LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 29

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SYNOD REPORTS
kind of partnership is key—not only for our ability to share the Good
News of Jesus, but also to plant Lutheran churches in new areas!”
Training Educational Leaders in India: Retired LCMS educators David and Beth Hoeppner serve as education consultants in
India and Sri Lanka. In early 2009, they wrote about a training experience in India. “We gathered two groups of teachers together to talk
about teaching Bible stories. Around 100 primary teachers came to
the first teacher training and about 70 came to the second one. Since
these teachers have few resources, we taught them various ways to
present Bible stories instead of simply reading them. Both groups
said that they had never been invited to a conference like this, so we
were encouraged to do more in the future.”
Strategic Mission Development
Partnerships for New Work in North Korea: On the Korean
peninsula, we are working closely with the Lutheran Church in
Korea (LCK) and Agglobe Service International, a U.S.-based nongovernmental organization, to develop humanitarian and agricultural
projects for a series of collective farms in North Korea. Together with
their LCK counterparts, LCMS missionaries have worked to generate support for these projects by developing partnerships with LCK
congregations, LCMS congregations in Iowa, and the Church of All
Nations in Hong Kong, as well as other groups such as the Missouri
District and Lutheran Women’s Missionary League.
Expanding Evangelism in Georgia: Before 2009 came to a
close, Rev. Jim Bloker, the evangelism specialist in Eurasia with
LCMS World Mission, made a special trip to Georgia to help the ministry leaders think through how best to serve the people in Georgia
and the surrounding countries on the borderlands of Europe and the
Middle East. LCMS missionary to Georgia, Rev. Matt Heise, wrote,
“Jim is a uniquely talented individual who forced our evangelists to
think through how they structure their worship services, as well as
giving them hints on how best to encourage people in the church to
take responsibility and ownership. In a small church just beginning
to sink roots into an ancient soil, Jim’s work was greatly appreciated.
We hope to have him come back in mid-March to assist us further in
our goal of doing mission in the land of Georgia.”
Deaconess Ministry Latin America: In spring 2009, deaconesses
from more than nine countries connected at a regional conference
in Buenos Aires, Argentina, sponsored by the Evangelical Lutheran
Church of Argentina and Liga Misional de Damas Luteranas (an
Argentinean organization similar to the LWML) with support from
LCMS World Relief and Human Care and LCMS World Mission. For
the first time, deaconesses and other women from Chile, Uruguay,
Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, Guatemala, Venezuela, Panama, and
the Dominican Republic were provided opportunity for theological
enrichment and networking. The LCMS partner churches in Panama
and Venezuela and the Lutheran university in Brazil already offer deaconess training, and leaders in the Dominican Republic and Argentina
are just launching their programs. A commitment emerged among all
the women to forge cooperative ministries, with an understanding that
together they could make a profound contribution to Lutheran outreach ministries throughout the region.
Expanding Ministry and Strategy in New York City: LCMS
missionary and urban mission strategist Rev. Johnson Rethinasamy
serves the New York City area through a partnership with the Atlantic
District and is based at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Whitestone.
In 2009, Immanuel started a satellite church location in Jamaica and
another in the Bronx Psychiatric Center. Rethinasamy works with
Pastor Alfred, who identified these sites and is now leading ministries.

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Additionally, Pastor Leem, one of the area mission developers, was
installed as an associate pastor of St. Peter, Brooklyn, NY. He also
leads several small groups in Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island.
Another satellite location in Forest Hills is led by Mimi Wong. This
group of young Taiwanese professionals comes together to learn and
hear the Word of God with great eagerness and hunger for the Word!
Four people were baptized from this group earlier this year.
Global Multiplication
Starting New Work in a Muslim-Majority Country: No fewer
than five Lutheran church bodies, the Concordia University System,
and other specialized ministries are working together to make a difference in the region. In January 2008, after a year of preliminary
research, an area facilitator was asked to relocate to start work in this
country that was once home to the early Christian church. Since then,
eight additional workers have been trained and deployed to work in
the areas of church planting, English as a Foreign Language, medical
outreach, and university outreach. Lutheran sermons are beginning
to be broadcast on Christian radio. Two LCMS partner churches,
the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England and the Independent
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany, have participated in
the new initiative, and the first short-term team was deployed in
September 2009. While the country must remain unnamed, the multiplying of people who link others in outreach is taking the LCMS
and its partners to “places they have never been before.”
Missionary School in Latin America: In fall 2009 in Uruguay,
the International Team leadership of LCMS World Mission met with
leaders of partner churches from Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Chile,
Paraguay, and Uruguay to develop a pilot project for co-training missionaries that are/or will be serving in Latin America, as well as other
parts of the world. This pilot project for “transcultural mission formation” is joining an ongoing project initiated by the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Argentina, which started a school for missionaries four years ago. For 10 days this spring in Ciudad Del Este,
Paraguay, LCMS and partner churches missionaries will attend the
first joint training. Curriculum being jointly developed will include
course work and fieldwork in the city of Ciudad Del Este each day.
Mission Responders Focus: Educate, encourage, and equip LCMS
individuals, congregations, districts, and other entities to actively
build the capacity of the LCMS to be a partner in reaching millions
for Christ.

Through Ablaze!, LCMS World Mission is inviting every member of every LCMS congregation to be personally involved and to
“own” the mission in one or more of the Seven Mission Responses:
learn, pray, give, tell, send, go, and celebrate. In this past triennium,
new and/or expanded resources, training, and events included the
following:
• Free Audio Bible Download: LCMS World Mission and
Faith Comes by Hearing have been pleased to offer free New
Testament downloads in more than 311 languages. Any visitors to www.lcmsbibledownload.com can easily access and
download the entire New Testament to their computers.
• The 72—Partners on the Road: Trained evangelism members of The 72 serve congregations on location for three to
four weeks; assisting them to either begin, revitalize, or expand
their local outreach ministry to reach the lost. Recently, The
72 began offering some weekend trainings and selected district-based representatives.
• Short-term Teams: The number of requested teams from
partner churches and LCMS mission fields continues to grow.
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