2015 - Lutherans Engage the World - November - December

Lutherans ENGAGE the WORLD

November – December 2015, Vol. 4, Issue 2

888-THE LCMS (843-5267)lcms.org

November – December 2015 vol. 4, no. 2

Lutherans ENGAGE the WORLD

4 Ultrasound Curriculum’s Popularity Grows

7 Clean Wells Provide Water for Life-Giving Baptisms

12 Walking Together in the Wake of Disaster 15 Extending Christ’s Mercy to Refugees

19 Sincere Care & Small Catechism Bolster Hispanic Outreach

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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.

© 2015 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.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

http://www.lcms.org

MERCY FOREVER

“Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36)

MERCIFUL. These words of our Lord Jesus were at the heart of His preaching to the multitude, in the same sermon as the Beatitudes and the instruction to love one’s enemies and do unto others as we’d have them do unto us. Mercy is the common thread that runs through His sermon. It flows from our heavenly Father — who sent His only Son to suffer and die for sinners — through us redeemed sinners to our neighbor in need. MERCY-FULL also is the best way to describe this issue of Lutherans Engage the World! Within these pages, you’ll learn the story — depicted on the cover — of the water of mercy flowing from wells in Africa. You’ll meet a veteran Mercy Medical Team member and read about the trailblazing church planting and ministry in Brownsville, Texas. You’ll also meet the LCMS’ “seven sisters” — deaconesses serving as missionaries in Latin America. In addition, you’ll find a piece on our efforts to care for persecuted Christians and a story about how we are reaching new audiences by teaching the value of life through an innovative curriculum for middle- and high-school students. Mercy comes in many forms: in clean, running water; in the one-on-one care for someone broken by sin and suffering physically because of its consequences; as a group of volunteers visit households around their congregation to inquire about what is needed in the community; when teams travel to the remotest corners of the world to treat people who suffer in body because they have no access to regular medical care. It is a fact that the LCMS is known worldwide for our focus on mercy. It’s who we are — the people of God bearing witness to Christ and carrying His mercy to the world. I thank God for you, dear saint. By your prayers, financial support and active service in the Kingdom, you are part of this merciful life together that we share. Thanks be to God for all of it!

In Christ,Pamela J. NielsenAssociate Executive Director, LCMS Communications

engage

inform 2 Do Not Grow Weary

3 10 Questions

16 Seven Sisters

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involve 10 Three Years of LCMS Grants

21 Building Partnerships: Survey Mailing Generates an Overwhelming Response

S TA F FDavid L. Strand executive director, communicationsPamela J. Nielsen executive editorErica Schwan manager, design services Megan K. Mertz managing editor/staff writerErik M. Lunsford manager, photojournalismLisa Moeller designerAnnie Monette designerChrissy A. Thomas designer

E D I T O R I A L O F F I C E314-996-1215 1333 S. Kirkwood Road St. Louis, MO [email protected]/lutheransengage

Cover image: A child drinks from a new well in Embangweni, Malawi, that was funded by a grant from the LCMS.PHOTO: LCMS COMMUNICATIONS/ERIK M. LUNSFORD

mailto:lutheransengage%40lcms.org?subject=

http://www.lcms.org/lutheransengage

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Gal. 6:9–10)

DO NOT GROW WEARY

Therefore, as we are presented with the “opportunity” (Gal. 6:10) — kairos in the original Greek, meaning the “right moment” or “apt season” — the Spirit’s descriptive prescription is this: By

faith, let’s get to it. Perceive the kairos; don’t be distracted by the chaos. Surely you will see the harvest, for it

is eternal life. “Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart”

(2 Cor. 4:1). “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

… encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Heb. 10:24, 25b).

In recent months, I’ve had the great privilege of making a leap into a new calling, from blessed labor as a parish pastor to service for the church

at-large as LCMS Chief Mission Officer. In this transition, I’ve been repeatedly

awe-struck at examples too numerous to count of fellow saints in every corner of

the globe who are doing “good to everyone.” Turn the following pages, and you’ll get just

a glimpse of what happens when Lutherans Engage the World in kairos and do not grow weary of doing grace-filled works of mercy for their neighbor. For these opportunities, to God alone be the glory!

Looking around at our contemporary culture, it is disturbingly easy for us Christians to become weary. We suffer the exasperation of an unending

stream of bad news; increasing hostility toward the Church; and perplexing, blatant rejections of God’s magnificent goodness. Sometimes it seems as though He has forgotten, or simply doesn’t care, to intervene. Our good works — the splendid fruit of the saving faith given and nurtured in Word and Sacrament — often appear to come to naught. Does such discouragement sound familiar? We think, “What little difference can it make that I love and care for my neighbor, when I am swamped in a worldly tsunami of sewage? Everything is headed for ruin!”

In such moments of angst, we are like little toddlers who have an ever-watchful parent — one who gently prods us to venture forth, no matter how tentative our steps. The Spirit of life has set us free from sin and death (Rom. 8:2); thus, we walk by faith, not by sight. So, “if we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25). We desperately and continually need His work — Jesus Christ crucified for our sins and raised for our justification — preached into our ears and hearts. By grace alone, not by our weary works, we stand righteous before God. Such a precise, powerful Word of encouragement fortifies us against the enemy.

“Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God,

we do not lose heart.” (2 Cor. 4:1)

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In Christ,Rev. Kevin D. RobsonChief Mission Officer, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

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1. What’s it like to serve on a team?It’s a very humbling experience. The

first time, you think you are going to do something to help someone. When you get there, you find that you’re being served. … It’s eye-opening to see that many people learn to adapt without the everyday luxuries that we seem to not be able to get by without. The nice thing about Mercy Medical Teams is you get immersed with the people in the country you are serving.

2. What’s most challenging about the experience?

When you know you are encountering someone with a disease or a situation that could be easily treated in the United States, but you don’t have access to the care that person needs. We have to learn to accept our limitations.

3.Most rewarding?What’s encouraging, even just in

the years I’ve been doing it, is to see the improvements in health care. We started going to areas that never had medical care at all, and now to see clinics available in the countries offering free care for some things is very encouraging. The world is changing for people in [developing] countries.

4.What types of conditions do you tend to see?

No matter where we’re at, we always see parasitic illnesses with diarrhea and nasty wound infections. Also, we see a lot of ringworm and fungal infections. Some of the common things I see in Africa have to

do with hearing loss. That’s from very, very dry ear canals and impacted earwax. … We also see a lot of cataract disease from living out in the sun.

5.Is there a Bible verse that encourages you?

Is. 40:31: “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” When I was 35, I was in an accident and broke my back. The specialist said my future was basically to sit on the couch and eat bonbons. Because I was in horrific pain for several years, I really believed that was my future. But I just decided one day that God didn’t let me live through this to sit on the couch and do nothing. So, I started a rehab program … and had a specialized back surgery that turned my life around.

6. What does being team leader involve?The team leader takes a group of total

strangers and brings them together through a common goal. I get to know the team, their strengths and weaknesses, so I don’t place them in a situation that’s way out of their comfort zone. I make sure they are taking care of themselves.

7. What skills are needed on an MMT?The biggest thing is a volunteer spirit.

If you have that, I can use you in some capacity. We have automated blood pressure cuffs, so I can teach anybody to use that. … We hire local physicians and nurses to round out our team.

8.Who benefits the most?I definitely think the volunteers benefit

immensely. On the trip to Uganda, we had a couple of young children who needed emergency surgery. They didn’t have numbers or papers to be seen, but I went out and walked through the crowds that were waiting. God directed me to find these children in dire need. One had a strangulated hernia that could have led to a perforation and death. We were able to get him surgery the next morning. I think of those little lives that we were able to save so they can have a future. They won’t remember us at all — although their parents hopefully will — but I will remember them.

9. Are there opportunities for evangelism?There are. I have many times been

with patients that I couldn’t do anything for but pray with. We let people know that the Lutheran church cares about them and that their local pastors are there to work with them even after we’re gone.

10.What would you say to someone thinking about joining a team?

Step out in faith. I know people who have been hesitant. But once they’ve done it, they couldn’t wait to do it again.

Megan K. Mertz is managing editor of Lutherans Engage the World and a staff writer for LCMS Communications.

�Learn more: lcms.org/mercyteams

WITH MERCY MEDICAL TEAM LEADER

SHARON THOMASWhen Sharon Thomas goes on vacation, she travels to places that other people usually avoid, like rural Madagascar or earthquake-damaged Haiti. Since 2008, the nurse from Belvidere, Ill., has served on 13 LCMS Mercy Medical Teams (MMT) — and led 11 of those — to provide medical care to underserved people around the globe. In August, Thomas led a team to Uganda, where they treated more than 2,300 patients in just one week.

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LCMS Life Ministry’s free ultrasound curriculum, titled What is This? Looking at Life in the Womb, is being sought after not only within the LCMS but also among non-LCMS faith communities across the country. The curriculum is unique in that it brings ultrasound technology into middle- and high-school classrooms to highlight the sanctity of human life.

Ultrasound Curriculum’s Popularity

Growsby Roger Drinnon

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Interest in the curriculum comes as no surprise. In the last year, Americans have seen the now-viral Center for Medical Progress undercover videos, which graphically show Planned Parenthood’s horrific organ-harvesting practices and its commoditization of organs and tissues taken from aborted babies. “So far, [the curriculum] is being used within the LCMS, the [Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod], the Catholic and Methodist communities, by home-school families and in at least one public school,” said Tracy Quaethem, project coordinator for LCMS Life Ministry, which is part of the Synod’s Office of National Mission (ONM). “The curriculum shows middle- and high-school students in classrooms, youth groups and confirmation classes that even at the smallest stage, human life is created by God and must be protected and defended.” She said as of Sept. 24, 700 copies of the curriculum were sent to requesters, and requests continue to roll in each day.

Origins of the CurriculumQuaethem served as interim director for the ministry after Dr. Maggie Karner, former director of LCMS Life and Health Ministries, was diagnosed with brain cancer in April 2014. Stephanie Neugebauer succeeded Karner as the new director Sept. 21. While working as an ultrasonographer for ThriVe St. Louis, a local pregnancy-resource center, it was Neugebauer who originally approached the LCMS with the idea for the curriculum about two years ago. “The idea for the ultrasound curriculum came to me while a student at the seminary. I was asked to write an appeal to action for fellow leaders in the ministry, and I chose the topic of the unborn and abortion,”

said Neugebauer, who holds a Master of Arts degree in Practical Theology from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. “I decided to take my assignment seriously, and quickly realized this was an actual need for our church body. I contacted [ONM Executive Director] Rev. Bart Day, who in turn put me in touch with Maggie Karner, and the idea quickly became a reality. In less than two years, we were able to produce this ultrasound education curriculum.” Dr. Kathleen Kremer, an assistant professor at Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, Wis., and the Rev. Jonathan Clausing, currently an LCMS missionary to Eastern Africa, were instrumental in developing the curriculum. “For me, science — and actually all of learning — is discovering God’s creation. Designing a curriculum to look at one of God’s most wonderful creations, human beings, was a privilege, an intellectual endeavor and spiritually inspiring,” Kremer said. “Importance was also placed on making this curriculum relevant for the 21st-century learner by utilizing the skill of argumentation — making a claim and then providing the reasoning to either accept or refute that claim using supporting evidence. This evidence is supplied by the six modules as students explore and discover the intricacies of human life, understand its value and [are made to] be in awe of our Creator God.” “Those who assist expecting mothers in pregnancy-resource centers have long known that once a mother sees the image of her baby during an ultrasound, she is far less likely to choose abortion for that baby,” Clausing said. “The curriculum allows middle- and high-school students to have a similar visual experience and to think carefully about what they are seeing, so they will know and be able to articulate intelligently and confidently that each life in the womb is indeed a human life.”

"Designing a curriculum to look at one of God’s most wonderful creations, human beings, was a privilege, an intellectual endeavor and spiritually inspiring."

— Dr. Kathleen Kremer

� A student cradles a fetal model during a Lutherans For Life presentation at Trinity Lutheran School in Bloomington, Ill.


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Additional ResourcesEvery LCMS school that orders the curriculum also will be eligible for a Lutherans For Life (LFL) presentation featuring a set of “fetal models” that show life-size unborn babies at four gestational ages: 12 weeks, 20 weeks, 26 weeks and 30 weeks. Schools may keep the models, which are provided by LFL through its “Owen’s Mission” project and a grant from LCMS Life Ministry. As a tangible visual representation, the fetal models help

students understand the value of each life from the moment of conception. “[Congregations can] work with our teams and chapters to get these materials into every Lutheran school in the U.S., in order to raise awareness and help students and teachers to be Gospel-motivated voices for life,” said Lori Trinche, mission and ministry coordinator with LFL. Quaethem said due to the immense popularity of the curriculum, LCMS Life

The What is This? Looking at Life in the Womb curriculum includes six modules:

� “What Does Human Development Say?” � “What Does the Ultrasound Say?” � “What Does Scientific Reasoning Say?” � “What Does History Say?” � “What Does the Word of God Say?” � “What Do You Say?”

� The Rev. Dr. James Lamb, retiring executive director of Lutherans For Life, holds a fetal model as he leads an Owen’s Mission presentation at Trinity Lutheran School in Bloomington, Ill.

It also includes an eight-and-a-half-minute video of actual ultrasounds of an unborn child videotaped on location at ThriVe St. Louis. Viewers learn about prenatal development — from the first trimester (seeing the heartbeat and movements of the arms and legs), to the second trimester (seeing facial features, eyes opening and closing), to the third

trimester (seeing individual toes and fingers).

In the video, Stephanie Neugebauer says she wishes “everyone knew how powerful a tool ultrasound technology is: It can truly change lives. It can transform hearts. It can change minds. It can save babies.”

To order the free curriculum, email [email protected].

Ministry plans to develop another module for use in elementary classrooms.

Roger Drinnon is manager of Editorial Services for LCMS Communications.

Learn more: � LCMS Life Ministry: lcms.org/life

� Article on Dr. Maggie Karner: blogs.lcms.org/2015/maggie-karner-dies

� Article on Stephanie Neugebauer: blogs.lcms.org/2015/neugebauer-to-succeed-karner

� Photo gallery: lcms.org/photo/trinity-owens-mission

About the Curriculum

12 weeks

Clean Wells Provide Water for Life-Giving Baptisms


mailto:[email protected]

http://www.lcms.org/life

http://blogs.lcms.org/2015/maggie-karner-dies

http://blogs.lcms.org/2015/neugebauer-to-succeed-karner

http://blogs.lcms.org/2015/neugebauer-to-succeed-karner

http://www.lcms.org/photo/trinity-owens-mission

http://www.lcms.org/photo/trinity-owens-mission



“The CLCM is greatly honored to have the LCMS hand in Malawi … [that] above all emphasizes the love, encouragement and advice in the ministry of the Gospel. This is a blessing to us.”

— REV. DAVIS WOWA, EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN OF THE CONFESSIONAL LUTHERAN CHURCH—MALAWI SYNOD

Clean Wells Provide Water for Life-Giving Baptisms

by Erik M. Lunsford

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A long a dusty, hot African desert trail in rural Chingale, Malawi, a man carries a small bowl of water from a

new borehole well up to the nearby Lutheran parish. The church isn’t far — perhaps 50 meters away. He is careful not to spill it among the scattered fields of planted cotton.

The Rev. Davis Wowa, executive chairman of the Confessional Lutheran Church—Malawi Synod (CLCM), leads Sunday worship in the packed Chingale Wisiki parish of about 400 souls. Under his vestments, he wears a bright white suit with a purple shirt and a matching white clerical collar.

The aisle in the church has long since vanished, as crowds recline on the floor. One of five fellow pastors in the synod, the Rev. Stanford Soko, holds the bowl of water for Wowa, who speaks authoritatively and baptizes 32 children and young adults. The water came from a nearby well funded by a recent grant from the LCMS.

Following the service, Wowa introduces the Rev. Shauen Trump, LCMS area director for Eastern and Southern Africa. Trump remarks on the baptismal well water and gives thanks for the congregation’s hospitality. His address is met with cheerful applause.

The well in Chingale is one of two newly built wells, which were made possible by LCMS grants totaling approximately $24,000. This village in southern Malawi sits in the valley of a highland mountain pass,

marked with flimsy wood-plank bridges and rocky roads where travel is hindered by goats and playing children. The second well is located near a parish in Embangweni, a town in the northern part of the country nestled in a forested area of gnarled trees.

Both wells are built near a Lutheran church and are available to the greater community. Before construction, residents

drank from open streams and unreliable water sources infected with water-borne diseases.

Known as “the warm heart of Africa,” the small country of Malawi is home to three tribes: the Lomwe, Tumbuka and Chewa. The country has highland regions with a temperate equatorial climate. Monkeys can be seen crossing the road or trying to snatch breakfast from a hotel café.

The CLCM was formed in 2007 and currently has 11 established congregations and six “exploratory places” in neighboring Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia. Although it is not yet an LCMS partner church, the Malawi church is founded on the Word of God and adheres to the Lutheran Confessions and the Book of Concord. Its pastors are trained with LCMS educational materials in a seminary of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. The

church faces several challenges, including the need for theological education — one of the mission priorities of the LCMS.

In 2013–14, the LCMS funded two church building projects with the Malawi Synod and two projects to distribute maize to starving church and community members. Wowa said almost 1,200 people in seven parishes benefited from the food distribution. He also was thankful for the growing friendship between the two church bodies.

“The CLCM is greatly honored to have the LCMS hand in Malawi … [that] above all emphasizes the love, encouragement and advice in the ministry of the Gospel. This is a blessing to us,” he said.

Donor accountability also is important, according to Wowa. “In all four big projects done with funds from the LCMS to the parishes designated, we have never received any complaints or question about the

▶ Parishioners fill the church before worship.

▶ The Rev. Shauen Trump greets a woman during fellowship.


▶ A child is baptized with water from one of the new wells.



The well in Chingale is one of two newly built wells, which were made possible by LCMS grants totaling

approximately $24,000.

Erik M. Lunsford is manager of Photojournalism for LCMS Communications.

Learn more:▶ Mission work in Africa: lcms.org/africa▶ Photo gallery: lcms.org/photo/malawi-wells

funds since they see the materials bought according to the amount requested from [the] LCMS [Office of International Mission]. We thank God that the four projects have met people’s expectations.”

During a recent trip to Malawi, which included five days of traversing hundreds of miles of rough terrain, Trump traveled with the leadership of the CLCM and fellow LCMS missionary Shara Cunningham. They visited the completed borehole and building projects around the country. Trump also conversed with parishioners, sat in worship services and discussed the challenges of a growing church.

“Wells, famine-relief food, construction projects. These only really — and by ‘really’ I mean eternally — matter when they are connected to the Word of God, to Gospel proclamation and to the church,” Trump said. “Bread feeds the body for a day, but combine that bread with the Word of God in Holy Communion, and it feeds the soul forever. Water revives the body for a few hours, but combine that water with the Word of God, and one of God’s precious creations is reborn from death into eternal life.”

According to Trump, projects between the two church bodies have helped strengthen confessional Lutheranism in the entire region.

“Confessional Lutheran churches in Africa,” Trump said, “are assaulted through Islam, the prosperity gospel, wrath-based African traditional religions and con men

claiming to be spiritual leaders. Standing with our fellow Lutheran brothers and sisters in Africa through church construction projects gives their congregations and leaders instant credibility — they are no ‘briefcase church’ headed by a scam artist but are well-educated and dedicated servants of the Lord, backed by His worldwide Church.

“Compassionate community-benefiting projects like wells or food distribution draw the attention of a community and identify the Lutheran church as a place where there are Christians who love all people,” Trump continued. “Through community-based and community-benefiting projects, the confessional Lutheran church gains a platform and a voice in the community — a voice through which the Gospel can be proclaimed to the glory of God.”

A CLCM pastor pumps water from one of the new wells.


http://www.lcms.org/africa

http://www.lcms.org/photo/malawi-wells



$9,069,321345 GRANTS

$2,738,8482012-2013

$4,380,7352013-2014

$1,949,7382014-2015

$9,069,321

DOMESTICTOTAL

$990,7162012-2013

$2,760,5822013-2014

$2,700,2682014-2015

$6,451,566

INTERNATIONALTOTAL

NATIONAL GRANTS

INTERNATIONAL GRANTS

ALLOCATION OF FUNDSDEVELOPMENT DISASTER


Thanks to the many donations received each year, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is able to provide millions of dollars in grants to support domestic and inter-national work. Development grants are awarded for new initiatives or for ongoing work that will build the capacity of the LCMS and its partners, while disaster grants are made in response to a natural or man-made disaster. On this page, you’ll find information about just a few of the many grants given during the last three years.

Thanks be to God for making all this possible through you!

$531,947CHRIST’S CARE FOR CHILDREN: KENYA For children in boarding school facilities in Kenya. The facilities provide education, lodging and meals, medical care and spiritual care for children who otherwise might not be able to finish elementary school. In coordination with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya.

KENYA

$528,400 TYPHOON HAIYAN RECOVERY IN THE PHILIPPINES To meet immediate and long-term needs, including spiritual care and rebuilding homes and livelihoods, following the November 2013 typhoon. In coordination with the Lutheran Church in the Philippines.

PHILIPPINES

$97,473HOPE FAMILY COUNSELING CENTER IN RUSSIA For Lutheran pro-life counseling, job-skills training and Gospel outreach programs in St. Petersburg, Russia. In coordination with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria in Russia.

ST. PETERSBURG,RUSSIA

DECATUR, GA

$15,600PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCHFor a program to teach entrepreneurship and life skills to young people in the Atlanta area.

NORTHEAST

$3,113,186SUPERSTORM SANDY RECOVERYTo meet immediate and long-term needs following Superstorm Sandy in October 2012, as well as funding for a new outreach center in Far Rockaway, N.Y.

MOBILE, AL

$3,275TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH AND SCHOOLFor Christ-centered health and wellness programming for children at Trinity Lutheran School and families in the community.

THREE YEARS OF LCMS GRANTS

SUPPORT THE SYNOD'S WORK AT HOME AND ABROAD BY VISITING LCMS.ORG/GIVENOW.

$6,451,566302 GRANTS

YOU CAN HELP!

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$9,069,321345 GRANTS

$2,738,8482012-2013

$4,380,7352013-2014

$1,949,7382014-2015

$9,069,321

DOMESTICTOTAL

$990,7162012-2013

$2,760,5822013-2014

$2,700,2682014-2015

$6,451,566

INTERNATIONALTOTAL

NATIONAL GRANTS

INTERNATIONAL GRANTS



Thanks to the many donations received each year, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is able to provide millions of dollars in grants to support domestic and inter-national work. Development grants are awarded for new initiatives or for ongoing work that will build the capacity of the LCMS and its partners, while disaster grants are made in response to a natural or man-made disaster. On this page, you’ll find information about just a few of the many grants given during the last three years.

Thanks be to God for making all this possible through you!

$531,947CHRIST’S CARE FOR CHILDREN: KENYA For children in boarding school facilities in Kenya. The facilities provide education, lodging and meals, medical care and spiritual care for children who otherwise might not be able to finish elementary school. In coordination with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya.

KENYA

$528,400 TYPHOON HAIYAN RECOVERY IN THE PHILIPPINES To meet immediate and long-term needs, including spiritual care and rebuilding homes and livelihoods, following the November 2013 typhoon. In coordination with the Lutheran Church in the Philippines.

PHILIPPINES

$97,473HOPE FAMILY COUNSELING CENTER IN RUSSIA For Lutheran pro-life counseling, job-skills training and Gospel outreach programs in St. Petersburg, Russia. In coordination with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria in Russia.

ST. PETERSBURG,RUSSIA

DECATUR, GA

$15,600PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCHFor a program to teach entrepreneurship and life skills to young people in the Atlanta area.

NORTHEAST

$3,113,186SUPERSTORM SANDY RECOVERYTo meet immediate and long-term needs following Superstorm Sandy in October 2012, as well as funding for a new outreach center in Far Rockaway, N.Y.

MOBILE, AL

$3,275TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH AND SCHOOLFor Christ-centered health and wellness programming for children at Trinity Lutheran School and families in the community.

THREE YEARS OF LCMS GRANTS

SUPPORT THE SYNOD'S WORK AT HOME AND ABROAD BY VISITING LCMS.ORG/GIVENOW.

$6,451,566302 GRANTS

YOU CAN HELP!

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WALKING TOGETHER

in the Wake of Disasterby Megan K. Mertz




LCMS districts and individual members — in coordination with the Synod’s Disaster Response ministry — bring the love and mercy of Christ to those who are hurting. But unlike organizations that come and go, the LCMS walks with them for the long haul.

In South DakotaThe Rev. C. Brian Bucklew, pastor of a dual parish in rural South Dakota, was on vacation with his family on May 10 when he got a call that turned his life upside down. “A tornado hit Delmont. The church and parsonage are gone,” said one of his trustees from Zion Lutheran Church, Delmont, S.D. During the next hours and days, Bucklew waited anxiously for updates about his congregation and its members. He learned that 13 Sunday school children had been in the church basement making Mother’s Day cards when the EF2 tornado hit. They escaped unharmed and even helped free a member from the rubble of her collapsed home across the street. The homes of five Zion families were severely damaged, and his own home in Zion’s parsonage was destroyed. But “God’s providence and protection is amazing,” he said, because no one was killed. Bucklew arrived in Delmont two days later, and he said he and his wife can still vividly recall the “haunting” crunching of broken glass under their feet as they surveyed the damage. The roof of his

100-plus-year-old church building was gone, and the sanctuary was filled with toppled bricks and other debris. But even in the midst of great devastation, Bucklew says he also found great comfort. Even before Bucklew was able to return to Delmont, the Rev. Ross Johnson, director of LCMS Disaster Response, had arrived on the scene to assess the situation and pray with devastated residents. The Rev. Scott Spiehs, LCMS South Dakota District disaster-response coordinator, and District President Rev. Scott Sailer also came alongside Bucklew to pray with him, encourage him and give practical advice about starting the recovery process. “The Synod and Pastor Spiehs helped us walk that first week, helped us think about a temporary rebuilding,” Bucklew recalled. LCMS Disaster Response and the district set up a fund for donations for Zion. Even so, Bucklew was inundated with work teams, donations, cards and other items from people all over the country. Even months later, he said he was still getting calls every day. “It’s great to be reminded that you are part of the whole Body of Christ,” he said. “We’re not alone in this at all.” Until the church is rebuilt, Zion members have been attending Sunday morning services at Bucklew’s second

omes suddenly ravaged, people injured, possessions destroyed — those who have experienced a disaster often call the

situation “surreal.” Yet, that’s also when many victims realize help is available. The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod comes alongside them during these times of tragedy to provide Gospel-centered care for both body and soul. In fact, the word Synod means “walking together” in Greek, and nowhere is this more evident than in the wake of a disaster.

� The Rev. C. Brian Bucklew, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, prays with Lori Bueber in Delmont, S.D., following a May 10 tornado that swept through the area.


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parish, Emmaus Lutheran Church in Tripp, S.D., just 13 miles away. “Like any congregation, we had our fights over stuff that was really not that important — sometimes even over that building,” Bucklew said. “But in that first week, I saw a beautiful unity in the Body of Christ in all those parishioners. They worked so hard and with so much unity to get hymnals out, Bibles out … . It was encouraging to remember that it wasn’t the building that kept us together. As beautiful and wonderful a gift as that was, it was Christ, and He’s going to keep us together with His Word and Sacrament.” Although Bucklew expects rebuilding to take at least another year, recovery was well underway by September. New concrete had been poured in the parsonage, and Zion members were reviewing plans for a new church building. Bucklew was even able to re-establish a presence in the community by setting up a temporary office in a customized trailer provided by LCMS Disaster Response. “I’ve had some people [in Delmont] tell me that they’ve been meaning to come back to church,” Bucklew said, “to which we say, ‘We’re not going anywhere. We’d love to see you.’”

In IllinoisAlthough Stephen Born has never lived through a natural disaster, he has become something of an expert on responding to

them. In the last two years, the Springfield, Ill., resident has helped with recovery following four tornadoes and a flood. Born, who has a degree in mortuary science and is a certified grief counselor, volunteers as regional disaster-response coordinator for the LCMS Central Illinois District (CID). In this capacity, he trains and helps lead more than 400 LCMS members who are part of the district’s Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT), a program of LCMS Disaster Response that equips individuals around the country to provide Christian care in times of disaster. “You can be too young [to join LERT], but you can never be too old,” Born said. LERT members serve in many different ways following a disaster. In addition to cleaning up debris, they serve food to volunteers and residents, work at the registration desk and man the first-aid station. LERT members also provide a listening ear to distraught residents — a simple, yet important service that Born has discovered is needed in all disasters. “Sometimes they want to talk, but most of the time they just want you to be there,” he said. “They just want to feel like they’re not alone.” In the CID, disaster response is very much a team effort. Born coordinates with the district and LCMS Disaster Response to determine what is needed for support and recovery in the aftermath of each disaster.

“They guide us and lead us so we’re more efficient,” he said. “We could not do what we do without their support.” Less than three months after the district’s first 28 LERT members were trained in 2013, the CID sent the team to Washington, Ill., to respond in the aftermath of a Nov. 17 tornado. “I drove to Washington as the regional coordinator, but when I arrived I immediately became a grief counselor,” Born said. “I went to the shelter, and over 300 people were there. They had nothing. They were barefoot. Some still had glass in their feet. I was pulled in all different directions. All I did for hours was talk with families.” The team continued to return to the town every Saturday for eight months. This past August, Born saw some of the fruit of that long-term work in Washington. During a LERT training event that took place on the two-year anniversary of the tornado, a woman from the town came up to him. “I just want to let you know the reason I joined [LERT],” she said to Born. “You guys had a huge impact on my family and in my community. … I saw this LERT training, so I joined Our Savior [Lutheran Church]. Now I want to be a part of that.”

Learn more: � LCMS Disaster Response: lcms.org/disaster

� Photo galleries: lcms.org/photo/zion-south-dakota-tornado and lcms.org/photo/midwest-tornadoes-2013

“It’s great to be reminded that you are part of the whole Body of Christ.

We’re not alone in this at all.”

— Rev. C. Brian Bucklew


http://lcms.org/disaster

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Support from the U.S.In response to the global refugee crisis, the LCMS embarked on a mercy and human-care effort, which was announced Sept. 20.

“The need is real. The opportunity is evident. The Lord’s mandate is clear, ‘Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful’” (Luke 6:36), said LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison. “The Gospel empowers us: ‘For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich’” (2 Cor. 8:9).

After consultation with the SELK and LCMS missionary staff in Europe, the Synod established a restricted-use fund to receive donations from those who are compelled by the situation to offer financial help and who want assurance that their donations will be used exclusively for this kind of LCMS mercy ministry and human-care effort.

“Given the magnitude and implications of these world events, we see this as a long-term body-and-soul ministry opportunity,” said the Rev. John Fale, executive director of the LCMS Office of International Mission. “Our Lord’s mercy is ‘blind mercy,’ loving our neighbor as we serve Christians and non-Christians with the Gospel and merciful acts of love. We want to extend Christ’s mercy and reach out with the comfort of the Gospel to all who are in need by enabling our SELK and other partners as best we can.”

Learn more:▶ Read about the SELK’s ministry to

Muslims: blogs.lcms.org/2014/former-muslims-baptized

▶ Make a gift: lcms.org/givenow/ccpd

Ongoing violence in the Middle East has led to a mass exodus of refugees — an estimated 4

million people have been forced to leave their homes in Syria alone. Others have fled Iran, Afghanistan and other Middle Eastern countries due to persecution by militant groups like the Islamic State.

Opportunities in GermanyHundreds of thousands of refugees are streaming into Europe, and many of these asylum-seekers are looking for sanctuary in Germany.

The Selbständige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche (SELK), the Synod’s partner church in Germany, has been caring for refugees for some time now, and one of its congregations recently garnered international media attention for its ministry of mercy and spiritual care through the Gospel.

“We have about 860 members; more than 600 of them are former Muslims who have become Christians during the last [few] years,” said the Rev. Dr. Gottfried Martens, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Berlin-Steglitz. “About 100 more people from Iran and Afghanistan are in the process of preparation in order to receive Holy Baptism during the next couple of months.”

Martens said as the ministry grows, it also brings some logistical challenges, especially in providing for the physical needs of the refugees.

“We have to provide food and everything which is needed for living for asylum-seekers whose asylum process has not started yet and for those who live here in our church hall, so that they cannot be deported,” he said.

Extending Christ’s Mercy to Refugees by Roger Drinnon

After consultation with SELK

leaders and LCMS missionary

staff in Europe, the Synod has

established a restricted-use

fund for donations for those

compelled to help with LCMS

mercy ministry and human-

care efforts exclusively

pertaining to the global

refugee crisis.

The Rev. Hugo Gevers prays for Eizadi Shahriyar during a Farsi and German Baptismal Rite, held July 27, 2014, at St. Trinitatisgemeinde (Holy Trinity Lutheran Church) in Leipzig, Germany. Shahriyar continues to be an active member of the congregation. (ST. TRINITATISGEMEINDE)


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Seven Sisters

Deaconess Rachel Powell walks with children in a Palm Sunday service in Palmar Arriba, Dominican Republic.

by Adriane Heins

Hear and Respond“God instituted the pastoral office to feed and sustain the Church,” explains Deaconess Rosie Adle, an online instructor for the distance deaconess program at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind. “As Christ is loving us and forgiving us through the pastors tending to the Word and Sacraments, we, His Bride, are fueled for a purpose. The deaconess is trained to understand this in a special way.”

It means that each of these deaconesses (from the Greek word for “servant”), many of whom received graduate-level theological training from that seminary, “is equipped to hear and respond to the needs of her neighbors in the congregation

and in the community,” Adle explains. “She is also prepared to encourage all of the baptized to care for others from the fullness of God’s grace.”

That ability makes deaconesses instrumental on the mission field, where a desire to hear the Gospel often goes hand-in-hand with caring for a physical need.

“Just as Mary brought Jesus into the world caring for Him, nurturing Him, loving Him, so also Mary stood at the foot of the cross, looking to Him as her Savior and trusting in Him,” says the Rev. Ted Krey, regional director for LCMS mission work in Latin America. “So deaconesses today nurture, care and bring others to Jesus, all

the while themselves, like Mary, steadfastly fixing their eyes on Jesus.”

Deaconesses are, he believes, “integral in the work of mercy, bringing others to Jesus … whether it’s people with disabilities,the elderly, sick, children. They care and show compassion, just as our Lord does throughout the Gospels.”

It’s why there are seven serving as missionaries in this region alone.

A Historic ShiftTheir service in Latin America, and specifically to those in need of Christ’s care, comes at a fitting time.

“Today, another historic shift is occurring. Christianity is shifting away from the Global North (primarily Europe and North America) to the Global South (Africa, Asia and Latin America),” notes LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison.

So, who are they? And what work is the Lord causing them to do at this unique time and place?

Caitlin Worden lives in Lima, Peru, and directs Castillo Fuerte (A Mighty Fortress Mercy House), where underprivileged children learn about Jesus. Cherie Auger,

People know the name “the Seven Sisters.” That little phrase often refers to the chalk cliffs in Ireland or the cluster of stars called the Pleiades. But in Latin America, seven women have found that they are sisters in Christ, bound together by a common confession of faith in Jesus and humble service to those around them.

This time, it’s not because of a geographic location or the ordering of the stars. It’s because all seven are deaconesses.


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p Deaconesses Christel Neuendorf (left) and Rachel Powell (right) talk with a girl during a monthly Sunday school-type event for kids with disabilities in Licey, Dominican Republic.

p Gail Ludvigson is installed as deaconess to the Dominican Republic.

along with her husband, the Rev. Edward Auger, guides diaconal formation and mission efforts in Nicaragua.

The other five reside in the Dominican Republic. Gail Ludvigson is writing curriculum for Latin American diaconal-training programs. Rachel Powell identifies mercy needs in the community while teaching and encouraging Dominican deaconess students.

Christel Neuendorf serves as missionary care provider for Latin America, overseeing the mental, physical and spiritual care of the missionaries in the area. Danelle Putnam works in the church in Santo Domingo and also cares for disabled children living in a group home in Santiago. Kathryn Ziegler makes diaconal visits and assists with training Dominican deaconesses for service in their own church.

Their service is varied and unique to their God-given gifts and talents.

Yet Auger is quick to note, “A deaconess is not defined by what she does but who she is. A deaconess is a Christian born in Baptism, enriched by the Word, fed at the altar and called to serve using her God-

given talents.” It’s a fact the seven women remind each

other of regularly. “I know that although we serve the Lord’s people in a variety of capacities and in distinct cultural contexts, we have been called and equipped by the same Holy Spirit,” Powell says. “There is a sense of support in serving with sisters who experience similar joys and struggles on the foreign mission field.”

‘Let’s Go to Them’“The deaconess does not pick up the slack of the pastor but of the parish,” Adle says. “Through word and deed, she says to all who are fed, ‘Come on, everyone. We have so much! Let’s notice those who lack, and let’s go to them. We can give food to the hungry. We can visit the lonely. We can pray for those who suffer. Let’s share Christ’s great love with all, as He is ever filling us.’”

Krey watches the seven deaconesses in Latin America do just that … and on a routine basis. The “deaconesses are quick to bring [hurting people] to the pastors, who give them the saving Word of Jesus, forgive sins, administer the Lord’s Supper,” he observes. “It is essential that we have

these women who work with us in building churches, establishing mercy houses, making visits, caring for the lost — and also the household of faith — in body and soul.”

It doesn’t mean their service is easy. Mission work combined with deaconess formation has taught Ziegler an important lesson.

“I am just as broken as the people I serve,” she admits. “I learned that it is all talk until you yourself — in all humility —

+ LCMS deaconesses are women who are professional church workers, trained to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ through a ministry of works of mercy, spiritual care and teaching the Christian faith.

+ Phoebe, named in Rom. 16:1–2, was a helper to Paul and others. She often is considered the first deaconess.

+ Women can receive undergraduate deaconess training at Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, Ill., and graduate-level training at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.


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Deaconess Cherie Auger talks with deaconess students before their January 2015 graduation service in Chinandega, Nicaragua.

p Deaconess Katie Ziegler in Las Americas/Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

p Deaconess Danelle Putnam works with moms and children at an Amigos de Jesus event in Licey/Santiago, Dominican Republic.

t Deaconess Caitlin Worden spends time with children from Castillo Fuerte while on a field trip to the zoo.

THE DEACONESS MOTTO

What is my want? I want to serve.Whom do I want to serve?The Lord in His wretched ones and His poor.And what is my reward?I serve neither for reward nor thanksbut out of gratitude and love.My reward is that I am permitted to serve.And if I perish in this service?“If I perish, I perish,” said Queen Esther.I would perish for Him who gave Himself for me.But He will not let me perish.And if I grow old in this service?Then shall my heart be renewed as a palm tree.And the Lord shall satisfy me with grace and mercy.I go my way in peacecasting all my care upon Him.

must fully lean on the blood of Christ.”But while the location and face of

Christianity may be shifting and changing, the seven sisters in Christ remain confident, sure in the promises of their Savior who was Himself quick to show mercy to His hurting children.

Indeed, “the changing face of global Christianity is not to be feared but to be embraced in the confident hope that our Lord will work a blessing from it both for the Church and the world, as people hear the Gospel of Jesus,” Harrison encourages.

And as He does, seven women will continue to serve Him and their neighbors in countries down south, knowing “that we all have a mutual goal, and that it takes many shapes, sizes and walks of life to continue down that path,” Ziegler says, “but it only takes one headship, one Lord and one Savior of all.”

Adriane Heins is managing editor of The Lutheran Witness and editor of Catechetical Information for LCMS Communications.

▶ Learn more: lcms.org/latinamerica


http://www.lcms.org/latinamerica



Sincere Care & Small Catechism

Bolster Hispanic Outreachby Roger Drinnon

Hispanics “are ready to become Lutheran Christians, but we have to be there for them,” he says. “They’re not interested in what you know until they know you care.”

Hernandez says the mission field appears ripe for the harvest. Many Hispanics abandoned Catholicism in recent years for more contemporary churches, yet now they find themselves longing for the true Word of God and the Sacraments.

“When our trained people knock on doors — we call them ‘residential interviews’ — asking residents to share what, in their opinion, are the most critical, unmet or underserved needs in their neighborhood, after some time conversing, they become comfortable. They also become curious,” Hernandez says. “When the Holy Spirit moves them to ask about what we believe, we pull out a copy of Luther’s Small Catechism and go straight to Luther’s explanation of the Second Article on redemption. Then, they ask if they can

have one copy … two? OK, three!”One notable effort in Hispanic

Ministry involves the ONM’s “Mission Field: USA” initiative for church planting, as the Synod looks to establish a church in Brownsville, Texas.

“This Hispanic church plant will have one of several domestic ‘Network-Supported Missionaries’” (NSMs), Hernandez says. “The goal is to plant a bilingual congregation in North Brownsville and a campus ministry at the University of Texas at Brownsville, while also continuing Spanish services at historic El Calvario Lutheran Church in downtown Brownsville, on the U.S.-Mexico border.”

Hernandez says NSM candidates are currently being considered in consultation with the Texas District.

“Launching two new ministries out of El Calvario Lutheran Church will be a great blessing to the wonderful people of El Calvario, its neighborhood and the

greater Brownsville community,” says the Rev. Michael Newman, a mission and ministry facilitator for the Texas District. “We’re praying that through our partnership with the LCMS in Brownsville, many people will receive Christ’s love, come to know Jesus as their Savior and be activated in mission for Him.”

“Brownsville will be a pilot project for Mission Field: USA. It is an excellent location, as it is like a modern-day Ephesus, a port city that is a gateway into Mexico and Latin America,” says the Rev. Steve Schave, the ONM’s director of both Church Planting and Urban & Inner-City Mission.

“There are great human-care needs to serve the poor, campus ministry with a primarily Hispanic student body, and it is a burgeoning area on the Mexican border with growing medical and technology industries there,” Schave says. “By the grace of God, we will be sending a domestic missionary to plant a new church, start a campus ministry and to use mercy houses on campus for human care. This will be a place where people can bring mission teams to come and serve, and [we] pray for support of this initiative in a new era of LCMS missions.”

� Learn more: lcms.org/hispanicministry

“You gotta go out and knock on doors,” says the Rev. Dr. Carlos Hernandez, whose many responsibilities include leading the Synod’s Hispanic Ministry and serving as director of Church and Community Engagement for the LCMS Office of National Mission (ONM). Door-knocking by those he helped train for outreach has an increasing number of folks asking, “Que creen los Luteranos?” — or “What do Lutherans believe?”

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LCMS WORLD RELIEF AND HUMAN CARE

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Considering home schooling? Want to know why, what & how to do it?

For parents and teachers, no greater task awaits than to give children sound Christian teaching for this life and the life to come.Look for this new Lutheran home-school resource on Amazon.com.

WALK THE TALK!MARCH FOR LIFE WITH THE LCMS

March for LifeJan. 22, 2016 • Washington, D.C.A Divine Service will be held Jan. 22 at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1801 Russell Road, Alexandria, Va., at 9 a.m. Participants will then ride the Metro to the Washington, D.C., march.

Walk for Life West CoastJan. 23, 2016 • San FranciscoGather around the white-and-purple LCMS Life Ministry banner at Civic Center Plaza beginning at 11 a.m. After the rally concludes at 1:30 p.m., attendees will walk the route together to Justin Herman Plaza.

Email [email protected] for more information.

YOUR FIRST

SOURCE for LCMS insight and perspective

Our new LCMS Leader Blog is now online and is the place to get the inside track on happenings in our Synod — straight from your national and international leaders.

lcms.org/leaderblog

COMING SOON!


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by Mark Hofman

Pardon the quality of this photo, but I wanted you to see it. I took it on the spur of the moment using my mobile phone, and it inspired me to write this article.

BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS

� (From left) LCMS Mission Advancement employees Brianne Gerzevske, Jill Eggemeyer and Leah Sieveking work their way through completed surveys.

survey that was returned to us, examining each one and determining what actions should be taken. Some friends asked for prayers. Some reported address or phone number changes. Some told us a person had passed away. A few expressed specific frustrations that we must work to resolve. Some said, “Keep doing what you are doing!” Surprisingly, some envelopes even included an offering for the work of the LCMS. Every survey was a gift to us — a gift of very important information about the person or couple who returned it. That information will be appropriately incorporated into our records so we know how to better care for each friend. When that’s done, the surveys will be securely shredded into tiny pieces and recycled.

Do you see the envelopes in the middle of the various stacks of surveys? Some had first-class stamps affixed to them. We take those to our local U.S. post office, which will issue a credit for postage to us since the envelopes mailed out were pre-paid. Each of those envelopes represents a $0.49 “gift” to our Synod, and those envelopes add up! The photo shows one day’s worth of surveys. We estimate we have four to six weeks’ worth of these to go through. Building partnerships — and building friendships — is so vitally important to our team because Mission Advancement is not about getting money. It is very much about working with and alongside God’s stewards all over the United States. If you took the time to complete and return the survey, thank you. I pray this little report to you, as God’s steward, has helped you see how the LCMS also tries to be a steward of His many blessings.

Mark Hofman, CFRE, MBA, is the executive director of LCMS Mission Advancement.

Survey Mailing Generates an Overwhelming Response

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Late this summer, we mailed a survey to individuals and families all over the country, asking for help in getting to know them better. It was a fairly simple survey that had just three questions and a request to confirm the information we have regarding names, mailing addresses, phone numbers, preferred email addresses and congregational membership. Perhaps you received one. Perhaps you’ve filled out and returned similar surveys. Have you, like me, ever wondered if anything is really done with those? In the photo, you see Brianne Gerzevske, Jill Eggemeyer and Leah Sieveking, three wonderful young ladies from LCMS Mission Advancement who came to me with the idea for this project. They are going through every


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STEWARD'S|CORNER



This magazine was developed for you, as one who has supported the Witness, Mercy, Life Together work of the LCMS with your time and/or financial gifts. Whether your efforts and gifts were for disaster relief, a specific ministry or an individual missionary, you are a vital part of the Synod’s work around the world. The stories found in these pages are about how YOU are making a difference and changing lives with the Gospel and Christ’s mercy. Lutherans Engage the World is our effort to keep you informed about the difference you are making in the world and to say THANK YOU for all you do.

THE WORK HASN'T CHANGEDMercy is at the heart of everything we do.

Witness Always. MERCY FOREVER. Life Together.

on the mission fieldwhen disaster strikes

upholding lifeon college campusesin caring for refugees

as we revitalize churches

in urban centers and rural settingswhen we plant

churchesin caring for church workers

in Hospitals and Residential Facilities

as we worshipin our witness and outreach

with our young people

with the armed forcesin our schools

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Burlington, WIPermit No. 12

2015 - Lutherans Engage the World - November - December

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