Lutherans ENGAGE the WORLD July – August 2014, Vol. 2, Issue 6
Lutherans
ENGAGE the WORLD July – August 2014
vol. 2, no. 6
inspire
3 3 12 15 18
Youth Ministry: Connecting Young People to Christ
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Educating Students for This Life & the Next Mercy Medical Team Cares for the Suffering in East Africa
Exist to Witness
15 Engaging the Church in the work of witness and mercy across the globe in our life together. Lutherans EngagE the World is published bi-monthly by The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. © 2014 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Reproduction for parish use does not require permission. Such reproductions, however, should credit Lutherans EngagE the World as a source. Print editions are sent to LCMS donors, rostered workers and missionaries. An online version is available (lcms.org/lutheransengage). To receive the print edition, we invite you to make a financial gift for LCMS global witness and mercy work. Unless otherwise noted, all photos are property of the LCMS. 888-THE LCMS (843-5267) www.lcms.org
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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engage Service + Youth + Schools
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President’s Letter 10 Questions
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Representing Christ’s Church
Volunteer Opportunities
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There was an interesting message on my office phone the other day. A producer of a major news network had heard that the LCMS has an extensive youth program. They were looking for Lutheran young people for a story on how the church shapes and guides its youth toward service to their fellow man. I knew we could deliver. A few days before that, I had witnessed a beautiful expression of youth in service. Five teenagers, armed with a guitar and a stack of Lutheran Service Books, went to the hospital to visit an elderly woman with late-stage cancer. Singing hymn after hymn, they confessed their faith in rich harmony and brought great comfort to the woman and her family. This was not a scheduled church youth activity. These youth were simply eager to share their hope in Christ and bring encouragement to another. Daily across the LCMS, young and old, motivated by Christ’s mercy toward them, share His mercy in volunteer service to others through their congregations, schools, districts, and our LCMS national ministries and Recognized Service Organizations. One of the greatest expressions of this can be seen every day in our Lutheran schools, where children learn about and receive the mercy of Christ and then bear that mercy to one another. But that’s the tip of the iceberg as we consider opportunities to serve through the church! With this issue, Lutherans Engage the World joins with the rest of Synod in focusing on the monthly ministry themes. For July, that’s service; for August, that’s youth and schools. We’ve highlighted a few examples and tried to provide a roundup of all the ways one can serve through the ministries of the LCMS and local congregations. The film crew asked the young people how their faith in Christ motivated them to care for others. What about you? How does Christ’s mercy in your life express itself as you go about your vocations in the family, at work and in the community in which God has placed you? In His mercy,
S TA F F Mark D. Hofman David L. Strand Pamela J. Nielsen Erica Schwan Melanie Ave Megan K. Mertz Erik M. Lunsford Carolyn A. Niehoff Chrissy A. Thomas
Pamela J. Nielsen Associate Executive Director, LCMS Communications
executive director, mission advancement executive director, communications executive editor manager, design services staff writer staff writer staff photojournalist/editor designer designer
E d i t o r i a l Off i c e 314-996-1215 1333 S. Kirkwood Road St. Louis, MO 63122-7295 lutheransengage@lcms.org www.lcms.org/lutheransengage
Cover image: Dr. Katie Butler, a critical care surgeon who attends Our Savior Lutheran Church in Topsfield, Mass., examines a young boy as she and fellow members of the Mercy Medical Team treat patients at the Luanda Doho Primary School in Kakmega County, Kenya. Photo: LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford
There’s a great little passage in our Lutheran confessional writings: “The Church can never be better governed and preserved than if we all live under one head, Christ. All the bishops [pastors] should be equal in office (although they may be unequal in gifts). They should be diligently joined in unity of doctrine, faith, sacraments, prayer, works of love, and such” (Smalcald Articles II IV 9). This wonderful text teaches us that the Church is united in faith and “works of love.” It makes sense that the Church cares about caring for others (Gal. 6:10). Jesus taught, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28). Jesus served us from eternity as the pre-incarnate Son of God (John 1). Jesus was conceived, born, lived, died (Gal. 3:13) and rose (Rom. 4:25), fulfilling every “jot” and “tittle” of the Law in our place, for us (Matt. 5:18 KJV). Today, Jesus serves us by His Word in Holy Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16), which gives us faith, hope, forgiveness, consolation and eternal life — surety (Heb. 4:12). He serves us when our sins are forgiven in the absolution, the sermon and the Lord’s Supper. And His Word equips us to serve others (Eph. 2:8ff; Heb. 13:20–21). It’s clear that Jesus expects His disciples to serve others just as He serves them (Luke 22:26; Matthew 25). The word for “serve” or “service” in the New Testament is used of Jesus, of the office of the pastor, of service by others for specific purposes in the Church (Rom. 12:1ff;
The footprint of service in the name of Jesus for the LCMS is unbelievable.
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2 Corinthians 8–9). So a pastor is no “ruler,” but a “servant.” He is Christ’s man, under Christ’s yoke (that’s why he wears the stole), to serve, not to “lord it over the flock” (1 Peter 5:1ff). Even the angels get in the act when they “serve” Jesus after His temptation (Matt. 4:11). There is a plethora of ways for Lutheran Christians to serve. Luther famously quipped that Jesus’ words, “Whatsoever you have done to the least of these My brethren, you have done also to Me” (Matt. 25:40), apply perfectly to a mother or father caring for their baby. (Yes, Luther talked about fathers changing diapers!) Said Luther, “My call to serve is as close as the need of my neighbor.” The footprint of service in the name of Jesus for the LCMS is unbelievable. Individual Christians, just like you, care for family, neighbors and congregants. We band together at our local church to address local needs inside and outside of the congregation. We band together as we speak the name of Jesus in a myriad of ways and a myriad of circumstances. I wish that every person in the Missouri Synod could tag along with me to see what I see all over the world — literally millions of people loved in concrete ways in the name of Christ. This issue of Lutherans Engage the World is just a small peek into that grand gift of God.
Pastor Matthew Harrison President, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
lcms.org/givenow/globalmission
Photo: LCMS Youth Gathering Photography Team
The National LCMS Youth Gathering, held every three years, gives young people an opportunity to spend time together in worship, God’s Word, prayer, song and service. It is the single largest LCMS event.
Youth Ministry:
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Connecting
Young People
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C h r i s t
by Melanie Ave
Matthew Rhodes considers the question. Where would you be without Peace? Rhodes is a 19-year-old from Brookings, S.D., a small town Photo: Matthew Rhodes
with a downtown straight from “The Andy Griffith Show.” Old brick buildings. Mom and pop shops. Peace Lutheran Church rises from the flat landscape, next to a shopping area. Matthew Rhodes
Rhodes, a college sophomore, pauses, but only for a moment. “I’d either be in juvie or some other place that isn’t so nice,” he answers. Rhodes is far from a juvenile delinquent statistic, and he contributes that to the actions of God and his mother. He’s a teen who loves reading Martin Luther and C.S. Lewis. He relishes discussions on Christian apologetics and plays the saxophone and lcms.org/givenow/globalmission
banjo in his spare time. Peace, where more than 130 people worship on Sunday mornings, helped guide Rhodes from an early age to a faith in Jesus Christ.
Growing in Faith Rhodes’ story is not uncommon. LCMS churches and youth ministries play a pivotal role in the lives of young
people, who often struggle to find their place in an ever-changing world filled with less-than-godly temptations and experiences as they make their way to adulthood. LCMS Youth Ministry aims to support congregations and districts alike, serving as a resource and a network for their ministry to young people inside and outside of the Christian faith. July–August 2014
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Photo: LCMS Youth Ministry/Anna L. Sparks
Helping young people grow in their faith in Jesus is the priority of LCMS Youth Ministry.
The ministry’s No. 1 goal is to help young people grow in their faith in Jesus. “I hope we are encouraging congregations to, first of all, think about youth ministry and to be concerned about the children and youth that their congregation has been blessed with,” says the Rev. Dr. Terry Dittmer, director of LCMS Youth Ministry. Youth ministry, depending on the congregation, can take many forms. “What we’ve always been very careful about saying is youth group does not equal youth ministry,” Dittmer says. “Youth ministry is any connection teenagers make in the context of their congregation. So if they are in worship on Sunday morning, that’s youth ministry. They’ve made a connection, and they don’t resent the connection because they are there in church. There are so many ways a 4
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kid can be connected.” Regardless of what a church’s youth ministry looks like, it should have one clear focus — Jesus Christ, Dittmer says. He says youth ministry begins when a child enters the life of a congregation and continues until “they are translated to glory.” “A teenager right now is part of the church,” Dittmer says. “When they are baptized, they become a part of the church. They’re not the future church because they already are the church. But they are the church’s future.” LCMS Youth Ministry oversees the Lutheran Youth Fellowship Teen Leadership Initiative, LCMS Young Adult Ministry, the National Youth Gathering, LCMS Servant Events, the LCMS U campus-ministry network and thESource website with Christ-centered youth resources.
Connecting to Christ and Church Rhodes began attending Peace’s early childhood center at the age of 5. His mother, a single working parent who was new to Brookings, S.D., was impressed with the Christ-centered program. Rhodes calls it “divine intervention.” It wasn’t easy for Rhodes growing up without a father, especially one with whom he had zero contact. But Peace helped soften the rough edges of childhood. Rhodes and his mother, Brenda, became active church members. Rhodes joined Peace’s youth group and stayed involved as he moved into middle school and through his high school years. He attended two National LCMS Youth Gatherings with other teens from Peace. He took part in the LCMS Council of Lutheran Youth Fellowship Representatives, an annual lcms.org/givenow/globalmission
leadership development training for youth, both as a junior in high school and then as a senior, when he was elected to serve on the executive board as the Upper Midwest Region representative. Peace Pastor Tim Rynearson became
Photos this page: LCMS Youth Gathering Photography Team
Through LCMS Servant Events, young people learn that serving others can make a difference because of Jesus Christ.
more like an uncle to Rhodes. “He was always the extra child in our house,” Rynearson says. The young man who once doubted the existence of God now is firm in his Christian faith. The teen grew to realize that his father’s absence in his life, which had caused so much pain, may have been an example of God’s “true act of mercy” since his father struggled with alcoholism. “Had I grown up with him,” Rhodes says, “it would have been far worse.”
Enter the new Lutheran Youth Corps — the LCMS version of the Peace Corps — which is set to begin in fall 2015. The Lutheran Youth Corps will offer one-year service opportunities to newly graduated high school students or collegeage young adults. Working in groups of seven to 10 young people with a professional church worker, the teams will live and provide mercy work in cities throughout the United States. Young people will be matched with projects that suit their interests and skills. “We want to show what we can do with a Lutheran emphasis to help teach, strengthen and maintain the faith as we do the work of spreading the Gospel,” says the Rev. Steven Cholak, special ministries coordinator for the LCMS Office of National Mission. A pilot program will be held in Philadelphia in August. Rhodes, the college sophomore from South Dakota, will serve as a proctor during the pilot. This fall, he will transfer to Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, Wis., one
“
one to say the least. For that I’m truly blessed.” At Concordia University Wisconsin, Rhodes will major in philosophy and biology and minor in bioethics. He can see himself working in a hospital some day, serving on a bioethics board, or perhaps becoming a researcher or a professor. “I see good things in his future,” his mother says. “I think he has a lot to share with other people as far as the faith is concerned.” His pastor, Rynearson, says whatever Rhodes does in life, the teenager will definitely have a positive impact on the world. “That’s just the kind of kid he is,” Rynearson says. “He’s not going to be the kind of kid who [is all about the money.] With him, it’s always going to be about other people and how he can be of help.” Melanie Ave is a staff writer and the social media coordinator for LCMS Communications.
I hope we are encouraging congregations to, first of all, think about youth ministry and to be concerned about the children and youth that their congregation has been blessed with.” — Rev. Dr. Terry Dittmer, director of LCMS Youth Ministry LCMS Youth Ministry encourages congregations to be concerned about the children and youth in their midst.
Expanding Youth Opportunities As with Rhodes, the LCMS has a good track record with its youth. According to the National Study of Youth and Religion, the LCMS retains 86 percent of teenagers through high school. The hiccup comes after high school, when 50 percent of young people lose their connection to the church after graduation. lcms.org/givenow/globalmission
of 10 LCMS colleges and universities. “They are Christ-focused, and I want to live my life that way,” Rhodes says. “My life without the LCMS, my church, my life without Christ and the strength of my mom would have been a dark and dismal
Learn more about LCMS Youth Ministry: www.lcms.org/youth Watch a video on LCMS Servant Events: www.lcms.org/video/joyinserving
July–August 2014
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10 Questions
with Director of Christian Education Jim Anderson
by Melanie Ave Jim Anderson, 58, grew up the youngest child in a Lutheran family of five in rural Minnesota. He received a Director of Christian Education (DCE) degree from Concordia University, St. Paul and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Augsburg College. Anderson oversees family ministry at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Bloomington, Minn., where he has worked for 32 years. Anderson and his wife, Karen, have two grown daughters and three grandchildren. Friends and family are apt to describe him as positive, outgoing, humorous and passionate about life and faith. When he’s not teaching Bible, parenting or marriage classes, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading conspiracy novels and playing racquetball and piano.
1. How did you end up becoming a DCE? I felt a strong calling by the Lord my high school senior year to go into church work but didn’t feel led to become a pastor. I heard about DCE ministry and knew immediately that this was my calling. God works and leads us in the way He would have us go.
2. How would you describe your main responsibilities as a DCE? My responsibilities have changed vastly over the years. I’ve been a generalist (cradle to grave), youth specialist, adult and small group ministries [leader] and currently [oversee] family, care and education ministry.
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3. What types of skills would you say are needed most for someone to be an effective DCE? First and foremost, [they should have] a mature faith in Christ, interpersonal people skills, teaching abilities, leadershipinfluencing skills, [be] a team player and [have] a servant’s heart to serve the people they are called to serve.
4. What is the most challenging aspect of your job? Dealing with and resolving conflict as I work best in a harmonious environment.
5. What is the most rewarding aspect of your job? Equipping people to serve in ministry that fits their gifts and passion and seeing their lives transformed by Christ! When others see a change in these peoples’ lives and the excitement and joy they are experiencing, it helps other people say, “I want that. How can I plug in?” That to me is so exciting.
6. If you weren’t a DCE, what would you be? I’d probably be a trainer or consultant. I love teaching.
7. Why are DCEs important within the LCMS? They bring skill sets such as teamwork, collaboration, servant leadership, lay leadership equipping/training. [They] are creative and resourceful, are educators of the faith, initiators of new ministries and, Lord willing, are models of Christ-like servanthood.
8. If you had to do it all over again, in terms of your professional life, what would you do differently? I would’ve established a healthier balance much earlier between my professional and personal life.
9. What advice do you have for others who may be considering becoming a DCE? Do you feel the Lord is leading you in this endeavor? Be aware of what this church profession requires (the commitment, skill levels needed, etc.). Make sure you have a strong desire to serve Christ in His Church with the people you are called to serve. Be willing to be a team player and have a joy-filled heart in serving His kingdom!
10. Is there any advice that you received about your career that really helped you? Find an older DCE to learn from. And I did. I really valued that advice and the experience that came with that.
teaching Bible, parenting or marriage classes, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading conspiracy novels and playing racquetball and piano.
When he’s not
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Representing
Christ’s Church
nvolve
I want to make sure someone there knows that in my lowest and most miserable time that your pastor showed a great deal of compassion and sacrifice to help a complete stranger regain his faith and find hope.”
— Timothy, a former inmate of the U.S. penitentiary in Marion, Ill., wrote in a letter about the care he received from an LCMS pastor while imprisoned
by Megan K. Mertz
photo: istockphoto/thinkstock
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n 2013, Timothy, whose last name is being withheld to protect his privacy, hit rock bottom. The 47-year-old was serving time in a U.S. penitentiary in Marion, Ill. He also was struggling with legal and financial issues when — worst of all — his beloved father died suddenly. “At the time,” he later wrote in a letter, “I really did not know how to go on any further.” In desperation, Timothy contacted The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod International Center in St. Louis, even though he was not a member of the LCMS. His “highest hopes” were to be added to a mailing list or to find a supportive Christian pen pal who could provide some outside perspective. But in His infinite wisdom, God provided far more. The LCMS Office of National Mission forwarded Timothy’s request to the Rev. Mark Surburg, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Marion. With the help of a retired prison chaplain, Surburg obtained permission to visit Timothy. Once a month on Saturday mornings, the two men sat opposite each other in the prison’s visiting room to talk, study Scripture and pray. lcms.org/givenow/globalmission
In between visits, Surburg kept in touch with Timothy by emailing him sermons and devotional materials. “I went in not knowing what to expect at all,” said Surburg, who had never provided pastoral care in a prison before. “But to me it was a no-brainer. Here was someone who wanted to hear the Gospel, who needed to hear the comfort of Christ.” A year later, Timothy learned that he was going to be released early. As he prepared to return to his home in another state, he wrote letters to both Good Shepherd and the LCMS International Center to express his gratitude for Surburg’s pastoral care. “I am not sure at times how to fully or properly express how much some things have touched me,” Timothy wrote. “So I want to make sure someone there knows that in my lowest and most miserable time that your pastor showed a great deal of compassion and sacrifice to help a complete stranger regain his faith and find hope. “I assure you that I seek to turn my experience into something that can help others.” Timothy’s story is powerful. But it is not unique. It is just one example of how men and women, through their volunteer service, can touch lives beyond their church doors! July–August 2014
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“Through love serve one another,” counsels Paul in Gal. 5:13. Jesus Christ first served others by dying on the cross, freeing sinners from sin and eternal damnation, and so He calls His people to joyfully serve those around them. The LCMS offers a myriad of service opportunities that range from serving at the Lutheran elementary school around the corner to providing much-needed medical care to underserved people around the globe. “The Church’s life of mercy and love of neighbor are part of our baptismal calling. We have been baptized for these moments of life when we are all reminded that we really are quite weak and powerless,” said the Rev. Bart Day, executive director of the LCMS Office of National Mission. “In the midst of suffering, the Law does its work. “As the baptized body of Christ, we serve our neighbor, our communities, our country, our world. As The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, we collectively care for all who are in need.”
Surburg described the prison as a “very imposing place.” But by visiting Timothy, he was simply doing what he was called to do as a pastor. “I really was the representative of Christ’s Church going to see him and ministering to him in that way,” Surburg said.
Service Opportunities Below is a sampling of service opportunities within the LCMS. >> Lutheran Early Response Training (LERT) — Learn how to be better prepared to show Christ’s love to the community when a disaster strikes. >> Parish Nursing — This program prepares nurses for a unique blending of professional nursing and spiritual caregiving. >> Mercy Medical Teams — This short-term volunteer program provides opportunities to volunteer abroad in a variety of clinical and health-related settings.
>> Recognized Service Organizations (RSOs) — The Synod’s RSOs offer a wide variety of service opportunities. (Contact RSOs directly to learn about specific needs.) >> Lutheran School Consulting Services (LSCS) — In this program of LCMS School Ministry, consultants help strengthen and revitalize Lutheran elementary schools that are struggling so the mission of sharing Christ can be more effectively accomplished. >> School Leadership Development Project (SLED) — Each year, Lutheran school administrators who have completed SLED volunteer to mentor current participants. SLED seeks to equip potential Lutheran elementary school leaders through intense training over the course of an academic year. >> Lutheran schools — Lutheran schools around the country are often in need of volunteers. (Contact LCMS schools directly to learn about specific needs.)
As the baptized body of Christ, we serve our neighbor, our communities, our country, our world.” — Rev. Bart Day, executive director of the LCMS Office of National Mission
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photos: LCMS Communications, LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford
>> Chaplains — Opportunities sometimes arise to provide chaplaincy at local hospitals, prisons or in other settings. >> Urban & Inner-City Mission — Urban ministries around the country may have volunteer opportunities in your area. >> The 72 — Team members of The 72 are trained evangelism volunteers available to congregations to help them begin, revitalize or expand their outreach ministry. This is accomplished by equipping their members to connect people to Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit and then to connect them to the congregation, where they will be assimilated into ministry, loved and cared for, and nurtured in their Christian faith with Word and Sacrament ministry. >> LCMS Servant Events — LCMS Youth Ministry organizes Servant Event opportunities for youth and adults in every region of the country. The events run the gamut from construction to human-care projects. This summer, 72 LCMS Servant Events were offered.
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>> National LCMS Youth Gathering — There are many opportunities for college students and adults to volunteer at the 2016 National Youth Gathering in New Orleans. >> Lutheran Youth Corps — This new opportunity will launch its pilot program in summer 2014 and its full program in 2015. It will offer high school or college graduates, working in teams with church workers, the chance to spend a year engaged in domestic service, all from a uniquely Lutheran perspective. >> LCMS Young Adult Ministry — LCMS Young Adult Ministry organizes several Servant Events throughout the year. This summer, events were held in St. Louis and San Diego. >> LCMS U — Volunteer with your local campus ministry, or start a new LCMS U chapter at a college or university near you! (Visit www.lcms.org/lcmsu/ findcampus to find a chapter near you.)
going through the “Planting Gospel Seeds While Serving Human Needs” program. >> Short-term missionaries — Volunteers are needed to serve alongside LCMS missionaries and partner churches for one week to six months. Short-term missionaries have served as pastors, nurses, doctors, teachers, business managers, camp counselors and in many other crucial positions. >> Short-term teams — Teams of three to 20-plus people are needed to serve for one to two weeks in various locations around the world. Teams might hold Bible camps, organize outreach events or complete construction projects. Megan K. Mertz is a staff writer for LCMS Communications. Learn more: www.lcms. org/themes/july Display the LCMS
Service Opportunities poster found on the next page at your church or school!
>> Gospel Seeds — Individuals are needed to mentor other congregations
July–August 2014
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YOUTH Ministry
“Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matt. 20:28) Lutheran Youth Corps
National LCMS
Coming soon! It will offer young adults Youth Gathering the chance to engage in a year of service. Many opportunities to help during the Gathering. Who May Volunteer: High school and college graduates Who May Volunteer: Adults and young adults www.lcms.org/youthcorps
GOSPEL SEEDS
DISASTER RESPONSE
WITNESS & OUTREACH Ministry
SCHOOL Ministry
INTERNATIONAL Mission
HEALTH Ministry
www.lcmsgathering.com
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LCMS Young Adult Ministry
LCMS Servant Even
Several servant events throughout the year.
Servant events run the gamut from construction, to outreach human-care projects.
Who May Volunteer: Young adults (Ages 18-30)
Who May Volunteer: Youth and adults — may vary
www.lcmsyam.org
www.lcms.org/servante
Mercy Medical Teams
Parish Nursing
Short-term volunteer program provides volunteer opportunities abroad in a variety of clinical and health-related settings.
Prepares nurses for a unique blending of professional nursing and spiritual caregiving.
Who May Volunteer: Medical professionals, pastors, laypeople
Who May Volunteer: Registered nurses
www.lcms.org/mercyteams
www.lcms.org/health/parishnursing
Short-term Teams
Short-term Missionaries
Teams of three to 20-plus people serve for one to two weeks in various locations around the world.
Serve alongside LCMS missionaries and partner churches for one week to six months.
Who May Volunteer: Youth and adults
Who May Volunteer: Adults (18+)
www.lcms.org/teams
www.lcms.org/short-term
School Leadership Development Project (SLED)
Lutheran Schools Consulting Services (
Equips potential Lutheran school leaders through intense training over the course of an academic year.
Consultants help strengthen and revitalize Lutheran elementary schools that are struggling.
Who May Volunteer: Lutheran school administrators who have completed SLED
Who May Volunteer: Experienced Lutheran school leaders
www.lcms.org/schools
www.lcms.org/schools
The 72
Trained evangelism volunteers assist congregations to begin, revitalize or expand their outreach ministry to help them reach the lost. Who May Volunteer: Anyone who is available to serve 3-4 weeks at a time upon completion of training.
Specialize
dP Chaplaincy opportu prisons or in exist o Who May Voluntee www.lcm s.org/spm
www.lcms.org/the72
Lutheran Early Response Training (LERT)
Learn how to be better prepared to show Christ’s love to the community when a disaster strikes. Who May Volunteer: Members of LCMS congregations www.lcms.org/disaster/resources
Gospel Seeds
Mentor congregations going through the “Planting Gospel Seeds While Serving Human Needs” program. Who May Volunteer: LCMS members who have completed the “Gospel Seeds” program
Recognized Service Organizations
LCMS RSOs offer many service opportunities. Who May Volunteer: Youth and adults www.lcms.org/rso
Lutheran Schools
Lutheran schools around the country are often in need of volunteers. Who May Volunteer: Youth and adults www.lcms.org/locators/schools (search for a school near you)
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Volunteer with your loc start a new LCMS U ch a university near you! Who May Volunteer: Y www.lcm s.org/lcm su www.face book.com /lc
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July–August 2014
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First Two photos courtesy of Lutheran Church in the Philippines
Principal Carrie Miller consoles a student after class outside of Mount Calvary Lutheran School in Milwaukee, Wis.
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“I
Educating Students for This Life
& the Next by Megan K. Mertz
can’t live without Jesus. That’s insanity. He’s just built into my heart,” says 14-year-old Briana McQuay, who graduated from eighth grade at Mount Calvary Lutheran School in Milwaukee, Wis., in June.
During her third-grade year, Briana transferred to Mount Calvary, the 89-year-old ministry of an LCMS congregation in the urban Sherman Park neighborhood. At that time, Briana says she did not have a personal relationship with Jesus, even though she was raised in a Christian home. She knew who Jesus was, but she did not understand what He did for her until she learned more about Him in chapel and religion classes at Mount Calvary. Prior to coming to Mount Calvary, Briana attended an urban public school, where she witnessed crowded classes, student fights and distracted teachers, who were often busy handling discipline problems. But thanks to a voucher program in Milwaukee that pays tuition at private schools for low-income families, Briana and her two siblings were able to receive a Christian education at Mount Calvary. About 98 percent of Mount Calvary’s 196 students attend the school because of the voucher program. Most students live within a 2-mile area that includes African-American, Hmong and Jewish communities.
Supporting Students Principal Carrie Miller says that the program is a blessing for many of Mount Calvary’s school families. But as with any urban ministry, the school faces certain challenges because of its setting. Some of the students that come through its doors are dealing with the effects of family violence, substance abuse, incarcerated family members and other trauma. Others struggle with basic needs of food, safety and shelter. 12
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A student receives an award from Amy Nelson, Mount Calvary’s social worker.
Briana McQuay
photoS: LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford
Christ. Half of Mount Calvary’s students have no faith background when they arrive at the school. “Every single year, there are kids who, whether they are 4 or 14, are hearing the Christmas story or the Easter story for the very first time,” Miller says. “From there, the kids ask a lot of questions and the Holy Spirit is working all the time.” “Mount Calvary made a very conscious decision in the ’70s, when other churches were moving into the suburbs, to remain in the city and to do ministry to whomever God provided in this environment,” Miller says. To better serve the needs of its students, Mount Calvary started a special education resource room through Lutheran Special School and Education Services, a Recognized Service Organization of the LCMS, about seven years ago to help students with learning disabilities, ADHD or those who are behind academically. Through this program, Briana was able to catch up in reading. Miller says that Mount Calvary is one of only a few Lutheran schools in the Milwaukee area to provide a special education program — and that program lcms.org/givenow/globalmission
is usually filled to capacity. About 10 years ago, Mount Calvary added a full-time social worker to provide classroom instruction on topics like handling emotions and developing problem-solving skills. The social worker also provides free professional counseling to children struggling with different challenges. “We help kids build the tools they need to rise above negative circumstances so that they can follow the path God has for them in a positive and productive way,” Miller says. “We tell students that there’s nothing that can keep them from getting an education and we are here to support them as they pursue their goals.” Most importantly, she says, the school teaches children about the love of Jesus
Supporting Schools Mount Calvary is one of 2,255 Lutheran early childhood centers, elementary schools and high schools in the United States that are supported by LCMS School Ministry. The ministry seeks to recruit and train the next generation of Lutheran school administrators, to share best practices and to help schools navigate the ever-changing world of public policy. For school leaders, LCMS School Ministry offers more than 70 webinars — on everything from using technology to church-school unity — on the Lutheran School Portal (https://luthed.org) to share the best practices of the Synod’s top schools. Above all, LCMS School Ministry seeks to help schools serve students July–August 2014
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and grow. While there, Briana participated in volleyball, track and theater. She also learned to love science. This fall, Briana will continue her education at Milwaukee Lutheran High School. She hopes to be a pediatric nurse in the future. “Briana said she’s gained confidence,” Miller says, “confidence in trying out for things, confidence in herself and confidence in what she believes. “I love seeing how God works in the lives of students that the world assumes won’t be successful. It’s a wild passion of mine to really watch how God works.” Third-grade students raise their hands to answer a question.
better so they have more opportunities to share the Gospel. It does this through the National Lutheran School Accreditation process; Lutheran School Consulting Services (formerly known as Strengthening Schools and Congregations), which uses experienced Lutheran school leaders as consultants in struggling schools; and the School Leadership Development Project (SLED), which identifies and equips new Lutheran school administrators. Terry Schmidt, director of LCMS School Ministry, thinks SLED is vital to the future of Lutheran schools, especially when considering that 40 percent of Lutheran school administrators will retire in the next five years. Miller, who came to Mount Calvary 18 years ago as a fourth-grade teacher, participated in SLED. She now serves as a mentor, helping to prepare future Lutheran school leaders. In addition to these LCMS School Ministry programs, Schmidt says he is committed to enhancing partnerships with homeschools and community businesses, as well as exploring blended learning and other educational alternatives. “In 20 years, school is not going to look like it does today. And we want to be on the front end of that,” he says. “Lutheran schools are our future.”
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Learn more: www.lcms.org/schools View the photo gallery: www.lcms.org/photo/ milwaukeeschool2014
Mount Calvary Lutheran Church and School in Milwaukee, Wis.
LCMS School Ministry Stats
Total number of Lutheran schools:
2,255
Total number of students:
Early childhood centers:
1,285
Total number of teachers:
221,302 21,256
Elementary schools:
880
High schools:
90
Baptisms in Lutheran schools in the 2013-2014 school year:
2,812
Statistics compiled from numbers submitted by Lutheran schools, along with information obtained from LCMS districts and LCMS Rosters and Statistics. These figures reflect a 60 percent response rate. lcms.org/givenow/globalmission
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Mercy Moment
Mercy Medical Team
Cares for the Suffering in East Africa
O
On board, 14 members of an LCMS Mercy Medical Team (MMT) from different LCMS congregations around the United States disembark and watch as volunteers try to help free the bus. There is no other choice but to walk with their supplies to a school down the road for the first day of a week-long medical clinic in western Kenya. After MMT members went door-todoor introducing the clinic the previous day, word spread quickly through the small lcms.org/givenow/globalmission
who attends Our Savior Lutheran Church in Topsfield, Mass., treats a boy with a dislocated hip during the Mercy Medical Team clinic.
“ It was really a call to serve that came to me for reasons I don’t quite understand, but was very clearly saying, ‘Go, I brought you this way for a reason and a purpose.’”
by Erik M. Lunsford
n a rough, muddy road in rural East Africa, a bus stumbles on the path and sinks into the ground. The driver spins the wheels. Children run to the spectacle, and men appear to help from thickets of banana trees. The equatorial sunlight heats the air.
Dr. Katie Butler, a critical care surgeon
— Dr. Katie Butler
villages surrounding the school. By the time the volunteers walk to the clinic from the stranded bus, a queue has already formed outside the registration tent. The first patient arrived with tattered clothes and yellowed eyes. Approximately 2,000 patients would be treated during the week. In the corner of a rustic schoolroom, Dr. Katie Butler of Boxford, Mass., listens intently to a patient. She kneels before a little boy and drops her gloved hands to her lap. Her green eyes are full of compassion and sincerity. Gold cross earrings dangle from her ears. Her path as a trauma surgeon,
carved by the Lord, brought her to Africa. Some time ago, Butler wasn’t happy. She was miserable at work and rarely at home for her infant son, Jack. She was asking God why He had given her a passion for surgery and 10 years of training. She prayed fervently for change. Several months later, Butler was singing a hymn during worship when she abruptly stopped. A vision pierced her consciousness. “I actually saw myself in Africa working on a mission, providing care to the people,” she says, recalling how her pastor then preached on the call to serve. “I sat there dumbfounded and scared.” July–August 2014
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Madison McKinney, a member of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church of Statesville, N.C., greets patients at the Mercy Medical Team clinic.
At home, she filled out various medical team applications but always stopped short of the mailbox. Later, a church worker introduced her to the Synod’s Mercy Medical Teams. She submitted her application and prayed. The LCMS called. She would be better suited for a trip to Kenya, the voice said. “OK, Lord, I get it,” says Butler. She was heading to Africa. “It was really a call to serve that came to me for reasons I don’t quite understand, but was very clearly saying, ‘Go, I brought you this way for a reason and a purpose.’” At the clinic, Butler treats wounds, diagnoses tropical diseases and works with her fellow medical team members to diagnose and treat residents. “I’m just grateful to have the chance to interact with these people who are just surviving by the sweat of their own brows,” she says. “Their faith is all they have … this has been life altering for me, and I just hope to do some good.” Under a hot awning, everyone can hear the hearty voice of Tom Andrews carry through the bustling clinic. In Swahili slang, the former EMT greets patients: “Jambo, jambo.” Anxious children and parents laugh. “At that one moment you can create a lot of trust,” he says. He takes patients’ vitals before passing them toward the doctors and nurses. Andrews, of Wentzville, Mo., cracks almost constant quips, but he doesn’t jest at the path God used to lead him to the team. “God doesn’t pick people that can do what He wants them to do, He picks people and gives them the ability to do what He wants them to do.” Raised Catholic, Andrews recently came to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. “We never opened a Bible,” he says. “I never really believed in God until I was 59 and a half years old.” In the Kenyan hotel lobby, he pauses for a moment and shakes his head. “I’m just so astounded of where my life is.” The Mercy Medical Team program, coordinated by Jacob Fiene, manager of LCMS Health Ministry, works with 16
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international partner churches to “offer American medical and lay volunteers an opportunity to use their God-given talents and vocational skills to demonstrate Christ’s mercy and love.” But it isn’t the primary purpose of the trips, he says. “Every team works through an international partner church body and an international LCMS mission office to ensure our acts of mercy are directly connected to the Gospel and the ministries of the local church. The local church plays a substantial role during our medical clinic and continues to meet the needs of the people in their community after we have left. We are there temporarily to help those who are sick and in need of human care, but also to open doors for local church leaders to offer longterm care for both body and soul.” Each year, the LCMS sends out about eight teams of approximately 12 volunteers per team. Volunteers choose whether to fundraise for the trip or pay for it from their own funds. At the clinic, Madison McKinney, a 19-year-old college student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is rarely
seen without a smile. She works in the pharmacy of the clinic and checks vitals on incoming patients. She sees firsthand the lines of suffering people. “You don’t realize how bad it is until you see it and you hear it,” she says. “You look into someone’s eyes, and they try to smile at you but because they’re so sad and suffering so much… It’s so much sickness and health problems that aren’t being taken care of that need to be, and there’s so much more to be done than we can do.” Volunteers worship with a local parish of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya and hold nightly devotions amongst the team. They share stories of a loss of power at the hotel, or no power, or no hot water, flaming showerheads, traveler’s sickness, outhouse bathrooms and — of angst to some — very little, if any, Internet access. Some comment on the African specialties of chapati and cornmeal ugali, while another smacks a cockroach with a shoe. One rainy night, the Rev. Dr. John Juedes, pastor at Messiah Lutheran Church in Highland, Calif., shares stories from his 24 past mission trips. lcms.org/givenow/globalmission
Phil Jaseph, LCMS communication specialist and a GEO missionary based in Kenya, plays with an infant during a Mercy Medical Team clinic.
“When I talk to people about mission trips, almost everyone has the reaction of thinking ‘this isn’t a good time for me to go,’ and they’re always right, and this wasn’t a good time for me to go either,” he says. “But what I find is if you decide to go in spite of it not being the ideal time, you’ll still find an ideal blessing at the end of it, and that’s the thing I find really encouraging. I encourage people not to wait for the ideal time; just look for any time in which they can volunteer to make a mission a part of their lives and be blessed through that.” Juedes says the concerns many volunteers have are whether they will be safe and whether they can pay for the trip. “I think it’s true that God always does
provide, and friends and people from your church and others do want to be a part of missions; and if they’re not able to go, they want to be a part of helping someone else make that trip and experience a mission. They feel a part of that mission … they’re accomplishing it with you.” And while safety is a concern, he says, it shouldn’t be an obstacle. “The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod looks after you and protects you.” Erik M. Lunsford is the staff photojournalist and an editor for LCMS Communications. Learn more or volunteer: www.lcms.org/ mercyteams View the photo gallery: www.lcms.org/photo/ mercymedical2014
Residents line up to register for the Mercy Medical Team clinic at the Luanda Doho Primary School in Kakmega County, Kenya.
Photos from top: Nurse Janet Brown, a member of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Martinsville, Ind., wraps a patient’s wound. Marie Anderson, a nurse practitioner who attends Our Savior Lutheran Church in Topsfield, Mass., treats a young boy. Team members fill prescriptions in the clinic’s pharmacy. Team members pray with Lutheran Hour Ministries staff and local Kenyan community health workers before opening the daily clinic.
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nspire
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witness Moment
Exist to
Witness
by Adriane Heins
“Q
Melinda Alonzo (right) and her young daughter, Micayla, attend Iglesia Luterana San Pablo, a Hispanic ministry in Aurora, Ill.
ue creen los Luteranos?” It’s a question the Rev. Dr. Carlos Hernandez, director of LCMS Hispanic Ministry, delights to hear. “What do Lutherans believe?” It’s also a question the Church is primed to answer, says the Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, president of the LCMS. “We exist to bear witness.” The Lutheran Church’s “fundamental gift and task,” he continues, is to proclaim boldly “salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ,” and it’s a gift the LCMS rejoices to engage in, especially when it comes to the prayers and offerings of Lutherans committed to bold witness through LCMS Hispanic and Black Ministries.
LCMS Hispanic Ministry: Opening Doors Hernandez, who became a pastor due to the witness of LCMS members who funded his Lutheran education from first through twelfth grade, today tells others of Christ’s saving work in a big way while engaging congregations across the United States that are “requesting our consultation and training in witnessing to the Gospel, beginning with ministries of mercy such as English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes, academic tutoring, health screenings and immigration counseling,” he notes. The Rev. Eloy Gonzalez, senior pastor at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Irving, Texas, is doing the same thing. Bold
“The Holy Spirit opens doors for a spoken witness of the Gospel as we are often asked,
‘Que creen los Luteranos?’” — Rev. Dr. Carlos Hernandez, director of LCMS Hispanic Ministry
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photos: LCMS Communications/Pamela J. Nielsen, LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford
The Rev. Alex Merlo is pastor of San Pablo, an LCMS congregation that ministers to the Latino population in Aurora, Ill.
witness in the Hispanic community is “highly relational, that is, people intensive,” he explains. His congregation uses gathering activities “that allow us to gather people around a common interest or a common need” to bear witness to Christ. Through events like ESL classes or soccer programs, “we have been able to invite people to church, have been privileged to do many Baptisms and have prepared numerous children through First Communion instruction,” he says. “We see families that we meet this way integrate themselves into the congregational worship services offered by the congregation.” Through these various resources, Hernandez explains, “The Holy Spirit opens doors for a spoken witness of the Gospel as we are often asked, ‘Que creen los Luteranos?’” Answering that question gives Hernandez, Gonzalez and other Lutherans engaged in Hispanic ministry the opportunity to speak of Christ’s cross and tomb, sharing His comfort and forgiveness while constantly praying about one particular question: “How do you reach
them with the Gospel? That’s one of the burning questions among us in the LCMS as well: How to reach second- and thirdgeneration Latinos?” To answer that question, Hernandez returns to what his Lutheran education taught him: that all people — whether Hispanic or black, white or Asian — are sinners in need of a Savior. That realization makes bearing witness to Christ in Hispanic communities, he says, no different from doing so in any other community. That means Hernandez sees any challenges the church does face — like “trying to learn the particular culture, language and, perhaps more important, understanding, identifying and facing the critical, burning issues in Latino communities, such as undocumented immigration” — simply as inroads to be bold in sharing Christ’s peace within the Hispanic community. Hernandez recalls one such witness moment: “A conservative, Midwestern congregation raised funds to assist an undocumented Latino immigrant married to a Lutheran to assist with legal fees required for securing residency papers.” The
LCMS matched the congregation’s dollars, “joining hands to share mercy and to open the door wide for witness.” Seeing that witness in action, he says, “amazed me.” It’s no surprise. Confessing Christ, Harrison says, is the Church’s “sacred vocation and ecumenical task,” astounding in and of itself.
LCMS Black Ministry: Connecting People to Christ “After-school tutorial, mentoring and feeding
Preschool teacher Victoria Richardson adjusts the Christian flag at the beginning of class at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran School, Mobile, Ala. lcms.org/givenow/globalmission
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From left, Mardrelle Irby, J’Hailah French and Shannon Balams pray during worship at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Mobile, Ala.
“LCMS Black Ministry encourages all to confess that we are not a person of God, alone in our battle, nor are we people of a small congregation,
people of God.”
but we are a
— Rev. Chris Stout, pastor of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, Kannapolis, N.C., and Abundant Life Lutheran Church, Charlotte, N.C.
programs. Lutheran day school programs. Food and clothing bank programs. Summer VBS and sports camp programs. Senior day out care programs.” The Rev. Roosevelt Gray Jr. has only begun to list a few of the ways in which LCMS Black Ministry, which he directs, is bearing witness to Christ. “Community youth music programs. Home ownership programs. ‘Gospel Seeds’ outreach programs.” And that’s just a start. Advancing any of these projects — through prayers and gifts — is welcomed in black communities. Each of these key witness activities chips away at struggles faced around the United States, like “reaching the Gen X, millennial and emerging adult generation and using today’s technology to communicate Christ,” Gray notes. Additionally, the country’s “declining urban and city economies, unemployment and homeless situation, and poor and 20
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undereducated children in our cities” all provide opportunities for the church to come alongside with the change and comfort Christ’s Gospel brings to sinners in need of a Savior. That is LCMS Black Ministry’s sweet spot, providing encouragement to people and their pastors, says the Rev. Chris Stout, pastor of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, Kannapolis, N.C., and Abundant Life Lutheran Church, Charlotte, N.C. “Too often, we Christians can feel isolated in our battle against the world, our flesh and Satan. … LCMS Black Ministry encourages all to confess that we are not a person of God, alone in our battle, nor are we people of a small congregation, but we are a people of God.” Challenges faced by black communities always find their answers in Christ, Stout says. “There seems to be a consistent decline in the family in every aspect of
American culture. The lack of parental involvement, most noticeably the lack of strong fatherly involvement, is harmful to children, grandchildren, grandparents and the church alike.” And yet the Lord always blesses. “This challenge,” he explains, “has provided an amazing opportunity to teach many of our young and teenage children the truth about the Father our Lord is and the gift that the crucified, risen and ascended Lord Jesus has given in His Church, which is called the household of God. We gather together to hear from and pray to ‘our Father,’ who promises never to leave us or forsake us, to rejoice in our repentance and returning to Him, and who gives us common brothers and sisters with whom to suffer and rejoice.” This kind of witness to God’s gracious care toward His people emboldens pastors and parishioners to confident prayer, trusting that the Lord will make good on His promises. And Gray believes that He will, encouraging members of the LCMS to bear witness by praying for “congregations and leaders in LCMS Black Ministry to be courageous, creative and innovative in serving their communities with the Good News of the Gospel as LCMS Christians” while remaining confident that He will answer.
‘Fundamental Gift and Task’ The witness of both ministries is simple: Christ died to save sinners. That truth makes boldly sharing His words of life and salvation — especially through the opportunities afforded by LCMS Black and Hispanic Ministries — a hearty witness to God’s work among His people. “This is our task toward each other,” Harrison explains. “This is our task over against those who do not know Jesus.” So, “Que creen los Luteranos?” Thanks be to God, we have an answer, Harrison says: “To bear witness to Jesus Christ.” Adriane Heins is managing editor of The Lutheran Witness and editor of Catechetical Information. Learn more about LCMS Black Ministry: www.lcms.org/blackministry lcms.org/givenow/globalmission
150th Anniversary Thank Offering: Celebrating 150 Years of Concordia University Chicago Graduates Sharing the Gospel
Honor those who have served, and will serve, our congregations for decades. You can make a gift today online at CUChicago.edu/support, or by calling 866-448-3867.
THIS is the year. This is
YOUR
time to stand!
Won’t you join us? Every Life Matters! I Am Pro-Life
Where: Washington, D.C. When: Jan. 22-24, 2015 www.lcms.org/supportthemission
lcms.org/givenow/globalmission
www.lcms.org/events/lifeconference July–August 2014
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NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID Burlington, WI Permit No. 12
The
ittenberg Project
C ongregations & S chools
Join the Reformation 500 Club
Our enemy works hard to silence the Gospel and discourage those who would hear it and believe. It is time for that to change. It’s called The Wittenberg Project — and YOUR congregation or school can make history today by joining the Reformation 500 Club: • Give or pledge to raise just $500 over the course of the coming year. • How you raise your $500 is completely up to you. • The first 500 congregations and/or schools to join will have their gifts matched.
Join the club: Sign up at www.thewittenbergproject.org and click on Reformation 500 Club. Or call 888-930-4438 to find out more about how your church or school can be a part of The Wittenberg Project and the Reformation 500 Club.