Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 2007 · 63rd Convention, Houston › Page 46
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 46

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

46 SYNOD REPORTS

R1-02

LUTHERAN WOMEN’S
MISSIONARY LEAGUE

The mission of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League
is to assist each woman of
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

in affirming her relationship with the Triune God
so that she is enabled to use her gifts

The LWML is the official women’s auxiliary of the LCMS. In
2007 we celebrate our 65th year of “Serving the Lord with Glad-
ness.” As Lutheran Women in Mission (“doing business as” name
adopted in 1998) we have at our “mission heart” thousands of vol-
unteers daily dedicating their lives to making a difference and using
our God-given talents to meet the challenge of sharing the Gospel
message.

Since our last convention report, the women of the LWML have
been involved in the following activities:

* Responded to a request from LCMS World Relief/Human Care
with health kits for Hurricane Katrina and Rita survivors with the
help of Orphan Grain Train for shipping. It is estimated over
100,000 kits were supplied by the LWML.

«November 2004 the LWML held a Leadership for Tomorrow
event in St. Louis, Missouri. Three women from each of the 40
LWML districts were invited to attend. Leadership training has
continued in the districts, impacting our target of supporting new
leaders.

*In 2005 the delegates to the LWML convention in Tampa,
Florida, voted approval of a mission goal of $1,625,000.

*LWML Sunday 2005 theme was Lives Transformed through
Christ—in Time for Eternity (Philippians 3:20-21) and was au-
thored by LCMS President Rev. Gerald Kieschnick.

¢ In March 2006 in St. Louis, Missouri, a new group of women
were trained as Mission-Ministry Vision Consultants, giving us
101 active MMV Consultants. The MMV Consultants assist
women’s groups as a guide, as a resource, and for support.

«In 2006 the 40 LWML districts held conventions with over
13,000 women attending, including 600+ “official” young women
representatives. The districts voted to support over $5.9 million
in the mission outreach and focus of the LWML.

* LWML Sunday 2006 theme was Let There Be Light (John 8:12)
and was authored by Rev. Charles S. Mueller Sr.

¢ During the 2005-2007 biennium, Friends Into Serving Him was
launched. These are teen LWML groups in congregation settings.

¢In partnership with the LCMS Foundation, the LWML has en-
gaged the services of our first Gift Planning Counselor. A
Thrivent for Lutherans Foundation Charitable Gifting Initiative
Grant was received to begin this Gifts of Love planned-giving ini-
tiative.

*LWML Sunday 2007 theme is ROCK! Rest on Christ the King
(Psalm 31:1-3) and is authored by Rev. Barry Keurulainen.

* Knowing Christ and Making Him Known is the mission of the
Lutheran Woman’s Quarterly, the official publication of the
LWML. Individual or group subscriptions are available through
the LWML office. New music downloads and Bible study leader
guides are available on our Web site.

In June 2005 the Board of Directors adopted the following tar-
gets and goals for the 2005-2007 biennium:

2007 Convention Workbook

Primary Target: Personal Spiritual Living
Each woman’s life is reflecting Jesus’ love as she is nourished
by the Word.

Primary Target: Partnering for Diversity

Oneness in Christ is strengthened through intentionally team-
ing with our LCMS sisters of varied ethnic, cultural, generational,
and organizational backgrounds.

Primary Target: Servant Response
Each woman, guided by the Spirit, is actively investing herself
in demonstrating Christ’s love.

Primary Target: Supporting Leaders

The LWML identifies, encourages, and informs leaders who
confidently and competently fulfill their responsibilities.

The LWML met in convention June 16-19, 2005, in Tampa,
Florida, where over 3,200 women gathered to be nourished by the
Word, to select new mission grants, to approve a mission goal of
$1,625,000, to elect new officers, and to celebrate under the theme
Live Joyfully as Salt and Light. The Scripture verse was from
Matthew 5:13-16.

2005-2007 Mission Grants
Shipping Orphan Grain Train Containers

Africa & Russia $30,000
Ablaze! Implementation in North America $100,000
Responding to HIV/AIDS among

Congregations in Kenya $51,000
Urban Ethnic School Expansion

East St. Louis, Illinois $75,000
CAME—Reaching Asian Immigrants $50,000
Expanding Ministries to Youth and

Adults in Southwest Alaska $75,000
Lutheran Blind Mission Outreach ‘

Program $32,000
CCCS Lutheran School Support

Sierra Leone, Liberia & Ghana $84,000
LBT National Co-workers Training

Scholarships $44,000
Gospel Outreach and Church

Planting w/Childcare—Open Arms $70,000
Inner-city Mission and Ministry

Buffalo, New York $100,000
Lutheran Leaders’ Training Institute

Pakistan $75,000
Kiswahili New Testament—Braille $54,411
Expansion of Mission Outreach

Training—NW District LAP program $80,000
Concordia Welfare and Education

Foundation—China $100,000
Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology

Deaconess Training $100,000
Hispanic Outreach—West Houston, Texas $17,089

ROCK! Rest on Christ the King (Psalm 31:1-3) is our 2007
convention theme. The convention is June 21-24, 2007, in Sioux
Falis, South Dakota. Highlights include celebrating the 65th an-
niversary of the LWML, selecting new mission grants, hearing
from LWML grant recipients, selecting a new mission goal for
2007-2009, and the election of our 16th president, who will serve
this organization for the next four years!

Linda K. Reiser, President