Friday: The 25 th Biennial Mid-South District Convention Service Event Convention Report 300 hygiene Kits were assembled and donated to the Chattanooga Community Kitchen, a freestanding social service agency focused on the physical, social and spiritual of the homeless and less fortunate. 39 leaguers formed an endless loop putting one item from each box into a Zip lock bag then going to the back of the line to start again. In-Gathering Event - Chattanooga Room in the Inn is a three month to nine month residential program for the homeless women and children. Room in the Inn has been privileged to assist over 300 homeless women and children regain their independence with dignity and security. The list of the items and their quantities is available here. Convention Opening - President Diane opened the convention and the procession of Zone Banners and Board of Directors members followed.. The posting of the Colors, the National Anthem. the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, the Pledge of Allegiance to the Cross, 3
Friday Continued - The afternoon continued with a number of greetings from the city of Chattanooga and affiliated Lutheran organizations. The Adoption of Convention Rules and Agenda followed along with the appointment of the Minutes Review Committee; the Tellers for the Election of Officers and the Tellers for the Mission Grants. Pastor Mark Rhoads gave a Rock Solid, multi-media Bible study. Then the introduction by Nyssa Hunt, YWR Chairman, of Angela Lukens and Ashley Tieman, our two YWRs at the Albuquerque Convention. The evening program was a Communion Worship Service conducted by our two counselors and area pastors. Pastor Rhoads gave another Rock Solid sermon. The music for the convention was provided the Praise Band from Cross of Christ L.C. The First Offering of $1890.77 goes for the 2018-2020 District Mission Grants. Saturday - The Saturday session opened with another Rock Solid Bible study conducted by pastor Don White. The financial reports were given by Janet Simko, Financial Secretary and Erin Foster, Treasurer. 2018-2020 Budget available here Michelle Zollinger, LWML Public Relations Director, addressed the gathering. Followed by Linda Reiser, Past LWML President. 4
Saturday Continued - The presentation of Proposed Mission Grants was made by Susan McConnell, Mission Grants Chairman and the balloting got under way. The second offering of $1679.90 was for the Welcome Home of Chattanooga. After lunch, the Presentation of Nominees by Judy Graham, Nominating Committee Chairman, was made and the balloting got underway. The third offering of $1479.75 was for the Chattanooga Recue Mission. Two interest sessions were held consecutively : the first was with the Rev. Josh Woodrow of the Bridge City Mission and the second was with Jan Struck, Motivational Speaker. Saturday evening was the banquet with entertainment by Just4Fun and Jan Struck in character as Pearl, the oldest LWMLer. Sunday - Sunday is wrap up day. The final report of the credentials Committee was given by Irma Pinkerton, Registrar: Voting members 112; non-voting and guests 122; Total in attendance 234. The 2020 Biennial convention will be held in Paragould, AR June 12-14. The closing service was written by the Christian life Committee with participation by the YWRs and YOUth. 5
MISSION GRANTS Professional Church Workers $20,000 District Braille Workstations 155 & 160 $4,000 Ark. Middle Camp Scholarships, Petit Jean $7,200 Ark. Middle Transportation-Lifehouse Student Min $300 (Reduced) Ark Middle Bridge City Community $5,000 Chattanooga Paradox Teen Center $4,500 East Tenn Trinity Hope-Haiti $2,500 East Tenn Pregnancy Resource Center $5,000 East Tenn Hunger First $5,000 East Tenn Hand Up for Women $6,000 East Tenn Comfort Dog Ministry $8,000 East Tenn All God s Children $7,500 West Tenn New Beginnings-Children s Needs $5,000 Luth Org Concordia Seminary International $5,000 Luth Org ELECTED OFFICERS Second Vice President- Becky Grese Fourth Vice President - Megan Fosler Recording Secretary - Dee Sobocienski Treasurer - Mary Pruitt Pastoral Counselor - Rev. Bill Ondracka Nominating Committee - Ora Mae Golter (Chairman) Esther Mahken Shari Francisco Appointed 1st. Vice President - Candy Habich East Tenn Zone Middle Ark Zone West Tenn zone Ark River Valley Zone East Tenn Zone Middle Tenn Zone Middle Ark Zone Northeast Ark Zone East Tenn Zone 6
This past month the biannual convention for the LWML Mid-South District was held in Chattanooga and what a fun time it was! I have personally been attending conventions/lwml functions for as long as I can remember with my mother which is a special thing we share. This particular weekend, it was an exciting time to be a young woman as there were seven Young Women s Reps plus one Jr. Representative present. We thoroughly enjoyed playing Mario Kart and eating snacks as well as serving the Lord by passing out waters in the community and sharing the message on Sunday during our closing service. Those of us there truly learned the value of LWML sisterhood and are excited to invite others to join us for functions in our home congregations as well as at the National Convention in 2019. All of the older women at convention are always so encouraging to us as young women and are truly interested in seeing us pursue whatever it is we believe our God-given gift/talent is. Without the encouragement of these women and home and throughout the district, I don t know if I would be taking my leadership in the church as far as I have been able to. All seven of us made it a goal to bring at least one friend and double our group by the next time we see each other. I know we can do it with everyone s support! We re going to need a bigger table in Mobile! See you all there! In Christ, Molly Lowitzer Back in March and April, we had a great outpouring of mites. They more than paid the final mission grants for the 2016-2018 biennium. There was such an excess that we were able to add $5,000 to the 2018-2020 mission grants budget and pay the last two grants from last biennium, Partial Participant Scholarship for Shepherd s Canyon Retreat in Phoenix, AZ and Sharing the Love of Christ with Immigrants in Detention through the Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Service in Baltimore, MD. Those grants were each $2,000. That means that we paid all of the grants on the ballot for the 2016-2018 biennium!!! That was a total of $88,500 paid! God has blessed many through our mite boxes, so let s keep the mites rolling into the next biennium!!! 7
It s time to turn our sites on the new biennium before us. We had a really fabulous convention together in Chattanooga, TN with lots of squeals and hugs, great Bible studies and discussions about Jesus being our ROCK and, thanks to our counselors, the beginnings of a personal rock collection. Seventeen mission grant proposals were on the ballot. Thirteen chosen will be fully funded. One chosen will be partially funded. Our Mites budget for this biennium is $85,000, an increase of $6,000 above 2016-2018. Please examine the chart on the Mid-South LWML website and familiarize yourselves with the projects chosen. Please add them to your prayer list and remember them daily. Think of them as you put coins in your box. Work together on projects to raise extra funds for mites. Get your whole congregation involved in collecting mites! Seven projects, plus the first district financial aid payment, have been requested already. That means that the first thirty-eight thousand two hundred dollars is needed. That s ooooodles of prayers and coins in our boxes. Through Jesus, we all are washed clean and given a fresh start in life every day. How will we use all of our fresh starts? Will we use them to continue our lives as we have lived in the past, or will we, with prayer and praise and a lot of mites, begin to fund these projects? Will we be His hands and feet to help bring Christ to all of the people that these grants will touch? Our answer is a resounding We will with the help of God! So let s get started! Ready, Set, Fill those mite boxes!!! This chart is available on the Mission Grants page of the District s web site. 8
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