St. Thomas Mission Fair

Here are a few photos from the recent St. Thomas Mission Fair. We had 14 different organizations or issues represented, so this is just a sampling in the photos. Thanks!

ELCA Indonesian Trip August 2008

Here is the blog link for the recent trip in August, 2008 of folks from the Indiana-Kentucky synod to our brothers and sisters in our sister synod in Indonesia.

http://inkysalt2008.blogspot.com/

Upcoming Fall Mission Calendar

August:
August 20 - Mission Media Series with movie "The Devil Came on Horseback"
August 23/24 - Each One Feed One food drive at MCUM
August 27 - Mission Media Series with movie "God Grew Tired of Us" on the Lost Boys of Sudan, 7 pm

September:
Early September - Mission Committee meeting TBD
September 6 - Interfaith Habitat Build painting and providing food
September 7 - Temple Talk and sign up in Narthex for upcoming Mission Fair (need volunteers to help with Temple Talk and sign up)
September 13 - Interfaith Habitat Build last St. Thomas work day and financial support
September 14 - Mission Fair between services

October:
October 5 and 12 - Temple Talk and CROP Walk sign up
October 19 - CROP Walk, 2 pm beginning at MCUM

Video from Global Mission Event

The ELCA Global Mission Event held in July had 100 "global university sessions", speakers from around the world, and global music! Enjoy this short video (1-2 minutes max) and the photo below and look for more follow up to come!

Global Mission Event

This is the beautiful quilt made by the women of the Mashiah Foundation serving women and children with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. It was the symbol of the gathering, reflecting the theme, "God's Work, Our Hands."

July Mission Prayers

Global Mission Event in La Crosse, July 17-20

1) Pray for a Spirit filled time together sharing with people from around the world and safe travels.

2) Pray for the mission offerings featured:
a) US based missions in Bridge of Life, Holmen and Agape Asian Ministry, La Crosse, Wisconsin.
b) ELCA missionary sponsorship program
c) ELCA World Hunger Appeal

Indiana Floods

Pray for those affected by the floods in Indiana. Check with the church office, in the newsletter and weekly notes for ways you can help.

World Vision Prayer "Triggers"

In the recent addition of World Vision News there was a brief article encouraging us to pray throughout the day for mission needs around the world based on these triggers in our daily lives.

1) Bath/shower time: pray for clean water. Nearly 1.1 billion people are without access to clean water.

2) Going to work: pray about child labor. Many children worldwide work for less than $1 a day and 126 million children work in ways that are likely to harm their health, safety or moral development.

3) Meal time: pray for hungry children. Nearly 150 million children are underweight.

4) Reading/listening to news: pray for education. There are 72 million children worldwide not attending primary school.

5) Going home: pray for displaced children. More than 34 million people, mostly women and children, have been forced to leave their homes by violence or disaster.

6) Taking vitamins/medicine: pray for medical access. Every year, nearly 15 times more children die from preventable diseases than Americans who are killed by heart disease, the leading cause of death in the US.

7) Bed time: pray for orphans. There are nearly six times more orphans in the world than there are children under the age of 5 in the US. Orphans in Africa are increasing especially, due to AIDS.

Prayer for Mission and Thanks

A Mission Prayer

Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
no hands but yours, no feet but yours;
yours are the eyes through which is to look out Christ’s compassion to the world,
yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good,
and yours are the hands with which he is to bless us now.

Saint Teresa of Avila

We are thankful for all those in the St. Thomas community engaging in mission in our own community and beyond!