Following is a summary of the 2013 activities Saint John’s busy Board of Human Needs presided over. As always, Saint John’s has been an active participant in the community and in missions beyond our state. The Heseders’ activities are included as well, as they work under the Board of Human Needs.

April

The Heseders held the Praise Band Festival and a Church Garage Sale as fund raisers. We also sold $1,500 worth of purses and jewelry from Heartline Mission in Haiti, money which is used to support the Haitian artists and the ministry.

The congregation provided materials for 125 personal care kits that the Board assembled and sent to Lutheran World Relief.

May

The Heseders sent $300 to support three girls attending summer camp at Heartline Women’s Ministry.

June

Nine Heseders (Elise Smith, Eric Gardner, Joel Sanford, Janet Barr, Kimberly Pepmiller, Nelly Sanford, Sammi Gardner, Sue Gardner and Tim Maxwell) spent five days working at Camp Restore in New Orleans. In July we did a presentation on New Orleans for the Adult Sunday School class.

Congregation members were sent home with baby bottles on Mother’s Day. During the next few weeks, the bottles were filled with what turned out to be $800 in change, cash and checks for Alpha Center, a pregnancy resource center in Fort Collins.

July

Heseder Kimberly Pepmiller spent ten days in Kenya working with an LCMS Mercy Medical Clinic.

August

Saint John’s filled 25 backpacks with school supplies for Laurel Elementary’s needy children.

September

We sponsored flood relief efforts with a concentration on Estes Park. Pastor Nickel and Mary took over $3,400 in door offerings to Mount Calvary from door offerings as well as ten quilts made by our Quilter’s group. Two truck loads filled with donations of clothing and household items were taken to the Red Cross in Loveland.

October

We sent nine volunteers to Estes on October 12. They donated approximately thirty hours of labor for individuals and businesses.

November

The Board of Human Needs donated fourteen turkey dinners to needy families at Laurel. The congregation gathered a generous offering of food items for Saint John’s Food Bank.

December

The Giving Tree will be up with names of fifty or more needy children who need gifts for Christmas. Please join the congregation in taking part in this final and heartwarming project during the Christmas Season.

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