Lutherans

ENGAGE the WORLD

July August 2016, Vol. 4, Issue 6

Thanks
be to
God!

Lutherans

ENGAGE the WORLD

July August 2016

vol. 4, no. 6

inspire
6 
9 

US Church Planting:
A New Initiative for the LCMS

Seven Sisters

9
6
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 ChurchMissouri Synod.
2016 The Lutheran ChurchMissouri 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.
888-THE LCMS (843-5267)
lcms.org

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.

inform

engage

3 
12 
15
18 

Thanks Be to God! He Does All Things Well!

Living Learning in Wittenberg

Church-Worker Wellness: When One Suffers

LCMS Grant Funds Roofs for Madagascar Churches

Beating the Bushes

15
involve

2
21 

Our Prayers Are Heard & Answered

A Fundraisers Code of Ethical Principles
and Practices

With this last issue of the triennium, Lutherans Engage the

World looks back with thanksgiving on just a few of the
opportunities God has granted His Church to bear witness
and mercy in our life together.
These are YOUR stories. Your prayers, financial gifts
and hands-on service have been blessed and used by our
loving Lord to change and save lives for eternity.
Thanks be to God! A rehabbed building from the time
of Luther now welcomes students, visitors and scholars to
learn the truths discovered in the Reformation.
Thanks be to God! An examination of mission
opportunities here at home has blossomed into a robust
plan to deploy national missionaries and revitalize and
plant new churches in communities across the country.
Thanks be to God! Mercy work continues to expand in
Latin America through the service of seven deaconesses.
Thanks be to God! Not only are we reaching out to care
for wounded and suffering church workers, we are actively
working to prevent burnout and foster wellness.
Thanks be to God! Across Africa, roofless church
buildings are being covered with tin provided by gifts
given to the LCMS and the elbow grease of their own
church members.
Thanks be to God! Hispanic ministry is blossoming and
gaining ground in rural communities, on the border and in
cities across the country.
Take a peek and see what God has done through YOU.
Then pray for Gods continued blessings upon the witness
and mercy work of YOUR church. Support this work with
your gifts. Get involved volunteer, adopt a missionary,
engage with the work in your parish and district.
God will bless this work we do together. He truly does
all things well!
And stay tuned. We are making some big changes to
Lutherans Engage the World to enable you to better share
the great stories of how we Lutherans are engaging the
world with the Gospel and Christs mercy!
In Christ,
Pamela J. Nielsen
Associate Executive Director,
LCMS Communications

S TA F F
David L. Strand
Pamela J. Nielsen
Erica Schwan
Megan K. Mertz
Erik M. Lunsford
Lisa Moeller
Annie Monette
Chrissy Thomas

executive director, communications

executive editor
director, design services
managing editor/staff writer
manager, photojournalism
designer
designer
designer

EDITORIAL OFFICE
314-996-1215
1333 S. Kirkwood Road
St. Louis, MO 63122-7295
lutheransengage@lcms.org
lcms.org/lutheransengage

Cover image: The Rev. Juan

Luna leads the congregation
in prayer during worship at La
Iglesia Luterana San Pablo in
Columbus, Ind.
PHOTO: LCMS COMMUNICATIONS/ERIK M. LUNSFORD

Our Prayers Are Heard

nvolve

& Answered

s a former parish pastor and now a

servant of the LCMS, I consider the
ever-growing list of petitions recorded in my
prayer journal a book that, for obvious
reasons, has been confidential as one of
the most gratifying aspects of my personal
spiritual journey. No one has heard all these
prayers except for the One who neither
slumbers nor sleeps (Ps. 121:4). He intimately
knows every cry, every ask, every hope,
every concern, every demand, every
utterance of thanksgiving.
In our life together as Gods royal
priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), everything revolves
around our Lord, Jesus Christ: crucified
for our sins and raised from the dead
that we would be declared righteous and
resurrected in Him. But this grace-filled
revolution also is rhythmically saturated
with daily prayer. O Lord, in the morning
you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare
a sacrifice for you and watch (Ps. 5:3); Let
my prayer be counted as incense before
you, and the lifting up of my hands as the
evening sacrifice (Ps. 141:2).
A healthy prayer habit mirrors a deep
relationship with our heavenly Father, who
delights to hear and answer. We ask as
dear children ask their dear father (Small
Catechism, Lords Prayer Introduction).
Parents know that kids rarely hold back,
saying I want and I need We have
unconditional assurance from the Son of
God: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek,
and you will find; knock, and it will be
opened to you (Matt. 7:7).
And respond God does often in
unanticipated ways. As I meditate over my
prayer journals contents and outcomes,
I am sometimes left speechless at its
beautiful array of obvious answers even
when I prayed with fear, skepticism or
hesitancy. There are curiosities that cannot

lcms.org/LUTHERANSengage

be coincidence, U-turns
and surprises over the
way things came out.
Sometimes I feel ashamed
over what I prayed; in hindsight,
it looks way too petty, self-centered, foolish
or downright sinful. I am humbled by this.
Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the Lord that will
stand (Prov. 19:21). This axiom is fulfilled,
now and forever, in the living Word that is
Christ Jesus Himself!
This issue of Lutherans Engage the World
offers a prayer journal review of sorts.
St. Paul once advised, Whatever
is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever
is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is commendable,
if there is any excellence,
if there is anything worthy
of praise, think about these
things (Phil. 4:8). Accordingly,
were taking another look and
reporting anew on the progress
of mission activities, well-sustained
projects and recent developments
over which you and your brothers
and sisters in Christ have already
heard, prayed, contributed and made
a difference.
Youll see how were planting churches,
reaching people who have never heard
the Gospel and demonstrating Christs
mercy. Stepping forward in faith, we pray
without ceasing, in a love letter filled with
thanksgiving and hope to the Father, Son
and Holy Spirit.
In Christ,
Rev. Kevin D. Robson
Chief Mission Officer, The Lutheran
ChurchMissouri Synod

JulyAugust 2016

PHOTO: LIGHTSTOCK

nform

The Reformation was kind of a

big deal. Errors needed to be
corrected, doctrine needed to be
restored, practices needed to be
amended, all so that the Gospel
could shine brighter and purer.
Of course, education both of clergy and laity
was no small part of the Reformation. Between
placing Scripture into the hands of the people
and providing the church with a catechism
for lifelong learning, its obvious Luther felt an

PHOTOS: LCMS COMMUNICATIONS/ERIK M. LUNSFORD

educated and informed church was something to

p 
The Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, president of The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod, peers from
the window above the entrance of the International Lutheran Center at the Old Latin School.

Living Learning
in Wittenberg

by Jeni Miller

The following article first appeared in the September-October 2014 issue. Read the
Update section to learn about the exciting work that has been completed to date.

be sought after. Through The Wittenberg Project,

our church continues to seek it even today.
The Wittenberg Project is providing a venue
for Lutheran education and a platform for
Gospel proclamation in Lutherstadt Wittenberg,
Germany, the birthplace of the Reformation.
As a key building in Wittenberg, the Old Latin
School, is being renovated, The Wittenberg
Projects Education-Program Committee is hard
at work planning the particulars for how the
new International Lutheran Center will offer
educational experiences par excellence in the
heart of Wittenberg. While the center is intended
for use by all visitors to Wittenberg as well as
locals, the building itself is very well-suited for
groups of students, pastors, church workers and
others who are looking for more in-depth study.
Inside the center, the chapel also functions as
a lecture hall, seating up to 60 people, in addition
to classroom space where students and guests
can gather for instruction. Of course, the entire
city of Wittenberg is a living classroom, so the
International Lutheran Center also will serve as
the home base for an immersion experience, not
just classroom instruction.
Those who choose to study in Wittenberg
either through college or seminary courses,
or as part of a church group (e.g., confirmation
class, elder hostel, youth group) will be able
to experience the streets, buildings and rooms
where critical events turned Europe upside
down, said Dr. Lisa Keyne, former chair of the
Education-Program Committee. They will feel
the physical dimensions of Luthers world and
see artifacts that reflect the historical reality of the
Reformation, expand their vision for what was
happening during the Reformation and interact
with people from all over the world.

FROM CAMPUS TO WITTENBERG

Students at Concordia University System (CUS)
schools, other colleges across the United States
and elsewhere will have an opportunity to
JulyAugust 2016

lcms.org/LUTHERANSengage

Celebration and worship at St. Marys

Church just before the dedication of
the International Lutheran Center.

NURTURING SEMINARIANS,
PASTORS AND CHURCH
WORKERS

and research opportunities, or simply for

professional continuing education purposes.
Those who respect their calling and
office as servants of Gods Word are always
thirsty for more, and learning from our rich
Lutheran heritage can take place anywhere
the books offer us the texts from Luther or
Melanchthons pen, said the Rev. Dr. Robert
Kolb, professor emeritus at Concordia
Seminary in St. Louis and a member of the
Education-Program Committee.
But reading and discussing them in
Wittenberg lends a special flavor and
deepens and broadens the experience by
the unique visual experiences that can only
occur [in Wittenberg], he said. That is why
we hope to offer for our seminaries a variety
of courses and other kinds of experiences in
learning and encountering the Reformation.
Just as we hope that our physicians have
continued to learn and grow after leaving
med school, so it is important that pastors
and DCEs and DCOs and ministers of music
and others in the service of the Church
show respect for their calling by learning
more. Wittenberg is an excellent locale for
Lutherans to make that learning happen at
a deeper level.

In keeping with Synod priorities and goals,

seminarians, pastors and church workers
potentially will be able to visit Wittenberg via
the International Lutheran Center to seek
masters and postgraduate-level courses

As The Wittenberg Project continues to

unfold, the Education-Program Committee
is working diligently to develop an outline

engage in both long- and short-term

study abroad programs, with the
International Lutheran Center hosting
individuals and groups.
Early on, we began working with the
Concordia University System and individual
CUS campuses, said the Rev. David
Mahsman, LCMS missionary in Germany
and managing director of the International
Lutheran Society of Wittenberg, who is
developing The Wittenberg Project. Dr. Rich
Carter of Concordia University, St. Paul led
a six-week program in Wittenberg this year
for CUS schools. I understand that the CUS
is planning to offer more of these six-week
experiences on a regular basis in the future.
While a six-week immersion trip
would be a welcome experience for any
college student interested in Luther and
Reformation studies, each CUS campus
also will be able to facilitate its own courses
some shorter and some longer and
service trips, working within individual
campus trip and faculty guidelines.

lcms.org/LUTHERANSengage

EDUCATION FOR ALL

JulyAugust 2016

Statue of Martin Luther

for a weeklong Germany experience, including

key Lutheran sites with Wittenberg as the focus,
with the intention that visitors of all ages would
stay at the new International Lutheran Center.
The idea is to have a weeklong curriculum
unique to the International Lutheran Center,
which leverages existing materials that have
been developed for past trips and experiences.
We are creating a variety of programs that
will be of interest to congregations, youth,
seniors and university students, explained
Mahsman. The weeklong Germany experience
began as a confirmation capstone
program. We will be working with some pilot
congregations to send their confirmands
to Wittenberg for a week or more for an
immersion experience in Lutheran heritage
and what it means to be Lutheran. We are
working with CPH on the curriculum, which
also could be adapted for use with other
groups, including families, congregational
groups and seniors (through elder hostels).
According to Kolb, educating our laity and
church workers in the heart of Wittenberg,
where God worked through Luther to bring
clarity to His Gospel, will offer unparalleled,
once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunities that
will continue to serve the Gospel in our world,
both inside and outside of the Church.
As a church historian, my calling involves
me in leading people into contact with the past,
with other times and other cultures, to translate
across the ages and other cultural barriers what
lcms.org/givenow/globalmission

Some dramatic
events that helped
clarify the Gospel
and demonstrate its
power took place
in Wittenberg, and
we hope to bring
both students and
church workers
already serving in
congregations to study
the texts of Luther and
other reformers while
visiting the places they
walked and talked.
Rev. Dr. Robert Kolb, professor
emeritus at Concordia
Seminary, St. Louis

Attendees gather for the dedication

of the International Lutheran Center
at the Old Latin School.

A period performer posing as Philipp Melanchthon climbs the new

steps of the International Lutheran Center at the Old Latin School.

experiences with the action of God in human

history has done in and through the message
of our Lords death and resurrection, said
Kolb. Some dramatic events that helped
clarify the Gospel and demonstrate its power
took place in Wittenberg, and we hope to
bring both students and church workers
already serving in congregations to study the
texts of Luther and other reformers while
visiting the places they walked and talked
and absorbing something of the spirit of their
times by seeing what they saw and walking
where they walked.
Following renovation, the center is slated
to open in May 2015. The projects timeline
allows the building to be established and
running in advance of the arrival of the many
visitors the city anticipates for the 500th
anniversary of the Reformation in 2017.
The Wittenberg Project is seeking prayers
and support from LCMS congregations
and schools, which are invited to join the
Reformation 500 Club to help make this
Gospel outreach and education possible in
2015 and beyond.
Deaconess Jeni Miller is a freelance writer
and a member of Lutheran Church of the
Ascension in Atlanta.
Learn more: thewittenbergproject.org

lcms.org/givenow/globalmission

The Wittenberg city square

The International Lutheran Center

next to St. Marys Church.

UPDATE:

The mood was joyful as Lutherans from

around the world joined by local residents,
church leaders and civic officials filled
Martin Luthers Wittenberg parish church, St.
Marys, May 3, 2015, for worship, followed by
the dedication of the Old Latin School to Gods
glory and the service of the Gospel.
The event marked a major milestone for
The Wittenberg Project and the International
Lutheran Center, which is located in the newly
renovated building.
It took a lot of work and the support of
many dedicated and faithful people to get to
that point, Mahsman said. Now we are using
this wonderful gift of God in His service.

Since May 2015:

Monthly worship services (in German) are led in

the chapel by the Rev. Markus Fischer, a pastor from
the Synods German partner church, the Selbstndige
Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche (SELK).
Hundreds of guests have already stayed at the
center, including students from more than half of the
schools of the Concordia University System.
The building has been used by the International
Lutheran Council, the SELKs seminary, SELK
congregations and pastors conferences, and other
Christian groups.
Kristin Lange who succeeds Mahsman as
managing director of the center arrived in
mid-February. Mahsman will return to the U.S. in
September. Until then, the two are working together
during the transition to finalize the capstone

program intended to be the centerpiece of the

International Lutheran Society of Wittenbergs
plan to bring people of all ages to Wittenberg
to learn about the Reformation and better
appreciate what God has done and continues
to do through it.
Lange and Mahsman have hosted various
Wittenberg organizations, local kindergarten
children, the citys tour guides and others who are
interested in the building and have made a
point of sharing the Gospel with their guests.
They organized outreach at Luthers
Hochzeit, or wedding festival, which draws as
many as 100,000 visitors to Wittenberg over one
weekend in June.

Planning also is underway for the 500th

anniversary of the Reformation in 2017,
which is expected to draw thousands
more visitors to Wittenberg every day.
The Old Latin School will be in the very
center of the activities and will house
an exhibition that explains who we are
and what we believe as Lutherans who
uphold the authority of Scripture and the
Lutheran Confessions.
Our visitors and guests excitement
to see how far this project has come, as
well as their enthusiastic well-wishes for
our presence here, Lange says, give me
encouragement for what God has in store
for the Old Latin School.

JulyAugust 2016

lcms.org/LUTHERANSengage

The following article

first appeared in the
JanuaryFebruary
2015 issue. Read
about the current
progress in the
Update section.

nspire

US ChuRch PlaNting:
A New Initiative for the LCMS

by Melanie Ave

A new chapter on church planting is about to begin in the

recent history book of The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod.
Faced with population shifts and a request for the Synod to play a
larger role in helping districts, circuits and congregations start new
churches, discussions are just beginning about how to craft a new
church-planting initiative aimed at encouraging, facilitating, funding
and sharing best practices, said the Rev. Bart Day, executive director of
the LCMS Office of National Mission.
The 2013 Synod convention approved a
resolution to encourage church multiplication as means of making new disciples.
Some LCMS districts, congregations
and related church organizations are
actively planting churches. But the effort,
Day said, seems fragmented and somewhat invisible.
Right now, its just not in the spotlight, on the radar, he said. Its not
getting the attention it needs from the
broader whole of Synod and all 35 districts being engaged in daughtering and
planting congregations.
The LCMS Office of National Mission
has written policies specific to church
planting that call for the Synod to work
with districts and congregations to develop witness and mercy opportunities
that will lead to the establishment of Word

lcms.org/LUTHERANSengage

and Sacrament ministry and support the

development of strong missional leaders.

A New Mission Frontier

When the discussion turns to church
planting, you have to begin with demographics, population shifts and global
Christianity changes, said the Rev. Steven
Schave, director of LCMS Urban & InnerCity Mission, who is coordinating the yetunnamed LCMS church-planting efforts.
We in the United States were always
considered to be the ones who sent
missionaries around the world to plant
churches and to preach the Gospel, he
said. Now were seeing the reverse. We
are seeing our church partners thriving.
Were seeing the United States from a
global perspective. Were the third-largest
mission field in the world.

JulyAugust 2016

Only China and India have more people outside the Christian faith than wedo.
In short, the mission field is here. But
by and large, LCMS congregations are
not concentrated in fast-growing areas
cities or where minority groups are
thehighest.
Sixty-four percent of the Synods
membership is in the Midwest, 16 percent
in the South, 13 percent in the West and
7 percent in the Northeast, according
to Pew Research Centers Religious
Landscapereport.
But it is U.S. urban areas, Schave said,
that are prime spots for mission work and
new churches.
This is the next chapter in the Missouri
Synod book of missions, he said.
Schave said LCMS church plants will
go beyond the suburbs and small towns
to reach different ethnic groups, college
campuses, underserved communities and
neglected inner cities. Domestic missionaries will become mission developers,
helping to plant or restart churches.
During the November 2015 LCMS
National Mission Summit in California,
the Rev. Larry Vogel, associate executive
director of the LCMS Commission on
Theology and Church Relations, gave a
presentation on demographics, citing

lcms.org/givenow/globalmission

PHOTOS: LCMS COMMUNICATIONS/ERIK M. LUNSFORD

The Rev. Adam DeGroot, national

missionary and pastor at
Shepherd of the City Lutheran
Church in Philadelphia, visits the
home of a church member.

information from Pew and the LCMS

Office of Rosters andStatistics.
He said the LCMS is 95 percent
non-Latino white compared to less than
64 percent for the entire country. Only
one other faith tradition had a higher
percentage of whites: the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America.
Additionally, Vogel said the level of
aging in LCMS congregations is well above
average and it is struggling to retain and
evangelize young people.
After presenting the rather grim statistics, Vogel left the group on a positive note.

lcms.org/givenow/globalmission

We live by the Gospel, not numbers,

he said. We will all die without it, so I
simply remind you that we walk by faith
not by sight or statistics. That doesnt
mean we can ignore the numbers, but I
pray that it will allow us to keep them in
their place.

Coming Alongside

Parishioners eat and chat

together after worship at El
Calvario Lutheran Church in
Brownsville, Texas.
T he Rev. Peter Burfeind,
domestic missionary and
campus pastor at the
University of Toledo in
Ohio, talks to new students
at the university.

Church planting is very much a part of

LCMS history.
In the late 1800s, the Synod averaged
a new church a day. In comparison,
between 20062014, the LCMS had 559

JulyAugust 2016

lcms.org/LUTHERANSengage

UPDate:

Since this article was originally published in January

2015, the LCMS Office of National Mission (ONM)
launched its church-planting initiative called Mission Field: USA and
sent its first national missionaries to bring the Gospel to underserved places.
In consultation with the Synods districts, several pilot projects were
chosen to receive the ONMs first national missionaries:

Toledo, OhioThe Rev. Peter Burfeind is engaged in urban, campus

and mercy ministries.

PhiladelphiaThe Rev. Adam DeGroot is engaged in urban, campus

foundation as well as a step-by-step guide for planting churches. Schave

also is working with the Synods seminaries to establish mission formation
tracks and with Lutheran Church Extension Fund to revamp a revolving loan
program for church plants.
It will take mother congregations, districts and other Synod entities and
seminaries all working together, Schave said. Its not about preserving our
institution; its about being faithful to our calling to reach the lost. We believe
that God desires that we continue to reach the lost in new locations and with
new people groups all around the country, as we are led by HisSpirit.

and mercy ministries.

Ferguson, Mo.Micah Glenn, who graduated from Concordia

Seminary, St. Louis, in May, will serve as director of a new center
that is currently being built.

Brownsville, TexasThe Rev. Dr. Antonio Lopez is engaged

in Hispanic, campus and mercy ministries.

Gary, Ind.Under development

DenverUnder development
St. Paul, Minn.Under development

Through Mission Field: USA, Schave is assisting church plants

around the country by providing technical assistance and funding ().
A church-planting manual is being developed that will provide a theological

were the tHird-largest mission field inthewoRld.

Rev. Steven Schave, director of LCMS Urban & Inner-City Mission

new church starts and new congregations

an average of 70 per year, according to
LCMS Rosters and Statistics.
Planting a church is a natural
occurrence in the life of the church
and it is quite biblical and Trinitarian
by nature, Schave wrote for the LCMS
Leader Blog in an article called Planting
a Reformation. And in these dark and
latter days, when one thinks upon Christs
imperative to preach repentance and
forgiveness to the ends of the earth, and
we consider how some of our largest
major cities have only a handful of LCMS
churches, there is certainly opportunity
to love our neighbors and preach the
Good News across thespectrum.
Day said by taking a leadership role, the
LCMS can bring together districts, circuits,
congregations and other partners and help
create a more coordinated approach and a
framework in which to plant churches.
Were just recognizing our lack of
leadership in church planting has not been
helpful, he said. How do we strategize
and help equip districts to do missions in
new territories or where maybe theyve
wanted to but they havent had the
resources or the skills?
8

lcms.org/LUTHERANSengage

Can we come alongside them and help

them do it?
In addition to the Synods urban ministry, its Black, Hispanic, Rural & Small
Town and Campus ministries also will be a
key part of the church-planting initiative.
LCMS Hispanic Ministry works with
districts and congregations to reach out to
Hispanics in their communities, which has
included the creation of congregations,
special Spanish-language services and
mercy work.
The Rev. Dr. Carlos Hernandez, director of LCMS Church and Community
Engagement which includes the strategic development of Hispanic Ministry
said the 52 million Latinos in the United
States, the largest ethnic population, are
an enormously untapped mission field.
This is what we have been called to
do to make disciples of all nations
and to be Christs witnesses to the ends
of the earth, he said. What a Gospelproclamation opportunity.
The Rev. Todd Kollbaum, director
of LCMS Rural & Small Town Mission,
said although much of his work has
focused on church revitalization, he is
helping rural congregations determine

JulyAugust 2016

potential areas or communities in which to

plantchurches.
About half of the Synods membership
comes from rural areas or small towns.
Church planting and revitalization
really work hand in hand, Kollbaum said.
We cannot forsake one for the other.
While the church-planting initiative is
in its infancy, it will flow from the Synods
Witness, Mercy, Life Together emphasis.
Were going to plant distinctly
Lutheran churches doing distinctly
Lutheran missions, Schave said. Were
going to look back on history and say this,
for us, was a watershed moment for a new
chapter of Lutheran missions. How did
we respond? Were going to take seriously
and plan for this United States of America
being the new mission frontier.
Melanie Ave was a staff writer and social
media coordinator for LCMS Communications
at the time this article first appeared.
Learn more:
Visit the Web page: lcms.org/
churchplanting
Watch a video: lcms.org/video/plantingchurches

lcms.org/givenow/globalmission

nspire

THIS ARTICLE
FIRST APPEARED
I N T H E N OV E M B E R
DECEMBER 2015
ISSUE. READ THE
U P D AT E S E C T I O N
TO LEARN ABOUT
T H E E XC I T I N G
D E V E LO P M E N TS I N
THIS REGION.

by Adriane Heins

lcms.org/givenow/globalmission

JulyAugust 2016

lcms.org/LUTHERANSengage

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, its not because of a geographic
location or the ordering of the stars. Its because
all seven are deaconesses.

H E AR A N D RESPOND
God instituted the pastoral office to feed
and sustain the Church, explains Deaconess
Rosie Adle, former deaconess intern to Latin
America and now 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 Gods 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, the Rev. Ted Krey, regional director for
LCMS mission work in Latin America, says.
So deaconesses today nurture, care and
bring others to Jesus, all the while, like Mary,
steadfastly fixing their eyes on Jesus.
10

lcms.org/LUTHERANSengage

Deaconesses are, he believes, integral

in the work of mercy, bringing others to
Jesus, showing them in their body, whether
its people with disabilities, the elderly, sick,
children. They care and show compassion,
just as our Lord does throughout the Gospels.
Its why there are seven serving in
Kreys region alone.

A H ISTOR IC SHIFT
Their service in Latin America, and
specifically to those in need of Christs 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 (Mercy House), where
underprivileged children learn about Jesus.
Cherie Auger, along with her husband, the
Rev. Edward Auger, is guiding diaconal
formation and mission efforts in Nicaragua.
The remainder 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.

JulyAugust 2016

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.
Its a fact the seven women remind each
other of regularly. I know that although
we serve the Lords people in a variety of
capacities and in distinct cultural contexts,
we have been called and equipped by the
same Holy Spirit, says Powell. There is
a sense of support in serving with sisters
who experience similar joys and struggles
on the foreign mission field.

LE T S GO TO T HE M
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! Lets notice those who lack, and
lets go to them. We can give food to the
hungry. We can visit the lonely. We can pray

lcms.org/givenow/globalmission

PHOTOS: DANIEL FICKENSCHER

UPDATE:

for those who suffer. Lets share Christs

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 Lords 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 doesnt mean their service is easy.
Mission work combined with deaconess
formation has taught Ziegler that 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 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 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, in countries down South,
seven women will continue to serve Him and

lcms.org/givenow/globalmission

their neighbor, knowing that we all have a

mutual goal, and that it takes many shapes,
sizes and walks of life to continue down that
path, says Ziegler, but it only takes one
headship, one Lord and one Savior of all.

WE CAN
FOOD TO

THE HUNGRY.

WE CAN
THE LONELY. WE CAN
FOR THOSE
WHO

SUFFER.

Adriane Heins is managing editor of The

Lutheran Witness and the Journal of
Lutheran Mission.
Learn more: lcms.org/latinamerica

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

Gail Ludvigson is installed as deaconess
to the Dominican Republic.

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.

The Synods Seven Sisters are still

hard at work in Latin America, showing
mercy and bearing witness to Christ.
However, the team is always changing,
according to Gods plans. Earlier this
year, Deaconess Katie Ziegler married
a pastor from Argentina and left her
position as an LCMS missionary. But
God is providing Deaconess Cheryl
Naumann who is currently building
her network of support with her
husband, the Rev. Jonathan Naumann
to continue this work.
In May, the Synods deaconesses
held a regional deaconess conference,
where they launched a formal
deaconess-training program. The
program will include 10 Spanishlanguage courses to be developed
during the next five years and will
be used to train deaconesses from
Mexico, Venezuela, Panama, Guatemala
and the Dominican Republic. The
program intentionally teaches future
deaconesses how to witness, as well
as challenges them to identify the
principal area in which they will work
in their own contexts.
Our first deaconess conference
was edifying, with 24 women from five
countries participating. The first course
on the letters of Paul was well received,
Krey says. All of the women in the
program already serve vocationally in
education and visitation of the sick,
elderly and children. Our Lutheran
churches are determined to carry
Christs mercy received from His altar
and pulpit to a world that is indifferent
to the marginalized and the least of
these so that a faithful witness of Him
would be given and they are served in
their body just as our Lord served and
continues to serve His Church.
We are excited and give thanks to
our Lord Jesus for raising up women who
are merciful and for our seven sisters
who embody this Reformational theology
of serving the whole person throughout
our Latin churches, Krey says.

JulyAugust 2016

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11

Church - Worker Wellness::

When One
Suffers
by Jeni Miller

This article first appeared in the September-October 2015 issue.

Read the Update section for developments that have taken
place since its original publication.

ired out, burned out, kicked out,

down and out. Its no secret or
shouldnt be that our LCMS
church workers are susceptible to suffering
just like those they serve. Sometimes
this suffering is connected with health
or financial issues. Other times it can
be traced directly to the daily stress of
caring for sinners and unfortunately,
some church workers suffer due to the
unloving words and actions of their
own congregations.
But Scripture is clear: If one part of the
body suffers, we all suffer (1 Cor. 12:26).
And so together as the Church we
seek to care for our faithful servants who
are suffering.

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Thankfully, the LCMS helps facilitate

tangible ways in which this care can
take place. Through the generous
donations and support of individuals,
congregations, districts and others, the
LCMS Office of National Mission (ONM) is
able to grant financial sustenance to three
key partners in this work: DOXOLOGY,
Grace Place Wellness Ministries and
Shepherds Canyon Retreat. In addition to
these Recognized Service Organizations
(RSOs), the ONM also assists the Soldiers
of the Cross and Veterans of the Cross
programs, which offer financial support
for active and retired church workers in
the midst of financial or personal crises.

JulyAugust 2016

This year, the amount [of the grant]

will be around $850,000 to be shared
between Soldiers of the Cross, Veterans of
the Cross and those three organizations:
DOXOLOGY, Grace Place Wellness and
Shepherds Canyon Retreat, noted the
Rev. Bart Day, executive director of the
ONM. Veterans of the Cross gives out
basically as much as is requested. In recent
years, the requests are diminishing, but
you never know when we will be asked for
more. Soldiers of the Cross receives a good
portion of that total as well, and could be
nearly doubled based on the needs and
requests we receive.

lcms.org/givenow/globalmission

COMMITMENT TO SUPPORT
CHURCH-WORKER WELLNESS

$850,000 amount of

grants provided by the LCMS

toward Grace Place Wellness,
DOXOLOGY, Shepherds Canyon
Retreat, Soldiers of the Cross
and Veterans of the Cross

$365,000 separate

amount dedicated to missionary

care and support
nform

PHOTOS: LCMS COMMUNICATIONS/ERIK M. LUNSFORD, LIGHTSTOCK

Help and Hope for Church

Workers and Families
Grace Place Wellness has held retreats
around the country for thousands of LCMS
church workers and their spouses since
1999, and they wont be slowing down
anytime soon.
According to Randy Fauser, Grace
Place Wellness president and CEO, the
stressors on our church workers are
getting more intense.
Spiritual warfare is in full gear, from
the outside and from within, Fauser
explained. Grace Place Wellness is
a ministry that teaches a model of
preventive self-care so that our pastors,
teachers, deaconesses, missionaries and
chaplains will stay in ministry longer
and serve with joy. We focus on spiritual,
relational, financial and physical wellness.
Our mission at Grace Place Wellness is
to nurture vitality and joy in ministry by
inspiring and equipping church workers
to lead healthy lives.
Similarly, Dave Anderson, president
of Shepherds Canyon Retreat and a
member of the organizations board of
directors, also expects that church workers
will continue to experience increased
stress and difficulty as ministry becomes
exponentially more challenging in our
anti-Christian culture.
When a pastor or a person in
another field of full-time ministry is
in the midst of various stages of burnout,
stress, depression and conflicts, the
wounds can sidetrack ministry, impact the
persons family and even lead one to leave
lcms.org/givenow/globalmission

ministry, Anderson explained. Since

our first retreat in March 2009, Shepherds
Canyon Retreat has been privileged to
provide an experience of restoration and
healing to men and women in ministry,
including pastors, teachers, missionaries,
DCEs, music ministers, youth directors,
camp directors and military chaplains. All
restoration is the result of the work of the
Holy Spirit.
Shepherds Canyon Retreat has hosted
nearly 275 men and women from 27 states
through 44 retreats. Beginning late fall
2015, the Fellowship House at its Arizona
retreat center, Standing Stones, will house
retreat participants in addition to providing
group and private counseling space.
The Rev. Dr. Harold Senkbeil, executive
director for Spiritual Care for DOXOLOGY:
The Lutheran Center for Spiritual Care and
Counsel, agrees that the stressors on our
church workers come from both within
and outside of the church.
We all know that its getting increasingly
difficult to confess and live the Christian
faith as our world becomes increasingly
chaotic, its moral fiber unravels and
religious belief is called into question,
Senkbeil said. In such an environment, our
church needs to pay special attention to its
called workers. These faithful saints of God
experience special emotional and spiritual
stress as they strive to serve His people
with confidence in a world that continually
undermines their joy.
Founded in 2007, DOXOLOGY
specializes in continuing education for
pastors but also offers two-day Insight
conferences so that other church workers
and laity can develop competence and
confidence in their specific vocations. The
RSO has served more than 600 pastors
and the congregations and agencies they
serve with retreat seminars geared around
quality instruction in skills for the care
and cure of souls, enriching worship and
collegial conversation.

Wellness and Hope

Extend Overseas
Through the LCMS Office of International
Mission (OIM), church-worker wellness is
strongly supported and nurtured through
several different avenues.
One of those avenues includes free
Employee Assistance Program counseling
for missionaries, carried out on behalf of
the OIM through Lutheran Counseling
Services in Orlando, Fla. The organization
has eight therapists available to speak
confidentially with missionaries via Skype
or over the phone.
To provide Christ-centered care is the
call of the church, said the Rev. Dr. Richard
Armstrong, executive director of Lutheran
Counseling Services. Our missionaries, as
with all of us, face pressures, frustrations
and struggles as they live out their calling
and service. Not to mention, issues and
problems in relationships, parenting,
health and loss at various levels, together
with transitions into new cultures and
situations of extended families back home
and so much more.
Care for missionaries in the field,
however, doesnt end there.
Our missionaries are our most
important assets in the field, explained
the Rev. John A. Fale, executive director of
the OIM. First and foremost, we strive to
provide them with good pastoral support for
the care of their soul someone who will
listen to their cares and struggles without
judgment, comfort them with Gods Word,
pray with them, absolve them and lead them
in worship. Also, each regional director
provides annual retreats for the regional
team to come together for mutual support
and encouragement, relaxation, worship
and professional development.

13

Everyone Engaged
The care for its workers is serious business
for our church body, said the Rev. Dr. Carlos
Hernandez, director of LCMS Church and
Community Engagement, which includes
administration of Soldiers and Veterans of
the Cross. In a critical sense, our church
workers serving their congregations and
communities are in the front lines of
Gospel proclamation, the Gospel of peace.
Through the preaching and teaching of the
Word and the administration of the Holy
Sacraments, they equip us with the whole
armor of God. When they are in crisis and
not, understandably, fully functioning, the
Gospel is muffled. The devil has a field day
when the worker is not fully functioning
because of a personal crisis. Oh yes, we need
to care for our workers, our front-line troops
in the battle against the devil, the world and
our sinful flesh.
Since we all suffer when one member
suffers, it is truly the responsibility and
privilege of all the baptized to care for the
Body of Christ and engage in support of
those who serve that body.
How can we do this?
First, pray for your pastors and other
church workers. Tell them youre praying
for them. Also, pray for the missionaries
serving the LCMS.
Our missionaries represent the entire
LCMS where they serve, Fale added. It
is so very reassuring to them to know that
their brothers and sisters of the LCMS pray
for them regularly. I also ask that members
of the LCMS give prayerful consideration to

supporting opportunities for missionaries

to retreat, that they may be refreshed and
renewed periodically so they can continue
in their service with renewed zeal.
Next, look out for the well-being of
your church workers. Be mindful of the
signs of stress and difficulty in their lives.
Encourage them, and remind them to seek
help and resources when needed. Point
them to Christ, and suggest that they speak
with their own pastor and have the Word
preached and administered to them just as
they share it with others.
Finally, act. Financially supporting
organizations that bring relief and restore
wellness to suffering church workers
ensures that those who are there to serve
you and the church at-large can continue
in this work. Of course, even a simple act of
kindness can go a long way.
Congregations should be encouraged
and reminded to do the little, simple things
to love and support their church workers,
Day said. It doesnt have to be big and
showy. The little things go a very long way,
like letting the pastor use your vacation
condo, baby-sitting their kids so they can
have a date night, etc.
Learn more:

lcms.org/sotc
lcms.org/votc
doxology.us
graceplacewellness.org
shepherdscanyonretreat.com

UPDATE
T

he LCMS Office of National Mission

takes the well-being of the Synods
church workers seriously. Again this year,
the ONM provided $850,000 to programs
and organizations that provide tangible
care for church workers and their families.
However, the ultimate goal is to provide
preventive care to keep church workers
healthy in the first place. Thats why the
ONM formed an ad hoc work group in
January 2016 to study the issue further.
The work group conducted a survey of
church workers in the Synod to learn
which needs were going unmet, and
the ONM and Concordia Plan Services
jointly funded research from Dr. Ben
Freudenburg of Concordia University,
Ann Arbor, Mich., on the needs of LCMS
church-worker families.
Freudenburgs research found that 30
percent of the men and 27 percent of the
women who participated expressed a
need for marriage retreats or conferences
for church workers, while 27 percent of
the men and 24 percent of the women
expressed a need for small-group Bible
studies on various marriage topics.
Furthermore, 47 percent of the church
workers who participated reported
that they rarely or never invested
appropriately in Sabbath rest or leisure.
The purpose of the research is to discover
unmet needs facing LCMS church workers
with the intent of developing new ministries
to address these needs in close partnership
with districts, Hernandez said.
The work group also proposed several
resolutions for consideration at this
summers Synod convention in Milwaukee.
One resolution calls for establishing
an ONM worker wellness task force,
while others call for promoting worker
wellness within circuits and districts
and establishing and promoting the
ministries of district caregivers and father
confessors and spiritual companions.

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LCMS Grant

Funds Roofs
for Madagascar Churches
by Erik M. Lunsford

The following article first appeared in the January-February 2015 issue.

Read the Update section to learn about the work that has been completed to date.

PHOTOS: LCMS COMMUNICATIONS/ERIK M. LUNSFORD

In the extreme southern part

nform of Madagascar, set against hot
hillsides of prickly cactuses
and Triangle palms, a tour
guide in Andohahela National Park stops
on the rocky path.
Here, he said, is where two different
climates meet. To the west in the desert is
the Androy region; to the east, the tropical
Anosy region.
Its also a place where two church bodies
intersect as they seek altar and pulpit
fellowship. The LCMS and the Malagasy
Lutheran Church, known locally as the
Fiangonana Loterana Malagasy (FLM),
have embarked on a project to install tin
roofs on FLM churches around the country.
For this, the LCMS gave a $100,000 grant.W
lcms.org/givenow/globalmission

JulyAugust 2016

lcms.org/LUTHERANSengage

15

e are so glad to have the

support from the U.S. to
realize the tin roof project,
said the Rev. Dr. David Rakotonirina,
FLM bishop of the capital city of
Antananarivo. This project is just one
way to show the relationship between the
two church bodies.
To see the first round of roofs, one needs
to have an experienced driver, a durable
four-wheel-drive truck and a strong
stomach. Churches sit off roads cratered
with potholes, far from towns and cellular
service. Along the way, there is rarely a
smooth surface.
Near the town of Antsovela, members
of a congregation in a small stone church
explain how they plan to use these pieces
of tin to extend the building for a growing
parish. After prayer, they give a visiting LCMS
representative a highly respected gift of daily
bread a live goat as a gesture of thanks.
Pastor Joroaze, president of the FLM
district west of Antsovela, said the
LCMS project has helped him witness
in the community and build a sense of
unity through the teamwork involved in
roof construction.

It has great impact because people are

more willing to help and work and get the
church done, he said.
The project also has helped to change
minds. By witnessing the LCMS help,
Joroaze said residents have come to realize
that the church serves the poor within the
community. It isnt the actual roofs that are
important, but rather how the community
responds to the project, he explained.
The church is the community, the
community is the church, he said.
LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C.
Harrison and the Rev. Dr. Albert B. Collver
III, LCMS director of Church Relations, first
pursued the project in February 2014 after
meeting with FLM bishops in Antsirabe,
the staging area for LCMS Mercy Medical
Teams in Madagascar. In all, the project
will buy some 22,000 pieces of tin to cover
220 churches.
The Malagasy Lutheran Church,
although only 20 years younger than the
LCMS, is a church body that the LCMS has
only had contact with for about 15 years,
Collver said. Both churches commitment
to the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran
Confessions have drawn them closer
together over the past decade.
During this time, a number of FLM
pastors have studied at the Synods two
seminaries in the U.S. The LCMS also

has worked with synods of the Malagasy

church to carry out mercy projects like HIV
awareness, hospital projects and Mercy
Medical Team trips.
The tin roof project is the largest project
between the Malagasy Lutheran Church
and the LCMS to date, Collver continued.
It helps show concern for individual
congregations. We hope that Christ will
draw our churches closer in a common
confession of faith.
Rakotonirina is visibly excited when he
discusses the tin roof project. We are very
thankful for having a relationship between
the LCMS and the FLM.
As the sun sets over the farming
community of Amboasary, the community
gathers to watch two men install tin
roofing on the church. The elderly Falesoa
Jean-Pierre hoists a piece of tin over a
rickety handmade ladder and nails it into
place. He stops for the evening not
because its getting dark, but because he
runs out of nails.
Later, while observers overlook the
cliff edges at the rough intersection of
the Indian Ocean and the Mozambique
Channel, clouds begin to shroud the sky,
obscuring the pale landscape of rocks and
shrubby plants.
The words Thy Kingdom come come to
mind. And on this intersection, an LCMS
representative and an FLM bishop shake
hands. Where two bodies of water meet, so
do two cultures, walking onward together.
Thy will be done.
Erik M. Lunsford is managing photojournalist
for LCMS Communications.
V
iew the photo gallery: lcms.org/photo/

roofs-for-malagasy-churches
Learn more: lcms.org/madagascar

16

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lcms.org/givenow/globalmission

update

This project is
just one way
to show the
relationship
between the two
church bodies.

Rev. Dr. David Rakotonirina,

FLM bishop of the capital city
of Antananarivo

lcms.org/givenow/globalmission

housands of Lutherans in
Madagascar are now able to
worship in their churches come
rain or shine thanks to the $100,000 grant
given by the LCMS in late 2014.
During the past year, grant money
was disbursed to congregations from all
17 synods, or districts, of the Malagasy
Lutheran Church to replace their leaky roofs
with sturdy corrugated tin. This assistance
has enabled members to gather for worship
and meetings year-round even during the
rainy season.
We have learned that a project such
as replacing the roofing of churches that
appears to be very simple has a lot of
impact in the lives of the church members,
said Rakotonirina.
But the Synods provision of tin for
roofs doesnt end with Madagascar. The Tin
Roofs for Africa project continues to impact
Lutherans in Tanzania, Ethiopia and all
around the continent.

While some churches like those in

Madagascar replace existing thatch
roofs, many of the grants go to new church
buildings, which are being built by the
members own hands from mud, sticks and
clay bricks.
Tin roofs are not just about providing
a shelter under which you can worship in
the rainy seasons. They are not just about
keeping the sun off your head for the threeto five-hour worship service, said the Rev.
Shauen Trump, LCMS area director for
Eastern and Southern Africa. The tin roofs
are fundamental to preserving a building
itself to keep the rain from literally melting
the walls.
The church is expanding, the Gospel
is going forth, congregations are being
planted, and we get to be a part of it all,
Trump continued. Praise God!

JulyAugust 2016

lcms.org/LUTHERANSengage

17

nform

Beatheting

Bushes

by Adriane Heins

The following article first appeared in the NovemberDecember 2014 issue.

Read the Update section to learn what has happened since its original publication.

Hispanic ministry is growing in places across the country, such as in Brownsville, Texas; Sheboygan, Wis.; and Orlando, Fla.

18

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Were willing and ready to go out

and beat the bushes. The Rev. Dr.

PHOTOS: LCMS COMMUNICATIONS/ERIK M. LUNSFORD, GETTY IMAGES, THINKSTOCK

Carlos Hernandezs voice proves he means

business. We go into their homes and ask
them how we can care for human beings
with human needs, waiting for the Holy
Spirit to move them, he explains. And
often He does. Whenever we share the
Gospel, people say, Really? Salvation by
grace? Its a free gift? Some people cry.
Beating the bushes is easy, because
Hernandez, director of LCMS Church and
Community Engagement, isnt doing it
alone. Partnerships between congregations, districts and the Synod are making
in-roads across the country.
By invitation, we assist districts or congregations that are interested. Usually, its
a double partnership, because the district
is often already helping the congregation,
he explains.
St. Johns Lutheran Church in
Beardstown, Ill., is one such example of
a lay-led joint venture. The congregation
is in a community that has, over the last
20 years, become increasingly Hispanic,
says Hernandez. The members of the
congregation said to the pastor, We really
need to reach out to the growing Hispanic
population in this town. The pastor
agreed, but he also knew the church
didnt have muchmoney.
When the Rev. Doug Evenson mentioned this obstacle, one lay member took
it as a challenge. He simply asked, How
much does it cost? recalls Hernandez.
Thats when the congregation brought up

groups who knock on doors, he notes. We

start with mercy and then bear witness
according to the Holy Spirit and then move
to life together as He draws them into
theChurch.

What Do Lutherans Believe?

The Rev. Dr. Carlos Hernandez, director of LCMS
Church and Community Engagement, walks with
Abigail Konig during a Gospel Seeds training
session in Philadelphia, Pa.

the idea of a partnership both in terms

of finances and as a mission development between the congregation and the
district and the Synod.
The ball was already rolling. Using the
Synods Gospel Seeds model where
congregations focus on mercy, finding
out from their neighbors what human-care
needs the church can help them meet,
which leads them to opportunities to
bear witness to Christ Hernandez and
congregation members got to work. You
cant just put up a sign and say, Yall
come, Hernandez says. When I met with
the congregation in Beardstown, I asked
them, What Hispanics do you know? Do
you know Spanish?
The congregation made a lengthy list of
names and then started knocking on doors.
We asked them, Were from St. Johns.
Were reaching out to the Latino population.
What are some of the needs you see in our
community? Hernandezrecalls.
Starting conversations through acts
of mercy sets Lutherans apart from other

The congregation offered the Latino community the use of their gym, which was
no longer in use since the churchs school
closed. Then the church started English-asa-Second-Language (ESL) classes. People
were drawn in quickly, Hernandez recalls.
Then a woman from the community
named Maria Guijosa offered her help,
both in translation and in locating local
and county services families could make
use of. Before long, St. Johns became
a Hispanic center for people to inquire
about human needs, Hernandez observed. And then they started asking the
same question they always ask: What do
Lutheransbelieve?
The Rev. Pablo Dominguez, pastor of
a Hispanic mission in the LCMS Central
Illinois District, was quickly on the scene,
visiting every couple of weeks while
simultaneously leading a Bible class.
Soon, though, the congregation members
pushed for even more: Can we get a vicar?
Hernandez recalls them asking. We need
someone here for them every day!
And they did. Jason Gullidge, a vicar
from Concordia Theological Seminary,
Fort Wayne, Ind., who is still learning
Spanish, now assists with a variety of
Hispanic ministry opportunities, like

Were from St. Johns. Were reaching out to the

Latino population. What are some of the needs
you see in our community?

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PHOTO: JASON GULLIDGE

hosting Sunday School to our community

and our members, and every other Saturday, a
gathering similar to a church service (religious
movies, songs, a message and a prayer), led by
Pastor Dominguez, Gullidge says, with plans for
more in theworks.

Acts of Mercy
Ultimately, Gullidge and Evenson believe this
partnership enables them to share the Gospel of
Christ through acts of mercy while helping with
daily needs.
The Central Illinois District is now putting funds
on the table in addition to what the congregation
gives while the Synods Hispanic Ministry staff
continues to offer time, counsel and expertise.
This tri-fold partnership allows new ideas to be
shared, resources to be increased and our work
to be synchronized around the world, explains
the Rev. Bart Day, executive director of the LCMS
Office of National Mission. All of this means the
Gospel is proclaimed to the ends of the earth, and
Lutheran churches grow as the Word is taught and
the Sacraments are administered. Walking together
in our life together is a tremendous witness to the
world of our shared mission.
And as for that witness? Ive never seen
this much love and excitement in reaching out
to Hispanics in all my years, acknowledges
Hernandez. Its an amazing thing.
Learn more: lcms.org/gospelseeds

UPDATE

 icar Jason Gullidge (left), the Rev. Doug Evenson

V
(center) and vacation Bible school students at
St. Johns Lutheran Church, Beardstown, Ill.

Almost two years after this story was originally published, Hispanic ministry is
still in full swing at St. Johns Lutheran Church in Beardstown, Ill.
The church now has a core group of Latinos who attend regularly, and as
many as 50 come to the various events.
The congregation also has been able to expand its programs to meet the
needs of the community, thanks to dedicated members who volunteer their
time. In addition to ESL classes and worship opportunities, St. Johns also
offers Bible studies, an exercise class for mothers, a resource library and a
computer lab where people can learn English, prepare for citizenship or study
for the GED test.
Guijosa also continues to be an important partner in this ministry. She
drives people to the hospital or doctor when needed and translates for them.
She also lets the pastor and vicar know who to pray for and visit at the
hospital. Often, they are the only clergy to visit.
St. Johns has had two different vicars who have helped Dominguez
provide consistent outreach to the Hispanic population, and its third vicar was
installed June 12.
Congregational member support is a powerful factor in the long-term
stability and growth of a Hispanic ministry, Hernandez says. Thanks to lay
Lutherans who love the Lord so much they want to share the Gospel with
others, the Hispanic ministry in Beardstown is here to say, all glory to God!

Church members greet

each other during
a monthly bilingual
service at Salem
Lutheran Church in
Springdale, Ark.

20

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nvolve

STEWARDS CORNER

A Commitment to You as Gods Steward

A Fund r a ise r s C ode o f

Ethical Principles
and Practices
by Mark Hofman
If you read my previous Stewards
Corner article about your rights
as a donor, recall that I promised
to share the flip side of that topic:
our Code of Ethical Principles
and Practices* as advancement
professionals. Those of us serving
the Synod, especially those within
Mission Advancement, are bound
by Gods Word in passages like
Phil. 4:8 and by this code as we
work alongside anyone who has
or is considering making a
charitable investment in our
Synods work.

Our Code of Ethical

Principles and Practices
Gods Word does not speak directly to codes
of ethics (rules of professional conduct),
which fall more under the left-hand
kingdom than the right-hand kingdom.
Still, for each statement I have added a
reference or two that may help interpret that
statement through the lens of Scripture.
The staff and volunteers of the LCMS will:
Seek to serve Christ faithfully and hold
His name supreme (2 Thess. 1:1112;
Eph. 4:1516).
W
 ork for the best interest of the donor
(Matt 22:3739; 1 Cor. 10:24).

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

S
 trive to model and promote the
concept of Christian stewardship in

the church and among donors, Synod

co-workers and other advancement
professionals (1 Tim. 6:1719; Prov. 11:3).
P
 ortray accurately the Synods mission
in all communications (Eph. 4:15; Prov.
21:6; Col. 3:9).
M
 aintain confidentiality in handling
donor and prospective donor records
(Prov. 11:13; 13:3; 20:19).
Offer public recognition and appreciation
for a gift only after donor permission has
been granted (2 Cor. 9:1215; Heb. 10:24).
Ensure accurate use of designated gifts,
optimal management of all solicited
funds and truthful reporting (Luke 16:10;
2 Cor. 8:2021).
C
 omply with all federal, state and
municipal laws (Matt. 22:2021; Rom. 13:17).
D
 eal charitably, fairly and honestly with
other professionals and organizations
(Ps. 15:15; 1 Peter 3:1012).
Maintain and encourage high levels of
professional competence and accurately
present professional qualifications and
experiences to prospective donors and
employers (Col. 1:10; 1 Peter 2:12).
B
 e compensated by a set salary or fixed
hourly wage, NOT by commissions,
fees or wages based on a percentage
of charitable gifts secured (Lev. 19:3536;
Prov. 22:1).
A
 void or otherwise disclose all potential
conflicts of interest (Matt. 6:24; 2 Cor. 7:1).

The Mission Advancement team takes

this code seriously. As professionals, we
have this code in front of us at our desks and
workstations. Over the past five years, we
have intentionally invested time reviewing
each and every ethical statement in detail,
and we remind each other of our ethical
obligations to you under the code and
under Gods Word.
I invite you to do this: If we fail you in
any of these ethical obligations, please
let the Synods chief mission officer, my
immediate supervisor, know. If you see us
upholding these obligations, let us know
by calling our donor care line at 888-9304438 or by sending an email to mission.
advancement@lcms.org with a subject line
of Honoring Your Code.
You also can read an expanded version
of this article on our Leader Blog at blogs.
lcms.org/2016/a-fundraisers-code-of-ethicalprinciples-and-practices, where I have a little
more space to comment on each ethical
statement. I pray that knowing about this
code, and our commitment to upholding
it, is an encouragement to you that we live,
love and serve under our Lords cross.
Mark Hofman, CFRE, MBA, is the executive
director of LCMS Mission Advancement.

Are any of these a surprise to you?

* Our code parallels the Code of Ethical Principles and Practices endorsed by the Association of Lutheran Development Executives, or ALDE. LCMS Mission Advancement also accepts the Code of Ethical
Standards prepared by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, or AFP.

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

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 Synods 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 Christs 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.

2016 IS THE YEAR FOR THE TRIENNIAL

LCMS NATIONAL OFFERING, which will be gathered
at the 66th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church
Missouri Synod July 9-14 in Milwaukee.

Gifts to the 2016 National Offering which can be made at any time will empower
the work God has given us to do in His name through programs and projects where
we witness, show mercy and walk with one another as Christians in our life together.

Interested in making a gift?

Visit lcms.org/givenow/NO2016;
Call 888-930-4438; or
Mail a check, made payable to The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod,
to The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod, 2016 LCMS National Offering,
P.O. Box 66861, St. Louis, MO 63166-6861.
(Write 2016 LCMS National Offering on the memo line.)

TO LEARN MORE
visit lcms.org/national-offering