|
July
2002 |
We have a mission to spread the
Gospel throughout the world:
Reaching out to those who have
not heard. We do that in many
ways. Through our actions and
through our words, we proclaim
that very Gospel, to all those
who witness our daily lives. We
are baptized into the priesthood
of believers. My belief is that
touch and/or action, is the best
way to do mission. |
|
June
2002 |
Your help is needed so that
important outreach ministry can
continue in several
congregations. As a result of
necessary budget cuts from the
synod budget for this year, the
Outreach Committee was called
upon to decrease $10,000 in
congregational support for
2002. As a result of our annual
conclave allocations were made
that now can only partially be
fulfilled. |
|
April
2002 |
As I was sitting at my desk
writing my letter to you, I
thought of April fools day and
how I am often fooled into
thinking that the task is too
large. What can I do? I am
only one person. I know that as
I started this new endeavor with
Mission Partners, I went through
the thought process that asked,
“What could I do? I am only one
person trying to do mission in
my own back yard.” Two things
that really hit me were, one, I
am not alone, and two, I can
accomplish “The Impossible
Task”. |
|
March
2002 |
A Message from our New Mission
Partner Coordinator
Mission Partners wants to help
you to tell your stories and do
ministries! Please let us know
how we can help. Mission
Partners wants your ministry
ideas to come to life. Help us
get to know your niche; to get
to know you and your local
setting.
|
|
February
2002 |
NEW MISSION PARTNER COORDINATOR
The Rev. Ralph Edwards, Pastor
of Good Hope Lutheran Church,
North Lima has been named as the
new Mission Partner Coordinator
replacing Bob Ogden.
|
| December
2001 |
Good
Fellowship & Good Works
Senior
high youth and adult sponsors
from Bethany, Akron;
Celebration, Chardon; Rejoice!,
Hudson; St. John, Washington; St
Paul, Smithville; and St
Stephen, Stow formed a joint
effort.
It was called a Youth
Servant Event hosted by Trinity,
Pittsburgh.
|
| November
2001 |
What
is Mission Partners?
What
is the Biblical basis for
Mission Partners? What are
examples of Mission Partners in
our synod? How can your
church become a Mission Partner?
|
| October
2001 |
2001
CONCLAVE
Matt
Harpster, the outreach worker
who has spearheaded the Medina
Cooperative Ministry, opened the
September conclave at St.
Matthew, Medina with a prayer.
An added benefit for those in
attendance was an excellent
lunch prepared and graciously
served by the women of St.
Matthew.
The other churches in the
cooperative ministry are Grace,
Wadsworth; Living Word, Medina;
St. Paul, Sharon Center; and
until recently Jerusalem,
Seville.
The conclave takes place each
September for the purpose of
determining mission needs in our
synod for Outreach Committee
funding.
|
| September
2001 |
Sandy
Valley Lutheran Cooperative
Ministry
Three
pre-Civil War congregations in
the towns of Magnolia,
Sandyville, and Waynesburg in
the Southern Conference have
joined hands to form a new
cooperative ministry under the
leadership of Pastor Matthew
Diehl.
|
| August
2001 |
Trinity,
Ashland & Good Shepard,
Cleveland
Strengthen
Congregations...be Kind...help
Others
The above
quote is taken from the
newsletter of Trinity, Ashland.
It pertains to their outreach
ministry and specifically to
Good Shepherd, Cleveland.
Pastor Sandy Mitchell and
Associate Pastor Mark Oster of
Trinity have partnered together
with Pastor Barrett Cain of Good
Shepherd for a mutual-reaching
toward effective ministry.
|
| July
2001 |
St.
James, East Cleveland
A Growing, Worshiping, Needing
Congregation
Our synod congregations have
reached out to St James with
gifts of time, talent and
treasure. Their pastor,
Dennis Mims, and his members
greatly appreciate the support
and highly value their mission
partner relationships which have
resulted
|
| June
2001 |
Lutheran
Church of the Covenant, Maple
Heights
In October, 1999 this newsletter featured the educational ministry of this congregation. Now, nearly two years later, we met with Pastor Joseph Rinderknecht and his staff for an update.
|
| April
2001 |
A
Congregation in Redevelopment Change is not easy, particularly for people long-steeped in traditional music. In an effort to reach out to visitors Good Shepherd
in Cleveland is led by Pastor Barrett
Cain began using "This Far By Faith", an African-American resource for worship. Meanwhile attendance is increasing. Attendance has doubled to 74 and giving has nearly tripled to $1,200 weekly.
|
| March
2001 |
T
he Phoenix Story
Phoenix
is an area of the country that
is undergoing rapid growth,
resulting in a need for new
congregations to accommodate the
needs of the 3 million +
population.
A group of Mission
Partner coordinators visited a
number of Lutheran congregations
from large (one worshipping in
excess of 10,000 each Sunday) to
small (worshipping as few as 50
per Sunday).
|
| February
2001 |
East
Side Parish Fellowship, Good Shepherd and St. James, while ministering separately, are working together as East Side Parish (ESP). This is a story which involves mission partnering between the congregations where the sharing of time, talent and treasure takes place.
|
| January
2001 |
A
Gospel Driven Ministry to the
Poor In downtown Canton
there is a church reacting to
the times yet deeply involved
with their 166 year Lutheran
tradition. The church is led by
Pastor John Mann, who also
serves as chairman for the synod
Outreach Committee.
|
| December
2000 |
A
Congregation with a Mission,
Vision and Marketing Plan
Pastor Tim Mentzer has led Living Lord Lutheran Church, Warren, since 1997. He and his church are not satisfied with the status quo. They have developed mission and vision statements which involve action as they contemplate the future.
|
| November 2000 |
Outreach
Conclave Opportunities
Each year your synod Outreach
Committee gathers for a
conclave. The purpose of the
conclave is to learn about
congregational needs and to
determine how the synod outreach
budget is to be allocated. In
September 2000 the conclave was
held at Martin Luther,
Youngstown . Several
congregations described their
ministries and what they hope to
accomplish in 2001.
|
| October
2000 |
St.
Paul, Jefferson
Pastor Fred Grimm (St. Paul,
Jefferson) reported that his
congregation's food pantry feeds
about 60 families each month in
their community of 3000 persons.
St. Paul averages 100 persons at
worship with a baptized number
of 200.
Outreach
Conclave - Martin Luther,
Youngstown
Pastor Connie Sassanella and
lay leader Jack Ritter hosted
the annual conclave of the synod
Outreach Committee on September
29 and 30.
|
| August 2000 |
CHRIST,
LEXINGTON
A Congregation Changing Gears
Christ is
growing in faith, growing in
service and growing in their
love for God and all
people.
THE
COMPUTER AGE & CONGREGATIONS
We are hearing
about a new kind of outreach.
Some of our synod churches have
computer labs where members
receive training in the use of a
computer.
|
| July 2000 |
Mission
Conclave - St. James, East
Cleveland - Food Bank Matching
Funds
|
| June 2000 |
Synod
Assembly Report --
Congregational Highlights
The synod assembly found our
usual Outreach Committee-Mission
Partners display table. We had
many voting members, friends and
Mission Partner supporters stop
for short visits. It was an
opportunity to spread our
biblical basis found in Genesis
12 that "we have been
blessed to be a blessing for
others."
|
| April 2000 |
Good
News! -- Synod Assembly -- 2000
Congregations -- Rejoice!,
Hudson -- Our Savior, Lorain
|
| March
2000 |
Stewardship at the Heart of
the Church
I had the opportunity of
attending a churchwide
conference on stewardship in Chicago, February
3-6, 2000. About 35 other synod mission partner
coordinators were there so we could learn from each
other by exchanging ideas and experiences.
|
| February
2000 |
Small Town and Rural Church Task Force
Everywhere we look in today’s world we
see change. Each of us responds differently to the way
change impacts our personal lives. This group identified
some of the major problems facing our churches and suggests
recommendations for addressing these problems. |
| January 2000 |
Trinity, Lakewood... Lakewood Teen Center
Pastor Paula Maeder Connor, Trinity, Lakewood, is
spearheading an effort to organize a teen center just north
of the church with an operational target date of February
18, 2000. |
| December 1999 |
Mission Partners – Giving Opportunities
As the end of the year winds down and some congregations
are blessed with additional monies to support mission
efforts, you may wish to consider the following giving
opportunities. |
| November 1999 |
Martin Luther, Youngstown... A Congregation
in Transition
Picture a traditional 140-year-old
Lutheran church in an older residential area with an aging
German base. Surrounding the church is a predominantly
African-American neighborhood in a high crime area with all
the other difficult problems of the inner city: high
unemployment, single parent families, drugs, housing
deterioration, distrust, and a feeling of hopelessness. |
| October 1999 |
The Lutheran Church of The Covenant, Maple
Heights... New Mission Partner Opportunity
The program's mission statement is
"To reach out in the name of Jesus with care and
concern to teens and pre-teens whose life circumstances are
preventing them from receiving the education they need to
succeed in life and to invite them and their families into
Covenant's supportive Christian community." |
| September 1999
|
St. Paul Lutheran Church, Smithville,
Ohio... 150+ Years Young and Challenging
St. Paul has been largely land-locked
with houses on three sides of the sanctuary. The
congregation and Pastor Rust began looking to the future
very seriously in 1989. One plan called for expanding the
present building and making the church
handicapped-accessible with the installation of an elevator.
It was concluded that the cost might exceed the cost of
building a new church, that the congregation would still be
faced with an aging structure and that parking would
continue to be a problem. The decision to build a new
sanctuary was a difficult one because the congregation has
many members whose families have deep roots at their present
location. |
