Lutheran World Relief
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 2022 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 11, 2022
Annually the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) observes “God’s Work our Hands”. It is the second 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 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 and transporting to collection center in Maryland 1,000 personal and baby care kits for Lutheran World Relief. The entire congregation is asked to participate in assembling and packing health kit from 9:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. Physical help is needed! Weather permitting we will be doing this outside on the south lawn. These kits will provide much needed self-care for people in situations of fear and uncertainty around the world. All items that are needed to complete the kits were provided through a Benevolent Fund Grant through St. Paul’s. Following the 10:30 liturgy, we will have Second Sunday Sandwiches. Plan now to work up an appetite, offer prayer and praise to God and join in Christian fellowship. If you have any questions, please contact Miss Kelly. A special thank you is extended to Miss Kelly for organizing this parish wide event. Join us on September 11!
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.
Other 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
SERRV Holiday Sales
On November 13th -14th, St. Paul’s congregation will have the opportunity to purchase globally handmade home, kitchen and entertainment items. By shopping with SERRV, an independent fair-trade and non-profit organization founded in 1949 to fight global poverty, you will be supporting more than 8,000 low-income artisans and farmers from developing nations – plus their families and communities, enabling the artisans to become self sufficient. SERRV employs artisans who utilize traditional crafting methods, patterns and materials to create their handicrafts. All proceeds made by St. Paul’s from this sale will be donated to Lutheran World Relief.
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 has 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 in 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 receive 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. The Social Ministry Committee thanks you for your participation and generosity in meeting this dire need.
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