Books for Pastors cont. from page 1
WOMEN AWARD LHF $100,000 MISSION GRANT Thanks to a mission grant from the national Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML), more than 20,000 families worldwide will receive catechisms and Bible storybooks translated into their own languages by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. The $100,000 grant was awarded at the June LWML National Convention, held in Albuquerque, New Mexico. “Proverbs tells us, ‘Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not depart from it,’” said LHF Executive Director Matthew Heise. “We’re confident that the Holy Spirit will work powerfully to call His children to faith through the LHF books these funds will provide.”
GAN: REN AROUND THE WORLD When you adopt this project with your students’ mission offerings, be sure to request a “Continuing What Luther Began” classroom resource kit from LHF. Each kit includes: ■ A 6-minute DVD about the Reformation, and why people around the world still need good Lutheran books in their languages! ■ A short devotion and prayers to share with your students ■ A reproducible take-home flyer for parents ■ A packet of Reformation-themed classroom activities for your students, including arts and crafts, games, easy recipes for snacks from around the world, and more ■ A bulletin board display featuring photos of children around the world receiving LHF Bible storybooks To request your free “Continuing What Luther Began” kit, email LHF at info@LHFmissions.org or call (800)554-0723.
like Benin and the Republic of Congo, where finding clean water and food must take priority, books are an impossible luxury. “Many of our students will not be paid at all when they go back to the parish to be ordained,” Rev. Gaugert said. “They will have to work their own fields or another job alongside their pastoral duties to survive.” The same is true in French-speaking Haiti, where Rev. Eliona Bernard, president of Concordia Theological Seminary of Haiti, is greatly anticipating their shipment of theological books. “It is not a secret, but it is a shame that Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere,” Rev. Bernard shared. Most Haitian Lutheran churches are not able to provide stipends for their pastors, who must grow gardens for their families’ food. “We need these books because they are the main ones we use in BiFifteen men from the Evangelical ble study, in our seminary Lutheran Church of Haiti were ordained on June 25. Each new and for training church pastor will receive five new leaders,” Rev. Bernard French-language theology books from LHF. said. “Before, our pastors did not have these books, but with the new ones LHF is sending, each pastor will have one for his personal study, and we will have some available at the seminary.” The Lutheran Church in Haiti has already seen the benefit of having simpler books like LHF’s French Small Catechism available for their members. “One of the challenges of the Lutheran Church in Haiti is infant baptism. It takes time for someone who grows up in the Baptist Church or Church of God to accept infant baptism,” he explained. “But fortunately we have an important document to face this challenge: the Small Catechism. We give thanks to God that most of our members now have a copy of this book that we love so much and is so easy to understand.” Planning a short-term mission trip to Haiti or other regions soon? Bring along LHF books to give away! Search the LHF Publications Database: www.LHFmissions.org/publications. 3
