2014 May Treasured News AWS
TREASURED NEWS Volume 2
Issue 9
MAY 2014
WHERE IN THE WORLD HAVE OUR MITES GONE?? $30,000 - GONE TO THE DOGS! COMFORT DOGS, THAT IS... Many lives were touched at the recent Boston Marathon when they saw the Lutheran Church Charities (LCC) K-9 Comfort Dogs. Many comments were overheard: “Are these the ones?” “You came back!” “These dogs meant so much to us last year!” See more photos and stories at www.lutheranchurchcharities.org.
REBECCA’S GARDEN OF HOPE (RGOH) OUR SAVIOR LUTHERAN CHURCH ORLANDO, FLORIDA Our mites of $70,000 are touching the lives of these children in urban communities. RGOH has provided many workshops around the nation, sharing their model of a Christ-centered tutoring and mentoring outreach ministry. Not only will these little lambs learn the ABCs, they will also learn about what matters most — Jesus loves them!
LCC staff members Sherry Bolosan and Deaconess Dianna Bonfield proudly share their affection of Comfort Dog Olympia with the attendees at the LWML English District Convention in Countryside, llinois, earlier this month.
During the last two months, 132 Thrivent members directed $6,622 Choice Dollars® to LWML in support of our ministry.
May 2014
Page 2
MITE REPORT BY DISTRICT — APRIL 2014 DISTRICT
CURRENT
TOTAL
DISTRICT
CURRENT
TOTAL
ATLANTIC
5,546.12
12,949.34
NEBRASKA NORTH
10,495.59
CAL-NEV-HAWAII
2,512.20
21,997.11
NEBRASKA SOUTH
17,640.39
CAROLINAS
7,178.63
NEW ENGLAND
CENTRAL ILLINOIS
4,799.14
22,575.66
NEW JERSEY
CHESAPEAKE
2,388.02
10,588.50
305.80
2,388.42
NORTH DAKOTA
1,204.74
15,304.60
5,722.83
NORTH WISCONSIN
1,914.00
17,894.00
434.97
7,446.84
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
2,383.57
19,843.43
6,099.31
23,526.44
OHIO
5,338.90
22,428.49
689.14
6,683.08
EASTERN ENGLISH FLORIDA-GEORGIA GULF STATES
7,029.82
OKLAHOMA
20,662.17
INDIANA
15,588.66
OREGON
2,690.83
11,766.69
IOWA EAST
12,222.12
PACIFIC SW
5,069.04
30,117.92
22,872.86
ROCKY MOUNTAIN
2,879.53
17,801.00
18,201.39
SELC
1,051.44
2,301.92
15.07
12,062.81
IOWA WEST
3,036.58
KANSAS LOUISIANA-MISSISSIPPI
5,779.70
SOUTH DAKOTA
MICHIGAN
25,324.31
SOUTH WISCONSIN
1,338.40
22,588.08
MID-SOUTH
13,677.04
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
2,947.84
9,195.90
5,880.01
39,658.76
617.60
6,903.67
3,129.11
17,393.44
MINNESOTA NORTH
2,271.79
17,887.36
TEXAS
MINNESOTA SOUTH
4,044.17
28,049.05
UTAH-IDAHO
MISSOURI
2,404.82
34,975.57
WASH-ALASKA
MONTANA
1,023.13
6,321.50
WYOMING TOTAL
7,814.93 72,015.27
630,860.02
MITES FROM OTHER SOURCES Mite Donations
2,518.47
40,426.74
Mite Donations Restricted
1,000.00
2,729.45
Conv. Offering #1 Children’s Mission Adv. Mission Pledge Walk
54,017.32 581.28
Christmas Appeal
375.00
GoodSearch
48,380.93 1,807.49
Thrivent Simply Giving
345.00
Thrivent Choice Dollars
3,308.00
25,542.00
7,201.47
260,522.99
79,216.74
891,383.01
73,791.04
Golf Tournament
7,218.74
OTHER MITE TOTAL
PayPal
5.683.00
GRAND TOTAL
All totals are unconfirmed pending verification from the accounting office.
Page 3
May 2014
THE GIVING CHRISTIAN #4 Three months ago, we began a little series of thoughts dealing with stewardship. We began with the thought that the giving Christian gives faithfully. Then we considered the fact that the giving Christian gives compassionately, and last month that the giving Christian gives gracefully. This month we will consider the fact that the giving Christian gives proportionately and next month, we will see how the giving Christian gives globally.
the Apostle Paul had begun and they gave in a most remarkable way: sacrificially, beyond their ability, willingly, and eagerly. They gave of themselves to God and of their resources to God's work.
St. Paul wrote, "And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will” (2 Corinthians 8:1-5).
you have received. My personal conviction is that giving begins with the tithe (10% of all my time, talents, treasures, tissue, testimony, touch, and trash) and extends beyond that to a higher percentage returned to God from all that He has given to me, and even beyond that to other offerings for the work outside of the church. As we give, relying upon the Lord and depending upon Him as our Source, we grow in the grace of giving. In the process, giving becomes a beneficial experience as we die to self and grow in faith. My dear friends, we can be sure that God will provide as the proportion of His provision defines the proportion of our giving.
A powerful principle of stewardship is this: God's provision dictates the believer's proportion. In other words, what He provides determines what we give. If He gives a little, from that little we The giving We hear Jesus promise us again in are to give; if He gives abundantly Christian gives Luke 6:38, "Give, and it will be (and that is how He has blessed each proportionately. given to you. A good measure, of us), from that abundance we are to pressed down, shaken together and give. Whatever He provides, regardless running over, will be poured into your lap. For of how small or great we or the world may think with the measure you use, it will be measured it is, determines the measure of our giving. As to you." With that promise in mind, I would Jesus reminded the disciples, "To whom much is like to share with you the fourth thought in our given, much is required" (Luke 12:48). series dealing with the fact that the giving Don't worry about what you have or don't have Christian gives proportionately. to give. Instead, give in proportion to everything
The young churches of Macedonia were persecuted severely and were materially poor, yet spiritually they lived above the extreme conditions and excelled in giving it their all. Specifically, they gave to a ministry project that
Rev. John Heckmann LWML Senior Pastoral Counselor
May 2014
THE LORD’S MY SHEPHERD
Page 4
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want (Psalm 23:1).
John Calvin, quoting Augustine, wrote, “We shall not find better songs nor more fitting for the purpose than the Psalms of David, which the Holy Spirit spoke...and moreover, when we sing them, we are certain that God puts in our mouths these, as if He Himself were singing in us to exalt His glory.”
From the great treasures of hymnody, the Scottish Psalter of 1650, only a small portion is widely sung beyond Scotland, one portion of which is the beautiful rendition of Psalm 23, set to the tune ”Crimond,” which begins: The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want. He makes me down to lie In pastures green; He leadeth me The quiet waters by.
The Psalms were originally written in Hebrew, and when translated, they did not have the rhyme or rhythm for easy singing.
Jessie Seymour Irvine composed the melody, Crimond, in 1870. She lived in a little Scottish town of Crimond, the daughter of the parish minister.
An English Puritan, Francis, translated all 150 Psalms from the Hebrew into metrical English in 1640. From his wording, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland submitted it to revision committees. Six years were spent comparing the metered Psalms with the original Hebrew. They wanted a “singable” translation that was accurate to the original Hebrew. They approached this task as if they were creating a new translation of the Bible!
The town is also famous for its unusual clock in the church tower. Its clockmaker accidentally put six marks into one of the five minute sections on the clock face. As a result, each hour in Crimond is 61 minutes, giving its residents an additional 24 minutes more each day than any other place on earth!
The book of Psalms contains our oldest hymns.
This gives them a little extra time for singing, “The Lord’s My Shepherd.”
Then ten years later in 1650, the Scottish Psalter was released and approved for congregations of the Church of Scotland. It’s full title was: The Psalms of David in Meter: Newly translated, and diligently compared with the original Text, and former Translations: More plain, smooth, and agreeable to the Text, than any heretofore.
Have you received your 2-Minute Tuesday timely tips and wisdom to share with others? Vice President of Christian Life, Eden Keefe, enjoys writing; she invites you to embark on your own writing adventure by writing a name on your prayer list and on a To Do list. Then invite that special person to help you with a local LWML mission project.
The Time is NOW!
—Taken from Then Sings My Soul By Robert J. Morgan 2003 (Thomas Nelson, Inc.)
“We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won’t need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don’t fire cannons to call attention to their shining—they just shine.” —Dwight L. Moody
Support LWML missions.
You Shop. Amazon Gives. Check it out at smile.amazon.com.
Issue 9
MAY 2014
WHERE IN THE WORLD HAVE OUR MITES GONE?? $30,000 - GONE TO THE DOGS! COMFORT DOGS, THAT IS... Many lives were touched at the recent Boston Marathon when they saw the Lutheran Church Charities (LCC) K-9 Comfort Dogs. Many comments were overheard: “Are these the ones?” “You came back!” “These dogs meant so much to us last year!” See more photos and stories at www.lutheranchurchcharities.org.
REBECCA’S GARDEN OF HOPE (RGOH) OUR SAVIOR LUTHERAN CHURCH ORLANDO, FLORIDA Our mites of $70,000 are touching the lives of these children in urban communities. RGOH has provided many workshops around the nation, sharing their model of a Christ-centered tutoring and mentoring outreach ministry. Not only will these little lambs learn the ABCs, they will also learn about what matters most — Jesus loves them!
LCC staff members Sherry Bolosan and Deaconess Dianna Bonfield proudly share their affection of Comfort Dog Olympia with the attendees at the LWML English District Convention in Countryside, llinois, earlier this month.
During the last two months, 132 Thrivent members directed $6,622 Choice Dollars® to LWML in support of our ministry.
May 2014
Page 2
MITE REPORT BY DISTRICT — APRIL 2014 DISTRICT
CURRENT
TOTAL
DISTRICT
CURRENT
TOTAL
ATLANTIC
5,546.12
12,949.34
NEBRASKA NORTH
10,495.59
CAL-NEV-HAWAII
2,512.20
21,997.11
NEBRASKA SOUTH
17,640.39
CAROLINAS
7,178.63
NEW ENGLAND
CENTRAL ILLINOIS
4,799.14
22,575.66
NEW JERSEY
CHESAPEAKE
2,388.02
10,588.50
305.80
2,388.42
NORTH DAKOTA
1,204.74
15,304.60
5,722.83
NORTH WISCONSIN
1,914.00
17,894.00
434.97
7,446.84
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
2,383.57
19,843.43
6,099.31
23,526.44
OHIO
5,338.90
22,428.49
689.14
6,683.08
EASTERN ENGLISH FLORIDA-GEORGIA GULF STATES
7,029.82
OKLAHOMA
20,662.17
INDIANA
15,588.66
OREGON
2,690.83
11,766.69
IOWA EAST
12,222.12
PACIFIC SW
5,069.04
30,117.92
22,872.86
ROCKY MOUNTAIN
2,879.53
17,801.00
18,201.39
SELC
1,051.44
2,301.92
15.07
12,062.81
IOWA WEST
3,036.58
KANSAS LOUISIANA-MISSISSIPPI
5,779.70
SOUTH DAKOTA
MICHIGAN
25,324.31
SOUTH WISCONSIN
1,338.40
22,588.08
MID-SOUTH
13,677.04
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
2,947.84
9,195.90
5,880.01
39,658.76
617.60
6,903.67
3,129.11
17,393.44
MINNESOTA NORTH
2,271.79
17,887.36
TEXAS
MINNESOTA SOUTH
4,044.17
28,049.05
UTAH-IDAHO
MISSOURI
2,404.82
34,975.57
WASH-ALASKA
MONTANA
1,023.13
6,321.50
WYOMING TOTAL
7,814.93 72,015.27
630,860.02
MITES FROM OTHER SOURCES Mite Donations
2,518.47
40,426.74
Mite Donations Restricted
1,000.00
2,729.45
Conv. Offering #1 Children’s Mission Adv. Mission Pledge Walk
54,017.32 581.28
Christmas Appeal
375.00
GoodSearch
48,380.93 1,807.49
Thrivent Simply Giving
345.00
Thrivent Choice Dollars
3,308.00
25,542.00
7,201.47
260,522.99
79,216.74
891,383.01
73,791.04
Golf Tournament
7,218.74
OTHER MITE TOTAL
PayPal
5.683.00
GRAND TOTAL
All totals are unconfirmed pending verification from the accounting office.
Page 3
May 2014
THE GIVING CHRISTIAN #4 Three months ago, we began a little series of thoughts dealing with stewardship. We began with the thought that the giving Christian gives faithfully. Then we considered the fact that the giving Christian gives compassionately, and last month that the giving Christian gives gracefully. This month we will consider the fact that the giving Christian gives proportionately and next month, we will see how the giving Christian gives globally.
the Apostle Paul had begun and they gave in a most remarkable way: sacrificially, beyond their ability, willingly, and eagerly. They gave of themselves to God and of their resources to God's work.
St. Paul wrote, "And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will” (2 Corinthians 8:1-5).
you have received. My personal conviction is that giving begins with the tithe (10% of all my time, talents, treasures, tissue, testimony, touch, and trash) and extends beyond that to a higher percentage returned to God from all that He has given to me, and even beyond that to other offerings for the work outside of the church. As we give, relying upon the Lord and depending upon Him as our Source, we grow in the grace of giving. In the process, giving becomes a beneficial experience as we die to self and grow in faith. My dear friends, we can be sure that God will provide as the proportion of His provision defines the proportion of our giving.
A powerful principle of stewardship is this: God's provision dictates the believer's proportion. In other words, what He provides determines what we give. If He gives a little, from that little we The giving We hear Jesus promise us again in are to give; if He gives abundantly Christian gives Luke 6:38, "Give, and it will be (and that is how He has blessed each proportionately. given to you. A good measure, of us), from that abundance we are to pressed down, shaken together and give. Whatever He provides, regardless running over, will be poured into your lap. For of how small or great we or the world may think with the measure you use, it will be measured it is, determines the measure of our giving. As to you." With that promise in mind, I would Jesus reminded the disciples, "To whom much is like to share with you the fourth thought in our given, much is required" (Luke 12:48). series dealing with the fact that the giving Don't worry about what you have or don't have Christian gives proportionately. to give. Instead, give in proportion to everything
The young churches of Macedonia were persecuted severely and were materially poor, yet spiritually they lived above the extreme conditions and excelled in giving it their all. Specifically, they gave to a ministry project that
Rev. John Heckmann LWML Senior Pastoral Counselor
May 2014
THE LORD’S MY SHEPHERD
Page 4
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want (Psalm 23:1).
John Calvin, quoting Augustine, wrote, “We shall not find better songs nor more fitting for the purpose than the Psalms of David, which the Holy Spirit spoke...and moreover, when we sing them, we are certain that God puts in our mouths these, as if He Himself were singing in us to exalt His glory.”
From the great treasures of hymnody, the Scottish Psalter of 1650, only a small portion is widely sung beyond Scotland, one portion of which is the beautiful rendition of Psalm 23, set to the tune ”Crimond,” which begins: The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want. He makes me down to lie In pastures green; He leadeth me The quiet waters by.
The Psalms were originally written in Hebrew, and when translated, they did not have the rhyme or rhythm for easy singing.
Jessie Seymour Irvine composed the melody, Crimond, in 1870. She lived in a little Scottish town of Crimond, the daughter of the parish minister.
An English Puritan, Francis, translated all 150 Psalms from the Hebrew into metrical English in 1640. From his wording, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland submitted it to revision committees. Six years were spent comparing the metered Psalms with the original Hebrew. They wanted a “singable” translation that was accurate to the original Hebrew. They approached this task as if they were creating a new translation of the Bible!
The town is also famous for its unusual clock in the church tower. Its clockmaker accidentally put six marks into one of the five minute sections on the clock face. As a result, each hour in Crimond is 61 minutes, giving its residents an additional 24 minutes more each day than any other place on earth!
The book of Psalms contains our oldest hymns.
This gives them a little extra time for singing, “The Lord’s My Shepherd.”
Then ten years later in 1650, the Scottish Psalter was released and approved for congregations of the Church of Scotland. It’s full title was: The Psalms of David in Meter: Newly translated, and diligently compared with the original Text, and former Translations: More plain, smooth, and agreeable to the Text, than any heretofore.
Have you received your 2-Minute Tuesday timely tips and wisdom to share with others? Vice President of Christian Life, Eden Keefe, enjoys writing; she invites you to embark on your own writing adventure by writing a name on your prayer list and on a To Do list. Then invite that special person to help you with a local LWML mission project.
The Time is NOW!
—Taken from Then Sings My Soul By Robert J. Morgan 2003 (Thomas Nelson, Inc.)
“We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won’t need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don’t fire cannons to call attention to their shining—they just shine.” —Dwight L. Moody
Support LWML missions.
You Shop. Amazon Gives. Check it out at smile.amazon.com.
