Mission Grant Story

Mission Grant Story Conference Center and Theological Education for Disaster Response Training Conference in Latin America/Communion Kits $20,000 The Dominican times of tragedy and disaster. Republic is The When the specialized Lutheran Church— education is completed, Missouri Synod hub those attending will receive of missions along with individual communion sets pastoral and deaconess to be used during disasters. formation in the Latin Guests invited to attend American region. The the “Latin American Regional Dominican Republic Mercy Conference” at a is hit on average every retreat center in Paraguay will 4.5 years with a major include Central American (L-R) The Rev. Cristian E. Rautenberg, president of the Confessional Lutheran hurricane, and the island Church of Chile and the Rev. Michael Meyer, manager of LCMS Disaster Response, pastors, South American jump through debris as they visit victims from a devastating fire in Valparaíso, Chile, is regularly affected by on Monday, April 21, 2014. The catastrophic fire that tore through the hillsides above pastors, missionaries, and the historic port city fire killed 15 people, destroyed about 3000 homes, and left some of the world’s seminarians from Concordia approximately 15,000 people homeless. LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford largest and most deadly Seminary in Argentina. earthquakes. The Disaster Response Center Developing plans include the introduction will be used for emergency housing for the of the new Spanish translation of the Disaster Dominican Republic and the Latin American Response guides, Pastoral Care Companion in region. It also will be a training center for Mercy Spanish, and Pastoral visitation communion Ministry, Human Care and Deaconess training. kits. All of the lectures will be covering Since the Dominican Republic is the hub of congregational-based Disaster Response, missions for Latin America, this facility could how to use the Pastoral Care companion and be used to train students and pastors from our communion kits for spiritual care of Lutheran partner churches in the Latin American region members and how to offer spiritual care for the for years or even decades to come. un-churched that are affected by tragedy. Grant money from LWML will be used While most Lutheran Church-Missouri to offer seminarians from Argentina as well Synod pastors in the United States have as leadership from partner churches in Latin portable communion sets, it is rare for pastors America the opportunity to participate in in Latin America to have such a kit. There is a training that will focus specifically on a need for the quality of the kits to be such that theological approach to pastoral care after they will last for years or decades.