The MNO Synod Council has also received requests from our partners to do appeals and capital campaigns in the coming year or for ongoing appeals. They have received permission from Synod Council to contact congregations for such support. Synod Council is trying its best to come up with a schedule that will avoid any overlaps. However, we look to congregational leadership to make decisions about when and how the appeals will be presented in your congregation. You must work with your own stewardship committees to make it work in the local context.

Canadian Lutheran World Relief’s (CLWR) annual appeal is designated for the last Sunday in September. Lutheran Theological Seminary (LTS) has asked for a late fall time line for its capital campaign. Luther Village will begin contacting congregations in the coming months for support of its capital campaign through the Winnipeg Foundation.

A new appeal from the ELCIC will be communicated in the coming weeks as well. The desire is to build upon the ELW Praise Offering which assisted the national church for a number of years. The ELCIC Praise Appeal package will be available on their website beginning on April 1st. They are asking congregations to designate one Sunday per year as Praise Appeal Sunday.

This letter is a reminder to congregations that they are not obliged to act on the appeals or capital campaigns immediately and in fact we would appreciate that they not do so until at least April when the Mission as Hope emphasis will have been communicated and congregations have made decisions about commitment, support and designation of Mission as Hope time frames. We hope congregations will decide for themselves on a schedule suitable for their own congregation in regards to the appeals and capital campaigns.

Thank you for your continued support. We are blessed to have partnerships with congregations as we do ministry here in Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario.

• Is your congregation often struggling to meet budget?
• Are you deferring needed maintenance?
• Are you putting off adding programs or staff, fearful that you can’t raise the revenue?
• Are you having discussions about needing to cut program or staff?

If you have answered “yes” to any of these questions, then the Seminar “16 Ways to Increase Giving in Your Church” may be useful for you.  In our increasingly secular and materialistic society, Christians do not automatically understand or know what it means to be faithful stewards of all of life, which includes our money.  This workshop is designed to assist congregational leadership to teach and model faithful and effective stewardship principals in your congregational setting.

SEMINAR DETAILS
Date/Time:       Saturday, March 26, 2011 (9:00 am – 4:00 pm)
Location:             Gimli Lutheran Church, 50 Third Ave., Gimli. MB
Cost:                    $25.00 (inc lunch) Four or more from a single congregation - $100 maximum
To register:         See attached form or download from www.mnosynod.org (by March 15)
Sponsored by:   MNO Synod “Mission as Hope” and Manitoba Inter-Church Stewardship Link
For more info click here

The report can also be found on the front page of the MNO Synod website - www.mnosynod.org

• Staying in a small intimate luxury hotel
• Leading-edge formation for youth ministry through keynote speakers and exceptional workshop leaders
• Opportunities for networking, developing colleagues, deepening existing relationships and connections
• Hand-on experience through off site learning opportunities
• A wide variety of community and social activities right at the hotel, including concerts, improv with Second City, community drumming, Caribbean pool party and more
• a schedule that allows for relaxation and down time – to reflect, read, chat, visit, meet friends, meditate, walk, swim, work out or soak in the hot tub...

The topic is "Why Is There Poverty?". There will be a keynote speaker who has lived in poverty and who is willing to share her story. There will also be a panel discussion and then the group will break into small groups and each group will have a discussion topic. We will then come together and present the findings. We will be serving a lunch as well so it should be a good event.

The idea is to bring awareness of poverty issues to a larger group of people. This will also lead to greater participation in the October walk. There is a Four Directions Walk held in proximity to the Global Day of Action Against Poverty.

More to come later in February, but see what we have so far!

The days of violent inter-church conflict are over. Sometimes churches still relate as competitors. Can we coordinate our efforts to avoid duplication and begin to engage in common mission?

Two internationally-renowned speakers will challenge us on this theme.

Lent begins soon. During Lent we prepare ourselves for Holy Week, when Jesus was tortured and killed.

Many people in this world are, at this very time, suffering a similar fate.

We invite you to:
TO WRITE LETTERS, EMAILS, FAXES ON BEHALF OF THOSE WHO ARE SUFFERING INJUSTICE, TORTURE AND FACING THE POSSIBILITY OF DEATH.

In past years, most churches have done this after church on a Sunday morning.

Amnesty can provide you each week with suggestions for the letters you should be writing – or you can choose your own letters from www.amnesty.ca or from the Amnesty Newsletter “The Activist”
Read more

Homelessness in the City: Through the Eyes of Justice and Hope

• $200 Best Paper Award
• Abstract Deadline:  18 February 2011
• Full Paper Deadline:  25 March 2011
• Submit To:  Forum@BoothUC.ca

Winner of the award will be announced at:
Service Learning Community Forum
Booth University College
9 April 2011
9 am – 12 pm

Although the shipment contains everything from quilts to medical equipment, its focus is to provide for the education of children. CLWR’s Director of Community Relations Tom Brook was part of a CLWR-led delegation that visited Haiti in the fall of 2010 to view 50 temporary and 60 semi-permanent schools constructed by CLWR. One hundred more semi-permanent schools are planned.

“As Haitians continue the difficult process of rebuilding their lives and livelihood, even a year after the earthquake the needs of that region are still great,” says Brook. “Schools, although temporary, are available for use in Haiti, but school supplies are still needed.”

In October 2010, CLWR put out a special appeal to the members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and Lutheran Church—Canada for donations of school supplies. In addition, a special request was made as part of the appeal for soccer balls for use during recreation breaks.

“On my last day in Port-au-Prince, I spoke to a young boy asked for only one thing which was to ‘please send him a ball,’” says Brook.

Approximately 2,000 packs of school supplies – which include pencils, notebooks, and soccer balls - is included in the shipment. The medical supplies include 25 hospital beds and seven wheelchairs, and were provided through CLWR’s partnership with International H.O.P.E.  The shipment’s total value is approximately $80,000 CDN.

The We Care program ships thousands of quilts and kits every year, thanks to the support of dedicated congregations, service groups, and individuals.

It shares a variety of experiences of real people through stories from a mix of countries, projects and people, sharing and highlighting the fruits of our work – hence the name “Fruit Salad.”

Visit http://lwfworldservice.wordpress.com/.

Note that on page two she reports on the work of the Lutheran World Federation and their involvement in camp management, livelihood projects, and school reconstruction. CLWR is a member of ACT Alliance and the Lutheran World Federation.

Visit http://tinyurl.com/GCyvoct to read the full interview.