Glocal Mission Gathering Poster for Congregations
Within the next week, each congregation will be receiving a poster in the mail to promote the Glocal Mission Gathering June 22-23 in Sioux Falls. Please hang the poster in your church and encourage members of your congregation to attend this exciting event!
More information about the event and registration may be found on the synod website.
We hope you can join us for mission conversations around the realities of the world we live in today. Glocal Mission Gatherings are open to all leaders.
Young Adult in Global Mission from South Dakota
Almost sixty young adults will be spending a year of service with the ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program. Beginning in August 2012, they will serve for one year in a congregation, school or social service ministry in Argentina / Uruguay, Central Europe, Jerusalem / West Bank, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
Catherine (Catie) Mapa is a member of Atonement Lutheran in Rapid City and will be volunteering in Mexico. Catie is the daughter of Pastors Jon and Carol Mapa and is finishing her last year at Augsburg College.
Please keep Catie and all the Young Adults in Global Mission in your prayers as they begin their service in August.
Blog Update from Mike Busbey, Our Missionary in Nicaragua
Mike Busbey has posted an update on his blog Everyday Happenin's for the month of April. Check it out and hear about his experiences with Holy Week and Easter with the Lutheran Church in Nicaragua. (Be sure to bookmark the page and check back for more updates and photos!)
Please continue to keep Mike and the ministry of the Lutheran Church of Faith and Hope in Nicargua in your prayers.
Volunteer Opportunities in Minot, ND
Almost a year after flooding last June, Minot is still dealing with the aftermath of that flood. In order to increase the number of volunteers coming to help people, and to maximize the effectiveness of volunteers and volunteer agencies, a unified volunteer center has been established, called Hope Village.
Please consider volunteering to help with rebuilding and recovery. More information may be found on the Hope Village website about what is needed and how to volunteer.
Another way to lend a hand is with Camp Noah, which is seeking fun volunteers to work with kids whose lives have been changed after last summer's floods in and around Minot. If you are gifted with young people, have an interest in teaching resilience and sharing hope, and are looking for ways to give back to a community in need, please consider spending a week working for Camp Noah.
They will be at Camp of the Cross near Garrison, ND for June 2-8 and 9-15 and at Bread of Life Lutheran Church in Minot for June 24-29. You can volunteer for one or all of these weeks, and meals and lodging are provided! Volunteers can be as young as 16 or as old as 'just young at heart'!
For more info, contact Katie Nesdahl.
Pierre/Ft. Pierre Flood Recovery Update
Pastor Don Block, Senior Pastor of Lutheran Memorial in Pierre, gives this update to the rebuilding process after the flooding last year in Pierre/Ft. Pierre:
We are distributing funds that were was raised in the Pierre/Ft. Pierre area first, and then will look to the statewide fund raising area. The case management used a point system for damage awarding a maximum of 8 points worth $150.00 each for a total of $1,200.00. We based that on the number of cases that we had and the amount of money that we had. Since that time, additional funds come in and not all of the cases were awarded points. Some dropped out, others have not been able to be contacted, and some did not get all 8 points.
We are starting on a second round, where the team had flagged some people that could use more help. We allocated $40,000.00 to Lutheran Social Services via the Flood office here at LMC to give out a maximum of $1,000.00 per home to help with rebuilding. This money is being used to purchase supplies for the groups volunteering with the rebuild. This has been essential in the work we are doing now. Without it, we would have people here to work with no materials for them to work with. Many of the families have used the money to pay off bills that they already had in hand. While this is helpful, it does not get material in the hands of workers, so in this way we are doing some of both.
Currently, one of the greatest needs is for additional funds to help in paying bills on hand or with the purchasing of supplies. The more money we have, the more we can help families rebuild their homes.
There is also a great need for expertise in certain areas such as electricians, plumbers, and heating/air conditioning. There are some homes that we cannot work on yet or continue to work on, because we need electrical work done.
If you are interested in lending a hand in the rebuilding process, contact Ron Nagle at 605-280-3716. If you would like more information about volunteering, or would like to make a financial contribution to rebuilding efforts, contact Pastor Don Block at 605-224-8608.
Synod Assembly Registration
