LWR celebrating 80 years of service!  The work of the global church is carried out in many ways. One of our greatest partners is LWR, Lutheran World Relief. http://www.lwr.org/. This National organization is headquartered in Washington, D.C.  Lutheran World Relief last year reached 7.8 million people in 35 countries and implemented 189 project.

Each month in the 2025 envelope packet there is an envelope clearly marked ELCA World Hunger to help support World Hunger.  Your donations are appreciated!

God’s Work our Hands—September 7, 2025

Annually the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) observes “God’s Work our Hands”.   This year it will be the first Sunday in September when across the country congregations identify mission projects and embark on them.  Over the years we have used our hands to; clean up trash and debris littering the neighborhood, prepare health kits and personal and baby care kits to give aid to those in disaster struck regions, and assemble school kits for children in developing nations.   This year our service project is assembling, packing Personal Care Kits for Lutheran World Relief. These kits will provide much needed self-care for people in situations of fear and uncertainty around the world. Plan now to help, offer prayer and praise to God and join in Christian fellowship.   If you have any questions, please contact someone from the Men’s Group.  A special thank you is extended to the Men’s Group for organizing this parish wide event.   Join us on September 7!

The Men of St. Paul’s thank everyone who has brought items for Lutheran World Relief Personal Care kits. We need more items so that we can assemble kits on the first Sunday in September. Bins are placed on the front pews of the church nave.  Each bin is clearly marked so that you may place items needed into the correct bin.  By keeping the items in the front pews, it will give visual witness to the ongoing need and the wellspring of
generosity amongst our members. We are providing the list of items needed. In advance thank you for your time, generosity and support of this project.

INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING IN EACH PERSONAL CARE KIT
ONE light-weight bath-size towel (between 20” x 40” and 52” x 27”), dark color recommended. Be sure to shop for light- or medium-weight towels, which are easier for Kit recipients to hand wash and air dry, take up less storage space and are considerably less expensive than the fluffier towels we may prefer to use.
TWO or three bath-size bars of soap equaling 8 to 9 oz., any brand, in original wrapping
ONE adult-size toothbrush in it’s original packaging. Toothbrush multi-packs may be used by sealing an individual toothbrush in a business-size envelope; no plastic bags or wrap.
ONE sturdy comb, remove packaging
ONE metal nail clippers (attached file optional), remove packaging
• Please provide new items only.
• Please do not donate items with any religious symbols, messages or your group’s name.
• Please do not donate any items decorated with a U.S. flag, patriotic or military symbols, or references to the armed forces, including camouflage.
• All items should be new and in good condition.
• Do not enclose the Kit or any of its contents in plastic bags

 

Over the years St. Paul’s Lutheran Church has supported ELCA and has donated money for various projects.  her ministry St. Paul’s Lutheran Church supported through the ELCA Always Being Made New Campaign:

2014 Mosquito Nets for Africa           $6,413

2015 World Hunger Appeal                $5,012

2016 Camp Nawakwa                          $2,889

2017 Theological Education               $1,948

4 Year Total                                          $16,262

2018 Always Being Made New Campaign – Always Being Made New–Local Disaster Relief – In the fifth and final year of the ELCA Always Being Made New Campaign, our 2018 gifts remained at the local synod level.  In the aftermath of Hurricane Irene it was determined that at the synod level we needed to have designated reserve funds to support clean up or to provide for immediate needs for our local communities and congregations.  When the Always Being Made New Campaign of the ELCA was introduced one aspect of it allowed for financial support for local community need.  Local Disaster Relief was selected by St. Paul’s Congregation Council.

 

When is a blanket not a blanket?  –  The Social Ministry Committee has a blanket drive for LWR each year.  We generally think of blankets as providing warmth.  And, of course, they do.  But the blankets sent around the world by LWR provide so much more than warmth.  Here are some of the ways those blankets are used:  protection from the sun, a table for meals, a space to define a marketplace for selling produce, a backpack for carrying belongings, a privacy screen in the home, a gurney for transporting someone injured or sick, a safe play space for toddlers.  LWR asks for blankets about twin size (no larger), no comforters (too hard to clean), and darker colors are preferred.  There should be no political or religious symbols on the blankets.

Malaria Campaign – Malaria has been a worldwide epidemic for thousands of years; recent developments have made it possible to stop deaths from this disease.  St. Paul’s families are a part of the movement to help contain this deadly disease.

St. Paul’s Benevolence Committee started a Malaria Campaign with $2,500.00.  Mosquito’s made by our youth were sold and money was donated to help families stay malaria free.  The total amount St. Paul’s raised to support the Malaria Campaign is $6,413.55.

St. Paul’s participated in the LWR Malaria Campaign in 2014 by collecting donations for 147 specially treated mosquito nets which  LWR purchased and sent to Africa to eradicate childhood deaths from malaria.

LWR’s Need of School Kits –The Social Ministry committee has provided Lutheran World Relief with School Kits.   Due to conflicts around the world that have displaced families, LWR has distributed thousand of School Kits to families in Syria affected by the ongoing conflict.  We are told that these school supplies mean the difference between getting an education or not to the children who received them.  Public school is usually free, but in the places where LWR works, even a few required supplies, like pens and paper, may be more than many families can afford.  And when parents can only afford to send one child to school, girls rarely get priority, though it has been shown that the education level of mothers has the biggest impact on development.  The Social Ministry Committee constructed backpacks to hold the needed school supplies.

LWR asks that donated items be free from any political, patriotic, military, or religious symbols or designs.

We pray for the children and families whose lives we have touched.

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”  Romans 8:14