocation, and generational groups—on a critical three-year study of faith in America. We began by looking at how comfortable Christians are talking about their faith with our first year of research, Spiritual Conversations in the Digital Age. From that research, we created tools and resources to help individuals become EAGER conversationalists. Next, we pulled back the curtains on spiritually vibrant homes to see how faith is being nurtured with those we know best—the spouses, children, parents, roommates, and even frequent visitors who spend time under our roofs. We learned the three characteristics of spiritually vibrant Christian households and developed resources to increase the spiritual vibrancy of households with our second year of research, Households of Faith. After we evaluate our own spiritual conversations, and the spiritual vibrancy of our households, we can begin looking outward, starting right where we live. During a time where searching for hope and community is more important than ever, we are answering the question, “How can I bring hope to my neighborhood?”

LHM and Barna undertook the third year of research, Better Together, to learn more about the types of people who are taking initiative in their communities—who gather, donate, serve, create, teach, mobilize, and innovate, alongside other passionate neighbors, to meet needs around them. In his latest book, The Hopeful Neighborhood: What Happens When Christians Pursue the Common Good, LHM Content Development Manager Don Everts shares, “I’ve become increasingly convinced that significant hope is on the horizon for Christians and their neighborhoods throughout our country. It seems to me that in a day of isolation and loneliness, a simple path to relationship lies right in front of us. In a day of division, a path to unity lies right in front of us. And in a day when Christians and the church are being dismissed as irrelevant, a path to relevance lies right in front of us.” LHM President and CEO Kurt Buchholz shares,

“You and I are called by God to right wrongs and show His love around the world. Let’s take a moment to stop and ask ourselves, ‘What has God prepared me for now right where I am?’” God calls us to make a difference in the place where we are, in the place where He placed us—in our neighborhood. Better Together focuses on the impact Christians have on their broader community. It starts with one person in their place, and spreads one by one, until it blankets first neighborhoods, then communities, towns, and regions, and then the whole world is covered in personal connections and meaningful actions that bear witness to the love our God has for His people and the good He wants for the world. “Imagine the impact of millions of Christians around the world loving their neighbor,” says Buchholz. “Together we can make it a reality.” How do we start? How do we bring hope to our neighborhoods? see next page

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Better Together … continued from previous page

STEP 1

Drawing from insights learned from the Better Together research, Lutheran Hour Ministries established The Hopeful Neighborhood Project. The Hopeful Neighborhood Project is a collaborative network committed to improving neighborhood well-being around the world. Our resources and online network equip and encourage neighbors to work together, using their gifts and the gifts of their community, to pursue the common good of their neighborhood. “There has to be a first neighbor who stands up and says: Why don’t we stand shoulder to shoulder for the good of the place and people around us?” says Everts. “The research confirms that this is a message our neighbors, both Christian and non-Christian, want to hear, but there has to be someone to bring that message to a neighborhood. Someone to take that initiative.” At LHM we’ve identified three important steps toward healthier, more hopeful neighborhoods. First, discover the gifts. Second, imagine the possibilities. And third, pursue the common good. When put into action, these steps can help us make real connections with our neighbors, increase neighborhood well-being, and work toward a world where all people experience the love of Jesus. “This three-step process is a powerful, biblical process that we can still follow today. By starting with gifts, we take God’s lead. We recognize that God is the giver of gifts, and it is our role to steward those gifts as Peter put it,” shares Everts.

When put into action, these steps can help us make real connections with our neighbors …

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“… real change and hope begin with the real experts of a neighborhood: those who actually live in that neighborhood.” 1

We’ve all been blessed by God with real, important gifts, and so have our neighbors. When we start to see all people as valued and treasured gifts from God, each endowed with gifts to share with others, we acknowledge our common identity as children of God, bought for a price, and blessed beyond measure to bless others. We can use our gifts to make a real difference where we are, among real people we know and see every day. Our faith, put into action on a local level, can make an immediate and personal impact in our neighborhood and beyond. “We believe real change and hope begin with the real experts of a neighborhood: those who actually live in that neighborhood,” says LHM’s Vice President of Global Ministries Rev. Dr. Tony Cook. “We believe you are an expert on your own neighborhood, and we believe you are surrounded by other experts.” Acknowledging our giftedness and using our gifts to bless others can help us reach out and build strong connections with those around us and become better together in community as we exponentially grow the Body of Christ.

Cook, who also serves as Executive Director for The Hopeful Neighborhood Project, says, “If you want to make a difference in your neighborhood, it’s important to begin by discovering what gifts are already there. This includes individual gifts that you and your neighbors already have, as well as neighborhood gifts that are embedded right where you live. I truly believe that you and your neighbors are gifts with gifts to share.” How do we discover our personal gifts? The Hopeful Neighborhood Project’s EveryGift Inventory was designed to help you discover your gifts, especially those gifts often taken for granted. The EveryGift Inventory is a free online inventory that was based on our latest research. The inventory takes less than 20 minutes and will give you an individual assessment of your gifts in 12 distinct areas. Visit hopefulneighborhood.org/everygift to discover your gifts today.

NEXT STEPS

What can I do now? If you don’t already know your neighbors, getting to know them can be a great next step. We invite you to get to know your neighbors better by using some of the ideas listed below. As some of these ideas encourage gatherings, please make plans based on your local social distancing guidelines.

STEP 2

STEP 3

• Bake cookies and deliver them to a neighbor. (Store bought cookies work well, too!) • Invite a neighbor over for appetizers on your deck or patio. • Stop and talk to a neighbor while you are out taking a walk. • Give greeting cards to neighbors for the next holiday. • Offer to help a neighbor on a project they are working on. • Invite neighbors over to your driveway for fellowship. Everyone can bring their own lawn chair and drink.

“How can you bring more hope to your neighborhood?” 2

Once you have discovered your personal gifts, you can spend time imagining the possibilities that your gifts could bring to your neighborhood. LHM’s Director of Community Programming Jennifer Prophete encourages you to consider how you can improve the well-being of your neighborhood. “How can you bring more hope to your neighborhood?”asks Prophete. “Can you start a neighborhood garden? What about a weekly or monthly neighborhood happy hour on your driveway, collecting canned food items to donate to your local food pantry, or establishing a neighborhood potluck dinner? Neighborhood library boxes are a great way to encourage reading in kids and adults. The possibilities are endless, you just need to imagine them for your neighborhood!”

• Host a block party. It doesn’t have to be fancy, and everyone can bring a shareable appetizer.

Now that you have an idea for what you want to do to make your neighborhood more hopeful, you can begin to pursue the common good. Work with your neighbors to develop a plan. It’s helpful to involve others so you can accomplish more together. “We want every neighborhood to be hopeful,” says Cook. “This is why we encourage neighbors to work together, using their gifts and the gifts of their community, to pursue the common good right where they live. We’ve developed a step-by-step online process that you can use with your neighbors to bring your plan to life and increase your neighborhood’s well-being.” Everts says, “It is a good thing when an individual becomes zealous for the common good. And it is a beautiful thing when a small group of these people joins together in the same neighborhood. But it is a profound and history-altering thing when a network brings a bunch of those groups together.”

If you already know a few neighbors and are interested in bringing The Hopeful Neighborhood Project to your neighborhood, go to hopefulneighborhood.org to learn more and connect with our Neighborhood Project Coach who will help you get started. LHM has a variety of resources to help you become Better Together in community. Learn more about those resources on the next page or by visiting lhm.org/together. =

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“… we encourage neighbors to work together, using their gifts and the gifts of their community, to pursue the common good …” The Lutheran Layman Spring 2021 | 5

Better Together … continued from previous page

Resources to Encourage YOU in Your Neighborly Pursuits by PAUL SCHREIBER

ust released is Lutheran Hour Ministries’ Better Together kit. Like 2020’s Households of Faith kit, this box of faith-based, outreach-focused resources complements and expands LHM’s growing inventory of Barna-based tools. Contents include fascinating research and expert commentary that speak powerfully to the possibilities of shaping neighborhoods in healthy ways. Its book, booklets, and monograph will give you a handy point of reference when thinking about the place where you live, and a Neighborhood Bingo game is perfect for getting to know your neighbors. Each kit is available for $37 at shoplhm.org.

Here’s a summary of the Better Together kit contents …

B ET T E R TO GE T HE R KIT Better Together Monograph

The Hopeful Neighborhood Book

The Hopeful Neighborhood Field Guide

Neighborhood Bingo

How Christian laypeople can engage and serve the people and places where they live is explored in this fascinating study of community action and neighborhoods. You’ll see how Christians applying their passion and talents to better their neighborhoods were blessed in many ways: they became inspired, made new friends, gained newfound trust, experienced spiritual growth, and saw positive outcomes.

This book draws on Barna monograph data and complements the Field Guide. Throughout you’ll find inspiring stories from engaged people who share experiences and insights from their neighborhoods. Helpful charts and graphs highlight significant findings and will help you imagine the possibilities of involvement where you live. This book is also filled with constructive, practical ways that Christians and churches can bless those around us.

This Field Guide’s six sessions will inspire you to become more proactive in your neighborhood. The Field Guide lays out the foundational principles for starting a project in your neighborhood. Accompanying story and teaching videos, found at hopefulneighborhood.org/ fieldguide, help readers visualize and understand the principles taught in each session. The Field Guide ends with an invitation to join The Hopeful Neighborhood Project network and start a project right where you live.

This game of bingo is specially designed to help you get to know your neighbors better— and for them to get to know you. Prompting cards provide questions and suggested tasks that help remove the mystery of those who live around you. Playing Neighborhood Bingo is a fun way to break down barriers and build up friendships—all at the same time. You can also win a prize by sharing a picture of your completed bingo card with The Hopeful Neighborhood Project team.

Booklets for ADULTS:

Booklets for CHILDREN:

Everyone Is a Gift

Love Thy Neighborhood

Precious in His Sight

I Love My Neighborhood

This booklet encourages you to view others without partiality and as endowed by God with special gifts. Understanding that God has created every human being enlightens our view and motivates us to see others—and the gifts they possess—as given by God to make our communities better.

This booklet reminds us that our love for God is easily shown by love in action. Serving one’s neighbor is a frequent topic for Jesus, and the early church flourished through the practical efforts of early believers in the communities where they lived.

This booklet reminds kids of their wonderfully unique place in God’s kingdom. He has made each one of us, and has made each one of us different. Whether it’s skin or hair color, language, or physical traits, we are all loved by a God who gave His one and only Son for us. God makes no mistakes—only varieties of people whom He loves equally.

This booklet helps kids see the fascination in the places they live— whether it’s on a city block, along a country road, or in a high-rise apartment building. Wherever “home” might be, God wants us to be loving and kind toward our neighbors, even when they are different from us. When we show them we care, we show them God’s love. =

Megan McDaniel reports on the impact of LHM’s ministry work around the world. Paul Schreiber reports on the impact of LHM’s ministry work in the United States.

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Making a Difference

in Your Neighborhood

by KURT BUCHHOLZ, President & CEO, Lutheran Hour Ministries

very day we see distressing images from our country and around the world of people in need. Wars, floods, disease, and social unrest are seemingly everywhere. We know Jesus calls us to help our fellow men and women, but what can we do? What difference can we make? We can and should fight poverty, homelessness, and injustice in our world. But we serve a God of “and.” He calls us to right wrongs and show His love around the world, AND He calls us to make a difference in the place where we are, in the place where He has placed us—in our neighborhood. What if every Christian saw his or her neighbor as a gift from God with gifts to share? How would that change how we view, interact with, and serve our neighbors? In an increasingly polarized society, it is somewhat refreshing to focus on people’s gifts. We have all been blessed by God with real, unique, and valuable gifts, and so have our neighbors. When we start to see all other people as valued and treasured gifts from God who have gifts to share with others, we acknowledge our common identity as children of God, bought for a price, and blessed beyond measure to bless others. We can use our individual gifts to make a real difference right where we are, among the neighbors we know and those we have not yet met but see every day. Our faith, put into action on a local level, can make an immediate and personal impact in our neighborhood and beyond. It starts with one person in their place, and spreads one by one, until it blankets first

neighborhoods, then communities, towns, and regions, and then the whole world is covered in personal connections and meaningful actions that bear witness to the love our God has for His people and the good He wants for the world. Today, at a time when trust for Christians is not what it was decades ago, we have a tremendous opportunity to share a message of hope through neighborly love. Our research in partnership with Barna Group revealed that our non-Christian neighbors do not associate Christians with good deeds in the neighborhood. While 70 percent of practicing Christians surveyed believe that “people of faith and religious organizations provide the majority of good works in the country,” only 27 percent of nonChristians are convinced of the same. Given this context, can you imagine what would happen if Christians rediscovered this call to share the Gospel in deeds? If history is an indicator, God could use our good deeds to gain a hearing for the Gospel, and according to His will, draw our nonChristian neighbors to the faith. But how do we get started? At Lutheran Hour Ministries, we have identified three important steps toward healthier, more hopeful neighborhoods: • Discover the gifts. • Imagine the possibilities. • Pursue the common good. When put into action, these steps can help us establish real connections with our neighbors, increase neighborhood well-being,

He calls us to make a difference in the place where we are, in the place where He has placed us—in our neighborhood.

… think about the impact of millions of Christians around the world loving their neighbor. and work toward a world where all people know the love of Jesus. Learn more about these steps and how you can put them into practice by visiting hopefulneighborhood.org. When you think about it, this concept is really nothing new for us at Lutheran Hour Ministries. Gathering at the local level and building genuine relationships with people close to us has been in the DNA of our organization since the Lutheran Laymen’s League was formed more than a century ago. This 21st-century approach will allow us to bring people together

in an age of division while sharing the Gospel both in word and deed. Understanding our giftedness and using those gifts to bless others can help us build strong connections with those around us. This will help us become Better Together in community as we, the priesthood of all believers, connect more and more souls to the saving message of Christ. It is exciting to think about the impact of millions of Christians around the world loving their neighbor. Together we can make it a reality. =

Meyer Awarded Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour by MEGAN MCDANIEL

ollowing his recent retirement as president at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and in honor of his 12 years of service sharing the Gospel with hundreds of thousands of listeners throughout North America as Speaker of The Lutheran Hour, the Lutheran Hour Ministries Board of Directors resolved that Rev. Dr. Dale A. Meyer be bestowed with the title of Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour. This same honor was bestowed only twice before, upon Rev. Dr. Oswald C.J. Hoffmann and Rev. Dr. Kenneth R. Klaus following their retirements from the Speaker position. On behalf of Lutheran Hour Ministries, President and CEO Kurt Buchholz presented Meyer with the title of Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour at a virtual event on April 30 for the graduating students of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. During the event, where he served as a guest speaker, Meyer was presented with a crystal globe award to commemorate the honor. “We are so thankful for Dr. Meyer’s many For more information years of service to Lutheran Hour Ministries about the award and the Church,” says Buchholz. “As a beloved and Meyer’s service Speaker of the Lutheran Hour, he truly lived at LHM, please visit out the mission of Bringing Christ to the lhm.org/ourlhm. Nations—and the Nations to the Church.” = The Lutheran Layman Spring 2021 | 7

Hopeful Neighborhood Project Coach Hits the Ground Running by PAUL SCHREIBER

ara Johnson has joined LHM as its first neighborhood project coach for its new Hopeful Neighborhood Project (HNP). Before joining the LHM team, she developed an initiative that focused on the intersection of faith and neighborhoods. “It was a joy to walk with pastors and laypeople as they discovered how to engage their neighbors and neighborhoods in a meaningful way,” she said. After morning coffee, Johnson follows up on social media and website engagement for HNP. When someone completes the EveryGift Inventory at hopefulneighborhood.org, joins its mailing list, or becomes a site member, she reaches out to help them best use HNP tools and resources in their context. Other tasks include recording voiceovers and recent work in a video about imagining the possibilities. Concerning people’s perspective of their own neighborhood and how to get their buy-in to see its

future potential, Johnson said, “There is definitely a movement towards neighborhood and place-based ministry happening in many Christian circles. Neighborhood-centric phrases have entered the Christian vernacular in the last decade, for example: ‘living above place,’ ‘the power of proximity,’ ‘faithful presence,’ ‘missional community,’ ‘placemaking,’ etc. To me, this indicates our views are changing, in a good way. “As for buy-in, I think it’s important for people to grasp the benefit of mutual care and connection at a local level. The more people understand that our well-being is interdependent, the more likely they’ll begin to see the potential in their neighborhood. We’re in it together.” Johnson thinks The Hopeful Neighborhood Project is loaded with possibilities for helping neighborhoods thrive. “Among its many strengths, two stand out.

First, our resources are accessible and deep. This means both a novice neighborhood enthusiast and seasoned practitioner will find our curriculum useful. Second, our resources come with a real-life guide—me! Imagine you’re a pastor who is at capacity, but you have an eager young adult who wants desperately to make a difference in her neighborhood. You simply don’t have the bandwidth to help her along, but I’m here to do just that. I believe that’s a real asset to faith communities and neighborhoods all over.” “HNP has a three-step process to increase neighborhood wellbeing: discover the gifts, imagine the possibilities, and pursue the common good. If a handful of neighbors in a handful of neighborhoods choose to follow these steps, I believe we’ll see healthier, happier, more connected neighborhoods. That is something I can get behind!” =

Hopeful Neighborhood Project Tools to Inspire, Guide Toward Neighborhood Action by PAUL SCHREIBER

or those interested in engaging their own neighborhoods in hopeful action, the place to start is hopefulneighborhood.org. On the website, you will find videos explaining the program and how to get started. If you want to explore how this might look in your neighborhood, then The Hopeful Neighborhood Field Guide is a good first step. The Field Guide provides six sessions to help you make a difference right where you live. Each session has accompanying videos (story and teaching) that complement and support the book. Just click on “Books” and drop down to “Field Guide.” In the introduction video, Field Guide authors Tony Cook, vice president of Global Ministries at LHM, and Don Everts, LHM’s content development manager, define the idea of one’s neighborhood and community. The Field Guide is a practical tool, and to get the most from it, “you’ll want to consider each of the six sessions in light of your own neighborhood,” Everts said. The six video sessions focus on neighborhood possibilities, individual gifts, neighborhood uniqueness, neighborhood well-being, collaborative possibilities, and implementing 8 | The Lutheran Layman Spring 2021

a plan of action. Personal stories of people making a difference where they live are paired with teaching videos that instruct and inspire. The last session is about what you can do. “By taking the initiative, you and a small group of your neighbors can make a difference in your neighborhood,” said Cook. Another helpful tool in The Hopeful Neighborhood Project is the EveryGift Inventory. The inventory is “designed to help you shine a light on your gifts in 12 distinct areas,” it produces an “individualized gift assessment,” Cook said. This 20-minute inventory is foundational to moving forward as a “founder” who takes the lead in his or her own neighborhood. Once you have worked through the six sessions of the Field Guide, it’s time to go through the process, which you will find in the online modules: Discover the Gifts, Imagine the Possibilities, and Pursue the Common Good. You can access the modules by becoming a member of hopefulneighborhood.org. “Each learning module is a step-by-step guide that includes video, detailed graphics, and digital and printable training resources you can use with

your group of neighbors,” said Jennifer Prophete, director of community programming for LHM. Once you complete these learning pieces, The Hopeful Neighborhood Project team is there to help guide you through the process, step by step, in your neighborhood. Sara Johnson, neighborhood project coach, can clarify things like the EveryGift Inventory, explore some hopeful prospects for your neighborhood, and answer any questions you might have. Neighborhoods benefit when people work together. “Our resources and online network exist to equip and encourage neighbors to work together using their gifts and the gifts of their community to pursue the common good of their neighborhood,” Cook said. =

NURTURING YO U R FA I T H :

Spoken

elcome to this Nurturing Your Faith Bible study on the power of spoken words. With your Bible and journal at the ready, begin reading below. After reading the commentary and studying the Word, you’ll be prompted to watch an application video online (but wait to access it until you are prompted to watch it). May God bless your study!

I N T R O D U C T I O N … The Power of Words. “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me!” Do you remember this saying? Maybe you remember saying it to classmates on the school playground after they said something to you, and you wanted to project strength in the face of pain. Even as you said it; even as we read it now, we know that it’s … just … not … true. Words can hurt us, can’t they? Words can help us, too. Words can shape our perceptions, our actions; they can start revolutions and inspire fights for justice. Words can create and redeem. There is great power in the spoken word. Consider how spoken words can shape us. For instance, what impact have spoken words had on your relationships? For some of us, our relationship could have been much different with a child, parent, or spouse had we heard, “I’m sorry,” or “I’m proud of you,” or “I forgive you,” or “I love you.” Or had we said them ourselves … out loud. In some situations, spoken words could have made a world of difference. Words are not just words, particularly when they are spoken. Think about it: Why do we, in the Christian tradition, say out loud, in front of many witnesses, “I _____ take you _____ to be my lawfully wedded _____”? Because out loud matters. And when are they officially husband and wife? When the pastor says it out loud. Spoken words have power to shape relationships. Spoken words have power to shape nations. Three examples:

Patrick Henry’s “Liberty or Death” oration in 1775 in Virginia, on the eve of the American Revolution, was the most influential speech in inspiring the war of independence against Britain. “I know not what course others may take,” Henry roared, “but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” Given in 1863 at the dedication of the Union Cemetery at the Gettysburg Battlefield, Abraham Lincoln’s two-minute remarks changed the meaning of the war and subsequently of American history, particularly regarding human equality and freedom. Lincoln insisted that the Declaration of Independence had founded a nation “conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke out against the injustices being fought against during the Civil Rights Movement. King’s voice resounded throughout the nation from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial: “With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.” Spoken words have shaped our relationships. Spoken words have shaped our nation. Spoken words have power. It seems this has been true since the beginning. After all, the creation of the world began with spoken words. …

L E A R N I N G F R O M T H E W O R D … First, read Genesis 1. Words created the world. Okay, so God created the world, yes. But, how did He choose to create? As a result of what act did the lights and waters and people come into existence? You got it: spoken words. He could have fashioned it, wordless, like a silent sculptor, or painter, or carpenter. But He didn’t; He spoke words. And the words resulted in a series of “and it was so” cataclysmic moments. Spoken words … light! Spoken words … waters! Spoken words … people! This is noteworthy: spoken words are the medium by which His divine plan exploded into material existence. continued on next page

Read on in the Old Testament to find that God’s voice plays a primary role in shaping the Israelites’ theology of God as Creator and King. One example, Psalm 29, records King David’s exhortation: “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His Name; worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness” (v. 2). In response to what attribute should we worship the Lord? His voice. He writes, the voice of the Lord: thunders (3), is powerful (4a), is majestic (4b), breaks cedars of Lebanon (5), strikes with flashes of lightning (7), shakes the desert (8), strips the forest bare (9).

REFLECTION This voice, QUESTION David reminds us, is the voice Where else in the Old of the Lord, Testament is the power of the “who sits voice of the Lord manifested? enthroned as King forever” (v. 10). The power of God manifests via His voice, and consequently His people worship Him both as the One who created everything and as the One who sits enthroned over His creation. He spoke and He created; He is Creator. He speaks and rules over His creation; He is King. The Lutheran Layman Spring 2021 | 9

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L E A R N I N G F R O M T H E W O R D … Now, read Luke 5:17-26. God, the Creator King, manifested His power and authority through spoken words (among other means). Jesus, God incarnate, manifested His power and authority through—you guessed it—spoken words. Scan Jesus’ entire ministry routine and it becomes abundantly clear that when Jesus spoke, things happened: demons scattered, disease faded, winds died down, death was interrupted. Luke 5 records a representative account of Jesus speaking authoritatively to an astonished crowd. In this scene, Jesus uses speech to heal someone, a man with a physical ailment. “Get up” (24b) was all it took for the paralyzed man to experience freedom from this lifelong disability. But this isn’t the only way Jesus’ words healed the man, right? In addition to His words bringing physical healing, His words provided spiritual healing, too. He simply says, “Friend, your sins are forgiven” (20), and he was forgiven. In fact, this speech-act is what got the Pharisees and teachers of the law riled up. And rightfully so. Only God can forgive sins, they argue. To speak authoritatively over paralysis is one thing; to speak authoritatively over sin was considered blasphemy (21). Forgiveness came by a spoken word. Healing came by a spoken word.

Let’s reiterate the main thought, just to REFLECTION make sure we’re on the right track: words QUESTION didn’t heal and forgive the man; Jesus did. But, how did Jesus do so? Spoken words. How have the words Let’s connect the dots now: God the of Jesus served to Father spoke creation into existence renew your heart, and reigns supreme with the kingly mind, body, and/or soul? voice that thunders with authority over His creation. God the Creator and King has become a Man in Jesus (see John 1:1-14) who possesses unique authority. Like the Creator King, we see in Jesus’ ministry the central role authoritative speech plays in His ministry. By His words, demons scattered, disease faded, winds died down, death was interrupted. What can we say now? God spoke and thereby created; Jesus spoke and thereby renewed creation. Jesus’ speech revealed His authority over evil, sickness, death, and all of creation which served to renew that which had been damaged by the fall: hearts, minds, bodies, and souls. How do we apply this to our lives today? That’s what Dr. Jason Broge, LHM’s director of Design and Development, shares with us.

Watch the video at lhm.org/studies and then come back here to finish the study below. CONCLUSION… The Bible reveals the power of spoken words. God created, and Jesus renewed creation, by using spoken words. Furthermore, both Old and New Testament writers exhort us to consider the power of spoken words. So …

What if … we took to heart the power of our words?

What if … we embraced the truth that we may have the right words at the right time?

One application of this concept is that we should consider just how impactful our words can be on situations and relationships.

A closely related application is this: spoken words are (sometimes) necessary. Not only can they hugely impact situations and relationships, but there are occasions when we are compelled to speak.

Do you need to say, “I’m sorry,” or “I forgive you,” or “I love you,” to someone? Go do it.

What have you left unsaid that you now feel God nudging you to say in a relationship and/or a situation in your life?

What situations in your personal or professional life could you positively impact with your words?

How can you speak the Gospel to your friends, neighbors, and co-workers?

What if … we aspired to always speak gracious words intended to build others up? A third application is this: how we speak matters. Over and over again in the Bible, we are exhorted to consider not just what we say, but how we speak. What needs to change for your speech to fit your new self? How can you build others up with your speech?

P R AY E R … Our gracious Heavenly Father, help me to consider the power of my words, to see how my words can bring life and healing to the people and situations around me. Forgive me for all those times when I spoke words that did the opposite, and for all those times when I didn’t speak words when I should have. Give me the grace to know what to speak, when to speak, and how to speak so that You are honored and glorified and creation is redeemed. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

D O W N LO A D S T U DY G U I D E A N D V I D E O AT L H M . O R G / S T U D I E S 10 | The Lutheran Layman Spring 2021

Growing Households with Households of Faith Resources by MEGAN MCDANIEL

ow Christians order their days and connect with relatives and housemates is a critical aspect of spiritual growth. Households of Faith, the second in a series of studies produced in partnership with Barna Group, presents a vivid portrait of the domestic lives of U.S. practicing Christians. During a year of everyone spending more time at home, our timely Households of Faith materials resonated well with individuals and congregations. Pastors Aaron Gehrke and Kevin Bender at Saints Peter and Paul Lutheran Church in Houghton, Michigan, shared how they used the stay-at-home orders as an opportunity to strengthen the households in their congregation. “In some ways, this has been a time of real challenge (we need community!). But it has also opened doors for investing in the home,” shared Associate Pastor Bender. Every year Saints Peter and Paul has a four-week sermon series in the fall. Last fall, they focused their series on households, basing the sermons on LHM Content Development Manager Don Everts’ book, The Spiritually Vibrant Home: The Power of Messy Prayers, Loud Tables, and Open Doors. Week one examined households, while week two looked at messy prayers, followed by loud tables, and ending on open doors. Participants of the small group Bible studies, who met in a hybrid of in person and online sessions, used Everts’ book as a conversational book study using prompts

from the readings. Although stay-at-home orders contributed to the need to adapt programs to virtual spaces, Saints Peter and Paul pastors wanted to make households a priority. For example, the Sunday school program went digital, and households were encouraged to use that time to have devotions together. Instead of breaking up into groups based on age, members of households would stay together for what they call an education hour, which was also hosted online. The lessons were based on the biblical text for the week with conversations and activities surrounding the text. The goal was for individuals to have spiritual conversations with those in their households. “Our pastors started a podcast to model how to have spiritual conversations, called Conversate,” says Senior Pastor Gehrke. “We look at, again, the theme, the biblical text, and the sermon, and then simply engage in conversation on those themes trying to model to people what it can look like to let the themes from Sunday live on in our daily conversations.” LHM Ambassador Jill Tetherow also shared how her church used Households of Faith materials in a few different ways. On Wednesday nights, Our Savior Lutheran Church in Valentine, Nebraska, hosted an evening Bible study open to everyone, but since it was held at the same time as confirmation class, Far left: Saints Peter and Paul Lutheran Church members hold up their books during the sermon series. Left: An impressive display of Project Connect booklets at Our Savior Lutheran Church.

parents of confirmation children were encouraged to attend the study while their children were in class. In addition to the Wednesday evening class, they held a Bible study during the Sunday school hour using Households of Faith as the curriculum. Tetherow also led a Bible study in her home with two other women. Working with everyone’s schedules, they met bi-weekly to explore the material together. By examining their households during the Bible study, the ladies decided one area they wanted to strengthen in their individual households was daily family devotions. They are working on making daily devotions a part of their family rituals as a priority moving forward. As an LHM Ambassador,

Tetherow looks for ways to get LHM materials in the hands of her congregation members. They have devotion books and Project Connect booklets displayed for members to see and pick up a resource. Tetherow also encourages her pastor to remind members of the free LHM resources available to them. Visit lhm.org/households for more information about Households of Faith and its available resources. Have you used Households of Faith resources in your congregation or household? Send an email to marketing@ lhm.org explaining the resources or steps you have used to nurture your household of faith. Your story might be featured in an upcoming issue of The Lutheran Layman! =

Kids Booklets from LHM!

ble Also availah! in Spanis

Looking for timely resources for Vacation Bible School or summer activities? These fun booklets cover a variety of faith topics in a memorable way that is easy for kids to understand.

Order or download yours today!

LHM.ORG/KIDS The Lutheran Layman Spring 2021 | 11

#Through HOPEABOUNDS New Global Ministry Investments by CHAD FIX

ore than a year since it first surfaced, COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on the lives of people around the world. In addition to the enormous threat to public health, the economic and social disruption caused by the pandemic is negatively impacting the longterm livelihoods and well-being of millions. In light of these unsettling circumstances, God has called Lutheran Hour Ministries to proclaim His message of hope to those suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic both directly and indirectly. In a time like this, our mission to share the Gospel requires boldness like never before. People need what we provide, and it is clear that God was preparing us for this moment in time. Our resources and Christian outreach both domestically and internationally are speaking to the heart of the moment. While many nonprofit organizations have suffered financial setbacks over the past year requiring them to cut back on efforts, YOUR continuous support of LHM has allowed us to boldly move forward in our critical mission of sharing the Gospel. While some of the methods have changed, our work has continued with minimal interruption—and in many cases has been able to expand. Over the last few months, LHM has made significant financial investments into COVID-19 regional response. Here at home, states will continue to reopen. Businesses will resume operations. We anticipate good health and economic strength. But that is not always the case globally. For countries with fragile economies and health systems, recovery will take longer. That will prolong their hardships. The doors God has opened to us will remain open. We must continue to tell the people living in these places that #HOPEABOUNDS in Jesus … and because of YOU LHM is able to reach millions more around the world with this encouraging message.

12 | The Lutheran Layman Spring 2021

New Radio Programming

Starting in March, LHM launched a new radio broadcast for listeners in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. In collaboration with Trans World Radio Asia, this program is called “From Despair to Hope,” or “Masih Ada Harapan” in Bahasa language, which is similar to the Malay language and widely understood by Malaysians and some Singaporeans. The 15-minute program is broadcast from five stations in Indonesia and brings hope, encouragement, and practical help to those who are affected by COVID-19 through severe stress due to job loss, ill-health, financial issues, and isolation from family and friends. These individuals need to hear messages of hope, peace, love, healing, restoration, and redemption in and through Christ. As soon as the live broadcast is over, the same messages are converted into podcast and audio messages and uploaded onto the internet and social media. The link or audio files can be directly sent to church members and friends who can then forward them to their non-believer friends. The impact of the broadcast will continue to ripple via these additional mediums. Listeners who want to learn more about God and the Christian faith can then respond via social media, the internet, WhatsApp, Messenger, and over the phone to receive LHM resources such as audio Bible radios, booklets, and Bible Correspondence Courses. The program has already received encouraging responses from a multitude of listeners, including Samuel from Indonesia who wrote, “Thank you very much for the program. It helps me to stand strong during this confusing situation. With so much bad news in this world it is very encouraging to have good news of hope.”

Staff for LHM–Ghana are creating short radio spots to air in major population centers on mainstream, secular stations. These dramatized spots address the stresses of the pandemic and offer hope in coping with loneliness, economic uncertainty, fear, and suffering – all of which are increasing throughout the country because of the ongoing pandemic. Listeners are encouraged to find hope and comfort in Christ and respond via a new website with a new chat interface staffed by two contracted workers, one of whom has already been volunteering informally and has skill in this capacity. The project also allows the digitization of LHM–Ghana’s Bible Correspondence Courses to be made available online.

New Television Programming

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in India, television is a major vehicle for reaching people while they are in lockdown. LHM–India has launched a new 15-minute television program with the Word to World TV channel that airs during prime-time hours every Monday evening. This broadcast is aimed at sharing the Gospel with the more than 36 million people who speak the Malayalam language. The program includes a message from the Bible that is more relevant to the culture and current situation of the pandemic and features short messages from Lutheran pastors, songs, skits, mimes, puppet shows, and a counseling talk that directly addresses the life issues of the people and the conditions they

are facing due to COVID-19 and the ongoing restrictions. The program also offers LHM booklets such as Why Do Bad Things Happen? and God’s Word in Times of Difficulties to viewers and introduces them to other LHM–India resources such as the free Bible Correspondence Courses, CD ministry, radio programs, and the WhatsApp, Facebook, and YouTube pages for individuals who are interested in learning more about Christianity.

Expanded Media Partnerships

In 2015, LHM began a partnership with the SAT-7 satellite ministry in the Middle East and North Africa, helping to produce video programming in the Arabic language. After experiencing success with this language group, we expanded that partnership to include programming in the Farsi language on SAT-7 PARS in 2018, with support for the children’s program Golpand. Now, LHM has expanded programming with SAT-7 PARS to help support a second program called Hashtag, another Farsi-language broadcast focused on an audience of older children and youth. Each week the host tells a Bible story and helps the children to apply lessons to their lives from that story. SAT-7 PARS staff has recently been developing COVID-related content for the program to make it more interesting and relevant for the Farsi-speaking youth audience. Last fall, Hashtag staff asked its audience to create artwork that would help the children imagine what life would be like after COVID-19. The children sent in pictures of their artwork, and this art was featured in a promotional piece on the SAT-7 website. A mother shared on-air how her teenage daughter was impacted by the Hashtag program. Her daughter watches the show often and prays a lot, not only by herself or with her mom, but also when visiting with friends and relatives, to their amazement. When the host asked the girl how she learned to pray, she replied that she listened to the prayers provided on different programs

and she remembers them. She does not even own a Bible. Her mother remarked, “We don’t hear stories of Jesus and the Bible on TV or at school, so thank you for telling these stories to our kids so they can find the right path in life.” After the more than 25 years of success that SAT-7 has enjoyed with satellite broadcasts to the Middle East, a former SAT-7 executive started a sister ministry in 2014 called PAK7 to do video, social media, and satellite outreach in Pakistan. Now, COVID-19 provides a unique opportunity to address social issues (health concerns, depression, suicide, loneliness) through targeted videos and social media content to reach a new audience. The economic and health impacts of COVID-19 are making Pakistanis more open to consideration of spiritual solutions to their physical problems. As a result, beginning this spring LHM has initiated a partnership with PAK7 to produce videos and other content for social media outreach and to support them in creating new children’s video programming. PAK7’s proposal for social media outreach is very similar to the THRED model LHM developed here in North America. Facebook is the most popular social media in Pakistan, so they run campaigns with videos and other content on Facebook, then direct respondents to a ministry-based landing page. Those respondents who show interest and have questions are directed to a follow-up team and eventually to ministry partners. We also plan to support PAK7 in creating new children’s video programming. Their video content producer has the goal of taking the program called Bedtime Stories that has been very successful for the SAT-7 Arabic Channel and producing one that is very similar for children in Pakistan. The program will share Bible stories and Pakistani cultural stories to engage children with Bible truths. The confessional Lutheran Church in Norway (LCN), an LCMS partner church, is beginning outreach in Iceland. A pastor at one of their congregations in Oslo, Norway, was raised in Iceland and has started online weekly Bible studies now. He hopes to eventually webcast church services in Icelandic and to make regular visits to the island once the COVID restrictions are lifted. LHM is working with LCN to find the most appropriate media strategy for the Icelandic culture and develop media that would complement their outreach efforts. The COVID-19 crisis provides unique opportunities for us to develop Icelandic materials and social media content to address specific social concerns raised through this crisis (depression, suicide, loneliness, health concerns, etc.) These concerns make people more open to talking about spiritual things and more open to seeking spiritual solutions to their COVID-related problems.

Additional Investments in Digital Platforms

Research shows that traditional paths that lead people to faith and church are growing narrower. Fewer families have active faith lives, and fewer parents are teaching the faith to their children. Unchurched people have fewer friends who go to church and fewer people acknowledge the Bible to be an authoritative source of information and guidance for living. These changes in the religious landscape mean we must look for other paths to faith and church. We must find new ways to get our message in front of people wherever they are. Because many in-person ministry activities have been halted during the pandemic, a focus on developing and expanding digital media is especially critical and appropriate at this time. The COVID crisis also creates opportunities for new social media and website content focused on issues of current concern (health issues, depression, suicide, loneliness). LHM has developed a proven system of using social media in the Middle East and North Africa to vastly increase our reach across the entire Arabic-speaking world. Millions are reading our inspiring messages and tens of thousands have responded, where are they are gently led towards spiritual conversations. Now, we have developed a new site to respond directly to people in crisis. While all content is in Arabic, the English title is catchy and appealing to youth and young adults. Beyond the pandemic, issues affecting people relating to economic insecurities, political strife, or any type of crisis may be addressed. The initial feedback and impact have been impressive! In just the first two months, the site received more than 50,000 responses and led to engagement with thousands of people. Like a personal visit when one is ill, the site clearly is filling a need and providing true comfort to people in the region. A couple of years ago, LHM staff in Kazakhstan developed THRED.asia to connect with people looking online for guidance on topical issues. see next page

The Lutheran Layman Spring 2021 | 13

#HOPEABOUNDS … continued from previous page

… the platform will be used to reach the 40+ million Latinos in the United States to bring the healing and hope of Christ to their lives … Since young adults are already searching the internet when they need answers, LHM has tried to meet them where they are and provide answers for everyday topics. THRED.asia has provided a safe place for non-believers and non-Christians to have a way to get help from others when facing a hardship or trial. Now, LHM–Kazakhstan is taking the existing Russianlanguage content on the site and translating it into multiple languages to reach more people throughout Central Asia. LHM staff expects to connect with people in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan,

Abkhazia, the Caucasus region of Russia, and Tatarstan by providing content that is culturally relevant to the areas where it is being accessed. Lutheran Hour Ministries’ digital program for the Latin America region, Vivenciar.net, is a bi-lingual platform that reaches Hispanic and Portuguese speaking people in 65 countries worldwide. Based in Brazil, with its own budget, Vivenciar.net is directly connected with LHM ministry staff and volunteers in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, Uruguay, Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Puerto Rico. A group of trained volunteers in each country establish interactions

with individuals turning to the platform looking for help on issues including stress, loneliness, guilt, home violence, and depression, especially with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic now significantly impacting their lives. To date, almost one million people have visited the digital platform to read and download booklets, watch topical videos, or take a short online Bible course. Over 2,700 people have sought help through personal interactions with our trained volunteers. Soon, the platform will be used to reach the 40+ million Latinos in the United States to bring the healing and hope of Christ to their lives—especially during this time of COVID that has afflicted so many of them. LHM will recruit a team of volunteers to respond to interactions and engage LCMS churches and other Christian communities for referrals. Once it is open in the U.S., we will crosspromote it through the dedicated Spanish websites and social media outlets already in existence—Para el Camino and Sentido Latino.

For COVID-related outreach in Latin America, we have launched a regional digital content platform with mobile app called LUGAR DE FE. It offers a variety of materials and content for download such as e-books, videos, webinar content, podcasts—all designed to help people during the pandemic. While initially focused on issues and concerns related to COVID-19, it will soon offer all of LHM’s Spanish-language materials based on thematic seasons. Connected to the new platform, there is a test to be done in Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, and Uruguay, using local digital promotion on social media and mass media (radio spots in Uruguay), to generate traffic to the platform. = Chad Fix oversees the corporate communications of Lutheran Hour Ministries.

These additional investments would not be possible without YOU! Thank you for sharing the message that #HOPEABOUNDS with a hurting world.

Three Project Connect Booklets to Be Printed in Spanish by PAUL SCHREIBER

hree Project Connect (PC) booklets featuring a children’s story, loss, and how to help a child have a relationship with God are coming soon—in Spanish! All three will be a welcome addition to the PC library. El Pastorcito (Little Shepherd) This illustrated children’s booklet follows Joel, his family, and his pet lamb, Bramble, as they go on a journey. Hopeful of becoming a shepherd, Joel is anxious and afraid. He needn’t fear, however, as he learns—by an unexpected surprise—that God protects us through all our fears. Cómo enfrentar Cómo enfrentar las pérdidas (How to las pérdidas Deal with Losses) For those going through a loss, don´t lose hope! This booklet can help you understand the processes triggered by a major loss. You will find helpful counsel for moving forward through your loss and overcoming it. Si perdió algo que atesoraba; o si se siente desvalorizado y deprimido porque perdió el trabajo que lo llenaba de vida y lo hacía un ser productivo; o si la partida de un ser querido o una muerte a la que no le encuentra sentido ha desgarrado su vida y la de sus familiares, ¡no pierda la esperanza!

A través de este folleto queremos ayudarle a aceptar la realidad que está viviendo, por más cruda que sea, dándole información acerca del proceso que se desencadena luego de una pérdida importante, para que de esta manera comprenda por lo que está atravesando y descubra cómo puede superarlo.

CRISTO PARA TODAS LAS NACIONES

660 Mason Ridge Center Drive, St. Louis, MO 63141-8557 1-800-972-5442

CRISTO PARA TODAS LAS NACIONES

6BS55 0421 2500

CRISTO PARA TODAS LAS NACIONES

14 | The Lutheran Layman Spring 2021 CRISTO PARA TODAS LAS NACIONES

Cómo ayudar a tu hijo: a tener una relación con Dios (How to Help Your Child: Helping Your Child Have a Relationship with God) This Barnabased booklet will help parents and grandparents nurture a child’s relationship with God by developing three spiritually nurturing daily habits. These habits are examined and examples given for putting them into practice. In the United States, Project Connect booklets like these can be of great help to Spanish speakers as they seek to face life’s challenges in a Christ-centered way. While many Hispanic families have lived in the U.S. for generations, many others face the challenges that come from recent immigration. According to LHM Hispanic Coordinator for North America Beatriz Hoppe, some young Hispanics must navigate their parents’ immigrant culture while themselves being born and raised in the U.S. Among Cómo ayudar a tu hijo

a tener una relación con Dios

Los padres y abuelos tenemos esperanzas y sueños con respecto a la vida espiritual de nuestros hijos y nietos: queremos que tengan una fe que los mantenga firmes en los problemas de la vida y que tengan una relación saludable y profunda con Dios.

Pero no siempre sabemos qué hacer para ayudarlos a que la tengan.

Un estudio del Grupo Barna y Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM) ha revelado que existen tres hábitos diarios que pueden ayudar a nutrir espiritualmente un hogar. En este folleto profundizaremos sobre ellos y daremos ejemplos de cómo ponerlos en práctica.

CRISTO PARA TODAS LAS NACIONES

660 Mason Ridge Center Drive, St. Louis, MO 63141-8557 1-800-972-5442

CRISTO PARA TODAS LAS NACIONES

6BS54 0421 2500

CRISTO PARA TODAS LAS NACIONES

the daily challenges they face are problems stemming from the family’s immigrant status; different treatment as a result of language, accent, or skin color; financial pressures; and struggles as older and younger generations seek to understand each other in their families. Resources like Project Connect booklets, while many are available online, are still the kind of resource that work best in people’s hands. Hoppe said using a PC display stand which features several booklet topics in one location is great for this. She recommended placing “booklets in places frequented by Hispanics, like grocery stores, schools, hospitals, and doctors’ offices. Send booklets to a Hispanic mission. Hold classes for parents based on some of these booklets, while offering tutoring or other activities for their kids. Add kids’ booklets to school backpacks.” Visit lhm.org/projectconnect for more details on Project Connect. =

#HOPEABOUNDS Right Where YOU Live by MEGAN MCDANIEL

or more than 100 years, Lutheran Hour Ministries has been blessed to bring the hope of Jesus to individuals around the world, especially during unprecedented times. Through culturally relevant materials and programs, LHM shares the hopeful Gospel message in more than 60 countries. In addition to LHM spreading hope around the world, #HOPEABOUNDS in the communities right where we live. Take a look at some stories from our generous supporters who shared how they see that #HOPEABOUNDS in their daily lives.

DORIS FROM NEBRASKA #HOPEABOUNDS for me when I read my Bible and then write in my journal. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” There are so many reasons for anxiety right now. But Jesus tells us to cast all our anxiety on Him because He cares for us. Jesus’ love is so personal. Jesus is talking to every one of us, and I’m so glad He left this message of hope for us. When I read this first Peter verse, my imagination took hold of me. I saw myself sitting on the bank of a river casting my fishing pole into the water with an anxiety or fear on the hook instead of fishing bait. Jesus is standing in the middle of the river and He catches every one of my fears and anxieties that I cast to Him. I can hear Him say, “Ok, I got that one. I’ll take care of it,” each time he catches the line. I can feel the anxiety leave me as Jesus takes every one of my cares upon Himself. I feel hope spread over me. My load of anxiety is gone. I am free again.

ROBERT FROM KENTUCKY #HOPEABOUNDS in me when I read the Psalms.

JAMES FROM FLORIDA #HOPEABOUNDS for me every morning as I read God’s Word and receive His grace and mercy in forgiveness! Praise and honor be to God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

CHRISTINE FROM OHIO

DARLENE FROM MINNESOTA #HOPEABOUNDS when there is reconciliation & forgiveness in a family.

#HOPEABOUNDS by seeing a baby smile; all the possibilities become clear again.

JERI FROM KANSAS

SHIRLEY FROM TEXAS

#HOPEABOUNDS when my husband, Tim, and I do the LHM Daily Devotions together. It brings us closer to God and to each other when we share this time and faith.

My #HOPEABOUNDS every day when I open my eyes and can thank my Lord for this beautiful day that He has made no matter the weather. My #HOPEABOUNDS when I confess my sins and my Lord forgives me for Jesus’ sake. My #HOPEABOUNDS when I read His Word, when I go to church and hear from my pastor about Jesus’ love for me and all sinners, that love that Jesus bought and paid for on the cross for you and me, free of debt! I am humbled by His sacrifice for me, a poor miserable sinner, that the sinless Son of God, my Savior paid my horrendous debt!

KENNETH FROM TEXAS #HOPEABOUNDS daily with my sharing the LHM daily devotions and The Lutheran Hour sermons. Some of my recipients share these emails with others who really enjoy them.

SUSY FROM MISSOURI #HOPEABOUNDS as my siblings and I are comforted at the loss of our dad by the kind words of love and support from our friends and neighbors.

ELAINE FROM IOWA DIANE FROM CALIFORNIA #HOPEABOUNDS for me because I am blessed with wonderful friends, family, and work I love. I get to allow God to work in my life daily to be a light in the darkness.

#HOPEABOUNDS for me when I can be outside in the sunshine, working with my gardens. We can count on the seasons to change because God is in control!

PAUL FROM INDIANA #HOPEABOUNDS for me when I recall my confirmation text (Isaiah 54:10), which reads “For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace (kindness) shall not be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”

We want to hear from YOU! How do you see that #HOPEABOUNDS in YOUR life? To see more ways LHM spreads hope around the world and to share YOUR story, visit lhm.org/hopeabounds. = The Lutheran Layman Spring 2021 | 15

We All Have A Story by DR. KURT SENSKE, Chairman, Int’l LLL Board of Directors

he stories God writes for us take us down various paths. No matter where you are on the journey, there is a plan and a purpose to what you experience. One of the great joys of being involved with Lutheran Hour Ministries is knowing that the Gospel is being shared with people around the world who previously have not experienced the hope and love of Christ. Even more than that, it is reading about the personal experiences of real people who have seen the transforming work of Jesus in their lives. It is so gratifying to know that our support of the work that God is accomplishing through LHM is saving lives for eternity. I was recently touched by a story from LHM’s ministry in Cameroon, where a holistic program reaches at-risk young women. Some have been victims of sexual abuse;

others have been abandoned and forced to live life on the streets; and many are earning a living through prostitution. The women join others like them that stay together while being trained on dyeing cloth, making patterns, and tailoring new clothing. Upon graduation, they have tangible and marketable skills, which in some cases has led to these women opening a successful business on their own. The most important part of the program is that the women are counseled and nurtured in faith through regular Bible study and prayer. Adele was a recent student in the course who had come from a broken home and had one toddler child. Two months into the course, she found herself pregnant with a second child. Ashamed of herself and feeling that she had let down the other young women and teachers, she sadly said she was going to give up and quit the course.

Imagine her surprise when her fellow students and our LHM staff instead encouraged her. They helped her see that we are all sinners and desire to change, but that true change can come only when we are saved through faith in Jesus. Only He can make us righteous, so we have little room to judge or condemn one another. She was overwhelmed with gratitude and continued her studies. On March 6, Adele graduated from LHM’s sewing school. A week later, she and the father of her baby were married. She now professes faith and gives thanks to her friends at LHM–Cameroon that supported and uplifted her and helped her turn her life around. In fact, she now considers LHM to be her family. At Adele’s wedding, she was surrounded by friends from the course and many of our LHM staff. Nearly every piece of clothing

… true change can come only when we are saved through faith in Jesus. in the ceremony, including her dress and her husband’s suit, was designed, cut, and handmade by the young students in our LHM training center! We praise God for using our organization in such a way to make His Name known and to transform lives around the world. Adele is just one individual impacted because of your support. In ways we cannot comprehend, LHM, via the work of the Holy Spirit, continues to use innovative approaches to effectively share the hope of the Gospel with millions during these increasingly uncertain times. Thank you for the integral role you play in changing people’s lives around the world! =

We are Better Together Learn how to love your neighbors and your neighborhood with the Better Together kit. Each kit is packed with tools based on research from Barna Group to help you make a difference right in your own community.

Order your kit today at LHM.ORG/TOGETHER Explore LHM.ORG/BARNA today for more ways to enhance your faith life.

16 | The Lutheran Layman Spring 2021

Host Your LHM Sunday Any Sunday of the Year by MEGAN MCDANIEL

LHM Sunday is an annual opportunity to celebrate the difference the Lord is making in lives around the world. This year, LHM Sunday focuses on the spiritual vibrancy of our own households, based on research found in our partnership with Barna Group. Ask your pastor if you can host an LHM Sunday any day that works best for your church! Below are a couple examples from individuals who have already hosted an LHM Sunday celebration for their congregation this year.

Experiencing their first-ever LHM Sunday this year, members of Grace Lutheran Church in Henderson, Nevada, heard more about LHM’s ministry on Sunday, March 7. Grace Lutheran Church members and LHM Ambassadors Millie and Bob Palmer first learned about LHM Sunday from another LHM Ambassador. After suggesting the idea to their pastor and setting the official date, the Palmers took charge of preparing for their LHM Sunday. In addition to utilizing the free LHM Sunday resources available online, the Palmers reached out to LHM’s Community Facilitator for Congregations Suzie Sallee. She assisted them in ordering some other resources to display during their event. Then Millie and Bob just had to decide how they wanted their LHM Sunday table to look. The LHM Sunday at Grace Lutheran was successful, and many members learned about LHM resources for the first time. The Palmers encourage the use of LHM’s digital resources at home and members continue to ask about LHM resources that were on display that Sunday. Members shared that they specifically enjoyed the children’s booklets since many of the families in the congregation have young children. The congregation was recently gifted a Project Connect booklet rack for members to continue to enjoy topical booklets throughout the year. Millie and Bob were happy for the opportunity to host an LHM Sunday and they hope to continue the tradition at their congregation in the years to come.

David Schelp serves as an LHM Ambassador at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Emma, Missouri. His congregation has been hosting LHM Sunday for so many years that David remembers many of the old ways of hosting the event. Although they usually host on the dedicated LHM Sunday date of the first Sunday in February, this year they held their event February 28. Holy Cross’ LHM Sunday consisted of the pastor sharing about the work of LHM in his sermon and including LHM in the daily prayers. David set up a table in the entryway of the church to display LHM materials before and after the service. As a way to thank individuals who donate to LHM through LHM Sunday, David sends a personalized thank you card and small LHM gift like a lapel pin, coffee mug, or ink pen. Holy Cross has a Project Connect booklet rack on display and members enjoy LHM’s online resources for Bible studies. As a life-long listener of The Lutheran Hour, David remembers looking forward to getting the “Junior Broadcaster” in the mail from former Speaker of The Lutheran Hour Rev. Dr. Oswald Hoffmann. He hopes that children today will have the opportunity to know of LHM like he did growing up. =

For more information and to download the LHM Sunday materials, visit lhm.org/lhmsunday. The Lutheran Layman Spring 2021 | 17

LLL Spring Virtual Event Focuses on Households of Faith by CHAD FIX

Future of Neighboring Presented at Q Culture Summit by MEGAN MCDANIEL

n April 22 and 23, individuals participated in person and virtually in the 15th annual Q 2021 Culture Summit held in Nashville, Tennessee. Going with a new approach this year, the Culture Summit was accessible through the Q Media Platform where participants could view the main stage as well as have access to over 40 Q&A sessions with trusted experts. … our local life On the first day of the event, the main stage matters, our presentation featured a video of Executive community Director of The Hopeful Neighborhood matters, and our Project Rev. Dr. Tony Cook and LHM Content local neighbor Development Manager Don Everts, co-authors matters. of The Hopeful Neighborhood Field Guide. Following the main stage presentation, an email was sent to everyone on Q’s mailing list. That email included a pre-recorded video of Cook, who shared some features of The Hopeful Neighborhood Project and why it is important for everyone wherever they live. Following the video, Founder of Q Gabe Lyons reaffirmed the importance of The Hopeful Neighborhood Project. “If there is anything we learned over this last year, it’s that our local life matters, our community matters, and our local neighbor matters. The local businesses in our community matter,” says Lyons. “With the timing of The Hopeful Neighborhood Project, it not only brings amazing research for us to better understand how to think about our neighborhoods, but for people and leaders of faith that have communities of faith, it shows how we can make an impact.” On the second day, Cook participated virtually in a live 30-minute lecture and Q&A where he shared his vision for the future of neighboring. Following the summit, when individuals went to hopefulneighborhood.org to learn more, they had the opportunity to receive a free Field Guide and sign up for book clubs led by Cook and Everts. The summit proved to be a great opportunity to present The Hopeful Neighborhood Project to a large audience of individuals and church leaders. For more information about The Hopeful Neighborhood Project, visit hopefulneighborhood.org. Gabe and Rebekah Lyons founded Q in 2007 as a learning community that mobilizes Christians to advance the common good in society. They convene leaders in America’s most influential cities and equip them to engage public life in winsome and thoughtful ways. Gabe is the co-author of Good Faith: Being a Christian When Society Thinks You’re Irrelevant and Extreme, author of The Next Christians, and co-author of UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity and Why It Matters. Prior to launching Q, Gabe served on the team that co-founded Catalyst, the largest gathering of young church leaders in America. Rebekah is a national speaker and bestselling author of Rhythms of Renewal: Trading Stress and Anxiety for a Life of Peace and Purpose, You Are Free: Be Who You Already Are, and Freefall to Fly: A Breathtaking Journey Toward a Life of Meaning. =

18 | The Lutheran Layman Spring 2021

o you know the way Christians Feedback from the event was go about their days and connect positive and many attendees with the members in their household mentioned they will use the is a critical aspect of spiritual growth? information in upcoming Bible This was a key point addressed during studies and share it with their pastors, the 2021 Lutheran Laymen’s League board of elders, and other leaders. Spring Virtual Event March 13. “The event was informative, giving Modeled after the Fall Virtual Event data learned from Barna Group to held for the first time in 2020, more paint a clear picture of the challenges than 250 people attended this nearly before us, such as declining witness of three-hour session to learn more our faith by Christians,” says Delano about the Households of Faith research Meyer, president of the Minnesota conducted through LHM’s partnership North LLL District. “We gained ideas with Barna Group and find out what of what we can do individually to be Households of Faith are, why they witnesses for Christ, sharing the joy matter to God, and how to nurture the of responding confidently in spiritual faith of individual households. conversations within our household Participants were given with those who do not “We gained and the choice to join virtually yet know Jesus as their Lord ideas of what and Savior. It is refreshing from home or at one of six we can do viewing locations hosted by to know LHM has so much LLL districts in areas of the individually to information and materials country with fewer COVIDto help us be better be witnesses available 19-related restrictions. witnesses for our faith.” for Christ …” Attendees logged on “The impact of welcoming from all over the United States, with non-family visitors into a believer’s 24 LLL districts and 150 different home is more important to their congregations represented. Gospel witness than ever and is The program included a devotion by an easy practice to change within Speaker of The Lutheran Hour Rev. my household,” says Dan Johnson, Dr. Michael Zeigler; the Households president of the Indiana LLL District. of Faith workshop presented by “I also liked the admonitions to Curriculum Development Manager handle household issues by being Ashley Bayless; a Live Q & A with present, engaged through asking Bayless and Vice President of Global questions, and showing true interest. Ministries Rev. Dr. Tony Cook; Great advice!” and closing comments from LHM Plans are already underway for the President and CEO Kurt Buchholz. The 2021 Fall Virtual Event on Saturday, session also included the unboxing Sept. 25. Mark your calendars now of the new Better Together kit to and look for more details in the highlight the available resources. coming months. =

Russian Woman Shares How LHM Introduced Her to Christ by CHAD FIX

fter generations of Communist oppression under the former Soviet government, significant numbers of Russians do not hold religious beliefs or practice them. That makes Russia a ripe harvest field for the Gospel. Like many LHM ministry centers around the world, Lutheran Hour Ministries–Russia offers Bible Correspondence Courses (BCCs) to introduce the Gospel to people who do not know Jesus, and to reinforce a biblical understanding for people who do. When someone responds to an outreach activity, LHM–Russia will typically invite the respondent to begin a BCC as the next step in his or her spiritual journey. BCCs in Russia are available for both children and adults. Two key ways for promoting BCCs are LHM– Russia’s radio broadcasts and ads in publications.

The courses have made a huge impact on people like Victoria, who recently shared her personal story with members of the LHM–Russia team: “I remember the first lesson of the ‘Basics of the Christian Faith’ course at St. Anne’s Lutheran Church quite clearly. I was sitting in a chapel and everything around me was absolutely new to me—including the fact that I was sitting in the chapel. I liked everything I saw and heard. But I cannot say why I had decided to attend. I don’t think I was ready to take the Bible in my hands. I remember the appearance of the LHM volunteer in the chapel doors when he announced that after the lesson, we would be able to take some brochures explaining what the course was going to be about. The brochures

Leaving a Legacy at LHM by KATIE HUMMEL

he legacy we leave behind when our earthly lives end is important. Although not a light subject to think about, how we choose to leave our mark can define how those you love remember you. LHM staff work hard every day to share the Gospel by teaching the lost and hurting about the Savior. When you are called home, we want to ensure your gifts are part of the continuation of that mission and vision. There are several ways to include LHM in your estate. • Direct your gift to the area of greatest need, which gives LHM the financial freedom to use your gift in the way that will be most effective.

LHM Learn FREE Online Courses to Guide You Through Spritual Conversations Spiritual Conversation

CURVE

• Set up an endowment to make sure your gift lasts as long as God’s mission through LHM. • If you feel a strong connection to a certain program or ministry center, choose for your gift to go to that specific area. When choosing to leave LHM as a part of your legacy, you automatically become a member of The Hoffmann Society. The Hoffmann Society is a faithful group of more than 2,000 individuals who have decided that they want to support our mission of sharing Christ’s Name during their life and after they go on to their forever home. These faithful believers are a key part of LHM’s planning who ensure that the Gospel is shared with future generations. If you are someone who has included LHM in their final plans and have not yet shared this decision, please reach out! Visit lhm.org/giftplan or contact LHM’s gift planning staff at lhm-gift@lhm.org or 1-877-333-1963. Thank you for helping Lutheran Hour Ministries in Bringing Christ to the Nations—and the Nations to the Church! = Katie Hummel manages gift planning communications for LHM.

didn’t look as intimidating as the Scriptures, so, for me—a person who had never even come close to learning about Christianity—they weren’t frightening. “I didn’t feel self-conscious reading them on public transport, and they were comfortable to read at home at lunch. The first real value of the brochures was revealed to me when, after getting used to their easy and clear texts, I got a desire to have a look at those Scripture references. I looked into the Bible for the first time. It turned out to be absolutely not frightening and not hard. I liked the fact that there were just the right number of references to make turning the Bible pages engrossing but not tiring. My first prayer was from the brochure, a paraphrased verse from the Gospel of John, chapter 17 to be specific. ‘God, shine the light of Truth upon me. Your Word is the Truth.’ “Now I can pray every day, and I cannot even imagine that it was so hard for me to say just those two sentences. Five months later I got confirmed and became a regular parishioner. I am tremendously happy about that. I gave the brochures to my mother. I am sure, that through the power of the Holy Spirit, they will help her come to God as well.” Around the world, nearly 60,000 individuals like Victoria participate in LHM’s Bible Correspondence Courses for the first time each year. =

CHAT AND RELATE:

SHARE AND CONNECT:

EXPLORE AND CLARIFY:

A Curve Short Course

Each of these short courses walk you through one of the three stages of the Spiritual Conversation Curve, giving you the practical tools you need to make having spiritual conversations a part of your everyday life.

Enroll in these 20-minute, interactive courses at lhm.org/learn today! The Lutheran Layman Spring 2021 | 19

CHANGING LIVES Around the World with the

by MEGAN MCDANIEL

Gospel

Through God’s saving grace, Zamu had recently become a Christian.

MONGOLIA Jargal is a 38-year-old mother of four who grew up in a non-Christian religion. She met LHM–Mongolia staff members when they were distributing radios at an event in the Nalaikh district. Staff members noticed how angry and lonely she was when they first met her, so they invited her to attend one of their upcoming listeners’ meetings to discover the hope and encouragement provided by the Gospel. She came to the next meeting and took home several LHM booklets to learn more about Jesus. Over the next several months, she became the most active regular participant in the monthly women’s meetings and is now a leader for other attendees. As the staff got to know her, they learned that her husband had cheated on her and left her for another woman, which consumed her with self-denial and anger. The staff encouraged her through personal testimonies and shared how to forgive her husband, how to raise her kids on her own, and how to build her family through prayer and knowing that nothing is impossible for God. Today, Jargal’s outlook on life has completely changed. She got a new job at the end of 2020 and is now much more stable and energetic as she sees things from a different perspective. She has forgiven her husband and started rebuilding the relationships within her family, established strong friendships with her work colleagues, and gotten more involved as a volunteer with LHM’s food distribution efforts in the region. Glory be to the Lord!

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Alberto recently lost his father to COVID-19. Shortly after his father passed away, his mother was hospitalized. He was very distressed about his circumstances and was seeking answers and comfort when one day he discovered the LHM– Paraguay office. While staying socially distanced, the LHM–Paraguay staff talked with him and prayed with him. Alberto took some booklets and materials home with him and requested a follow up visit with staff to stay connected and continue to learn more about Jesus.

PARAGUAY

UGANDA As part of their ministry outreach, LHM–Uganda sends inspirational text messages to individuals through their mobile phones. Zamu received one of the text messages and was intrigued to learn more about who had sent the message. She called the number back and realized that she already knew of LHM–Uganda from the radio program she listens to regularly. She shared with the LHM staff that she married a man who practices a non-Christian religion. Through God’s saving grace, Zamu had recently become a Christian. While her husband continues to practice his religion, he recently showed an interest in learning more about Christianity. Now they listen to the LHM– Uganda radio program together and have requested booklets to learn more about Jesus.

Alex is 33 years old and previously worked as a farmer. He was looking for ways to make money quickly, so he joined a group of people who raided homes in his neighborhood. He was caught by the authorities and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He has never been religious and grew up thinking religion was only for weak individuals. While in prison, Alex was introduced to LHM–Kenya through their prison ministry team and says he enrolled in their Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC) as a way for him to pass time. As he studied the Bible and worked through the BCC lessons, he discovered he was living a sinful life and needed to change. Through the power of God’s Spirit, Alex became a Christian. He is now reading his Bible regularly and growing in his faith.

KENYA

Lutheran Hour Ministries develops culturally relevant programs and resources to reach people in more than 60 nations who may not be familiar with the Gospel. Below are just a few examples to show how God has been using LHM recently to change lives around the world with His Good News. Alaina continues to learn more about Jesus and is encouraged by the Gospel message.

Keila is thankful for the LHM– Puerto Rico team continuing to share the hope of the Gospel with individuals, even during these challenging times.

CAMBODIA Rong is 45 years old and bakes cakes for a living. Her son has moved away and started a relationship with someone new. His girlfriend’s mother struggles with a drug addiction and Rong worries that her son might eventually become addicted as well. While Rong is a member at a local church, she only attends a couple services a year. Recently, LHM–Cambodia staff visited church leaders and did personal evangelism visits, which is when they met Rong. The staff members encouraged her to trust in God that He will protect her son. She is thankful for connecting with the LHM– Cambodia staff who helped relieve her fears and trust in God.

Through the power of God’s Spirit, Alex became a Christian.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, LHM–Puerto Rico created a videobased VBS program through Zoom. Keila, the mother of a participating child, reached out to the LHM– Puerto Rico team to share her experience. She said she appreciated the opportunity her son was given to participate in the virtual activities. She said the program was very organized and she was impressed that the LHM team continued to reach out to the children every month. Keila is thankful for the LHM–Puerto Rico team continuing to share the hope of the Gospel with individuals, even during these challenging times.

PUERTO RICO

PANAMA LHM–Panama staff and volunteers have been hosting online workshops during the COVID-19 pandemic. Miguel has participated in several of the workshops and shared with the ministry center staff how much they have impacted his life. He shared that through strengthening his relationship with Jesus, he has improved his communication with his wife and children. He is thankful to be able to work on his relationships with his family members before they allow conflicts to get between them. Since the workshops have been so beneficial, Miguel makes sure to look for new LHM–Panama materials as soon as they become available.

Alaina is a mother of four children and makes a small income. One of her children is disabled and has been prescribed ongoing medicine that is very costly. Following COVID-19 guidelines, LHM–Kazakhstan staff hosted a holistic support program that Alaina attended. She met some of the ministry center staff and a pastor from the local church. Following the program, the pastor began visiting Alaina and her children on a regular basis to share the Good News of Jesus with them. Alaina continues to learn more about Jesus and is encouraged by the Gospel message. =

KAZAKHSTAN

Miguel has participated in several of the workshops and shared with the ministry center staff how much they have impacted his life. The Lutheran Layman Spring 2021 | 21

TREK THROUGH THAILAND FOR A GOSPEL ADVENTURE!

ooking for a fun, educational activity for your children or grandchildren this summer or fall? Join us on a Thailand Trek to see how God so loves the world. With remarkable landscapes from islands, mountains, a plateau, densely populated cities, and more, Gospel Adventures: Thailand Trek is sure to be a journey to remember! Students will be introduced to kids just like them who live in Thailand

and carry their faith with them through their daily lives. This is a great opportunity to teach your students about the foods, animals, people, and places of Thailand—all from the comfort and safety of your home or classroom. Gospel Adventures features two types of curriculum based on children’s ages. The grade school curriculum is teacher led which allows for activities and discussions

that connect with life and kids in Thailand. Students will enjoy music and videos, be immersed in a new culture to learn fascinating Thai facts, witness the importance of God’s work, and discover God’s good gift for us all. Older, middle school-aged students can explore the online experience at their own pace. They watch videos about daily life in Thailand, engage in activities that

explore language, history, and food, and dig into God’s Word to discover God’s gifts for us. Register to participate at any time throughout the year by visiting gospeladventures.org.

Gospel Adventures: Thailand Trek is sure to be a journey to remember!

National Lutheran Schools Week

Top: Trinity Lone Oak Lutheran School students playing a “quarter wars” battle. Middle: Trinity Lutheran School playing with their long-tail boat creations. Bottom: Trinity Lutheran School staff enjoys dress-up days. 22 | The Lutheran Layman Spring 2021

During National Lutheran Schools Week, students in grades kindergarten through eighth grade at Trinity Lone Oak Lutheran School in Eagan, Minnesota, participated in a fundraising activity to support LHM’s Global Kids Fund. The students learned about Thailand through the free materials and interactive website and especially enjoyed watching the videos. Principal Kathryn Jones shared that they have participated in all three years of Gospel Adventures and even participated in the Online Mission Trips program. The students and teachers all enjoyed the Thailand Trek experience and the song and videos were a hit. Students liked learning about another culture from a child’s perspective. Students were broken into two pods, based on age, then split between boys and girls for their “quarter wars” battle. Coins are given their monetary value in positive points, however quarters are worth negative 25 points. The goal is to have the most money in your own container, so students fill their bucket with pennies, nickels, and dimes and put their quarters in other team’s buckets. Trinity Lone Oak faculty and staff rewarded the winning boys’ and girls’ teams with an ice cream party. Since all the students did such a good job raising money, the teams that did not win the quarter wars still got rewarded with an ice cream treat. “We always look forward to finding out where we will ‘go’ next,” says Jones. “We like the kids-focus on mission work which is even more evident with the fundraising efforts supporting the Global Kids Fund.” Also during National Lutheran Schools Week, students in fourth grade at Trinity Lutheran School in Racine, Wisconsin, enjoyed the videos, theme song, crafts, and

other provided materials. After participating in Go Mongolia last year, fourth grade teacher Kathy Niermann was familiar with the Gospel Adventures program. Her students’ favorite part of the program was watching the videos about life in another country. Niermann shared, “I thought it gave a great opportunity for the kids to see how blessed and privileged they are in the United States. I love how the videos show the responsibility kids in other countries have as well as how little material goods they have. It was also neat for the kids to see that there is Christianity in other countries, and maybe a seed was planted for them to one day do mission work or at least support it.” One of the activities Niermann’s students enjoyed was creating and using long-tail boats. (see page 23) Students at Trinity Lutheran School in Hoyleton, Illinois, celebrated National Lutheran Schools Week with dress-up days and Gospel Adventures. Preschool through eighth grade students participated and were broken up into two groups, based on age. Students watched the daily videos, and the younger students followed the grade school curriculum while the older students explored the middle school curriculum. The children loved the music video and liked seeing what life looks like for children in another part of the world. This was the second year Trinity Lutheran School students participated in Gospel Adventures as they explored how vast God’s love is last year with Go Mongolia. Principal Chris Dehning shared, “Last year a sibling of some of our students had actually been to Mongolia before, so we were able to have her come in and bring some Mongolian items that she still had.”

by MEGAN MCDANIEL

How Can You Support the Global Kids Fund? The Global Kid Fund allows kids in the United States to help raise funds that directly support children in other regions all over the globe. This year the Global Kids Fund donations go toward supporting our ministry in Thailand. Students can collect special offerings from your school or congregation to support the Global Kids Fund. Just $5 could make a big impact in the lives of Thai children. The Global Kids Fund coin bank project is a great way to get kids involved in fundraising. Print, decorate, and assemble your coin bank, fill it with coins, and then send in your donation to spread hope to children just like them in other parts of the world. The coin bank template can be found in the day two curriculum and the Global Kids Fund fundraising page, both found at gospeladventures.org. Other fundraising ideas include holding a Thai celebration with cultural food, games, and entertainment. Donate all the proceeds to the Global Kids Fund. Brainstorm other ways to tell family and friends about what God is doing through LHM. Invite them to make a small gift of their own.

Long-Tail Boat Activity The capital city of Thailand is Bangkok. Bangkok is filled with canals, and years ago people would get around Bangkok by boats. Some markets were on the water and merchants would sell their items out of boats. To get items from one part of the city to another, people would put their food and items on a boat called a long-tail boat. Day three of the grade school curriculum includes an activity for children to decorate and create a long-tail boat out of paper. Once the boat has been designed and created, students are encouraged to test out their boat to experience transporting goods. Check out the day three curriculum at gospeladventures.org to download the long-tail boat template and access the rest of the activities in the curriculum.

Bri n g i n g Yo u t h e Hope of th e G o sp e l E ve r y We e k

Paper Lantern Activity One Thai holiday is called Yi Peng (pronounced “YEE-peng”). It is connected to a god or spirit that Thai people believe in. When they celebrate this holiday, people send up paper lanterns into the sky as a way to ask for forgiveness. Thai people believe that each day of the week has a special color. For example, Sunday’s color is red, Monday is yellow, etc. If you were born on a Friday, your special color would be blue. The king of Thailand was born on a Monday, so when they celebrate his birthday every year, everyone wears yellow. You can bring a piece of Thai culture into your home or classroom by making a paper lantern. When choosing colors for their lanterns, let the children choose a color that has meaning for them. The full list of day colors, the supplies list, and the activity directions can be found in the day four curriculum on gospeladventures.org. =

lhm.org/sentradio

L U T H ER A N H O UR .O RG The Lutheran Layman Spring 2021 | 23

Demand for Audio Bible Radios Increases in Malaysia

“… I am growing more in the Lord through the hearing of His Word.”

by CHAD FIX

OVID-19 cases continue to increase in many Asian countries. As a result, the government in Malaysia has continually extended its lockdown and currently bans public activities, meetings, and social and religious gatherings in the capital of Kuala Lumpur and several surrounding states. In addition, inter-state travel within the country is also prohibited. While these restrictions continue to keep LHM–Malaysia staff from being on the frontlines sharing the Gospel, they are equipping Christian workers to do outreach in remote areas of the country with the critical resources people need. One of its most impactful ministries continues to be the distribution of audio Bible radios available in several languages. Loading these devices with an audio Bible, Lutheran Bible courses, sermons, teaching content, songs, and hymns allows LHM–Malaysia to reach indigenous people who do not have access to a Christcentered community or biblical teachings through a local church. The interest and demand in this project continue to steadily increase since its launch on Easter Sunday 2019. Working through ministry partners such as Kapit Lighthouse and Open Doors, LHM–Malaysia

distributed more than 1,500 units in just the month of March alone. These radios are having a significant impact on people like Mariam, Robin, and Robert. Mariam has been ordering many radios to give to her friends and relatives. Recently she gave one of the radios to her brother, Robin, who is bedridden because of paralysis. Robin grew up as a Christian, but now does not believe in Jesus. Last Christmas, he invited many friends and relatives to come to his house for a feast. Mariam took this opportunity to attend with other Christian relatives and they had a lot of fun singing carols and sharing stories. Mariam also played the praise and worship songs in the Malay language that are included on the LHM audio Bible. Through the music, the Holy Spirit touched Robin’s heart. He liked hearing the songs and says that he has missed listening to them. Now, as he lies in bed, Mariam turns on the radio and plays the audio Bible and songs for him to listen. She is grateful that God has touched Robin’s heart through the ministry of the LHM audio Bible radio. Robert is a Christian leader who serves as the superintendent of a school in his region. Since receiving his personal unit, Robert has ordered 50 more to be distributed to

“For those who are not yet believers, may faith arise in their hearts and may the Holy Spirit touch them so they will open their hearts to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.” 24 | The Lutheran Layman Spring 2021

other believers and non-believers. He is grateful to LHM–Malaysia for providing these audio Bible radios to people at an affordable price. “I first saw this device when my pastor gave it as a present to my father-in-law,” says Robert. “I could see how it will benefit many people, particularly those who are not able to read due to failing eyesight or illiteracy. Besides owning a set myself, I quickly bought one more for my elderly mother. I strongly encourage others to own a set, too, simply because I have been so blessed by it. I am growing more in the Lord through the hearing of His Word.” Robert listens to the audio Bible radio while driving, resting at home,

or working in the office. His family members bring their units while tapping rubber trees, at the paddy fields, and in their orchards and enjoy memorizing the Scriptures and listening to the praise and worship songs. “We pray that through the distribution of these audio Bible radios, God will strengthen the hearts of the believers and cause them to return to Him,” says the director of LHM–Malaysia. “For those who are not yet believers, may faith arise in their hearts and may the Holy Spirit touch them so they will open their hearts to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.” =

Make an Impact on the Future By giving a gift through your will or a bequest, you can provide for the people and causes that matter to you most. Your actions today will continue making a global impact beyond your lifetime. Contact LHM’s gift planning team to learn how you can provide the hope of the Gospel for future generations.

1-877-333-1963 • lhm-gift@lhm.org • lhm.org/giftplan

The Lutheran Layman - Spring 2021

Articles inside

Changing Lives Globally

LLL Spring Virtual Event

Households of Faith Impact

Nurturing Your Faith

Gospel Adventures

HOPEABOUNDS