Lutheran CORE Connection
June 2014 — Page 6 Mission Connections:
Never know how they will grow The Lutheran CORE Steering Committee seeks to remind congregations of the challenge that Lutheran CORE
makes to member congregations to support one local and one international mission partner.
By Rachel Sosebee
Lutheran CORE serves an
important role in Lutheranism today
by crossing denominational,
cultural, language, and geographic
lines in its ministry to mobilize
confessing Lutherans for
evangelical renewal.
Renewal is not just an exercise
in assuring “right” doctrine. It is
about opening the heart and
allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us
and embolden us to take God’s
Word to the world. For some of us,
it might involve going on an
international mission trip. For
others it could be serving
somewhere in our community. For
Renewal is not just an
exercise in assuring
“right” doctrine. It is
about opening the heart
and allowing the Holy
Spirit to guide us and
embolden us to take God’s
Word to the world.
still others, it might mean serving
in the role of supporter of global
and local ministries. Sometimes an
act that seems as small as a mustard
seed can grow into something much
larger than dreamed. God will use
anyone willing and open to serving
in His name.
MissionConnect can help you
connect to a mission. The Lutheran
CORE website lists ministries that
have been vetted by the joint
Lutheran CORE/Great Commission
Society mission and ministry
standards committee. Organizations
wishing to be listed on the Lutheran
CORE website must complete an
application and submit supporting
documents for review by the
committee. Once approved, the
organization is added to the list of
mission projects and agencies on
the Lutheran CORE website. This
list is a good resource if you are
looking to connect with a mission.
Another way MissionConnect
helps make connections is by
sharing stories. CORE Connection
has already featured twenty-four
stories of worthy missions or
congregations with an interesting
CORE Connection has
already featured twentyfour stories of worthy
missions or congregations
with an interesting mission
connection. These
examples are a great place
to get ideas and inspiration
on ways you can connect
with a mission and how
you can be renewed.
mission connection. These
examples are a great place to get
ideas and inspiration on ways you
can connect with a mission and
how you can be renewed.
MissionConnect is translating
some of these stories and other
Lutheran CORE articles into
Spanish. Inspired by the ministry of
our Spanish-speaking brothers and
sisters, the MissionConnect team
has helped facilitate a small but
growing team of translators. We are
seeking people to translate articles
from English into Spanish so they
(Continued on page 7)
Lutheran CORE Connection
June 2014 — Page 7 Mission Connections
(Continued from page 6)
can be shared with the increasing
number of Spanish language
ministry leaders in search of
information from confessing
Lutheran communities.
MissionConnect will offer two
workshops at the upcoming
Lutheran CORE Convocation, July
21-22. These workshops are being
led by individuals previously
highlighted in MissionConnect
newsletter articles. Pastor Samuel
Nieva from Pueblo de Dios in
Compton, CA, will share how he is
raising up and training biblically
faithful, Spanish-speaking church
workers and leaders. Pastor Doug
Gast from Bethel Lutheran Church
in Noblesville, IN, will lead a
workshop themed on Matthew
13:31-32, The Parable of the
Mustard Seed. He will share the
story of his congregation’s mission
connections and how they have
been taken out of their door to
Ethiopia and Miami, FL. This
“how-to” workshop on making
mission connections will highlight
what has worked for Bethel
Lutheran Church, what members
have learned, and the joy they have
experienced in the surprising places
God has taken them through their
mission connections.
MissionConnect serves to help
others connect to mission work. If
you would like help connecting to a
mission, have a mission connection
story, or want to find out more
about this ministry, please contact
us via the MissionConnect form
at http://www.lutherancore.org/
mission-connect/connect-tomissionconnect/.
Rachel Sosebee serves on the Mission
Connect team and is happy to help
connect you with a mission. She
formerly worked as administrative
assistant in the missions office of the
NALC. She can be reached at
[email protected] or the link
above.
Lutheran CORE
MISSIONCONNECT
Two convocation workshops to help you connect to missions!
Spanish Connections
Mission Connections –
One mission’s story of raising up and training Biblically faithful Spanish-speaking
church workers and leaders for the ELCA.
Led by Pastor Samuel Nieva
Never know how they
will grow.
Matthew 13:31-32
Pueblo de Dios Lutheran Church, Compton, CA
Mission Connections Lead to the Unexpected
A “how-to” for making connections. Learn from one church’s experiences of
what to do and not to do when making local and global mission connections, and
how these connections have blessed the entire congregation and taken them to
places they never planned.
Led by Pastor Doug Gast
Bethel Lutheran Church, Noblesville, IN
Click to register for the
Lutheran CORE convocation
so you can attend these
informative workshops!