Congregation Liaison: Outreach and Servant Ministries Committee
Lutheran World Relief (LWR) is a global organization that envisions a world in which each person, every community and all generations live in justice, dignity and peace. Founded by Lutherans in the United States, grounded in Lutheran theology and building on decades of experience, LWR exists to serve their neighbors overseas who face poverty, injustice and human suffering.
They focus on two main areas: agriculture and emergency operations. They work to improve the lives of millions of small-scale farmers and their families, helping them adapt to and mitigate the effects of changing weather and environmental conditions. Their emergency operations often go on for years after the initial disaster, helping communities cope with and recover from emergencies in ways that promote lasting improvements in people’s living conditions.
Saint Andrew’s supports the mission of LWR with budgeted funds, donations of quilts, sewing supplies, and Personal Care Kits.
From 2017-2020, we provided support to families in Bihar, India as part of a collaborative effort with LWR (learn more at http://lwr.org/bihar
Current Opportunities:
As of August 2021:
Mission21:
Here in the U.S., we have had free access to vaccines for COVID-19. This is not the case for many of our neighbors around the world. Lutheran World Relief (LWR) has taken on a special project called Mission21. LWR and their partners, with their expertise and geographic presence around the world, are working to provide the needed resources (including vaccines) and education to fight COVID-19.
There is a great video and other resources that provide more information about this project at: www.lwr.org/congregations or go directly to the video at: https://youtu.be/D6R-_pQM3Rs
This Mission21 Project will:
• Equip clinics across Africa, Asia and Latin America to receive and store the vaccine.
• Train health care workers to deliver the doses and coordinate vaccination campaigns.
• Provide essentials for survival, including masks, clean water for drinking and handwashing, and emergency food assistance for families in refugee and displacement camps.
The Outreach and Servant Ministries Committee has used $2,000 from the New Opportunities fund to support this Mission21 project. If you would like to be a part of the largest global health effort in human history and reach those who would otherwise be forgotten, you can send a check to Saint Andrew’s with “LWR Mission21” in the memo line or donate directly to LWR’s Mission21 at www.lwr.org/Mission21