Oregon District Lutheran Women in Mission 2016 2018 Mission Grants May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. 2 Peter 1: 2
The mission of this grant is to share the message of Christ s love through personal visits with Hispanic families. Deaconess Marta Luna reaches out to the Hispanic communities in the Portland and Woodburn areas. Her visits include Bible study, prayer and an invitation to attend worship. Connecting people with resources to support them in times of need is part of Marta s ministry. A number of families have become active church members through her work and friendship. $6,500
Ascension Lutheran Church in Portland, Oregon has been hosting a free soccer clinic for the underprivileged children in the Rockwood Community, in Portland for twelve years. Soccer has proven to be a successful way to reach out to families, youth and other community members, while putting Christ front and center in all the activities. Last year s event served 520 children. $5,000
Missionary Reverend David Meissner was called on May 30, 2015 to plant the very first Lutheran Church Missouri Synod church in Belize. Rev. Meissner will serve as a permanent, pastoral presence as the church reaches out to the people with Christian education, day-to-day spiritual care and the ability to gather around God s Word and Sacraments in weekly worship. $5,000
Trinity/HOPE works to assist Lutheran Churches in Haiti in spreading the Gospel to hungry children. They provide a daily noon meal to students and teachers, while sharing the love of Jesus. Specifically, the funds from this grant would provide noon meals for 115 children for an entire school year of 187 days. For some children, the meal they receive at school may be their only meal of the day. The children like beans and rice. For them, it is like eating pizza or going to McDonalds! $5,000
$3,315 Wilderness Journey s Ministries of Gresham, Oregon reaches out to individuals and their families as they learn of a terminal illness. Their mission is to Shine the Light of Christ s Promises into the dark times of a life-threatening illness. The classes are centered on sharing the comfort and guidance of Christ through fellowship, prayer and the reading of scripture with all who attend. Funding for this grant would help to finalize the development of teaching materials for a nine-week course made available to many congregations.
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. $2,000
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 their relationships as sisters in Christ. This grant would provide the opportunity for two or more ethnic women to attend the Heart to Heart Sister training in June of 2017, and prayerfully consider a leadership role in establishing a Heart to Heart Sister Program within our Oregon District. $4,500
Westfield House is a House of Theological Studies of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England, a partner church of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Students travel from several countries in Africa to England. After obtaining their University of Bachelor of Divinity degree or completing further studies, they return to their homes to teach or be ordained in the Lutheran Church. The growth of the Lutheran Church in Africa is bringing a great need for trained pastors.
Children who otherwise have little or no likelihood of successfully completing school, are afforded the opportunity to thrive in all aspects of life -- particularly that they would grow in faith to celebrate Christ s love and saving grace. This grant would provide the opportunity for four children to spend an entire year at boarding school, where they are provided a Christ-centered, loving, caring, and safe environment. $4,320
$4,000 The God Cares About You Mission in Albuquerque, New Mexico supports at-risk children and families. They are provided the opportunity to select needed food and clothing, but the real outreach is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with each child and family. The funding of this grant would support at-risk children, allowing them to participate in weekly Bible Studies, share dinner together and to know Jesus loves them.
Project GO (Gospel Outreach) - Share Jesus This grant enables LWML Oregon District women to participate in short term mission trips associated with Lutheran Church Missouri Synod churches, international partner churches and LCMS Recognized Service Organizations to share Jesus love in Word and action. GO - Share Jesus is truly an outreach of our LWML Oregon District. $5,000
$5,000 The purpose of this project is to create a website, making available teaching videos and Bible study resources to educate our youth concerning the false claims of Islam, thus reconnecting young people to the Christian Church. It is the prayer of POBLO, which means People of the Book Lutheran Outreach, that the website would allow the opportunity for ministry materials to be available to the church at large, providing an outreach to many women and their children grounding them in their faith in Christ.
A new Lutheran Church Missouri Synod church is being planned for Southwest Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Mission of this new church is to: Provide Christian Ministry to the whole person: body, mind, and spirit. This grant would enable the calling of a dedicated church worker for the St. Andrew Church plant so the Gospel of the Lord, His Word and His Sacraments might be proclaimed. $6,500
$5,500 Deacon Tom Benzler and Deaconess Cathy Benzler have been serving Native Americans through Lutheran Indian Ministries for over eleven years. Grace Place Wellness provides retreat opportunities for all Lutheran Church Missouri Synod professional workers who wish to have time to rest and relax as well as reflect, restore and become reinvigorated. After the retreat, Tom and Cathy would return to their Hope House ministry on the Olympic Peninsula.
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 prayer book is available in audio format to allow many individuals to experience God s love and saving grace. The book shares God s Word and is designed to help readers learn to pray, giving thanks in all circumstances. $3,115