Blessed Are the “Piecemakers”

Details

Written by Linda Funke Linda Funke

Created: March 23 2022 March 23 2022

A quilt is special! It brings warmth on a cold night, shelter from the sun on a hot day. It becomes a bed, a room divider, a backpack to carry belongings and at times even a home. Each quilt is one of a kind, with a beauty all its own, made as a gift of hope by caring people.Lutheran World Relief

For at least three decades (perhaps longer), Saint John’s Sewing Group has been stitching quilts together in love. The participants and recipients have changed through the years, but the mission remains the same—serving others in Christ’s Name, sharing His love with those in need and offering them comfort and hope.

In their early history, the group was often commissioned to create special patterned quilts or to complete the hand-quilting for a provided quilt top. Proceeds from the quilts and/or quilting services were donated to local charities such as the Salvation Army, Crossroads Safe House, Children’s Clinic, Good Shepherd Home, Saint John’s Preschool, Mission Guild, Laurel School Homeless Project and LCMS World Relief.

At the turn of the century, most of the group’s quilts were made according to Lutheran World Relief specifications (60" × 80" patchwork, tied quilts) and were donated to LWR, which then provided the quilts nationally and internationally to refugees, natural disaster victims and others in need. When Lutheran World Relief began to experience difficulty distributing quilts internationally, the Sewing Group decided to return to the more intricate art of piece-quilting a variety of sizes and types of quilts to be donated locally or sold with the funds being donated to local, national and some international charities.

Not even COVID could interfere with this group’s mission. During the pandemic, members worked from home. Instead of slowing them down, productivity actually increased. But they are happy to be meeting together in person again each Thursday morning. There are currently nine active members, including one new recruit who found the group via the church’s website.

They have given quilts to the Alpha Center, Laurel School (for distribution to needy families), several nursing homes, a local adoption agency and several families and individuals who have come to the food pantry and/or clothing closet. They also provide baby quilts for newborns at Saint John’s. In February, they raised nearly $3,000 for the victims of the Marshall Fire with a donation-based quilt sale. Fourteen of those quilts were donated back to the group and given to a local assisted living facility for low-income residents! The group is also working on a “Friendship Sampler Quilt” (or two), piecing together beautiful squares created and donated by a variety of individuals. (You’re invited to participate by sharing a quilt square by April 13. See more details in the weekly church bulletin or contact Susan Hauser!)

How Can You Help?

The Sewing Group would love to grow and encourages you to consider joining them. These humble servants continue to seek out local recipients for their quilts and welcome your suggestions. Their greatest joy is giving the gift of love and hope to those in need.

Can’t sew? Don’t have the time? You can still support the group by praying for their ministry, by supporting their occasional quilt sales or by donating quilt batting or large pieces of fabric for quilt backing. Monetary donations are also welcomed.

Questions? Contact any member of the Sewing Group: Sheryl Bachman, Diana Carlson, June Donaldson, Susan Hauser, Mary Huwa, Chris Rattenborg or Fran Rodammer.

May God continue to bless this unique ministry as they serve God, our church, and our community.

The Board of Human Needs finds opportunities for the members of Saint John’s to provide a Christian witness by helping people in the community struggling with daily necessities.

Photos by Saint John’s member Susan Hauser.

April LWM Mission Grant Story

Details

Written by LWML.org LWML.org

Created: March 15 2022 March 15 2022

This month we want to tell you more about the “Hope of Christ for Cancer Patients” program of Phil’s Friends, recipients of a $70,000 grant from Lutheran Women in Mission (LWM) in the 2021–2023 biennium.

Phil Zielke started Phil’s Friends after battling cancer twice while in his mid-twenties. His friends provided him care items that were specific for people who are going through cancer treatment. The notes of Christian encouragement from family and friends that accompanied these items gave him hope in the battle for his life.

Phil had Christ in his heart, and he had Christian encouragement. However, in the hospital many patients did not have that hope. When Phil recovered, he made it his mission to give hope to cancer patients. Phil’s Friends was established as a full-time ministry in 2009.

Phil’s Friends is an LCMS Recognized Service Organization with a mission to introduce and strengthen relationships with Christ by providing faith-based hope to those with cancer. Anyone can request a care package be sent to someone struggling with cancer at no charge. Phil’s Friends then provide practical, emotional and spiritual support by providing a care package and encouraging cards, “Cards of Hope”, for twelve consecutive months. After receiving their care package, the cancer patient can meet virtually with a trained Phil’s Friends volunteer as part of the “Hope on Call” program. The program, started in 2020, can virtually connect specially trained volunteers with someone who has received a care package. The volunteer is there to listen, provide encouraging words and pray with the person. Phil’s Friends support the person with cancer but also impact those individuals supporting the person going through cancer.

Care packages contain a Bible, fleece blanket, knit hat, fuzzy socks, Biotene gel, lip balm, toothpaste, toothbrush, unscented lotion, journal, pen, puzzle book and playing cards. Most importantly, there is a letter that contains the message of the Gospel and an explanation of how our “hope” comes from our relationship with our Lord. When someone is battling cancer, it is so important to know of the unending love of Jesus. The Bible and the Gospel messages may introduce someone to the love of Christ or strengthen their relationship with the Lord.

The grant funds will be used to support 1,000 individuals with care packages, “Cards of Hope”, and “Hope on Call”. Phil’s Friends will be able to provide the cancer patients with the hope and encouragement that only Jesus can bring.

Lutheran Women in Mission (LWM) is the official women’s auxiliary of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Since 1942, LWM has focused on affirming each woman’s relationship with Christ, encouraging and equipping women to live out their Christian lives in active mission ministries and by supporting global missions. For more information on each month’s mission focus, visit LWML.org. Saint John’s Lutheran Women in Mission (Mission Guild) meets the first Tuesday of each month at 10:30 AM in Room 301. All ladies of the congregation are invited to attend.

Alpha Center: “Liz’s Story”

Details

Written by Alpha Center Alpha Center

Created: March 15 2022 March 15 2022

The Alpha Center is a nonprofit Christian Medical Clinic in the heart of Fort Collins and takes pride in providing compassionate, exceptional medical care to those in need of a pregnancy test, options education, STD screening, professional relationship counseling and sexual health education. The Alpha Center does not provide nor refer for abortions.

The center strives to ensure all patients are served with dignity by a licensed medical professional, approaching each client holistically, offering a safe place to share their experiences and ask questions.

Alpha Center began in 1985 as a pregnancy hotline in Fort Collins. They attained non-profit designation in 1987 and a year later opened the first office near Drake and College. In 2000, they became a medical facility by adding ultrasound, and two years later added STD screening as well. In 2016, they added a licensed professional counselor to their staff.

Today, The Alpha Center is located at College and Pitkin, right across from Colorado State University. The staff of sixteen includes registered nurses, administrative staff, and a licensed professional counselor. On an average, the Alpha Center serves 400–500 patients yearly. All services are offered at no cost, thanks to the generous support of many individuals, businesses and churches in our community.

Each month, the Alpha Center will share a client’s story with us so we can see first-hand the impact made by our support (name(s) changed for confidentiality).

When Liz first came in for her appointment, she stated that her intention was either abortion or parenting. She had just had a baby four months earlier and had not been prepared to find herself pregnant again. At her repeat appointment one week later, she revealed that she had had an abortion scheduled for later that day, but had decided to cancel it. Even so, she was still considering abortion as an option. At her second repeat appointment, she stated that she had decided to parent and shared that the weekly appointments and ultrasounds had been so helpful and comforting to her.

This is exactly how the Focus process works! We help make space for our patients to explore all her options while providing accurate medical information. All this is provided in a calm, professional environment where the patient knows she is valued and cared for. For Liz and her baby, it made all the difference.

The Board of Human Needs finds opportunities for the members of Saint John’s to provide a Christian witness by helping people in the community struggling with daily necessities.

March LWM Mission Grant Story

Details

Written by LWML.org LWML.org

Created: February 09 2022 February 09 2022

This month we want to tell you more about the efforts of the Lutheran Theological Seminary, Novosibirsk, Siberia, to train pastors to serve the church in Russia. They are the recipients of a $100,000 grant from Lutheran Women in Mission (LWM) in the 2019–2021 biennium.

Prior to the 1917 Russian revolution, the Lutheran Church was the second largest group of Christians living in Russia—the first Lutherans having arrived there shortly after the Protestant Reformation. But government-sponsored anti-religious campaigns between 1917 and 1941 and anti-German sentiment during and after World War II were especially brutal to Lutherans. Virtually all of the church’s pastors were killed or imprisoned and Lutheran churches were destroyed or confiscated.

Today the Lutheran Church is making a comeback. Nowhere is that more apparent than in eastern Russia, in Siberia, where many Lutherans were deported in the purges of the 1920s and ’30s. Through the efforts of the Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church, which is in full altar and pulpit fellowship with the Luther Church—Missouri Synod, and through the pastoral training provided by the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Novosibirsk, Siberia, the Word and Sacraments are again making their way to the long-repressed Russian people.

The Novosibirsk seminary’s goal is to prepare workers to spread the true Word of God to the Russian people. To do so, pastors must be well educated and prepared to provide intelligent, compassionate pastoral care to everyone. While the academic training at the Novosibirsk seminary is second to none, the seminary’s ability to survive financially is at risk. Its U.S.-based foundation, from which the seminary received the largest portion of support, has had to reduce its contributions to the seminary’s operations due to changing financial circumstances.

If the seminary were to close, it could be impossible for it to reopen, given the politics of today’s Russia. At the least it would take years, and it is difficult to know what impact the closing of the Novosibirsk seminary would have on the future of the Lutheran Church in Russia. This grant will help keep the seminary in operation for the next two years as the Siberian Lutheran Mission, an LCMS Recognized Service Organization (RSO), continues its “Save the Seminary Campaign” to raise funds to endow the seminary’s operations long-term.

Lutheran Women in Mission (LWM) is the official women’s auxiliary of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Since 1942, LWM has focused on affirming each woman’s relationship with Christ, encouraging and equipping women to live out their Christian lives in active mission ministries and by supporting global missions. For more information on each month’s mission focus, visit LWML.org. Saint John’s Lutheran Women in Mission (Mission Guild) meets the first Tuesday of each month at 10:30 AM in Room 301. All ladies of the congregation are invited to attend.

Alpha Center: “Abby’s Story”

Details

Written by Alpha Center Alpha Center

Created: February 03 2022 February 03 2022

The Alpha Center is a nonprofit Christian Medical Clinic in the heart of Fort Collins and takes pride in providing compassionate, exceptional medical care to those in need of a pregnancy test, options education, STD screening, professional relationship counseling and sexual health education. The Alpha Center does not provide nor refer for abortions.

The center strives to ensure all patients are served with dignity by a licensed medical professional, approaching each client holistically, offering a safe place to share their experiences and ask questions.

Alpha Center began in 1985 as a pregnancy hotline in Fort Collins. They attained non-profit designation in 1987 and a year later opened the first office near Drake and College. In 2000, they became a medical facility by adding ultrasound, and two years later added STD screening as well. In 2016, they added a licensed professional counselor to their staff.

Today, The Alpha Center is located at College and Pitkin, right across from Colorado State University. The staff of sixteen includes registered nurses, administrative staff, and a licensed professional counselor. On an average, the Alpha Center serves 400–500 patients yearly. All services are offered at no cost, thanks to the generous support of many individuals, businesses and churches in our community.

Each month, the Alpha Center will share a client’s story with us so we can see first-hand the impact made by our support (name(s) changed for confidentiality).

A young woman, Abby, came in for a pregnancy test appointment and her result was negative. During her appointment, she shared about a difficult relationship with her parents and her struggles with faith as she wants to try out different churches in town. We were able to refer her to some of our resources, and our supporters prayed for her to find a church home she could connect with after we sent out a prayer request.

When we followed up to check in on her the following week, she had decided to schedule an appointment for counseling and was looking into local churches. Even though her test was negative, different service areas of the Alpha Center such as the pregnancy appointment, prayers of supporters, follow-up, counseling, and our Director of Client Resources connecting patients to resources in the community all supported this patient as she is taking steps towards healing and knowing God's love for her more.

The Board of Human Needs finds opportunities for the members of Saint John’s to provide a Christian witness by helping people in the community struggling with daily necessities.