06/17/2014

ELCA Global Links Newsletter Highlights How Your Mission Support is Making a Real Difference Globally-Read and Download a Copy to Share Today!

ELCA Global Links July 2014

(Share with your congregation these stories of mission around the globe supported by your mission support!)

Israel-Palestine: Time for peace ‘is now,’ ELCA bishop and U.S. religious leaders say In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton and more than 30 U.S. Christian, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders declared that "the time for Israeli-Palestinian peace is now." See www.ELCA.org/News-and-Events/7672.

Hong Kong: Seminary graduates to serve global church The Rev. Theodore and Jane Zimmerman are retiring from their service as ELCA missionaries at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Hong Kong. But first they helped send out more than 60 graduates of the class of 2014 who will to serve throughout Southeast Asia, China and even Europe. See www.ELCA.org/News-and-Events/blogs/HandInHand/426.

Mission of the Month: Supporting Sunday schools in Bolivia Kari Eller worked with a team to create a Spanish Sunday school book for students in many countries including Bolivia, where she served as an ELCA missionary along with her husband, the Rev. Justin Eller. The book is widely distributed both online and in print. Share this story with your congregation! For a colorful Word document you can print for your congregation's bulletin board or edit for use in your bulletin or PowerPoint presentation, visit http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/Bolivia_Kari_Eller_2014.docx.

Central America: Making connections As ELCA regional representative, missionary Stephen Deal provides a vital link to the companion churches and ministries in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Learn more about his ministry and how you can support him at http://search.ELCA.org/Pages/OurWork/Costa-Rica.aspx or contact globalchurch@elca.org.

World Malaria Day goal reached – thank you! Thanks to faithful supporters, the ELCA Malaria Campaign raised over $300,000 for World Malaria Day 2014, enabling us to launch work in Namibia this year. See www.ELCA.org/Our-Work/Relief-and-Development/ELCA-Malaria-Campaign/World-Malaria-Day.

Take a plunge into a deeper spirituality through the global church Young adults from Canada and the U.S. are invited to participate in a "Global Plunge" to the ecumenical centers in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Taizé ecumenical community in southern France May 27-June 8, 2015. See www.ELCA.org/News-and-Events/blogs/HandInHand/427.

Save the date for Global Church Sunday 2014

On Oct. 4, 2014, congregations are invited to celebrate our church’s connection and common mission within Christ’s global church by holding a Global Church Sunday. Celebrate by taking a special offering for an ELCA missionary or global ministry, hosting a coffee hour with treats from around the world or including global songs in your worship service. A toolkit of these and other ideas for congregations will be released in August. For more information, contact globalchurch@elca.org. Young Adults in Global Mission selected for 2014-15 Sixty-four young adults will begin a year of service in August with the ELCA in eight country programs around the world. Learn how you can provide them prayer and financial support at www.ELCA.org/YAGMsupport or contact globalchurch@elca.org.

Campaign spotlight – Zambia: Constructing new churches Many Lutherans in Zambia have no permanent building in which to gather for worship, fellowship or classes. They have asked the ELCA to help construct up to 15 church buildings across the country that will provide space to gather, no matter what the weather.

Interested in learning how to support this Always Being Made New: The Campaign for the ELCA project? Order free brochures that can be shared with your congregation today at www.ELCA.org/resources/globalchurch (Look under the "Support" tab for the Zambia brochure).

New Global Mission map brochure available The 2014 ELCA Global Mission map brochure provides an overview of the ELCA's global engagement and mission, which is rooted in relationship. This resource unfolds to become a world map. Order at http://resources.ELCA.org/Products-Global_Mission.html. Mexico: Immersion trip, July 20-26 Learn from Amextra's 30 years of experience with social ministry in Mexico. Through this five-day intercultural workshop, participants will learn how to create healthy, well managed, and transformative ministries in their local communities. See www.facebook.com/GlobalLinks.

Share your talents as a global health volunteer! Lutheran Global Health Volunteers needs an electrical engineer and a medical librarian to serve in Liberia. Health care professionals are also needed in India, Tanzania and Liberia. See https://rn11.ultipro.com/EVA1000/jobboard/listjobs.aspx?Page=List&__VT=ExtCan and look for listings with the "LGHV" tag.

In our prayers

Remember in your prayers ELCA missionary in the Central African Republic Susan Smith and her work as an adviser to educational programs. (This prayer suggestion for July 29 is available in July along with daily prayers for the global, social and outreach ministries of the ELCA at www.ELCA.org/Resources/Prayer-Ventures.)

 

Download a PDF of the above Global Links news at http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/ELCA%20Global-Links%20Newsletter.pdf