2013 - Lutherans Engage the World — January-February

Lutherans ENGAGE the WORLD

January – February 2013, Vol. 1, Issue 3

LIFE

Lutherans

ENGAGE the WORLD January – February 2013

vol. 1 no. 3

inspire

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Rescue Gives New Life to Those “Inbetween”

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Disastergram: Superstorm Sandy

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Planting Seeds of Life LCMS Snapshots Life Together

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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. © 2013 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. 1-888-THE-LCMS (843-5267) www.lcms.org

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001

by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

inform

engage Life!

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Upholding Life at Home and Abroad 10 Questions ommunication Efforts Get the Word Out C to the World National Mercy Grant International Mercy Grant Our Work in the World: Home and Abroad

involve

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+ Pray + Serve + Participate + Listen + Learn + Invest

S TA F F Mark D. Hofman David L. Strand James H. Heine Pamela J. Nielsen Mark R. Bacon Megan K. Mertz Laura J. Seaman Carolyn A. Niehoff Chrissy A. Thomas

executive director, mission advancement executive director, communications executive editor managing editor manager of design services staff writer staff writer designer designer

LIFE! What a great theme in this season of Epiphany as the Church focuses on Christ and the hope and forgiveness He came to bring. The Church’s song this time of year is also filled with the brightness of Christ, the Light of Life.

Alleluia! Christ the living, To us giving Life forever, Keeps us Yours and fails us never! (LSB 395) And yet, in this broken world, life is often lived on the edge, in peril. We live in a culture of death where life has little or no value. Where does the Gospel fit in such a world? How do we, the people of God living as the Church, make a difference in this dark world?

This issue of Lutherans Engage the World shines a spotlight on efforts by the LCMS Office of National Mission — and the congregations, districts and Recognized Service Organizations it partners with across the Synod — to show mercy to those who are suffering, to bring the light of Christ to those who sit in darkness.

Human trafficking, maternity homes, physical and mental infirmities and victims of natural disaster are just some of the life themes we tackle in this latest issue. The stories are compelling and the Church’s involvement profound.

I’d like to highlight my colleagues, Mark Bacon, manager of graphic design, and photojournalist Al Dowbnia, director of digital media productions, who bring words to life with image, design and color. It is a privilege to work with such gifted people who are passionate about their craft. The visual contrasts in this issue are stunning.

We, who have been ransomed by Christ Jesus, live in a world of contrasts: darkness and light, life and death, sin and salvation. In the midst of this, we join with the writer of the ancient Latin hymn: Abide with us, O Lord, we pray; the gloom of darkness chase away; Your work of healing, Lord, begin, And take away the stain of sin. (LSB 401) I pray this latest issue of Lutherans Engage the World gives voice to the wondrous ways God is using you, His Church, to do just that – engage the world!

Pamela J. Nielsen Managing Editor

E d i t o r i a l Off i ce 314-996-1215 1333 S. Kirkwood Road St. Louis, MO 63122-7295 lutheransengage@lcms.org www.lcms.org/lutheransengage

Lutherans ENGAGE the WORLD

January-February 2013, Vol. 1, Issue 3

LIFE

Cover image: The LCMS seeks to share the love of Christ with people from all walks of life.

Credit: ISTOCK

Upholding Life at Home and Abroad

by Megan K. Mertz

“This is a critical area of mercy outreach for Christians,” said Maggie Karner, director of LCMS Life and Health Ministries.

“In His work here on earth, Christ showed us how He values all life in a very hands-on way. The Church must do the same . . . not just by our words,

Centre opened near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in August 2010.

Abortion is illegal in this predominantly Muslim country, but “baby dumping” — where a woman abandons her baby — has become a significant social problem.

“The Malaysian church

istock

but by our actions as well.”

Karner continued: “We work closely with our international church partners to promote prolife education and mercy assistance projects around the world and here in the States as well.”

LCMS Life Ministries spearheaded the establishment of the first Lutheran pregnancy resource center in Asia, which is one of the many pro-life projects the LCMS supports around the globe. The Women’s Care and Counseling

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January–February 2013

Office of National Mission

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y conservative estimates, every year 52 million unborn babies are aborted worldwide. In the United States alone, more than 1 million abortions are performed annually, which is equivalent to the metropolitan population of Rochester, N.Y. To raise awareness about the sanctity of human life, LCMS Life Ministries provides pro-life education and real-world assistance that helps people choose the blessing of life.

Life Ministries

Annual Investment: $210,038 wanted to help women find solutions to the issues causing the crisis,” said Karner, “LCMS Life Ministries provided the guidance and support that allowed the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia to open this pro-life counseling center for women experiencing unplanned pregnancies.

We worked closely with them to train staff and volunteers for center operations, along with developing community networks for women’s health care and housing.

The efforts were aimed at finding local solutions to the critical problems found in their indigenous area.”

In addition to delivering programs that provide real solutions to some of the world’s most marginalized people, LCMS Life Ministries offers free pro-life educational

resources through the online Life Library (www. lcms.org/lifelibrary), organizational mentoring and assistance programs for Lutheran pro-life ministries, a dynamic speakers bureau with chastity education for youth, and partnerships with other national and international pro-life organizations. This year, in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, LCMS Life Ministries organized the first-ever LCMS National Life Conference in Washington, D.C., to encourage ongoing prolife activity in the public square.

Learn more about how the LCMS upholds life at home and abroad at www.lcms.org/life. Your gift to the Global Mission Fund will help ensure that these efforts continue.

10 Questions with Chaplain Jeffrey McPike

by Megan K. Mertz

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or I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38–39).

As chaplain at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Ill., Rev. Jeffrey McPike shares the love of God in Christ on a daily basis with people who often feel separated from God because of their medical condition.

He provides spiritual care for patients in the surgical intensive care unit, the inpatient rehabilitation unit and a 45-bed surgical floor — some 80 beds in all.

end-of-life decisions?

Churches need to be willing to provide good information and have discussions about what seeking health care really means from a theological perspective. It’s never easy to talk about topics like organ donation or living wills, but it’s easier to talk about in your living room or at church than when sitting in an emergency room.

6. What issues do you run into in regard to end-of-life matters?

There is a scientific notion that we should keep life functions going at all costs. But there are realistic limits. We need to get better at recognizing the limits of medicine in end-of-life discussions.

7. What’s the most

rewarding part of your job?

When I have the opportunity to share God’s grace with someone. Some of the confessions I have absolved have been pretty heinous. But when a person breaks down crying because they realize God still loves them, that’s why I do what I do.

1. What is your chief task

at the hospital?

I visit patients and assess for spiritual needs. Then I try to provide for those needs or, as I tell people, “If I can’t do it, I find somebody that can.”

8. The toughest part?

It is difficult when people come in with the perspective that they can enlist God What tools do you use in to do exactly what they want. Miracles your work? are often seen as the next line after the My ears. The most important thing to take doctor walks in and says there is nothing into that room is ears to listen. This helps he can do. We run into problems with guide the application of God’s Word and this unrealistic expectation of outcomes Chaplain Jeffrey McPike prayer to meet the person where they are. in health care settings by denominations that look at divine intervention Where does mercy fit into end-of-life differently than Lutherans.

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matters?

Hospital chaplains are willing to engage with people who are at the end of their life’s journey, to talk with them when they ask about what’s next. Those are hard conversations for them and for those who are close to them.

4. To whom do you minister when someone is

near life’s end?

It can be the patient, if they are still awake. It can also be the family members and staff. There are times when the staff are exhausted and touched by some of the situations that they have to work with, especially when children come in as victims of abuse.

9. What is your favorite Bible passage?

I love Romans 8. It talks about the world being subjected to futility in hope so that the world will one day be liberated from its bondage to decay, which informs my ministry. When things are going well, people tend to pay less attention to spiritual things. But when things are tough, that’s when I usually meet them.

10. What do you like to do in your

free time?

Computers and electronics — a flashback to my undergraduate degree — and spending time with my two children. There are a lot of people that would laugh when I say I have free time. For the past four years, I’ve also been filling in during a vacancy at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Osman, Ill.

Visit www.lcms.org/lifelibrary for Lutheran resources on bioethics, death and other end-of-life issues.

January–February 2013

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PHOTO: MARK R. BACON/LCMS

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5. What is the Church’s role in regard to

LIFE

to Those “Inbetween”

by Jeni Miller

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velyn Chumbow was 9 years old when her uncle in the African nation of Cameroon sold and trafficked her into the U.S. to serve as a modernday slave, cooking, cleaning and taking care of her “purchaser’s” children. Promised an education and an opportunity to achieve the American dream, she was instead

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January–February 2013

beaten, disparaged and held captive to work long hours without pay for seven years.

By the grace of God, Evelyn escaped, sought help at a local church and found refuge through the merciful services provided

by Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS).

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Rescue Gives New

LIFE

L to R: Evelyn Chumbow as a child in Cameroon, Africa, and as she appears today

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Human Trafficking THE LCMS’ LIRS Investment: End Human Trafficking Now Project Grant:

$25,390

PHOTO: Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service

Congregation Support Grants ­— Detention Visitation:

$5,000

Lutheran Immigration Leadership Summit Grant:

$20,000 LCMS Budget Investment:

$140,000

“LIRS working with Lutheran Social Services found a place for me to stay,” explained Evelyn. “They asked me what I wanted, sent me to school and took care of my medical needs.

The foster care program was great; I actually miss it! I wish I had that family earlier. Because of the social workers and program, I was encouraged to become a social worker. I was able to forgive my mother and uncle, and the trafficker, for what happened to me.”

As Lutherans who have received God’s work of mercy on the cross, we do the good work of upholding the sanctity of life at all stages, from conception to natural death.

A tangible example of this “good work” can be found in the ongoing support that The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod provides to LIRS, an agency focused on care for refugees and immigrants that too often includes a life “inbetween” robbing victims of their basic, God-given human dignity.

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he U.S. Department of Justice defines human trafficking as “the act of compelling or coercing a person’s labor, services, or commercial sex acts. The coercion can be subtle or overt, physical or psychological, but it must be used to coerce a victim into performing labor, services, or commercial sex acts.”

Recent statistics tell the tragic story of its rise in urban centers, suburbs and in rural and small towns across America.

Ironically, human trafficking was a problem that likely did not cross the minds of the Lutherans who founded LIRS in 1939 to resettle Lutherans and other people displaced

by World War II. Today, in partnership with the federal government, LIRS continues to resettle refugees, reunite families and help migrants seeking safety in the U.S. A large part of LIRS’s work is with refugee children who are orphaned or separated from parents and migrant children who find themselves alone in

January–February 2013

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Rescue Gives New LIFE to Those “Inbetween” 6

PHOTOS: Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service

LIFE

Since 1939 Lutherans have resettled almost 400,000 refugees like this family from Southeast Asia following the Vietnam War.

our country. Many of these are victims of trafficking.

By working with local partners around the country, in many cases Lutheran Social Services and other LCMS Recognized Service Organizations, LIRS is the tool through which God’s mercy is shown to “the least of these” on behalf of the Church.

In 2010, the Synod in convention voted to prayerfully support governmental efforts to end human trafficking and the slave trade. That support is further expressed through our ongoing funding, resources, advocacy, partnerships and education. Additionally, the LCMS Office of National Mission holds a presence on the Board of Directors for LIRS. “Many in the U.S., including those in the LCMS, are oblivious to the devastating reality of human trafficking happening even within our borders,” said Rev. Bart Day, executive director of the LCMS Office of National Mission. “LIRS has been a strong partner with the LCMS for many years on such issues, bringing experience and expertise to support us in this work. We are developing a human trafficking campaign with LIRS to raise lcms.org/lutheransengage

January–February 2013

Children thrive in a loving family environment. Foster families can provide that loving environment for survivors of trafficking.

awareness and let our LCMS members know how they can help bring an end to human trafficking.”

Mercy in close proximity to Lutheran altars and pulpits is

“ As Lutherans, we

look to our Lord, who showed mercy through His actions, and we point victims to His cross and empty tomb, where lives and dignity are ultimately restored.” one of the six mission priorities guiding our work in the LCMS. This happens when trafficking victims are placed into Lutheran foster families and when congregations provide mercy for refugees by welcoming them into the family of God, where they can receive the Word and Sacraments.

Lutherans are putting an end to human trafficking. Through congregational and individual support of our Synod’s efforts through the Office of National Mission, the LCMS is helping

stop the exploitation and sale of children and adults. You can join this effort at various levels by: • Praying for trafficking victims and for LIRS • Financially supporting the LCMS Global Mission Fund • Volunteering to open your home to foster children • Educating yourself so that you can identify victims of human trafficking • Contacting your legislature to urge their support in protecting trafficking victims As Lutherans, we look to our Lord, who showed mercy through His actions, and we point victims to His cross and empty tomb, where lives and dignity are ultimately restored.

Through human care efforts that focus on supporting a person in body, mind and spirit, Christ’s love is made manifest and people are brought into His Body to be cared for, for all of eternity.

Watch the Video “End Human Trafficking Now” at http://vimeo.com/51752958 Jeni Miller is a deaconess, freelance writer and pastor’s wife.

She lives with her husband and daughter in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Communication Efforts Get the Word Out to the World

by Pamela J. Nielsen

Office of the

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e live in a world where communication is instant. Words and pictures race around the globe, going viral in seconds. Never before in the history of humanity have ideas and information had such immediate and far-reaching powers to educate, inspire, move to action and unite people across continents, oceans and borders.

The implications of this for the Church, for the spread of the Gospel to the ends of the earth, are breathtaking and the responsibility equally so. This faith that we confess is founded on the Word of God – a written Word, spoken first by God and then written down and repeated by men. The message of God’s Word has not changed from the first promise of a Savior for our sin-broken world made to Adam and Eve in Gen. 3:15. God’s call to His church to preach the Word, to be prepared in season and out, to teach the Word to all ages and in all places, is what drives the efforts of LCMS Communications.

Those efforts involve “partnerships” of many kinds as we work closely with the Office of the President and the Offices of National and International Mission, Pastoral Education, Church Relations, Districts and many other LCMS entities and partners. We help the Synod — all of us together — get the word out strategically about our ministries by any means at our disposal, such as print, Web, video, public relations, social media and blogs. As a department, our charge is simple: We educate, inform, interpret and highlight our Synod’s purpose, program and positions — all to promote an increased understanding of the mission and ministry of our Synod.

President

Chief Mission Officer Communications

Annual Investment: $3,856,381

At the center of our efforts is LCMS.org, the official website for the Synod where you can find or link to all LCMS information outlets including our two official print publications, The Lutheran Witness and Reporter.

Also, our press releases, eBlasts, Facebook and Twitter streams, video and photo blogs, ministry newsletters and blogs, printed and digital ministry resources and now Lutherans Engage the World can all be found on LCMS.org. This is information is for you, for Lutherans everywhere; in Christ, for the life of the World.

CHECK US OUT: LCMS.org,

,

• 23%, nearly a quarter of U.S. adults, now get news on at least two devices.

• 27%, more than a quarter of the U.S. population, gets their news on a mobile device.

• The most common way that people get news is by going directly to a news organization’s website or app.

FROM “THE STATE OF THE NEWS MEDIA 2012,” AN ANNUAL REPORT ON AMERICAN JOURNALISM. THE PEW RESEARCH CENTER’S PROJECT FOR EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM.

January–February 2013

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National Mercy Grant

all photos: LCMs

Brings Word of Life to the Developmentally Disabled

Volunteers assist Voice of Care staff in providing one-on-one interaction with residents to socialize and learn together the Good News of Jesus Christ.

by Laura J. Seaman

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he word “shut-ins” usually calls to mind those who are sick or elderly, but it also includes people who have no access to a church because of limitations due to developmental disabilities. Filling this great need, the staff and volunteers of Voice of Care daily reach these people and their caregivers with mercy and spiritual care.

The staff and volunteers at Voice of Care serve approximately 900 children and adults with developmental disabilities in the northern Illinois area. Weekly visits to more than 17 secular institutions help to provide mercy and spiritual care for residents with disabilities, as well as giving a respite to those who care for them daily.

For the past three years, Voice of Care has received grants from

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Deaconess Jana Peters gives individual care and shares the joy of the Gospel message with developmentally challenged residents during a weekly visit.

the LCMS, totaling $32,500, to help defray the costs of general operations and health insurance for staff members, which in turn allows other money and donations to go toward ministry expenses. The chief expenses are related to the large travel costs incurred by the staff. Deaconess Jana Peters, one of the chaplains for Voice of Care, says that driving is a huge part of this ministry, and grant money goes a long way in removing the obstacle of travel expenses so that she can focus on the important task of spreading the Gospel.

“Most of the people we see regularly,” says Peters, “have no other opportunity to hear God’s Word because they cannot go to church on Sundays. It is awesome to walk in to the home and be welcomed by ‘Church is here!’

‘Church is here!’”

January–February 2013

Voice of Care actively reaches an otherwise isolated community with the Gospel message, and will celebrate 10 years of ministry in the summer of 2013. Mercy Grants from the LCMS help the efforts to blossom in changing the lives of people with development disabilities.

Laura J. Seaman is a staff writer for LCMS Communications and a recent graduate of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.

Recipient: Voice of Care,

Wheaton, Ill. Amount: $32,000 result: 900 children and adults saved during weekly visits to 17+ secular institutions across Northern Illinois

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

By God’s grace the hungry and thirsty are given food and drink, the naked are clothed, the homeless given shelter and hurting souls are given hope because of you.

In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, people all across our Synod are joining hands to touch hurting lives with Christ’s compassionate care.

Urgent pleas for material, financial and spiritual resources are being met across the stricken Northeast.

Within hours of the storm, teams from the LCMS national office, districts and local congregations spread out to assess damages. It was a rapid response made possible by many generous gifts flowing in from individuals, congregations and groups all over our Synod.

Beyond responding to people’s physical needs, the national team, together with district staff, addressed spiritual and emotional trauma by making pastoral-care visits in homes and along streets.

Many who were severely affected by Sandy told us that we were the first from anywhere to check on them, pray with them and listen to their stories of the storm’s severity and its effects. One man who received aid from Lutheran volunteers who cleaned up his house, later told LCMS President Matthew Harrison, “You Lutherans are the real deal.”

And the recovery work is just beginning. Because of your generosity, we are positioned to sustain our mercy work long after other relief groups have moved on. What I call our “Lutheran Accompaniment” will continue in the weeks, months and years to come in response to this “once-in-alifetime” disaster.

As I write this letter, news of the destruction and loss of life in the Philippines following Typhoon Bopha is flooding my office, and we are in contact with our partner church and mission leaders in that country to determine the level of our disaster response.

God grant that we, the people of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, will boldly share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and show His mercy whenever and wherever disaster strikes.

Rev. Glenn F. Merritt Director of LCMS Disaster Response

January–February 2013

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disaster updates through 11/26/12

TOTAL Sandy Gifts: $1,515,500.37 Total Donors: 12,709 Average gift: $116.52 Gifts came in to the following funds: Hurricane Relief Flood Relief Disaster Response response method Spontaneous (3,558 donors*): $628,083.24 Bulletin Insert (319 donors*): $46,358.25 Direct Mail (6,382 donors*): $467,062.18 Online (2,492 donors*): $369,185.70 Other (41 donors*): $4,810.00 *Some donors gave more than one gift via different methods

TOTAL domestic GRANTS: Atlantic District: $99,500 $15,000 initial response $45,000 capacity building* $25,000 food and flood buckets $5,000 family assistance $9,500 immediate needs/housing *Capacity Building funds enable congregations to set up a disaster staging areas for the gathering and distribution of food, clothing and supplies.

New Jersey District: $47,500 $40,000 capacity building $7,500 for debris removal

Total International Grants: $20,000 For roof repair/replacement in Haiti and Cuba

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January–February 2013

All photos by Al Dowbnia/ LCMS

$200,000 “The Gift of Christmas”

CASH DISPERSED ON SCENE: $10,500

will enable congregations impacted by Sandy to give gifts to children and gift cards and a book about Christmas to families in the region.

Clean-up Kits, Gift Cards, Cash

long term grants: $180,000 2-YEAR DISASTER COORDINATION EFFORT The LCMS anticipates additional long-term recovery requests from affected areas as specific needs are identified. Available disaster relief funds will be used to respond to those requests.

TOTAL Sandy Grants and Funds distributed: $557,500

January–February 2013

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International Mercy Grant

Gives Hope to the

by Megan K. Mertz

Hopeless

Hope Family Counseling Center

Buston holds her Russian Bible, which was a gift from the staff at Hope Center.

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Hope Family Counseling Center

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hen 54-year-old Buston came to Hope Family Counseling Center in St. Petersburg seeking financial assistance, she found more mercy than she ever expected.

Even though she was an immigrant from Uzbekistan with no job and poor Russian language skills, Hope welcomed her with open arms.

Staff provided her with Russian language education, enrolled her in computer classes and assisted her in raising her 5-year-old nephew, Yodgar. At Hope, Buston also had the chance to read the Bible and interact with other Christian women — things she couldn’t do because of religious oppression in her native land.

“We try not to refuse to provide help,” said Hope Director Olga Ryumina, as she explained that Hope recently expanded its services to include immigrants. Hope’s ministry

Yodgar has lived with Aunt Buston since his father was diagnosed with cancer two years ago.

is informed by the apostle Paul’s words from Phil. 2:4: “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Each month, Hope Center receives more than 130 visits from men and women like Buston who are experiencing a variety of difficult situations. Some seek Lutheran counseling for marital problems, unplanned pregnancies or spiritual issues. Others attend Hope’s computer classes to gain necessary job skills. Hope also supports pregnant and single mothers in particularly dire straits who need help navigating the complicated Russian socialized medicine system for prenatal care. Hope provides these mothers with clothing, food and needed medicine for their children.

“Because of crowded living conditions, poverty and cultural norms left over from the Soviet

January–February 2013

days, the average Russian woman has between six and eight abortions during her lifetime,” said Maggie Karner, director of LCMS Life and Health Ministries. “That’s why we have to give real alternatives like job training and prenatal care.”

The LCMS began supporting Hope Family Counseling Center seven years ago. The center opened in 1993 and works in conjunction with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria, one of the LCMS’s two Russian partner churches.

Recipient: Hope Family

Counseling Center,

St. Petersburg, Russia Amount: $29,197 this year result: Lutheran pro-life counseling for women and families, job skills training and Gospel outreach programs

LIFE

Planting Seeds of

LIFE

by Megan K. Mertz

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by Megan K. Mertz

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PAMELA J. NIELSEN/LCMS

by Megan K. Mertz

he Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Sanford, Fla., has fewer than 150 members, yet it is taking on big projects in this community just outside Orlando. Tiny seeds planted and watered by God grow into major ministries, like the community garden the church started to

feed the hungry. Last spring, this garden produced more than 4,000 tomatoes and other vegetables.

But the idea of the community garden isn’t the only seed God has planted at Redeemer. Years ago, the idea of starting a maternity home was set in the minds of Rev. Ed and Sheryl DeWitt ­— an impossible task at the time.

January–February 2013

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The Seed Sprouts and Grows After Katie’s son, Warner, was born, the DeWitts got serious about the idea of starting a maternity home. They felt called to support women who wanted to choose life for their babies, but who felt trapped by difficult circumstances.

“When all we do is tell people what we are against, they never learn what we are about. It’s not about what we are against; it’s about what’s been done for us on the cross,” said Katie, as she held her 2-year-old Sheryl DeWitt stands in front of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer’s son. community garden, which produced about 2,000 pounds of food last spring.

But opening a maternity home still seemed like a monumental task for the The Seed Is Watered small congregation — until the DeWitts discovered “But then, God gave us a big shove,” said Pastor DeWitt, support from throughout the Synod. Pastor DeWitt who came face to face with this pressing need in their met Maggie Karner, director of LCMS Life and Health community when his unmarried daughter, Katie, Ministries, at a Florida–Georgia District convention. learned that she was pregnant.

Over the next three years, she helped DeWitt find “I was absolutely terrified,” recalled Katie. “It was the mentors who could help put the maternity home on fear of judgment that was most overwhelming. It was the path to sustainable success, connecting him with the first time in my life that I was glad that my grandma Lutheran Housing Support and those who provide was dead. I was glad I didn’t have to face her.” nonprofit business start-up and implementation “When you are pregnant and single, you wear your advice. sin right out in front of you for all to see. It’s not like that “This is a hard thing to pull off in the United for the man. He has committed the same sin, but it’s States because of the many legal issues that must not so obvious,” Katie continued. be considered for operation,” said Karner. “We want Despite the difficulties that this situation presented, to provide this — and other mercy projects — with Katie says abortion was never an option. Instead, she mentors and resources from the nonprofit business asked her church family for their support, and they world in order to build sustainable programs for the gave it in abundance. long-haul. The end goal of this maternity home is

LIFE

ALL PHOTOS: PAMELA J. NIELSEN/LCMS

Planting Seeds of

Members of the church pitch in to grow fresh vegetables for area homeless shelters.

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January–February 2013

LIFE

Plans are underway to purchase the duplex across the street from the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer as the site of the maternity home.

a model for Christian mercy done in Christ’s name, done at the local level . . . and done with excellence.”

The Plant Blooms The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer is on track to open the doors of Redeeming Life Maternity Home on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 12, 2013. The congregation is working to purchase a duplex across the street from the church, where they will be able to provide housing to seven or eight women at a time along with life and job skills.

“What we’re trying to do is cultivate independent and hope-filled women who are raising independent and hopefilled children,” said Pastor DeWitt. “We want to ease suffering now, but we also want to redeem them through faith in When faced with an unplanned pregnancy, Katie DeWitt received the support Jesus Christ for this life and eternity.” she needed to raise her son, Warner, from her faith, her parents and her church family.

As the program expands, Redeemer envisions providing transitional housing Megan K. Mertz is a staff writer for LCMS Communications. She and her husband, Jonathan, are members of Mount Calvary for these women after their babies are born and they Lutheran Church in Brentwood, Mo. move out of the duplex. The low-rent apartments will allow the new mothers to get back on their feet before becoming completely independent. A 24-hour childcare program is also part of the master plan.

Together as Synod “This project serves as a fine example of what it means to ‘walk together’ as a Synod,” said Karner. “By working together across congregations, districts and the Synod, we can leverage the incredible experience we have and maximize our ability to really get things done.”

Thanks to the support, funds and guidance of community mentors, nearby LCMS congregation St. Luke’s in Oviedo, the Florida-Georgia District and The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, the Redeeming Life Maternity Home is about to become a reality.

National abortion & maternity home statistics > According to the Center for Disease Control, there were 784,507 reported abortions in the U.S. in 2009.

> There are some 300 maternity homes in the U.S., only two of which are specifically Lutheran.

January–February 2013

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witness, mercy, life together #lcms|snapshots

Young girls dress in traditional Miao garments in Tangzishan in Yunnan Province, China. Here, missionary Josh Lange and his colleague Chen Ming led a team of 25 students and teachers from Concordia International School Shanghai (CISS) to help the local people install a new drinking water system.

On the 495th anniversary of the Reformation, confessional Lutheran church leaders from around the globe gathered to wrestle with the question: Is Lutheranism still relevant in the 21st Century? Their answer: Yes! The International Conference on Confessional Leadership was sponsored by The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and held Oct. 31Nov. 2 in Peachtree City, Ga.

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January–February 2013

New Globally Engaged in Outreach Missionaries (GEOs) Rachel Powell and Julia Mueller help local volunteers with face painting at a festival in La Victoria, Lima, Peru. The festival was part of the Castillo Fuerte (“Mighty Fortress”) outreach mercy work and worship that serves children and families in impoverished areas.

A family of seven receive new life through the waters of Holy Baptism at a mission church in Guinea, West Africa. Missionaries Jack and Cathy Carlos have been serving in Guinea since 2010.

Students in grades 3-5 gather from all across Hanoi, Vietnam, to participate in the city’s first “Hanoi Schools Soccer Day.” Hosted by Concordia International School Hanoi. This event included students, teachers and parents from four area schools and provided an opportunity for fellowship and growth.

#tell us your wmlt story...

Former Senator Rick Santorum (left) answers questions from participants at the 2012 Lutheran Church Extension Fund Fall Leadership Conference in Kissimmee, Fla. LCEF President Rich Robertson is seated with him and served as the conference host.

Please send your parish or district photos to: Lutheransengage@lcms.org OR Lutherans Engage the World 1333 S. Kirkwood Road St. Louis, MO 63122 January–February 2013

lcms.org/lutheransengage

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Involve

pray + serve + participate√ + listen + learn + invest

Pray:

For the life of the defenseless:

L

ord of life, by whom all things are wondrously made, we ask You to watch over and protect the lives of those unable to defend themselves. You have always shown mercy and favor to the meek, downtrodden and defenseless of this world, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit one God now and forever. Amen.

G

ive me Thy courage, Lord, to speak, Whenever strong oppress the weak.

Should I myself the victim be, Help me forgive, rememb’ring Thee.

With Thine own love may I be filled, And by Thy Holy Spirit willed, That all I touch, where’er I be, May be divinely touched by Thee. Amen. (LSB 844: 4–5)

For more prayer resources, visit: http://www.lcms.org/letuspray

serve:

> GET IN THE BOAT…

Become a GEO Missionary

GEO Missionaries

are Globally Engaged in Outreach and typically focus on building relationships with local people using English classes, coordinating shortterm mission teams or by using other activities as entry points into their community.

Length of Service: 1–2 years Open Opportunities Ghana Guinea Hong Kong Vietnam Slovakia Czech Republic Peru Etc. To see details on these and many other current mission opportunities, visit our website: www.lcms.org/service.

Contact us for more information: mission.recruitment@lcms.org

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January–February 2013

Participate: Regional Outreach Conferences (ROC)—Lutheran Hour Ministries Feb. 22–23, 2013, Sacramento, Calif.

March 1–2, 2013, Long Beach, Calif. www.lhm.org/roc/

Green & Gold Days For college students considering pastoral or deaconess service March 15, 2013, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo. www.csl.edu/ admissions/visit-us/ visitation-events/

Contemplate For men and women college-aged and older to learn about pastoral and deaconess formation March 7–9, 2013 Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo. www.csl.edu/ admissions/visit-us/ visitation-events/

Prayerfully Consider Visit For men and women interested in learning more about the M.Div. and deaconess programs March 21–23, 2013, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind. www.ctsfw.edu/pcv

Christ Academy— High School For high school-aged men considering the Holy Ministry as a vocation June 16–29, 2013, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind. www.ctsfw.edu/page. aspx?pid=927 LWML District Conventions April 13–14, 2013, Oklahoma District April 20–22, 2013, CA-NV-HI, English, Kansas Districts www.lwml.org/ conventions

Alumni Reunion June 4–6, 2013, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo. www.csl.edu/ friends/2013-alumnireunion National LWML Convention June 27–30, 2013, Pittsburgh, Pa. www.lwml.org/ conventions

Learn:

<

lcms.org

800-325-3040

Listen:

KFUO Radio Worldwide KFUO: We Are Where You Are KFUO-AM 850 Lutheran talk radio in St. Louis, Mo. KFUOam.org and Classic99. com streaming classical music online — 24/7.

www.lcms.org/ reporter

<

< <cph.org

LWsubscriptions@cph.org 800-325-3040, ext. 1414

Invest:

Y

our financial gift is an investment in the global mission and mercy work of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

To make a gift, please use the enclosed envelope, contact mission.advancement@ lcms.org or call 800-248-1930.

January–February 2013

lcms.org/lutheransengage

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Our Work in the World: Home and Abroad President Chief Mission Officer

office of national mission Youth/Campus/Young Adults Schools Worship Stewardship Outreach/Witness Black Ministry Hispanic Ministry Recognized Service Organizations Rural and Small Town Ministry Urban and Inner City Ministry

office of international mission

Missionaries Global Seminary Education Partner Churches International Schools

mercy operations Disaster Response Life/Health Ministries Church and Community Engagement Specialized Pastoral Ministry Deaconess Ministry Ministry to the Armed Forces Mercy Grants

D

elegates to the 2010 LCMS convention adopted Resolution 8-08A, mandating sweeping change to our nationaloffice structure, including the elimination of seven program boards and commissions, as well as the establishment of two newly elected policy boards: one for

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national mission work and the other for international mission work.

Today, in partnership with the congregations and districts of the LCMS, the Office of National Mission (ONM) coordinates witness and mercy work inside the United States while the Office of International Mission (OIM) is

Januaryâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;February 2013

responsible for witness and mercy work done beyond our borders.

Mercy Operations efforts are carried out under the supervision of the ONM for domestic mercy efforts and under the supervision of the OIM when the Church is asked to bear mercy in countries across the globe.

LIFE

Together

“ L

Behold, how good and pleasant it is (psalm 133:1). when brothers dwell in unity

”

the mercy and love of Christ with those in need, and to share in the corporate life of the Church. Life together is the best living.

The ONM exists to serve your congregation, school or district as you bear witness and mercy through Worship, Youth and Campus Ministry, Schools, Outreach, Stewardship, Recognized Service Organizations, Hispanic Ministry, Black Ministry, Urban and Inner City Ministry, and Rural and Small Town Ministries. We also stand at the ready with our Mercy Operations — Disaster Response, Life and Health Ministries, Church and Community Engagement, Specialized Pastoral Ministry, Deaconess Ministry and Mercy Grants.

Life Together begins in Christ. As the Office of National Mission, we are eager and anxious to come alongside your congregation so that we may work ever more fervently in service to our Lord, to His Gospel and to one another. ­­­—r­ev. bart day, executive director office of national mission

ISTOCK

ife Together begins in Christ. “There is no life apart from the One through whom all things were made” (John 1:3). The life of Christ is the life of the world, our life together. The miracle of the Incarnation is that our Lord descended to take up our life. He wears our fallen human flesh that He might bear our sin and be our Savior. In His bloody enthronement at Calvary, He draws all creation to Himself. Here is our salvation. Here is our life together.

The LCMS Office of National Mission (ONM) works to foster healthy Lutheran congregations that bear witness and have mercy in that same life together. We come alongside congregations, schools and districts with advocacy, expertise, funding grants, partnerships and education to help change lives and save lives through the Gospel of Christ.

The living Christ creates fervent love toward one another. The work of the Church in witness, mercy and life together flows from and to the cross. What joy and freedom we have in serving our Lord and His holy bride, the Church. We are no longer burdened by the Law’s requirements. The Gospel, Christ in us, compels us to share His Word to the ends of the earth, to share

January–February 2013

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NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID Burlington, WI Permit No. 12

National Lutheran Schools Week January 27 z February 2

“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the

Lord our God

calls to himself.”

Acts 2:38-39

For resource downloads, visit www.lcms.org/lutheranschoolsweek.

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January–February 2013