Concordia Lutheran Mission Society | Ministry and Projects Report 2011

2011 Adopted Mission Projects

Project #1101 Seminary Training, Odessa, Ukraine.

For a number of years, the CLMS has focused on the construction of a seminary and mission centre in Usatua, a suburb of Odessa. The building is now able to be used for seminary training. It provides adequate classroom and library space, a dining room, kitchen and faculty suite on the first floor and dormitory rooms on the second floor. Following its dedication in August 2010, a program of theological study was begun with eight students at an annual cost of $4,720 per student. Together with some reserve funds from the CLMS, this project will provide for educational and living costs of the students, as well as travel cost of volunteer professors and pastors coming from Canada to teach. $22,000.

Project #1102 Vacation Bible School, Nicaragua.

Each year in January, the Lutheran Church in Nicaragua has been offering a Vacation Bible School experience in every community where it has a congregation or an outreach ministry. There children have the opportunity to learn Bible stories and be educated by Christian deaconesses and teachers who share God’s love in Christ with the students. About 1,000 children are involved annually in this program at a cost of $6,000 per child. This is a good project for Canadian Sunday Schools, Vacation Bible Schools, and other groups to provide for as many children as they are able. The total needed is $6,000.

Project #1103 Children’s Christian Education, Costa Rica.

The work of the Lutheran Church in Costa Rica is under the supervison of Rev. Edmundo Retana, a Costa Rica national, who plans to replace the informal children’s programs which have been used up to this time with a formal program of Christian education in his country. The program is currently being developed. Children will meet twice a week for three hours and are taught Bible truth according to age levels by the pastor, a deaconess and one assistant. It is intended for children ranging in age from five to fifteen years. His goal is to reach between 60 and 100 children with the Gospel by this means. This is another good project for Sunday Schools, VBSs and individuals. The cost per child will be $5.00 per month per child. Total needed is $6,000.

Project #1104 Missionary Rev. Suchat Chujit, Thailand.

Missionary Suchat Chujit has spent many years reaching out with the Gospel in Phang Nga province in South Thailand since he himself converted from the Buddhist faith. Particularly since the tsunami a few years ago, more and more people are open to listen as he visits in their homes and businesses. In the past the LWML has supported this project but since last year it has been provided for through the CLMS. The cost of providing salary, benefits and outreach materials for this mission in 2011 will be $8,500.

Project #1105 Children’s Christian Education, Nicaragua.

Facilies in Nicaragua often struggle to earn enough money to buy the essential food and clothing to survive. For children to attend school, they must have uniforms and pay tuition at a cost of about $125 per year. As a result many children do not receive any formal education. This project addresses this need for many children and Lutheran deaconesses also provide tutoring and instruction in the Christian faith during the morning or afternoon when the children are not in school. It has proven to be one of the most effective mission programs of the Nicaraguan Church. The program is supported by many groups and CLMS hopes to provide for 60 children in 2011 with a total grant of $7,500.

Project #1106 Orphans and Sick Children, Ukraine.

LCC missionary Alexey Novrotsky visits orphanages with groups of students two or three times a month. They also visit a home for abandoned children which houses about 80 children and a special school for children with mental disorders about 180 km from Dnepropetrovsk. He also arranges for orphans to attend a summer youth camp. This project covers craft supplies, some food and medicine, in addition to costs involved in attending the summer youth camp for a total cost of $2,420.

Project #1107 Orphans, Aged and Prisoners, Ukraine.

Congregations of the SELCU in Nova Khokovka and Ostyaberskoe carry out a Gospel and social ministry to a variety of people in nine different mission stations who have no opportunity to come to worship services. They involve several orphanages for deaf and sick children, a geriatric center, a jail for adults and a special school for kids who have committed crimes. Members of these congregations visit these lost people with words of reconciliation through Christ as well as with warm clothes and medicines. This project will help cover travel costs to the nine mission stations, literature, medicines and some food for a total cost of $2,750.

Project #1108 PAT Program, Canada.

In addition to going to foreign countries to bring the saving message of the Gospel to people of other nations, we need to recognize that people of many other countries are also coming to us and can be missionized within Canada. In 2002, LCC established the PAT program (Pastors with Alternate Training) which has developed into a program by which leaders in ethnic communities from Africa and other parts of the world are being trained to be pastors to reach out with the Gospel to their own people. Ten students are currently actively involved in this training in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver. This project will provide for educational resources and other expenses related to the delivery of the program as well as for a conference of mentors and participants for a total cost of $16,673.

Project #1109 Deaconess Support, Nicaragua.

Deaconesses in Nicaragua generally receive very minimal support for the work which they do. This imposes a hardship on them, especially if they are single or if they must travel as they carry out their ministries. This project will enable the mission to provide additional support to the deaconesses through an increase in their stipend and through the delivery of necessary staples (rice, beans, etc.) which can be purchased in bulk. Total cost: $4,500.

Project #1110 Summer Bible Camp, Ukraine.

Each year two programs for children and youth were carried out by pastors of the SELCU. One of them was a Vacation Children’s Camp which generally involves 200 children, some from families of the Lutheran Church but some also from non-Christian families. The second is a summer camp program which generally involves about 100 young people. This unique program reaches out with the Gospel to youth but also develops new leaders and future pastors for the SELCU. As such it has long-range benefits for the church in Ukraine. The total cost for running these two annual programs is $6,050.

Project #1111 Lutheran Literature, Ukraine.

Lutheran pastors are often hampered in their work by the lack Lutheran materials in Russian, including catechisms, hymnals, tracts, etc. Such materials are available free of cost from the Lutheran Heritage Foundation, however, pastors are often not aware what is available and how they can get these materials. Paying for the cost of transportation and the custom duties is also a problem. Since the new seminary in Odessa is where many of the activities of the SELCU now occur , it can serve as a centre where such materials can be available for inspection and distribution. This project would make it possible to travel to the LHF warehouse in Russia in order to bring a quantity of such materials to the seminary for distribution to SELCU pastors. Cost: $2,200.

Project #1112 New Mission Rent, Sabaco, Nicaragua.

After establishing congregations in the cities of Matagalpa and Jinotega, Missionary Hector Morales has now begun a new outreach program in other communities in the province of Matagalpa. The center of that activity is in the community of Sabaco which serves as a commercial centre for the agricultural business. Some of the funds provided in 2010 for the rental of a worship facility will be available for use in 2011 but additional funds are needed for the latter part of the year. The cost is $1,200.

Project #1113 Rental of Facilities, Costa Rica.

Rev. Edmundo Retana, a Costa Rica national, was ordained into the Lutheran ministry after completing a colloquy program in 2009. He began his ministry in Cartago and with the help of his deaconess wife and four other individuals whom he has identified and provided preliminary training, he is reaching out to other parts of the region of Cartago. He has also assumed responsibility for Casa Cuba where Missionary Pedro used to serve. This project provides for the rental of facilities for worship and Christian Education in both of these communities. The total cost is $6,700.

Project #1114 Rental of Facilities, Rivas, Nicaragua.

Missionary Rufino and his wife, Marianne, were instrumental in establishing a congregation in the city of Granada. Another pastor has now taken over this work and they have begun evangelistic outreach in the city of Rivas, 50 km south of Granada. With the help of a grant from the CLMS last year the new mission was able to rent a facility in that city which was used for worship and Bible study. This project will continue to provide the rent for this facility in 2011. The cost is $5,500.

In addition to the above projects, portions of two projects were carried forward into 2011 from 2010:

Project #1015 Van for a Mission to Oromos, Winnipeg.

Getting to church is very difficult for an immigrant community when most people do not own their own vehicles. In Winnipeg, an Oromo community has gathered, many of them from a Lutheran background in Ethiopia and Kenya, which is requesting assistance in providing transportation for their members to get to church. They have located a second-hand bus in good condition which would serve as a positive missional purpose for outreach to the Oromo community in general and ask for assistance to purchase it. The cost for this vehicle is $18,000. Needed to complete this project: $16,890.

Project #1019 Construction of a Church, Pervomaisk, Ukraine.

About an hour south of the mother congregation in Krasnoperekopsk in North Crimea, a struggling Lutheran congregation has come into being in the small city of Pervomaisk. It is being served by Zenja Frank, a recent graduate of our seminary program, who lives in the community. Two years ago, the CLMS provided a grant to enable the congregation to purchase an old building in the center of town. This building has been demolished and a church is under construction which will serve as a visible sign that the Lutheran Church is not simply a sect in the community. The estimated cost of building materials and labor for the work planned for 2010 is $5,000. Needed to complete this project: $3,082.

Total cost of all 2011 Projects: $117,963.

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