Did You Know?
Did You Know…that our church is a mission station? As the song goes, “we all are one in mission; we all are one in call.” When we meet on Sunday as God’s faithful people to hear the Word of God and share in the Lords Supper, we are reminded to serve all of the people as Jesus did, and strive for peace and justice in all the earth.
One way we do this is through our tithing. Currently, 5% of our giving goes to the Synod to be used to further God’s mission for His people. We call this Mission Support. Through Mission Support, we are able to help new congregations with start-up costs, send ELCA youth to gatherings or missions, fund scholarships to seminaries, help congregations to find new Pastors, provide aid to communities suffering from the aftermath of natural disasters or terrorist attacks, and support ministries training medical and first responder personnel with vital life giving skills through ELCA and our ministry partners worldwide. Together, our outreach makes God’s love for those in need a very real presence, and our kindness reveals Christ’s presence within them as well. We are an example of the butterfly effect. The relatively small flutter of our benevolence creates waves of God’s love around the world.
In 2010, we helped to fund 60 new congregations, 163 existing congregations intentionally focused on renewal, $2.5 million in grants to support ELCA ministries, 240 missionaries in 50 countries, advocacy work with the UN and federal government, 26 ELCA colleges and universities, 8 ELCA seminaries, 180 campus ministries, and partnerships with Lutheran World Relief, World Council of Churches, and the National Council of Churches in Christ. We directly support Helping Hands Mahomet, Restoration Urban Ministries, Crisis Nursery, the Belarus church, and Salt & Light. What an awesome reflection of the good news of Jesus Christ! What a bold and courageous invitation to the Holy Spirit within us! Thanks Be to God!
The mission statement of the ELCA is, “Marked with the cross of Christ forever, we are claimed, gathered, and sent for the sake of the world.” As we rebuild our relationships and grow our congregation, we pray to increase our contribution to the world ministry as we are called by Christ to do. At one time, we gave 12% to Mission Support. I pray that as we grow, so will our mission support. Matthew 25:45 says “Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me’.”
Filled with the healing presence of the Holy Spirit and God’s love, and yours in Christ, I thank you for your generosity.
Faithfully submitted,
Kelly Strode
One way we do this is through our tithing. Currently, 5% of our giving goes to the Synod to be used to further God’s mission for His people. We call this Mission Support. Through Mission Support, we are able to help new congregations with start-up costs, send ELCA youth to gatherings or missions, fund scholarships to seminaries, help congregations to find new Pastors, provide aid to communities suffering from the aftermath of natural disasters or terrorist attacks, and support ministries training medical and first responder personnel with vital life giving skills through ELCA and our ministry partners worldwide. Together, our outreach makes God’s love for those in need a very real presence, and our kindness reveals Christ’s presence within them as well. We are an example of the butterfly effect. The relatively small flutter of our benevolence creates waves of God’s love around the world.
In 2010, we helped to fund 60 new congregations, 163 existing congregations intentionally focused on renewal, $2.5 million in grants to support ELCA ministries, 240 missionaries in 50 countries, advocacy work with the UN and federal government, 26 ELCA colleges and universities, 8 ELCA seminaries, 180 campus ministries, and partnerships with Lutheran World Relief, World Council of Churches, and the National Council of Churches in Christ. We directly support Helping Hands Mahomet, Restoration Urban Ministries, Crisis Nursery, the Belarus church, and Salt & Light. What an awesome reflection of the good news of Jesus Christ! What a bold and courageous invitation to the Holy Spirit within us! Thanks Be to God!
The mission statement of the ELCA is, “Marked with the cross of Christ forever, we are claimed, gathered, and sent for the sake of the world.” As we rebuild our relationships and grow our congregation, we pray to increase our contribution to the world ministry as we are called by Christ to do. At one time, we gave 12% to Mission Support. I pray that as we grow, so will our mission support. Matthew 25:45 says “Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me’.”
Filled with the healing presence of the Holy Spirit and God’s love, and yours in Christ, I thank you for your generosity.
Faithfully submitted,
Kelly Strode
