PROPOSED MISSION GRANTS FOR THE CONVENTION BALLOT 2016-2018 BIENNIUM- LWML OREGON DISTRICT 1. A Bridge to Jesus-the SSS Soccer Clinic and Beyond Ascension Lutheran Church in Portland hosts a free community soccer clinic for the underprivileged kids in the Rockwood Community of Gresham, OR. Proceeds would help to cover the cost associated with this annual servant event. It is an opportunity to witness to over one thousand people, serving them on the soccer field, sharing daily lunches with the surrounding community, distributing Bibles, and preparing a dinner for homeless teens. During the five days of the soccer clinic, participants hear the story of Jesus, why He came, how much He loves them and the wonderful gift of salvation that He offers to everyone. 2. Carrying Christ into the Heart of the Hispanic Home Grant Amount: $6,000 This grant would assist the ongoing evangelism work of Deaconess Marta Luna among the Hispanic families and youth in the Portland and Woodburn area. The mission is to carry Christ into the Hispanic home through personal visits that include Bible study, prayer and an invitation to attend worship and other events at the church. Connecting people with resources to support them in times of need is part of the ministry. Funds would be used to help with transportation costs, communication (phone, cell, internet), and salary as Deaconess Marta Luna supports the spiritual growth and physical well-being of Hispanic families. 3. Christ in Belize Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Missionary Rev. Duane Meissner was called on May 30 th, 2015 to plant the very first Lutheran Churches in the country of Belize. Rev. Meissner will serve as a permanent, pastoral presence as the church reaches out to the people in Belize with Christian education, day-to-day spiritual care, and the ability to gather around God s Word and Sacraments in weekly worship. He will be serving with his wife and three children. The LCMS Board for International Mission uses a funding model that relies heavily on churches, individuals, and mission organizations to fund its career missionaries.
4. Christ s Care for Children: Kenya Grant Amount: $4,320 Funding from this grant would provide four full-year scholarships for Kenya youth to attend boarding school. Christ s Care for Children: Kenya gives vulnerable children the opportunity to successfully complete school while living at a home away from home which provides a Christ-centered, loving, caring, and safe environment in which each pupil is afforded daily opportunities for Scripture engagement, catechesis, and worship. Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kenya congregations strive to help children become educated, responsible Christian adults. 5. CLEF E-Reader Project This project: The Confessional Lutheran Education Foundation, would help to provide seminary students in partner churches in Asia, Africa, Europe, North and South America with Kindles (electronic readers). The use of Kindles provides each subscribing student, pastor and professor with a potential of 1,200 books and documents, including Bibles, text books and other theological material used for research and seminary classes. 6. Equipping Ethnic Women Leaders in the Oregon LWML District LCMS Congregations through the LWML Heart to Heart Sister Program Grant Amount: $4,500 The funding from this grant would provide the opportunity for two or more ethnic women to attend the LWML Heart to Heart Sister training in June of 2017 preceding the LWML 37 th Biennial Convention in Salt Lake City. The purpose of the Heart to Heart Sister program is to equip and ensure opportunities for multicultural women to serve the church, participate in LWML, witness to the world and grow in relationships as sisters in Christ. The participants in this training would prayerfully consider a leadership role in establishing a Heart to Heart Sister Program within the LWML Oregon District.
7. Grace Place Retreat for Native American Staff serving the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. Grant Amount: $5,500 Grace Place provides a retreat to Lutheran Church Missouri Synod professional workers to allow them an opportunity to reflect, restore and reinvigorate. Cathy and Tom Benzler have been serving Native Americans through Lutheran Indian Ministries for over 11 years. This grant would provide them the opportunity to participate in a Spiritual Wellness program along with time to rest and relax. They would return home to continue their ministry where they have become counselors, confidants and trusted friends of the people on the Olympic Peninsula. 8. Growing the Gospel for At-Risk Kids Grant Amount: $4,000 This project is one of the ministry outreaches under God Cares About You Mission in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The mission emphasis of this grant is to share Christ s love with at-risk children, ages of three and older, through Bible studies, by providing them with appropriate materials to help facilitate better learning opportunities. 9. Hanoi School Library Upgrade Concordia International School was started by Lutheran Church Missouri Synod in 2011 and is now serving 187 students representing 19 nationalities. Concordia has 26 teachers and classroom aids from seven countries. A new building for the school is currently under construction. Funding from this grant would allow the purchase of Lutheran books, general library books, other materials and library furnishings, thus providing future opportunities to reach out to more students, the community, and to share the love of Christ through books and materials ready for checkout at the library. 10. Help for Families: Facing a Life Threatening Illness Holding Christ s Hand Grant Amount: $3,315 This grant request comes from Wilderness Journey Ministries of Gresham, OR. a ministry that reaches out to individuals and their families as they learn of a life threatening illness. The purpose of this grant is to finalize the development of teaching materials for a nine-week course and allow for the dissemination of this program to many congregations. The mission is to start the conversation first with Christians who know the comfort and guidance of Christ and through fellowship with Christians and non-christians share the promises found in scripture, the gift of prayer and God s grace with those nearing the end of life.
11. Project GO (Gospel Outreach)-Share Jesus Project GO -Share Jesus enables LWML Oregon District members to participate in mission trips associated with LCMS churches, international partner churches and LCMS Recognized Service Organizations. Participants share Jesus love in Word and action. This project is truly an outreach of our LWML Oregon District on the mission field and back at home as well, as the participants share how the Lord worked in their lives and the lives of those they met on their mission project. 12. Scholarships for Pastoral Education for African students at Westfield House Grant Amount: $6,500 Westfield House, the house of Theological Studies of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England (a partner church of LCMS), is in Cambridge. African men nominated by their home church, come to obtain a Bachelor of Divinity degree, ordination in the Lutheran Church and then return to pastoral duties in their home countries. Westfield House is recognized as offering a high standard of education with small classes. The growth of the Lutheran church in Africa is bringing a great need for trained pastors. 13. Shepherd s Canyon Retreat Scholarship Support Grant Amount: $3,500 The mission of Shepherd s Canyon Retreat, Phoenix, AZ., is to provide hope and healing to men and women in full-time ministry who are in the midst of burnout, depression and conflicts of all types. The seven days of retreat provides an experience of healing and restoration for Lutheran Church workers. The funding of this grant would allow one couple to be renewed by the grace our Lord provides, equipping them once again with the power and strength that the Lord designed for their calling. 14. Soldiers of the Cross Grant Amount: $2,000 Soldiers of the Cross is one of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod s mercy programs that helps faithful pastors, teachers and other church workers in financial or personal crisis. This program responds to urgent financial challenges among all servants of the church and depends solely on contributions through the Synod. Funding from this grant would add to that emergency support.
15. St. Andrew Lutheran Church Plant Grant Amount: $6,500 Planning has taken place, during the last two years, to build a Lutheran, Missouri-Synod church in the southwest quadrant of Albuquerque, New Mexico. At this time there is no Lutheran church to serve LCMS individuals as well as unchurched residents who desire to hear the proclamation of the Gospel. The hope is that by planting a congregation in this area of the city the Gospel of our Lord, His Word and His Sacraments might be proclaimed. It is the desire to obtain a professional church worker to carry on the task of establishing a congregation within the next 12 months. This grant would provide support for that LCMS church worker. 16. The Christ Connection -A Prayer Book for Personnel or Group Use by People of ALL Abilities Grant Amount: $6,000 The Christ Connection is a prayer book that was written for all ages and groups and is at a level of understanding for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The book shares God s Word and is designed to help readers learn to pray, giving thanks in all circumstances. The purpose of this grant is to help Bethesda Auxiliary fund Bethesda Lutheran Communities in the production and distribution of The Christ Connection. The book will not only be a help and a comfort for those praying to our Heavenly Father but the accompanying scripture will be used by the Holy Spirit to work faith in the hearts of those hearing the prayers who do not know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. 17. The Hispanic Lutheran Mission Grant Amount: $6,062 The mission of the Hispanic Lutheran Mission is to share Christ within the city neighborhoods, especially the Latino Community in Rochester, New York. The Hispanic Lutheran Mission is a new church plant of LINC Rochester. LINC stands for: Lutheran Inter-city Network Coalition. LINC seeks to restore Christ in several communities and cities through out the United States. Rochester is a city that has experienced rising unemployment and that has created hardships for many families. The Hispanic Lutheran Mission is reaching out to those families with the message of hope and love that Christ can bring. Funds from this grant would help support this new Hispanic church.
18. Trinity/HOPE Trinity/HOPE works to assist Lutheran Churches in Haiti in spreading the Gospel to the hungry children who attend our Lutheran schools by providing a daily noon meal. Their program helps make the children healthier and enables them to be more receptive to the Word of the Lord that is shared with them each day. Specifically, the funds from this grant would provide noon meals for 115 children for the entire 187 days in the school year. For many of the children this may be the only meal they receive each day. Trinity/HOPE has successfully carried on their mission for over sixteen years. 19. Unequally Yoked-Educating Christian Youth Concerning The Perils of Intermarriage with Muslins The purpose of this project is to create a website, making available teaching videos and Bible study resources to educate our youth concerning false claims of Islam and to bring back the lost, thus reconnecting young people to the Christian Church. It is the prayer of POBLO (People of the Book Lutheran Outreach) International of Clinton Township, MI., that the ministry materials be provided and made available to the church at large, also providing an outreach to many women and their children and grounding them in their faith in Christ.