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April 21, 2004 Welcome to the 6th issue of Lutheran Women in Mission e-News! To date, there are over 700 subscribers. Please forward and share this news and encourage others to stay in touch with LWML by email. 28 NEW MMV CONSULTANTS TRAINED The Mission-Ministry Vision program continues to grow. During the week of March 17, 28 LWML women from 23 different districts were trained as MMV Consultants. When the training sessions concluded, they were prepared and eager to go back to their districts to implement what they had learned. Many have already reported exciting opportunities to share this MMV program at different levels in their own LWML districts. The MMV program began with a task force brainstorming about an intense program to assist women's groups to meet the needs of the women of today and the future. This included helping to define their purpose and sharpening their mission focus, as well as exploring various structures. At the same time, they wanted women to plan effective and spiritually motivated programs as well as to develop leaders. The pilot training in April 1999 involved 22 women, and a second training of 22 women took place in October 2000. The LWML then invited the districts to become partners in this program, and a third training was held in March 2002 that included an additional 16 women who had partnerships with their districts. What a wonderful blessing this program has become for the LWML. Thank God for His abundant blessing and direction as all 88 trained MMV Consultants representing 37 districts seek how they can assist, guide and support women for Christ-centered decision making and implementing processes for meaningful ministry. If you haven't already done so, invite an MMV Consultant to assist you on the congregation, zone or district level. Thank you for continuing to keep the MMV program and the work of the LWML in your prayers. (Check out the MMV Web link at Mission Ministry Vision Page to contact an MMV Consultant in your district.) DISTRICT CONVENTIONS UNDER WAY "Rivers of Living Water" from Luke 24:32 is the theme of the California-Nevada-Hawaii Women in Mission Convention, which will be held on April 23-25, 2004, at the Reno Hilton in Reno, Nev. The district's total $52,512 mission grant goal for the last biennium has been surpassed! All praise and glory to God! See the convention manual at http://i.b5z.net/i/u/940634/f/__2003_Convention_Manual.pdf The Gulf States LWML Convention will be held in Biloxi, Miss., on April 23-25, 2004. The theme is "Jesus our Hope - the Anchor of my Soul" from Hebrews 6:19. The Kansas District LWML Convention will be held on April 23-25, 2004, at the Wichita Marriott. The theme is "Sing to the Lord a New Song" from Psalm 98:1. The mission speaker will be Gary Thies, mission developer for the LCMS. The Rev. Dave Hutson, past district counselor, will lead the group in Bible study. Celebrated humorist Elaine Bickel will be the Saturday night banquet speaker. WOMEN RESPOND TO SPECIAL REQUESTS FOR FUNDS Pulling together in the face of a crisis is one of the things that Lutheran Women in Mission do best. The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and now the war in Iraq, are crises that invoked a positive response from the LWML. In the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, a special fund was established to gather money to send LWML bears to children in New York City, as well as products focused on military service to chaplains here and overseas. Although not extensively publicized, LWML members continue to collect money used to purchase products and ship them overseas. Nearly $1,000 is available for products to support chaplains who minister in time of war. Monetary donations for this most worthwhile program should be designated to "Support Our Troops," and can be sent to the LWML Office. Among the new promotional products produced especially for men and women in the military are cards that reach out to those serving our country, for times when home seems so far away. Choose from five varieties for birthday, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and encouragement (85¢ each; volume discounts). Visit the LWML Store for more information. In addition, a trio of pocket-sized devotionals (In His Service, By His Side and As His Hands) were written by people who have experienced the range of emotions that come with service. Drawing on personal experience, Chaplain Donald S. Roberts wrote As His Hands (#20070, 85¢) for people who serve in law enforcement, fire, EMT and rescue services. For women serving in the military, Christian encouragement is just a uniform pocket away. Lois McCall, wife of a career military man, addresses issues like loneliness and self-esteem in these 10 devotionals. In His Service (#20080, 85¢) is designed to fit neatly into the pocket that goes into battle. A companion devotional is By His Side (#20071, 85¢), written by a chaplain's wife for military families when a loved one is deployed. Aretta Gordish brings her own experience to each topic in a personally sensitive way. For such a time as this, each booklet stands alone but also creates an excellent gift together. NEW GIVING OPPORTUNITY The LWML is offering you the opportunity and convenience of sharing your mission gifts automatically on the schedule of your choice through Simply Giving® - a program of automatic giving offered by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. This new convenient option for sharing your financial gifts is an automatic withdrawal through electronic funds transfer (EFT) from your checking or savings account. Whether you choose to participate in Simply Giving® or continue to give as you have in the past, thank you for prayerfully considering this new giving opportunity.
GETTING CHILDREN INVOLVED Encourage children to become involved with missions through LWML mites. Adopt one or more mission grants for your vacation Bible school, Sunday school, day school or midweek school. Mission grant possibilities are found online at the Mission Grants Page or call 1-800-252-LWML (5965). THE LUTHERAN WOMEN'S MISSIONARY LEAGUE The Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML), with a membership of over 250,000, is the official women's auxiliary of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. The LWML focuses on affirming each woman in her relationship with Christ to enable her to be in ministry among the people of the world. For over 60 years the LWML has been encouraging and equipping women to live out their Christian lives in active mission ministries and to financially support global mission. If you missed the first issues of LWML e-News, click here: eNews to subscribe, click the link below and follow instructions to add your email to the LWML subscription list under "Mission and Ministry." "Full Text Version" will include LWML graphics and logo. The "Weekly Summary" version comes on Friday in a weekly abbreviated version with links to the entire text without graphics. Refer to your Internet provider about enabling images and links embedded in email. |
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