PLEASE PRAY:
IN FINLAND, LHF AUTHOR, EDITOR CHARGED WITH HATE SPEECH A Finnish booklet funded by LHF in 2004 has led to charges being brought up against Rev. Dr. Juhana Pohjola (LHF project coordinator) and Dr. Päivi Räsänen, the author. “Male and Female He Created Them” presents the traditional, Biblical Rev. Dr. Juhana Dr. Päivi Räsänen view of marriage and human sexuality. Pohjola After this booklet came to the attention of Finnish prosecutors over a year ago (same-sex marriage was legalized in Finland in 2017), Rev. Pohjola and Dr. Räsänen were accused of “incitement against a group of people” (what Americans might call “hate speech”). If found guilty, they face the possibility of several years in prison and/or fines. (To read the booklet in English, go to www.LHFmissions.org/Publications and search for the title. Click on the PDF icon to view the text.) “We have a long history of Lutheran teaching in our country,” Rev. Pohjola said in a previous interview with LHF. “However, it is extensively forgotten. We continue to work with LHF in order that future generations would know what treasure we have in Lutheran teaching, in which Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end, and a disturbed conscience can find a true peace.” Rev. Pohjola is the bishop-elect of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, a partner church of the LCMS.
Not sure what to do for VBS this year?
LOOK TO THE “RIVER OF LIFE!” Unsure how to provide a VBS experience for your church (or family!) this summer? Look to LHF’s “River of Life” - a completely reproducible VBS program that can be used over and over again in future years! And if you’re not sure whether your congregation can offer VBS this summer, take note of Marian from North Dakota’s great idea: “Dear LHF, Please send River of Life VBS materials to me. I have seven grandkids who will partake in ‘Grandma’s VBS’ at St. Martin Lutheran Church. This one sounds fun! We plan to hold VBS in the park this year, for fresh air away from Covid.” To view a sample of the “River of Life” water-based lessons (Noah, Moses and the Red Sea, Jonah, etc.), go to www.LHFmissions.org/RiverOfLife or call LHF at (800)554-0723. Cost of the total program is only $125! 4
HOLDING UP THE PROPHETS’ HANDS:
JOIN LHF’S SOLA FIDE SOCIETY What better legacy can anyone leave than to share this Good News with God’s children around the world? Including the LHF mission in your estate plans helps to pass on our Lutheran faith to the next generations! A bequest of any size (whether a certain dollar amount or a small percentage of your overall estate) provides important funds for ongoing LHF projects, providing printed Lutheran resources for scores of nations and tongues. It will be your own heritage of faithfulness! “It might not seem like much, but the books we’re able to print with just a one-percent gift provide essential resources for missionaries and church leaders worldwide,” said Jeff Rahn, LHF’s assistant executive director. To join LHF’s Sola Fide Society, or to learn more about the kinds of projects you could help support, contact the LHF office at (800)554-0723.
LUTHERAN HERITAGE FOUNDATION 51474 Romeo Plank Rd. ■ Macomb, MI 48042 1-800-554-0723 ■ info@LHFmissions.org www.LHFmissions.org
LHF “WORD AT WORK” STAFF:
EDITOR: Rev. Dr. Matthew Heise MANAGING EDITOR: Jennifer Bagnall GRAPHIC DESIGN: Jennifer Bagnall “The Word at Work” is the official publication of the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Permission is hereby granted to excerpt from this publication for not-for-profit purposes. The Lutheran Heritage Foundation is a Recognized Service Organization of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces confessional Lutheran materials throughout the world so that people can be brought to Christ. LHF is not subsidized by the LCMS or any other church body. It is entirely supported by individual donations and grants.
