Month: February 2019

bloghome, Lutheran Reflection, Lutheran Resources, Lutheran Women in Mission, Missions for God

Best Practices Update

Several of us attended Best Practices for Ministry in Phoenix, Arizona, Thursday through Sunday of this past week. For eight years, Christ Church Lutheran Lutheran Church and School in Phoenix has put on this gathering for people in the ministry of our church. It is to give encouragement, support, fellowship, and provide resources for these faithful workers. It’s to let them know they are not alone. It’s also to spur them on to spreading the Gospel, reaching the unchurched. I think I can answer for those women who were there with me that we came away encouraged and enthused!

LWML—Lutheran Women in Mission were chosen to present on two topics, “Resources on a Budget” about our Christian Life resources and “Money for Missions”, where we went over the submission of mission grants. This was to give help in concrete ways to ministries and churches and to encourage them as they build their outreach. I thank Linda Arnold, Jennifer Huecker, and Debbie Larson for doing the presentations with me. We received many “thank you’s” from grant recipients and got to tell about LWML to many attendees.

Sometimes we do feel alone in our ministry work in LWML, don’t we? It may be discouraging, especially as volunteers in a society where status is conferred often by job titles, pay grade, or celebrity. Don’t be discouraged if you feel overlooked. God knows what is in your heart. He can work through even the smallest things you do to bring about His will for the world. But don’t stop at the small things. Think big! Try something new in your group. Get with your Pastor or lay ministries head and partner with them on a new project to reach the unchurched in your area.

Unfortunately, we talked to many women who didn’t know what LWML was and what we do. They also did not know how to become involved. Would one of those women be from your church? Look around! If you need help or suggestions to build up your LWML, please, please, contact our Vice President of Organizational Resources, Debbie Larson, for suggestions and advice. She can be reached at depor@lwml.org.

Be encouraged and equipped as you engage with your congregations to spread the Gospel message that Jesus Christ is the Savior.

Patti

bloghome, Lutheran Women in Mission, Missions for God

Off to Sunny Phoenix (I hope)!

This week is the get together at Christ Church Lutheran in Phoenix that is called “Best Practices for Ministry”. It brings together church leaders and congregation members from all over the United States to learn from others’ experiences what has worked and what has helped make a difference in their congregations or in their ministries. LWML has been chosen to present two sessions and exhibit.

There are several plenary speakers that speak to the entire group and multiple interest sessions during the course of the day. This is a ministry of the Christ Church Lutheran congregation. It’s an indoor-outdoor affair with the exhibits and eating areas outdoors on their school grounds. And food! Oh my, they have great food, snacks, musicians playing during meals. It is really a fun event to be part of and  you can learn so much and meet so many people from many ministries and get good ideas to bring home.

This year LWML is presenting “Money for Missions” about district and national LWML grants and the application process and “Resources on a Budget” about the LWML resources we have available on our website and in our catalog. VP of Organizational Resources, Debbie Larson and I will be taking the lead on the grant session and VP of Christian Life, Jennifer Huecker and former LWML VP of Communication, Linda Arnold will be the main presenters for the resources session. We will all be helping with the exhibit.

There are many of our grant recipients there and it’s always good to talk with them and get updates. We may be presenting a couple of grant checks, as well.

Please pray for safe travels, good weather, and that our presentations will present the best about LWML and how we support our church families. May God bless others through the work that we do in LWML!

If you are on Facebook, you can follow along on their FB account: BestPracticesforMinistry .

Enjoy reading Psalm 19!

Love, Patti

bloghome, Lutheran Women in Mission, Missions for God

Last Minute Push to Mission Goal

Click on the image to see the Mission Grants

When this is posted on February 11th we will have 59 days to finish funding our Mission Goal for the 2017-2019 LWML Biennium. Oh, that I would live to see the day that we don’t have to make this final last minute push, pull, grab, squeeze, or whatever you want to call it, to make our goal!

I guess we could lower it next time. We could make it something easy for us to attain. We could then sit back and pat ourselves on the back about a job well-done. But if we did that it wouldn’t really be a goal. I think of a goal as something you want to work towards that you haven’t reached before.

We could reduce the amount. Our grant recipients could just look elsewhere for funding. But they’d have to find someone who prayed for them, learned about their work, put out publicity about their work, or someone who would be inspired by their work.

We wouldn’t have to work so hard trying to raise money—the “M” word. We could quit having bake sales, craft sales, pledge walks, or offerings. But then the opportunity to witness and share the “why” we do those things gets taken away.

We could withdraw into our own little congregational groups and not worry about the big, bad world out there and all the lost souls. Let someone else do that—decreases my workload!

Yes, I guess I’ll just have to participate in the push, pull, grab, squeeze, or whatever it takes to meet our Mission Goal this year and probably every year going forward because that’s what I do as a woman in mission. I want to fund our mission grants so that God’s Word will be preached to all. So that God’s children will be cared for. And, so I will be reminded of the blessings of God given to me to share.

Patti


bloghome, Lutheran Women in Mission, LWML Convention

Looking Ahead Toward Convention

We have a convention every two years as prescribed in our LWML Bylaws. We meet to conduct business by our delegates who represent our membership from our 40 districts. Over the years it has grown into much more than that. We now enjoy servant events, tours around the convention city area, entertainment, mission speakers, worship services, and exhibits. You can learn a lot at convention.

This June 20-23 in Mobile, Alabama we are going to have a couple special recognition opportunities. We need your help getting the word out. LWML would like to honor our overseas missionaries, those currently serving and those who have served in the past, and give them an opportunity to visit with old friends and be recognized for their service. A Friday night reception will be held for overseas missionaries. There will be a table in the registration area for them to sign up for the reception and to receive a special recognition ribbon for their name badge so that they can be recognized by convention goers.

The other special group we would like to recognize is our LWML women active duty and veteran military. As I traveled to different district conventions I found we had quite a number of LWML women who had served in the military or were currently serving. We’d like to hear from them and are asking them to check in at a special table near the registration area at convention and receive a special ribbon for their convention badge.

We need your help to spread the word that we are looking for these people attending the convention and that we have special sign up tables for them to find when they register. Thanks for your help!

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near (Hebrews 10:24).

Love, Patti

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