Just About There!

The trouble with kids today is you cannot get them interested in anything. Right? Well you wouldn’t want to say that out loud at St. Johns Evangelical Lutheran Church in Barrhead, Alberta. You would be in for a pretty good argument if you did.

Some of the St. Johns youth and their One Community development board. – CLWR/T. Brook

Youth at this church have been involved in supporting the life giving work of Canadian Lutheran World relief for a long time. Recently they got very serious.

Eric and Rylan decided that a well sounded like a very good idea and made that their confirmation project. It wasn’t long before the congregation responded in ways that sent them on their way past one well.

What happened? Well it was sort of like the day of Pentecost we just celebrated together at St. Johns. The gift of the Holy Spirit wasn’t like a birthday or Christmas gift, it wasn’t a thing. What it did was much what Spring does for a tree. Spring doesn’t give a tree anything but simply helps the tree develop what it already has inside it. And, pretty soon it blossoms and bears fruit. Well that’s what the leadership of the youth did at St. Johns. It helped bring out the generous hearts that already existed.

But they did not stop there. With the encouragement and support of Youth Coordinator, Shelly Ree, they have taken up the 2010 CLAY challenge of ’12 in ’12 and are raising money for the One Community project – supplying the inputs a village needs to become self sustainable.

How’s it coming? They are JUST ABOUT THERE. They have raised a little over $4400 of the $5000 goal. Fantastic!

There are at least 20 young people heading for this years youth gathering in Saskatoon. Pastor Kevin Ree said there had been some talk of going to Saskatoon by canoe. That’s passed, but one thing that hasn’t passed is the commitment and engagement of these youth in Barrhead.

Tom Brook

Community Relations Director

2006 And Counting!

Two thousand and six, that’s the number of quilts shipped by the Lutheran Church Women of St. Peters Lutheran Church in Stettler, Alberta – and that’s just since they began to keep records!

I had the pleasure of visiting with the group to bring them greetings from Canadian Lutheran World Relief but above all thanking them for all they have done to improve the lives of people around the world, not only through their quilting work but also all the other generous gifts they provide. With the technical assistance of Pastor Karl Faltin, I was able to describe the general work of CLWR and also focus on some current activity in Ethiopia.

There are fourteen women in the group and they are very keen on what they do. They also have a terrific volunteer in Rosmer Salas of the Philippines. Rosmer is in Canada on a temporary work permit, but hopes to be able to obtain immigrant status so he can bring his family to Canada as well. Rosmer sews the quilts together as a volunteer and the LCW members admire his work a lot.

Ans, as in any Lutheran fellowship hall or church basement in Canada, the snacks were great!

Tom Brook – Community Relations Director

St. Paters Lutheran Church LCW women and their pastor Karl Faltin with some of the most recent quilting work.       CLWR/T. Brook

Living Faith – Right Now

Live in God’s Grace. Live to Serve. At Living Faith Lutheran Church in Sechelt, BC on the Sunshine Coast this vision statement is no hollow call to discipleship – it is lived out in the real world every day by this small but very vibrant congregation. They are living out their faith, right here and now.

This church serves the people of the Sunshine Coast all up and down the 80 km of the coastal highway

I was delighted to learn that my good friend Ian Nestegaard Paul had been called to Living Faith. He’s a gifted leader and will be a faithful servant and shepherd. He’s a great match because he has a heart for mission and ministry and the people of this congregation demonstrate their great capacity to be in mission for others constantly.

They are engaged in a variety of local ministry including being responsible for the birth of a very successful Habitat for Humanity group that has twelve builds planned for this year. There are many large city Habitat groups that can not match that level of activity.

The congregation is also deeply invested on the work of CLWR. They have been responsible for providing several wells and supporting a variety of CLWR activities around the world

Following the May 13 service, where I was pleased to bring the message and a word of gratitude for their support, Gwen Hawkins presented a report on her recent Global Encounter trip to Zambia to visit CLWR supported Lutheran World Federation projects in that country. The congregation showed real enthusiasm in learning first hand how they have changed lives and provided for people who need hope the most.

To top everything off, this old fan of the “Beachcombers” visited Molly’s Reach and the docks of Gibson’s Harbour had a chance to feel just a little nostalgic for a few minutes. A great day on the BC coast all around!

Tom Brook

Community Relations Director

Welcoming The Stranger

Fikre Tsehai is a special guy. He’s the manager of the CLWR Refugee Resettlement program. Refugee resettlement was one of the reasons the Lutheran Churches in Canada came together more than 65years ago immediately after the Second World War.

Fikre works hard to give congregations the opportunity to “Welcome the Stranger”, an important task for the committed disciple. More than 40,000 refugees have come through CLWR since 1946.

A lot of great resources and information is available at http://www.clwr.org/What-We-Do/refugee-resettlement.cfm

“The stranger who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native among you and you shall love him as yourself.” Leviticus 19:34

Why not make your congregation part of this great legacy?

Tom Brook

Community Relations Director

Most…..But Not All

The 9^th convention of the East District, Lutheran Church-Canada is off to a great start. The convention is being held at the Blue Mountain Conference Center in Collingwood, Ontario.

Our good friend, Reverend Robert Bugbee, preached at the opening service on Matthew 24:12. It was a strong reminder of Jesus’ agape love for us, which then kindles love in us for others. From there, this love makes us a light for others in a world where love is growing cold.

Of course, this is the very reason for CLWR’s partnership with Canada’s Lutheran community. CLWR is present to be a vehicle for Lutherans to show their love for others throughout the world.

When you think of it, that’s amazingly simple!

The opening service concluded in a very fitting hymn – Lift High the Cross.

Tom Brook

Community Relations Director

Heart of the Good Shepherd

Members of the Church of the Good Shepherd LWML, Pastor Harold Borchardt, Tom Brook. Photo: CLWR/T.Brook

Church of the Good Shepherd in the Winnipeg suburb of Transcona truly has the heart of the Good Shepherd. This Lutheran Church Canada congregation is deeply engaged in a variety of international and domestic mission and ministry. However, it seemed to me, that they had a special attachment to Canadian Lutheran World Relief.

The LWML provides We Care kits, quilts and blankets as well as financial support. Even the Sunday School children meet their mission needs through CLWR. The members of the congregation are also very generous in their personal support.

Seventy people came to lunch following the service to hear about the work of CLWR. I was pleased to report on some of the life-giving work of CLWR in Ethiopia. They learned more about what Lutherans are doing at the Shirkole Refugee Camp on the border with Sudan, the famine relief work in the Goro District and agricultural development in Rural Ethiopia.

Next week the Sunday School is sponsoring a tea, CLWR will be the object of the free-will offering!

Tom Brook

Community Relations Director

The Best Is Yet To Come

Canadian Lutheran World Relief Executive Director, Robert Granke, brought greetings to the Manitoba and Northwest Ontario ELCIC Synod convention by reporting on some of the new initiatives taking place in Palestine and East Jerusalem.

Augusta Victoria Hospital on the Mount of Olives is providing leading edge oncology treatment, particularly to Palestinian women and specialized dialysis treatment for children. The hospital will soon be expanding the sub acute care currently taking place in the “Canadian Wing” to a new 120-bed center for palliative and senior care. These advancements along with the continuing success of the Vocational Training Program for youth transforms and builds civil society and the economy.

Bob said the best is yet to come in CLWR work in Palestine. The Dar Al Kalima auditorium in Bethlehem, currently under construction, will be the “largest and best sports facility in all of Palestine” and will compliment the Lutheran college there which enables the next generation to realize their potential through educational excellence.

This work complements the special attention CLWR is placing on engaging youth and young adults through developing new web-based resources, emphasis on use of social media platforms, work opportunities with the agency, and travel abroad.

Finally, Bishop Elaine Sauer received a cheque from Bob representing support for Gifts from the Heart donations to support synod mission activity such as Kids Helping Kids and urban mission.

Tom Brook

Community Relations Director

Selling “Goat Feed” for Gifts from the Heart

Trinity and Jaime Nylen with "Charlie" and "Molly" at Erickson Lutheran Church. Photo provided by Judy Diswinka.

Judy Diswinka sent CLWR this story about a clever Gifts from the Heart fundraiser the Erickson Lutheran Church in Manitoba held this past Christmas:

The Erickson Lutheran Church Women decided to have a campaign using CLWR’s Gifts from the Heart catalogue to see how much money we could raise for CLWR. The catalogue was mentioned at our ladies circle meetings and at church. As suggested in your catalogue, we talked about straight donations to CLWR, as well as purchasing gifts for friends and family who didn’t really “need” anything. The campaign was very successful.

I particularly want to tell you about the fun we had with one part our campaign. We went with what was called “the goat fund” and proceeded to raise money to buy goats (realizing that the money does not necessarily go for goats, but is used wherever it is needed.)

At our Christmas Bazaar, there was a table with two cardboard goats (a boy and a girl), with ballots and a ballot box to name each goat (for free), plus sealed bags of “goat food” (wrapped candy) to buy for $1.00. You might be interested to know that the names drawn for the goats were Molly and Charlie!

This table provided much laughter and fun. Two of our young church members, Jaime and Trinity Nylen, were in charge of the table. They had 31 bags of goat food, and sold all of them! It was especially nice to see the girls’ participation and enjoyment.

I hope you get a smile out of their efforts and the idea.

A Relationship For Good

The first of a total of eight Lutheran Church-Canada and Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada district and synod conventions at which CLWR will have a presence, kicked off with the Central District (LCC) convention in Moose Jaw.

CLWR Executive Director, Robert Granke, addressed the delegates telling them of the new Memorandum of Understanding between CLWR and LCC which informs and guides the ongoing partnership in mission and ministry between the church and agency. Bob spoke about the work CLWR was supporting in the schools in Nicaragua as well as the shipment of medical and dental material for the local clinic. He also talked about searching for ways to work together in support of Haiti.

Special thanks were directed to the work of LWML-C and the support from loving hands in church halls and basements across Canada where We Care kits are assembled along with quilts, blankets and other items which bring comfort and hope around the world.

Lutheran Church Canada also collaborates with CLWR through the Mission and Social Ministry Committee which proposes gift selections for the annual Gifts from the Heart catalogue. LCC Synod President, Rev. Dr. Robert Bugbee was presented with a cheque for the gifts collected in the last Christmas season, more than $25,000.

They Said We Wouldn’t Survive

Lord of All Lutheran Church in Strathmore, Alberta. Photo: T.Brook

Lord of All Lutheran Church in Strathmore, Alberta began life as a double wide trailer hauled in from the BC mountains. Pastor Dawn Nelson told me the congregation wasn’t given much of a chance to survive. But today it has a modern sanctuaryin a new building, busy fellowship hall and a full calendar of activities for an active and growing congregation.

I was welcomed warmly and enthusiastically. The congregation and its members have a real heart for mission and demonstrate it through their interest in CLWR activities and their generous gifts.

Today I was able to tell them there were many Doubting Thomases like Thomas in today’s gospel. These people need to see Jesus’ wounds before they will believe. Today, one important way this can happen is if Jesus is seen to be alive in his followers. We can show that Jesus is alive and ever present among us by how we reach out and touch the lives of others who are suffering injustice and poverty; by how we respond in ways that bring hope to those who need hope the most. This congregation does that through CLWR.

I also had fun with the nineteen children who came forward for Children’s Time. We talked about mosquito nets and how a simple $10 net purchased with the pennies that no one thinks are worth anything anymore, saved lives of children like them.

It was a great visit and cupcakes with the post service coffee. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Tom Brook

CLWR Community Relations Director