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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

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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


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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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LWML Working for you!

Last week was a week of meetings in St. Louis for the LWML. The district archivist-historians met with LWML Archivist-Historian Caroline Honeycutt and worked at Concordia Historical Institute as well as learning more about preserving their district’s history.

The Convention Programming Committee met to firm up more plans for the LWML convention coming up in Mobile, AL, June 20-23, 2019. We have great speakers, worship leaders, Bible study leaders, and activities to make it a great experience for anyone attending.

Then the Executive Committee came in for their meeting and were followed by the entire Board of Directors and advisory personnel for the Board of Directors’ meeting. They passed along the grants to be considered for funding at the convention, selected convention offering recipients, approved bylaw amendments to be brought to the delegates, and had a fun “mite challenge” that raised $27,000 for the mission grants. These women are committed—Time, Talent and Treasure!

Group photograph of the LWML executive committee and the LWML district presidents at the International Center of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019, in St. Louis. LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford

We also took time out to tour the LCMS International Center and met with LCMS President Matthew Harrison on the importance of the work of LWML in the larger church picture. Also, showing their appreciation by talking about specific missions helped were Office of International Missions head, Rev. Dan McMiller and Office of National Missions head, Rev. Robert Zagore.

Ministry to the Armed Forces, Chaplain Steven Hokana also thanked the group for the grant they received. Deaconess Ministries head, Grace Rao, stopped by the meeting to express her thanks and inform board members of how their contributions were being put to work.

Mary Hamilton, Grants Manager, Mission Advancement for LCMS commented, “Our staff, too, cherishes the personal connection with the LWML. The heart-warming passion for mission the ladies have is inspirational. Their prayers for our missionaries provide encouragement and renews their hearts and minds.”

In spite of the cold, blustery weather we received a very warm welcome from President Dale Meyer as he welcomed the Board members to Concordia Seminary campus with a “welcome home, LWML!” as we toured the new LWML offices and the campus. Some of the district presidents had arranged to meet the seminary students they support.

All told, it was a great week! Engage, Encourage, Equip and Enjoy! We did it all, thanks be to God and to Him be the glory for the opportunity to work together with all His talented, gifted, and called servants in LWML, in our church body, and in the mission fields!

Love, Patti

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Engage, Encourage, Equip and Enjoy

A busy week for LWML sisters. This week includes meetings in St. Louis of the Archivist-Historian Boot Camp, Convention Programming Committee, the Executive Committee, and the Board of Directors. We will be reviewing the past year and looking towards budgeting for the coming biennium that starts April 1, this year. (Remember to support the Mission Grants before March 31!)

It’s always encouraging to me to see the wonderful variety of women who have come together with no pay to volunteer to work for LWML and its leader, Jesus Christ our Savior. Many have learned new technology or meeting management, made new friends from all across the United States, gleaned new insights into some Bible passages, and generally “served the Lord with Gladness”. It’s part of our mission statement to enable women to use their God-given gifts in ministry.

And there are many gifts represented. Some of these women are retired and some use PTO time to attend from their work venues. There are real estate agents, nurses, manufacturing managers, teachers, government workers, musicians, lab researchers, missionaries, and dog- showers. Our Pastoral Counselors are full-time ministers with schools at their churches.

There is also a meeting of the district Archivist-Historians (A-H) taking place with LWML A-H Caroline Honeycutt. They will be learning about archiving, working at Concordia Historical Institute, and looking to things of the past to preserve for the future!

And we are all trying our best! I hope you will remember us in your prayers this week (actually, always!) as we do our best, calling on the Holy Spirit, to help us discern the will of God for our ministry efforts. Your District President will be at the Board of Directors meeting. Give her some encouragement via email before she travels on Wednesday.

Remember – Engage, Encourage, Equip and Enjoy is what we do in LWML. Please do it! I know we will in St. Louis this week.

Love, Patti

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Racing to the Finish!

It’s time to put on your racing shoes!! LWML has 11 weeks to collect $449, 159.01 in order to meet the biennium’s Mission Goal. There are still grants to pay and other expenses that have to be fulfilled by March 31, the end of our 2-year Mission Goal cycle.

This past week the LWML Mission Grant Selection Committee met in St. Louis to go through 81 grant submissions for the next biennium and narrow those down to 31 to put on the ballot at our convention in June in Mobile, Alabama. They were all good opportunities to support missions and missionaries who, working with the Holy Spirit, are spreading the Gospel and doing works of mercy. It’s a shame to have to turn any of them down.

The grants we have this biennium are also great opportunities for you to support when you can’t do the work yourself or when you have a ministry that you are especially attuned to. But, we are short in our Mite Box offerings for grants. We still have several that need payment. If you go to our website, www.lwml.org and click on the Missions tab, you can see the grants that still have to be paid and a breakdown of each month’s Mite Box offering receipts.

What can you do to help? It’s easy to donate online and or to send a check to the LWML at our new address of 801 Seminary Place, Suite L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. Please keep our Mission Goal and the fulfillment of it in your prayers and then open your heart and pocketbook to give some extra offering to the Lord.

At the grant meeting it was discussed as it is every biennium, lowering the Mission Goal. Financing less ministry. Not having to work so hard. The economy is forecast to go down or stagnate, the church is losing membership, the LWML is not promoting the mission grants like they used to. Are we to give in to that type of thought? Are we that weak that we can’t take on a challenge and meet it? Are we to abandon the promises we made at the Albuquerque convention to those grant recipients depending on our financing?

I say NO! We are strong, we have prayer, we have resources, and we just need to work a little harder over the next 11 weeks! So put on your running shoes and let’s race to the finish, together!

Patti

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Joy to the World

The new year is upon us! We returned from Pasadena and Los Angeles last night. We worked as Lutheran Hour Ministries Petal Pushers on the Rose Parade floats and then visited our son, John, in Los Angeles.

We met so many wonderful people and renewed acquaintances with many others. It’s so great to do some “hands-on” work with people you usually just have meetings with or talk with on the phone. The floats were on display for two days following the parade. During that time Lutheran Hour Ministries has people at the float talking to people as they stop to admire the workmanship. They also have literature available for people to take and are invited to address a postcard to someone which has a picture of the float on it.

Lutheran Hour float

Here’s an update from Lou Marting.

We started with a supply of 9,000 2019 Ministry Booth post cards for our Joy to the World the Lord is Come! float. Before the end of the second post-parade day, we ran out.

Along with hundreds of face-to-face witnessing conversations during decorating, on the parade route, staging area, and post parade, over 1700 of the post cards were addressed and sent to destinations all around the country, even to many international locations. This significantly exceeded previous year’s efforts and provided a way to spread the message of the float to many individuals.

Stamps were placed on the post cards as a volunteer effort by those of a local churches’ men’s group.

It was a very good experience – all part of the mission of Bringing Christ to the Nations – and the Nations to the Church.

To God be the glory!

Maybe we should think about having postcards to mail from our convention in Mobile, Alabama this June 20-23, 2019!

Joy to the World the Lord is Come! Joy as we “Serve the Lord With Gladness” in the coming new year of our Lord!

Happy New Year!

Patti

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New Year Greetings from Pasadena!

Hello everyone and Happy New Year 2019! We are out in Pasadena working as Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM) Petal Pushers on the LHM float that will be in the Rose Parade on New Year’s morning! What a fun experience this is! This is our third year to take part in the decorating of the floats. The LHM float is the only Christian float in the parade. It always includes Jesus. This year the theme of the parade is “The Melody of Life”. There are a lot of floats that have to do with music. The LHM float is called, “Joy to the World, the Lord is Come” and consists of a manger scene, with doves, bells, trumpets, and a group of people seated on the front as the choir. It’s all situated on a music scroll which unrolls the length of the float.

Watch the parade if you can. It starts at 10 a.m. Central time. The LHM float is about 2/3 of the way through the parade. If you watch on HGTV they don’t have commercials and the float is sure to be covered. We will be going to the parade around 6 a.m. and we are planning to go the football game that is between the Washington Huskies and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

There are quite a few LWML women here working on floats with the Petal Pushers. I talked with women from North Dakota, California, Iowa, and Michigan. Another fun thing the LWML Family does together!

Happy New Year!

Love, Patti

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Quotes from around my desk. Majesty

“God, who is outside of time has entered it to bring us out of it.”

I’m not sure where I got this quote. I like it because it makes me think. It makes me think about God’s majesty and how He transcends time and place. His omnipresence.

It seems appropriate for this week of Christmas. The majesty of God, which we can’t fully comprehend, comes to us in the humble form of a baby, which we can understand, to bring us outside of time, eternally, to live with that majestic God.

I hope it makes you think, too!

Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God (Psalm 90:1-2).

From me and Bill, Merry Christmas to our LWML Family!

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Quotes from around my desk. Peace

Peace Note
Peace Note

Peace. I don’t have any statistics to back me up but I’m betting that “peace” is one of the most frequently used words in Christmas advertising and marketing. Think of all the wishes for peace that you receive in your Christmas cards.

This quote I have from someone and the Mary Engelbreit picture quote from Eleanor Roosevelt remind me that peace is not something that can be wished to someone and magically they will have it! Peace needs to be worked at. It is not a thing, but an ongoing process. This is most easily illustrated by the various peace processes in our world that succeed, then fail, then are worked out again. In our personal lives we may reach a time of peace only to have life experiences take it away and the process starts again.

I know that there are times when I don’t work for peace. It’s easier to be apathetic and leave the peace process to someone else whether that’s world peace or personal peace. I have to remind myself when I see this note that I need to be working towards peace daily—working at it!

There’s one type of peace that I don’t have to work at and that’s the peace of God that Jesus Christ came into the world to give us. That peace is a gift. Through His death and resurrection He secured the “peace that passes understanding”—eternal life with Him after we leave this conflicted, less-than-peaceful world.

LWML—Lutheran Women in Mission, know about that peace. We serve to spread the message of that peace. God has invited us, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to share His peace to all the earth. In this peace with God we are enabled to engage with each other for peace on earth—so that what God provides may be known everywhere.

I pray for God’s peace for you and for the world this Christmas season. With that peace in your hearts, engage in the peace process in your families, congregations, communities and the world.

Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it (Psalm 34:14).

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).

Patti