ONE MISSION-Three Perspectives
The Women of the ELCA mission areas are established in the organization's constitution. Look at the three mission areas — action, community, and growth— separately to see what is unique to each. Each mission area brings to our ministry the features and benefits of its perspective. The triangle-like shape in the middle of the diagram, where the three circles overlap, is the core of the ministry.
Mission: Action
Action is about being in direct servant roles. We act to ensure that all people have access to basic human needs, equality, justice, and safety. This includes developing active partnerships with workers of God's justice to provide tangible goods and services, education, and advocacy against injustice. The goal of the Action Committee is to enable women to articulate and act upon their faith as disciples of Jesus Christ in all arenas of life.
LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF
We are living God’s justice by growing in faith and by reaching out to help those around us– on the street, in our community, and across the globe. Lutheran World Relief is faith in action.
- School Kits
- Health Kits
- Sewing Kits
- Layettes
- Quilts
- Soap
Items are collected at Spring Cluster Meetings, synodical conventions, and at various sites around the synod before the convention.
For more information on the contents of kits, size of quilts, etc. go to www.lwr.org
CAMPBELL’S SOUP LABELS
The Campbell’s® "Labels for Education" being collected will be used to supplement a school in the district where ENRICH is held. The school will be able to choose the items it most needs. This is done to strengthen the bond between Lutheran Episcopal Services in Mississippi and the schools where the children attend during the regular school year.
The UPC codes (bar code) should be cut and mailed in envelopes or paper bags of 100. Please do not send front labels. They are no longer being accepted. All paper codes from soup cans are equal to 1 point value and cardboard Campbell’s products equal 5 points. Count the points and write the number on the bag. Example: 100 soup can bar codes = 100 points. Please place 1 point bar codes and 5 point bar codes in the separate bags.
Some eligible products are:
- Campbell’s soups, juices, and gravies
- Franco-American Spaghetti and gravies
- Pepperidge Farm soups, breads, cookies, croutons, stuffing
- Swanson broths and canned chicken
- Prego pasta and sauces
- V -8 juices including Splash and Fusion products
SAMARITAN’S PURSE - Operation Christmas Child
Imagine the look on a child’s face when he/she opens a shoe box filled with Christmas goodies. It is through our continued support of Operation Christmas Child sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse that we can share the love of Jesus Christ with hurting children around the world. Simply fill a shoe box with a variety of gifts that will bring delight to a child. Toys, games, clothing, school supplies, and personal care items are always welcome.
There are 6 categories to choose from: 2-4 year old girl, 2-4 year old boy, 5-9 year old girl, 5-9 year old boy, 10-14 year old girl, and 10-14 year old boy. Samaritan’s Purse has asked our organization to promote boxes for boys 2-4 and boys 10-14.
You should wrap the shoe box in Christmas paper, just be sure to wrap the tops separately. Each box should have a label taped to the top that denotes if it is for a girl or a boy, and the age category indicated. You can find the “official” labels on their web site to print off and use. The last thing to do to get your shoe box ready is to place a rubber band around each shoe box to hold the lid on. Each donor is asked to place $7 in an envelope inside the shoe box, on top of your gift items to help cover the shipping costs.
RONALD McDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES
Those shiny pull tabs from soup cans, soda cans, and pet food cans are valuable. Instead of just throwing them away, they can raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charities. Statistics tell us there are now more than 265 Ronald McDonald Houses in 24 countries.
We have nine Ronald McDonald Houses in the Southeastern Synod that participate in the pop tab program: two in Alabama, three in Georgia, and four in Tennessee. You can deliver tabs throughout the year to the location closest to you or bring them to the annual convention.
GLOBAL HEALTH MINISTRIES
Rolling bandages for Global Health Ministries is an easy project. Commercial bandages are often expensive and in short supply, so rolled bandages are needed in many countries. You may use white, colored, or patterned sheets, any cotton or cotton blend material is suitable. You will need a sewing machine to attach the strips together.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Pre-wash material/sheets
- Rip into strips two, three, or four inches wide
- Sew ends together
- Assemble strips into rolls about one to two inches in diameter
- Secure with masking tape to keep the bandages from unrolling
- Pack the bandages in small boxes, no bigger than 12”x18”
- Use the cheapest possible surface/ground rate when shipping to GHM
The bandages must be clean, evenly and tightly rolled, and loose threads pulled off. If more than one strip is used in a bandage, the strips must be sewn together end to end. The end of the roll fastened with a small piece of masking tape.
Send bandages to: Global Health Ministries, 7831 Hickory Street, NE, Minneapolis, MN 55432 or go to www.ghm.org to learn more about the Global Health Ministries projects.
Mission: Community
Community is about relationships among women of faith. These relationships include God, family, other persons of faith, the global community, Women of the ELCA units, and the un-churched.
The goal of the community committee is to enable each woman to value herself and others as disciples created in God's image and redeemed through Jesus Christ; and to build up and celebrate relationships that are global, diverse, and interdependent.
We can accomplish this by:
- Showing women that stewardship of time, talent, and resources is a way of life
- Openly publicizing events and activities, ensuring hospitality to all
- Encouraging participation in ecumenical events
- Planning, assisting and leading worship
- Supporting people in all relationships, across all dividers, and in all settings
- Affirming and helping women within religious and secular communities
- Exploring other cultures' understandings of community and family
- Promoting education and family values -- where all persons are supported and nurtured
CHURCH WOMEN UNITED
Church Women United is an ecumenical movement that brings together Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, and other Christians. Some of their annual programs include:
- World Day of Prayer held the first Friday in March
- May Friendship Day held the first Friday in May
- World Community Day held the first Friday in November
Church Women United
475 Riverside Drive, Suite 500
New York, NY 10115
212-870-2347
COMPANION SYNOD PROGRAM
The Southeastern Synod is a partner with the LaCrosse Area Synod. We have companion synods in Guatemala, Malaysia/Singapore; Bavaria, Germany; and Ethiopia. Women of the ELCA may support this effort through the following:
- Make the companion synods a part of your opening prayer at each meeting and ask your church to include them each week in the prayers of the church
- Create a bulletin board display
- Call Global Missions for literature to display
- Support special projects of these synods
- Call the synod office for current or ongoing needs
KATIE'S FUND
Besides her traditional roles, Martin Luther’s wife also managed the family finances. Luther recognized and appreciated Katie’s expertise in making the household self-sustaining. In addition, Katie recognized the importance of making plans for the future. She saved and made sound investments which enabled her to continue to care for her family even when her income was curtailed.
The purpose of Katie’s Fund is to provide similar assurance for the future of Women of the ELCA’s efforts in the area of global sharing, leadership development, and living theology. With income from the invested fund, Women of the ELCA will continue to enhance global partnerships, increase multicultural awareness, enhance organizational participation, and nurture growth in faith.
The profit from Katie’s Table at our annual convention is given Katie’s Fund. Congregational units may make donations to the fund by writing Katie’s Fund under Special Offerings and gifts on Form B and sending the donation to the churchwide organization.
WOMEN OF THE ELCA SUNDAY
Women of the ELCA Sunday is traditionally held on the fourth Sunday in September, but you may choose any Sunday. This is an opportunity for the women of your congregation to assume the many responsibilities of the worship service and celebrate the role of women in the church.
There are special services found in Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Lutheran Book of Worship, With One Voice, and This Far By Faith. As you plan your Women of the ELCA service, let the Spirit be your guide.
MISSION: Growth
The goal of the Growth Committee is to provide a variety of learning and growth experiences that strengthen each woman as a disciple, develop her sense of call as a child of God, and equip her for further ministry in God's world.
Mission: Growth nurtures spiritual growth through enabling and encouraging women to share the good news as disciples of Jesus Christ in their daily lives. It also provides opportunities for each woman to identify her own gifts and leadership skills and makes available resources for Bible study and personal faith development.
We can accomplish this by:
- Providing opportunities for women to broaden their biblical and theological understanding of God's word
- Promoting daily prayer in a style that suits the individual women
- Organizing prayer groups or chains
- Identifying individual spiritual gifts of women and encouraging the development of those gifts
- Promoting an understanding of the scriptural mandate for Christian action and stewardship
- Organizing group and individual Bible studies
- Providing opportunities for witness
PUBLICATIONS
The Southeastern Weaver is the quarterly newsletter for the Southeastern Women of the ELCA. Published by Ruth Schreiner keep you informed about what is happening in your Synod including programs the board is recommending, who to contact, what to expect at Convention, updates on what has happened etc. Excellent reading for every woman who is active or thinking of becoming active in the Women of the ELCA.
Two ways are available for subscribing: email which is free or mailed subscription for $8 a year. Send your name and address to: Southeastern Synod Women of the ELCA, 2201 Oakwood Drive East, Franklin, TN 37064-4917 with a check made out to Southeastern Women of the ELCA.
Gather, the magazine for the Women of the ELCA, brings an exciting mix of faith-in-life articles, theological reflections, devotions and human interest stories to uplift you and challenge you. Be informed, stay connected, and share faith stories of women just like you who are committed to building the kingdom of God. A subscription could be the perfect gift for your secret prayer sister, friends, sisters, or family members.
Gather is published 10 times a year with combined issues in January/February and July/August.A year's subscription to Gather is $12; two years, $22; three
years, $33. There are three convenient ways to subscribe:
- Subscribe through
Augsburg Fortress.
- Call 1-800–328–4648.
- Send your name, address and check made out to Gather,
to Augsburg Fortress, P.O. Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN
55440-8730
An audiotape edition of Gather for the visually impaired is
available for $15.50 per year. Call 800–328-4648
Interchange is our 8-page leadership newsletter is sent monthly by regular mail to Women of the ELCA leaders in congregational units, synodical organizations, and clusters and conferences. It contains organizational news, new resource information, programmatic updates, and more. Leaders are encouraged to share the contents with all the women in their group.
Interchange is also available by subscription for just $7 per year. It's a great way to easily make more copies available to anyone in your congregation who should be getting all the news in Interchange every month. Call Augsburg Fortress at 800-328-4648.
Bold Connections is the free monthly e-newsletter of Women of the ELCA. Whether you participate a lot or a little in Women of the ELCA, and no matter what your role, you'll find helpful news and information on our programs and activities, and stories of how together we are living out our purpose and mission.
Café: Stirring the Spirit Within is an award-winning Web-based magazine that explores issues of interest to young women in their 20s and 30s from a faith-based perspective. Its mission is to be a resource for those who want to meaningfully build their understandings of Community, Advocacy, Faith, and Enlightenment. Visit Café and sign up to receive e-mail alerts when new issues are posted. The monthly Café podcast is available at www.boldcafe.org or through iTunes. Don't miss the next issue!
SPEAKER'S BUREAU
The following individuals are available to speak for CU programs, retreats, and cluster events:
Faith - Patti Austin 404-819-5077 Paustin562@att.net
Global Mission - Larry Schultz, 770-228-6850, Larry_Schultz_sr@comcast.net
Grateful Giving - Barbara Schwanebeck, 770-427-7808, Barbara.Schwanebeck@gmail.com
YOUNG WOMEN SEEING VISIONS
Young women are more active in the Women of the ELCA than ever before. They are making themselves known within the body of Christ. Young women have much to learn from our organization and so much to give to it. Together, we can change the Women of the ELCA into a bold and daring new place where all are warmly welcomed. There are more opportunities than ever for women of all ages to work together. So let’s take charge and do God’s work!
WOMEN OF THE ELCA SCHOLARSHIPS
Women of the ELCA offers scholarships in three categories: scholarships for Lutheran laywomen studying for a career other than ordained ministry, scholarships for administrative leadership to women interested in reaching the top of their field as administrators, and scholarships for women in their final year at an ELCA seminary.
All applications must be received by February 15 of each year and may be obtained by contacting Emily Hansen at Emily.Hansen@elca.org or by contacting the Women of the ELCA at 1-800-638-3522, Ext. 2730. Your unit may also contribute to the scholarship fund by designating “Scholarship Fund” under special offerings on Form B.
