I have just returned from South East Asia and want to give a brief update. We traveled first to Cambodia, where we discovered that our mission developer there, Pastor Samuel Chim (an LCMC pastor) is doing great work for us. We have received another 15 congregations and pastors as a result of the church planting efforts of the congregations there. We now have 35 pastors and churches in Cambodia and Pastor Chim is ... [...]
There's still time to enter our 2017 Annual Gathering photo contest before the Monday, July 17th deadline date! If your congregation has taken part in any projects, organized any events, or participated in any mission or ministry activities that exemplify what it means to be "in Mission for Christ" at a local, national, or international/global level over the past year, we're inviting YOU to submi [...]
If your congregation has taken part in any projects, organized any events, or participated in any mission or ministry activities that exemplify what it means to be "in Mission for Christ" at a local, national, or international/global level over the past year, we're inviting YOU to submit photos for our 2017 Annual Gathering Photo Contest! [...]
Online registration is now open for our 17th Annual Gathering and Convention, which takes place October 8-11, 2017 at the Hilton Minneapolis in downtown Minneapolis, MN. The theme of this year's event is “We Confess Our Faith”. Our format will be a bit different this year, hoping to engage those attending in the conversation of three of the fundamental teachings of the Reformation: Justification The ... [...]
We have a number of congregations and ministries that have a tremendous outreach to Hispanic communities, and it would good if we could get these leaders, ministers, ministries connected. If your congregation is currently carrying out an Hispanic ministry, mission, or agency in our association, and you would like to get connected, please click here and sign up. If you are interested in learning more about developing an Hispanic ... [...]
Registration numbers reached 744 on Tuesday morning as the LCMC 15th Annual Gathering continued on for its third day. The day opened with worship led by Living Word Lutheran Church in of Grapevine, TX and Bible study led by Rev. Steven E. King, Managing Editor of Sola Publishing. Rev. Dr. Paul Cross, Senior Pastor at Atonement Lutheran Church in Fargo, ND and Rev. Dr. Steve Paulson, Professor at Luther Seminary, were ... [...]
If you are like me, you often feel overwhelmed by all of the negative and depressing reports of world events, as they affect our mission fields. However, I just received the latest mission update from the Augustana District (AD-LCMC), and I wanted to pass along a POSITIVE news update. One year ago, the AD sent a 12 person fact finding team to visit with the Tabor congregation in Ethiopia. Out of that meeting came a partnership where ... [...]
Our 15th Annual Gathering, themed “Our DNA”, is all about celebrating what it truly means for us to be Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ. In accordance with this year’s theme, we’re inviting all “LCMC-ers” out there to show us, in a photograph, how their congregation exemplifies what it means to be an LCMC congregation. Special consideration will be given to all photos submitted on or [...]
Earlier this month, LCMC hosted its 14th Annual Gathering in Des Moines, IA. Read on for the latest stats on this year's attendance and our service project with Meals from the Heartland, as well as up-to-date announcements on LCMC's prayer network, Board of Trustees, upcoming events and online resources. [...]
Last year, we announced to all of our congregations that one of our goals as an association for 2014 was to raise $80,000 for our 14th Annual Gathering service project with Meals from the Heartland. Today, we reached that goal! 100% of the donations that we have received will be used to purchase enough food, packaging supplies and shipping to feed 400,000 people in need, both in the U.S. and abroad. The food packages ... [...]
I ask that you focus your attention on the immediate short term appeal from Pastor Jordon Long, President of the Lutheran Church of South Sudan (LCSS). The LCSS is a new church with no walls. Most of its members worship in tents, huts, or open spaces. and they have no educational materials written in their indigenous languages. On March 14, Pastor Jordon was able to communicate with Eric Swensson and update the ... [...]
One of LCMC's goals for 2014 is to help fight hunger in the U.S. and abroad by preparing 400,000 meals together with Meals from the Heartland this fall. As an association made up of over 800 congregations worldwide, this is something that we can accomplish, but only if we work together! To make our service project happen, we are going to need two things: volunteers and supplies. We will be packaging the meals ... [...]
I ask that you focus your attention on the immediate short term appeal from Pastor Jordon Long, President of the Lutheran Church of South Sudan (LCSS). The LCSS is a new church with no walls. Most of its members worship in tents, huts, or open spaces. and they have no educational materials written in their indigenous languages. On March 14, Pastor Jordon was able to communicate with Eric Swensson and update the current ... [...]
Preparations for this fall's meal packaging project are underway, and we are making progress in raising the $80,000 needed for the supplies we will use to package 400,000 meals together at our Annual Gathering in October. As of January, we have collectively raised $8,940.67 to be used for obtaining food, packaging materials and postage for the project. Those wishing to make a donation to the project, or to download ... [...]
Later this month, we will be planting the first LCMC Church in all of South Africa. We will be calling Pastor Matt Shields, who is just finishing up his schooling at Luther Seminary. The church will be in a rural country school house building that has electricity, running water and an outdoor toilet. It is a gathering place for our rural farm area, is the voting polling place, and has a soccer field where nearby farmers ... [...]
Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines on the morning of November 8 as one of the world’s most powerful storms on record to make landfall. Read on to learn what LWR is doing, and how your congregation can get involved in supporting victims of the natural disaster. [...]
The Texas District of the LCMC met in their Annual Convention August 2nd and 3rd hosted by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Braunfels Texas. The theme, “The River is Here,” spoke of the missional outreach which every member of the LCMC has at their fingertips! Friday evening Rev. Dan Clites, LCMC Coordinator of New Ministry Development, proclaimed God’s Word boldly in his message about ... [...]
According to CNN, Hurricane Sandy has claimed the lives of 67 people to date, 51 of which have been reported in Haiti. Please check out our Prayer Blog to read the full prayer request article, which includes letters sent to our staff by LCMC pastors who maintain direct relationships with LCMC churches in Haiti. If anybody has additional information to share regarding this topic, such as relief funds or prayer events, ... [...]
"Ambassadors for Christ" is the theme of our 2012 Annual Gathering, and those attending the event are all invited to take part in becoming just that. The seminary of the Mekane Yesus church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia is in desperate need of books for their students. To help out, LCMC is welcoming an offering of books from our members at the Annual Gathering to be given to that seminary. If you have books on any of the topics ... [...]
This September, the Great Commission Lutherans of Northwest Iowa will host A Light for All Peoples!, a Missions Conference aimed at equipping pastors and church leaders with the skills to ignite a passion within their congregations for sharing God's mission beyond the walls of the church building. Keynote speakers Rev. Dr. Gemechis Buba, Ethiopian Evangelist and NALC’s leader of World Mission, Rev. Ken Kimball, Dean of the Iowa ... [...]
Throughout the month of July, the staff of Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ has invited the members who make up our association to send us photographs depicting how they have been working as "Ambassadors for Christ" within their own congregations, within their community, or anywhere within the world. The goal? To incorporate the personal stories of our own members, rather than stock art, to depict the theme ... [...]