Mission Grants

Three Mission Grants Funded.  As the 2008-2010 biennium nears the end, we report that Mission Grants 7, 8, and 9 have been fully funded. It is awesome how the Lord uses these mites of our South Wisconsin District to work in so many ways to share the Good News.

Grant #7 – Bibles for Inner City Milwaukee Outreach - $5,000. This grant will enable the members of Mission of Christ Lutheran Church to purchase Bibles and Christian literature to distribute to 1000 children and families in this diverse ethnic population located in the inner city of Milwaukee.

Grant #8 – Cistern for Lutheran Church, Chiquimula, Guatemala - $1,098. This grant will be used to construct a cistern to provide clean fresh water for the church, under construction, and the parsonage. The water supply is not stable, often only available during the night. About 70 children are being served in pre-school and after school programs in this small rural church. Rev. Tiburcio Giron and his wife Carmelina have been ministering to the people of Chiquimula for about 8 years, working with the poorest of the poor, holding services mainly in their rented home. The congregation has been saving for many years to build the church now under construction.

Grant #9 – Trinity/Hope Hot Lunch for Haitian Schools - $5,000. The goal of this grant is to more adequately meet the physical needs of the hungry children in our Hatian Lutheran Schools. It is hoped that they will be healthier, have more energy and be more receptive to the Word of the Lord, by receiving a daily hot lunch in the school setting. By demonstrating this physical, caring concern for these children, it is hoped that this will be one way of witnessing and sharing the love of Christ. We pray that this is a way for the Holy Spirit to work on the hearts of the people to discredit the Voodoo teaching that God is unapproachable and non-responsive to Haitans. In the wake of the recent trauma with earthquakes, this is quite timely.

Praise the Lord - Grant #6 has been paid!  Shown in the photograph below is Joyce Buehrens, Mission Grants chairman, presenting our check to Dr. Don W. Johnson, the executive director of LAMP.  Grant #6 was $20,000 to recruit Alaska native church workers for LAMP-USA.

PowerPak, a collection of 19 distinct 8-½" x 11" mission grant descriptions, each with pictures and prayer, is available for download.  These mission grants were adopted at our 2009 Portland convention. Use to encourage national mission grant support and participation. Place on fellowhip hall bulletin boards, use for society meetings, create themes for school bulletin boards and in Sunday School displays; use during personal prayer time and devotions.

Lutheran Women Adopt $1.825 Million Mission Goal

PORTLAND, OR — Delegates to the 33rd Biennial Convention of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML) adopted a $1.825 million mission goal for the 2009–11 biennium. It is the largest in the organization’s 67-year history and will fund a record 19 mission grants.

SWD Grant #5 has been paid!  Pictured below is President Jan Dankwardt presenting the check to Janice Ruge, from the Braille project at Workshop 100 in Sheboygan.  Grant #5 is $6,000 to supply God's word by means of 1,714 plus volumes of Braille absolutely free.

Monthly Mites Status.  Our Financial Secretary reports total gifts for missions at the close of August of $11,940.96.  Now that our Societies are meeting again and Fall Zone Rallies will be held, we pray that our shortage will be made up quickly!   

Monthly Mites Status. 

At the close of the 2006-2008 biennium, gifts for mission grants totaled $195,732.83!  
  

Received to date:
Mites	$187,760.68
Memorials/Celebrations	4,380.00
Selle Interest	$3,592.15
Total	$195,732.83

Overage for the biennium:  $5,732.83

Convention voted to give overage to the International Friendship Center grant up to the amount requested of $20,000.00.  With the overage, the IFC total comes to $19,572.83.

Contact Information for Ruth Krueger, VP of Mission Grants and Human Care. 

It has come to my attention that some of you may have been attempting, unsuccessfully, to reach Ruth Krueger, our VP of Mission Grants and Human Care, via phone and email. With the postmark deadline (October 31) only a week away for submitting grants to her for the 2008-2010 biennium, you may have questions for her.

Ruth is in the process of having several surgeries on her ear; the next one is scheduled for Friday. Side effects from this type of surgery are dizziness, tiredness, and 'not feeling well' in general. She has been and is, therefore, unable to respond to email as that involves walking downstairs, which she is unable to do. She does, however, try to respond, as she is able, to phone messages. She IS receiving snail mail at her Twin Lakes address and has received several grants already. Please continue to send the grants to her!

If you need to reach Ruth, the best way is to call her; leave a message if necessary. Please do not send email to her during this time. Alternatively, you may contact our SWD LWML Mission Grants Committee Chairman, Joyce Buehrens, at bjbueh@juno.com or 262-886-4187. I will also be happy to field any questions you may have.

Please keep Ruth in your prayers. It's frustrating for her to be slowed down like this! She's looking forward to receiving all your grant proposals so we as a district will be able to support many of them with our mites.

Again, continue to send your grant proposals to Ruth at her Twin Lakes address, but contact her only via phone. Alternatively, you may also contact Joyce Buehrens or myself via phone or email if you have questions. Thanks for your patience and understanding and for faithfully serving the Lord through the LWML.

Carolyn Blum, President
South Wisconsin LWML

Twelve Grants Chosen for 2006-2008 Biennium
Twelve new grant recipients were chosen by the 241 delegates and board members voting at the 2006 SWD LWML convention June 17 at Manitowoc. Since then, one grant request has been withdrawn because the program is no longer in existance. 

Therefore, the Board of Directors has agreed that the $10,000 designated for Ministry to People with Disabilities at Fort Atkinson be redirected to fund the final approved grant. The International Friendship Center at Madison had requested $20,000 but as the last accepted grant was only scheduled to receive $3840. It now will receive $13,840. 

Here is the revised list of current grants.

2006 - 2008 Grant Recipients

1.	Orphan Grain Train, replace Emergency Rescue Vehicle. The Orphan Grain Train, Wisconsin Division, owns a pick-up truck with over 250,000 miles on it.  This truck is used to tow the emergency response vehicle for serving food and refreshments to victims and volunteers in time of disaster and for towing the 18-foot trailer used to pick up donations through the area.  The funds will go toward the purchase of a new vehicle.	$15,000	PAID IN FULL!
2.	Aid for SWD Students at Concordia Seminary, Ft. Wayne Financial Aid from the District is important to supporting our students and SWD has historically sent them less than other districts.  This grant will encourage our students as they prepare to preach.	$10,000	PAID IN FULL!
3.	SWD Church Work Student Grant The need for pastors, teachers and other professional church workers is critical to the church at large and the mission field.  This grant will continue to provide help with unmet financial needs for the 207 SDW church work students now enrolled at our synodical schools and seminaries.	$30,000	PAID IN FULL!
4.	A Place of Refuge Milwaukee A Place of Refuge shows the love of Christ to women and families experiencing crisis pregnancies.  The funds will be used to provide printed educational and promotional materials, outdoor signs for churches, a notebook computer, and a projector to further spread the Gospel to these most vulnerable members of our society.	$7,500	PAID IN FULL!
5.	Alaska Mission for Christ / Copper River Valley Mission Outreach These funds will be used to purchase supplies, worship materials, curriculum, and defray training, transportation and networking expenses for providing worship, Sunday School, mini VBS, teen events, and Bible study in this 180 by 150 mile area of Alaska, where only 19% of the people claim church membership.	$8,500	PAID IN FULL!
6.	Establishment of Deaf Mission Outreach Centers These funds will help train more deaf leaders in South Wisconsin and Northern Illinois to be effective witnesses to the saving message of Jesus Christ.	$12,000	PAID IN FULL!
7.	School Supplies for Lutheran Schools in Guinea, West Africa This grant will provide funds to assist the 60 Lutheran Schools in Guinea, West Africa, to purchase needed basic school supplies and equipment.	$6,000	PAID IN FULL!
8.	Milwaukee County House of Correction Scripture Fund This will provide funds to purchase Bibles and other Christian literature for the over 24,000 men and women incarcerated in the Milwaukee County HOC annually who increasingly ask the chaplain for such material.	$15,000	PAID IN FULL!
9.	Squatters Village Feeding Program – Guatemala These funds will be used to feed the abjectly poor in the squatters village next to the garbage dump in Guatemala City and to share the love of Jesus Christ with them.	$14,660	PAID IN FULL!
10.	CAME (Center for Asian Missions and Evangelism), Milwaukee Chinese and Asian Indian Outreach There are over 60,000 Chinese and Asian Indians living in the greater Milwaukee area, and 95% of them are unchurched.  CAME and its mission facilitators are experienced in starting and growing sites across North America.  These funds will help the initiation of Chinese and Asian Indian mission work in Milwaukee.  This group is an RSO of the LCMS.	$10,000	PAID IN FULL!
11.	International Friendship Center–Madison The International Friendship Center works with international students attending the University of Wisconsin, Madison who will return to their native lands to be influential leaders.  This grant will assist in providing a portion of the IFC director's salary, volunteer training costs, promotion, materials and hospitality.	$13,840	PAID IN FULL!
	Total, District Grants (75% of goal)	$142,500
	National Grants portion (25%)	$ 47,500
	Total Mite Goal for 2006 – 2008	$190,000

A downloadable poster containing this information for posting on your church bulletin board is now available on the Publications page. why not write a big "PAID" over each item as you learn that a grant has been completed. 

Watch this website for notices of payments and for stories about the needs of each recipient organization.