AdditionalReports

REGION 5 EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA

Rev. Carl Richard EvensonCOORDINATOR FOR MISSIONAL LEADERSHIP—REGION 5

carl.evenson@elca.org

Synod Assembly ReportSpring, 2012

Greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ,

The twelve synods of Region 5 stretch through Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin, and include the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Gathering when mutual ministry can happen, regional work demonstrates our partnership with other synods and with the churchwide expression of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Over 400 Region 5 candidates are preparing for professional ministry in our church. Your synod Candidacy Committee nurtures your candidates and decides who will be approved for public ministry in the ELCA. Region 5 directs the Assignment process, bringing new rostered leaders into your synod.

Campus ministers in Region 5 serve college and university communities, bringing a Christian and Lutheran presence to complement higher education.In the past year eight of the region’s twenty-one sites experienced campus minister vacancy or renewal.

Our regional mobility conferences continue to providean interview forum for rostered leaders who are open to new call. Directors for Evangelical Mission (DEM) in each synod lead renewal and are gatheredregionally to share consultation. World Hunger, Malaria Initiative, and Global Mission advocates from each synod have met for mutual up building.

Nancy Carroll is our Region 5 archivist.Congregations deposit key records and closing parishes submit their historical documents for perpetual care (with a financial gift if possible) to theregional archive at Wartburg Seminary.

The Region 5 office in Menasha WI includes the coordinator and the office assistant Darlene Bilstad.The Region 5 Steering Committee directs regional ministry and Bishop Duane Pederson from Northwest Synod of Wisconsin is the current chair.Bishop Michael Last is the vice chair, and Bishop James Arends is the secretary.

Churchwide office support, and income of seven cents per baptized member from each of our twelve synods comprises Region 5 funding. We are grateful for all twelve synods echoing the covenant we shareto be fully supportive of Region 5. Thank you for supporting this ministry.

It has been a joy and true calling to serve Region 5 these last seventeen years. What a privilege to work with and encourage hundreds of new pastors and lay ministers for our church and campus ministries. And I regard with admiration and confidence the faithful lay and clergy leaders I have worked with in synods and in our churchwide office. What a good church you andI sustain.

Rev. Carl Richard Evenson

Additional Reports

AdditionalReports

About the Mission Investment Fund

The Mission Investment Fund (MIF) is a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Through MIF, congregations, their members, synods and ELCA-related ministries

may purchase a variety of investments that offer adjustable- or fixed-rate terms and earn interest at competitive rates.

MIF uses these investments to make low-interest loans to established ELCA congregations, new-start congregations and ELCA-related ministries. Established congregations use MIF

loans to renovate, expand or relocate. New-start congregations rely on MIF loans to buy land and construct their first church buildings. ELCA-related ministries use MIF loans for a variety of capital projects.

The Mission Investment Fund is financially strong and stable, with a record of steady, controlled growth:

With total assets of $642 million and net assets of $179 million at year-end 2011, MIF

maintained a capital ratio of 27.9 percent—a ratio significantly greater than the capital required by regulators and the level maintained by most financial institutions.

At year-end 2011, investments by congregations, their members, and ELCA-related ministries totaled $463 million, and loans for capital projects to more than 760 ELCA ministries totaled $446 million.

Throughout its nearly 100-year history, MIF and its predecessors have always returned full principal and interest to investors.

•

•

•

Investments and Loans in the Southeastern Iowa Synod

As of December 30, 2011:

Investments in the Mission Investment Fund by 130 individuals and 60 congregations

and ministries, including the Southeastern Iowa Synod, totaled $4,625,143.

Twelve congregations and ministries were supported by $15,993,889 in Mission

Investment Fund loans.

•

•

MIF representative for the Southeastern Iowa Synod:

Paula Kitt, Regional Manager: Tel. (773) 682-2738; e-mail: paula.kitt@elca.org

Mission Investment Fund | 8765 West Higgins Road | Chicago, Illinois 60631 Tel: 877-886-3522 | Web: elca.org/mif

AdditionalReports

Mission in Community

Illowa Lutheran Coalitionof the Quad Cities Area

Illowa Lutheran Coalition Report

Our vision of Mission in Community continues to give direction to the Advisory Board and the various ministries supported by the Coalition. These task groups still guide our work together:

Family Faith Formation/ Youth MinistryMulticultural and Cross Cultural MinistryLay LeadershipProfessional Leaders Development and SupportSocial Ministry

One of the highlights of the past year was the “Ignite” program designed to bring together congregation youth groups. The group met at the Pepsico Center at Augustana College, and small group leaders were provided by Campus Ministry.

The Illowa Coalition continued to provide Forum events as educational opportunities for professional leaders, with half sponsored by the Coalition and half done in conjunction with Augustana’s convocation series.

We also lifted ways in which congregations could be involved in social ministry activities through food pantries, Habitat for Humanity, and gatherings with other leaders around specific issues important to our communities.

Throughout the year the Advisory Board has explored a number of initiatives to better serve our vision and to better serve coalition congregations. It has been a part of the Coalitions self understanding that we do together what we cannot do as individual congregations, and the leadership can come from a congregation or a group of congregations, conferences and Synods.

We hope to expand our communication tools by putting a Illowa Lutheran Coalition page on Facebook as a way to announce programs / events and lift up new Professional Leaders to the area. Using photo’s to show as well as telling the story of Coalition events and activities.

We seek to be a bridge to local organizations and needs; a conduit for ministry through congregations, conferences, Northern Illinois Synod & Southeastern Iowa Synod, and the ELCA; that we might be hands busy with God’s work.

Submitted by Pastor Ronald B. Ferrell, DirectorIllowa Lutheran Coalition

Pastor Ron Ferrell, DirectorAugustana College, Rock Island, IL 61201-2296Email: illowa@mchsi.com (309) 794-4000

AdditionalReports

AdditionalReports

Lutheran Campus Ministry at the University of Iowa Annual Report

We continue to have a vibrant and joyful ministry at Christus House in Iowa City. Eight students and one young adult from Gloria Dei participated in the March 2011 Spring Break Trip to Nicaragua. Attendance at Thursday suppers and worship services continues to average from 12-17. We currently have two former LCM participants at Luther Seminary, Maria Bavier and Ashley Updegraff, and two current students who are entering candidacy with an eye toward attending Wartburg in the fall of 2013. During the fall semester we had 4-5 students attending weekly Bible studies in addition to the Thursday group. Lutheran sorority Phi Beta Chi has eight members and continues to meet weekly at Christus House. Students from LCM and PBX have volunteered on several occasions for congregational dinners and fundraisers at Gloria Dei. LCM students are also providing a nursery for the 10:30 service during the semesters. Other students participate regularly in the Gloria Dei choir and worship leadership. In December the Student Ministry Leadership Team completed two years of service. We thank Ben Welper, Megan Henson, Erinn Uhlmeyer, and Rebekah Dotzel for their outstanding leadership, and we welcome the new Student Ministry Leadership Team; Ricky Lange, Hannah Easton, McKenzie Wallace, and Leigh Garrett. Former SMLT members assisted in training and equipping the new SMLT team during spring semester 2012. Other important events of the past year include fall and winter retreats at Camp Shalom held jointly with students and Campus Pastor Scott Johnson from Iowa State, and a “flash mob Eucharist” performed for the Occupy Iowa City campground in October. Over Winter Break we took a group of eight students to Joplin, MO for tornado recovery. We spent three days removing rocks, brush, logs, and debris from lots where reconstruction has yet to begin. Changing realities in the ELCA continue to strain financial support for LCM. In September the Lutheran Campus Council of Iowa City hosted a forum with area congregational leaders to discuss future partnerships for funding and program support. Requests were made to the three Iowa Synod Councils from the Iowa Lutheran Campus Ministry Committee to encourage congregational giving to LCM and to allow each LCM site in Iowa to build direct funding and programmatic relationships with congregations in their immediate geographical area. As of this writing in January the Synod Councils had not yet responded. At a worship service just before Christmas, LCM students were invited to write on 3X5 cards things for which they were thankful. The cards were placed in a gift box under the Christmas tree at Christus House. Looking at the cards in January when the tree was taken down, I found several that expressed heartfelt thanks for the sense of family and belonging that students have found at LCM and Gloria Dei. Respectfully submitted, Pastor Rob

AdditionalReportsTo our partners in ministry throughout the Southeastern

Iowa Synod:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

After several months of consideration and conversation, the Board of LCM-ISU developed and endorsed the following mission statement in February 2012:

Gather a community in Christ to develop, equip and encourage faithful, servant-minded disciples.

We believe this new mission statement captures the essence of what Lutheran Campus Ministry at Iowa State University strives to be and do. We are constantly gathering (our community changes with every semester); we develop, equip and encourage (our students take an active role in all aspects of the ministry) faithful, servant-minded disciples (not just for ourselves: graduates are strongly encouraged to take what theyʼve learned to congregations wherever they may go).

We have spent the past year restructuring, to be faithful stewards of the resources entrusted to us. Thanks to the hard work of several gifted individuals on our Board of Directors, we have a clearer picture of the Þscal realities in which we live, and a better ability to plan for a stable future. Others have contributed an ability to re-imagine our mission in light of the continuing changes in our congregations and our culture, which require us to be purposeful about who we are and what we do.

What hasnʼt changed is the joy of watching young adults grow in faith and love for God and one another. Our Sunday and Wednesday gatherings are marked by food,

fellowship and faith - we gather to break bread together, worship in word, sacrament and song, and genuinely enjoy the experience of being a community gathered with one another for one another. Other LCM events - Bible study, service projects, social gatherings, retreats, and just hanging out in the lounge - are marked by laughter, tears, smiles, hugs and a clear sense of God-with-us as we gather in Godʼs name. Come for worship on a Sunday night: youʼll be welcomed as a long-awaited friend and youʼll discover that, contrary to what some might tell you, our young adults have a deep and abiding sense of God, active in their lives and planning Òa future with hopeÓ for them (Jeremiah 29).

We would be more than happy to share the story of LCM-ISU with you. You may contact us at any time to arrange a supply preaching date with Pastor Scott, a visit from the LCM Choir or just a few students to come and tell you what it means to be a disciple of Christ at ISU. We thank you, as always, for your continuing support of this essential ministry, and we keep you constantly in our prayers.

Yours in Christ,The Rev. Scott Alan JohnsonCampus Pastor

AdditionalReports

2012 Report to the ELCA Synod AssembliesIn 2011, Augustana College implemented its strategic plan, Authentically Augustana–Part 2: Affirm our Mission, Assure our Future and Assess our Results, following a nine-month planning process with input from members of the faculty and administration, student body and Board of Trustees. The plan has three sections: Affirm our Mission, which describes achievements of the 2005 Authentically Augustana strategic plan and establishes the context for a new plan; Assure our Future, which outlines eight strategic imperatives for the college, and strategies we will undertake; and Assess our Results, with tactics for measuring and monitoring our continued effectiveness and new successes.

Affirm, Assure and Assess is a responsive and realistic direction for the college. Each of the plan’s eight imperatives addresses a contemporary risk and the strategies we will undertake to strengthen the position of Augustana College:

1. Prepare our students to stand out • Improve mentoring and advising to ensure all students participate in high-impact learning • Develop a reflective e-portfolio system documenting high-impact learning experiences2. Innovate recruitment and retention • Increase recruitment and retention of multicultural students consistent with core market trends • Sustain share in primary market by strengthening our reputation in the Chicago area3. Enhance our campus • Fund and finish renovation and restoration of Old Main, and fund and build a Center for Student Life

to adjoin the Thomas Tredway Library (both projects summer 2012–August 2013) • Reserve resources in operating budget to help fund capital enhancements • Finalize and implement a Five-year Capital Improvement Plan4. Optimize, support and diversify our workforce • Optimize our workforce to balance educational goals with financial resources • Build accountability into efforts to improve diversity among our applicant pools and workforce5. Strengthen shared governance, leadership and communication • Foster a culture of alignment through which all campus stakeholders are aware of and pursue common

goals as defined by an outcome-oriented measure of institutional effectiveness and mission fulfillment • Foster open communications among all college constituencies 6. Celebrate and strengthen our surroundings • Promote the commercial vitality of our neighborhood, the Quad Cities and the region7. Improve our financial viability • Balance tuition and discount rate to make Augustana affordable for all socioeconomic groups while

providing sufficient resources for a strong program • Build the college endowment to enhance its margin of excellence8. Advance Augustana’s reputation • Pursue high-profile recognition for Augustana students and faculty, and capitalize on existing traditions

of success • Strengthen and integrate our abilities to gather and share information on graduates’ successes

Affirm, Assure and Assess relies upon organizational alignment and shared belief in the fundamental promise of the college’s mission. The plan aligns our work at a time when all must be actively engaged in ensuring the success of Augustana College for another 150 years.

Steven C. Bahls, President

Thank You Concordia College is grateful for the deep, historic, and vibrant rela�onship it shares with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Thank you for upholding this valued partnership by commending the College to students, by offering ongoing prayers, and by extending abundant gi�s which encourage and sustain our mutual work in the world with you!

Being Responsibly Engaged in the World During ini�al months of leadership, President Cra� has engaged faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the College in a process of inten�onal listening and conversa�on. Emerging from these sessions is a vision of Concordia as a college where students experience learning for their whole self, for their whole life, for the whole world.  

Office of Voca�on and Church Leadership 901 S 8th Street, Moorhead, MN 56562

Ph: 218.299.3146

Notable Concordia offers 61 study majors, including 18 honors majors, as well as 12 pre‐professional programs. The student‐faculty ra�on of 13:1 enables faculty to develop individual rela�onships with students, going beyond the coursework to provide mentoring and guidance.

Concordia is a model among U.S. colleges for global learning, dis�nguished by a study abroad program that ranks overall among the top 15 in the na�on. Concordia Language Villages provide world‐renowned, one‐of‐a‐kind, language and cultural immersion educa�on experiences in 15 languages to 11,000 par�cipants annually.

Concordia ranks in the top 12 percent na�onally among all colleges for number of graduates who obtained research doctorates.

One third of students par�cipate in music, inclusive of 19 major music ensembles.

Over 800 student/athletes par�cipate in 22 different varsity sports.

2012 Annual Report to ELCA Synods and Congrega�ons

New President In July 2011, the Concordia community welcomed and celebrated the arrival of its newly elected president, Dr. William J. Cra�, together with his spouse, Anne. During his most recent ten years of work within Lutheran higher educa�on, Dr. Cra� served as academic dean at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. With formal inaugura�on on April 28, 2012, Dr. Cra� officially becomes the eleventh president in the history of Concordia College.

Enrollment 2,772 students represen�ng 38 states and 36 countries currently a�end Concordia from a variety of cultural backgrounds and faith tradi�ons – all welcome reali�es! 62% are female, 38% are male, and 56% are students with Lutheran Affilia�on.

Leadership and Research The new facility for the Offu� School of Business will open during the 2012‐13 academic year. Innova�ve curriculum will emphasize global understanding, entrepreneurship, ethics and leadership.

A President’s Sustainability Council was created and a Coordinator was been hired as benet to the College and to the world.

New majors in Chinese and mul�media journalism are underway. New minors in neuroscience chemistry and vaccinology are underway. A religion major with a new faith and leadership concentra�on will be offered beginning the 2012‐13 academic year. The purpose of this concentra�on will be to prepare a new genera�on of leaders for the church in faith‐based organiza�ons engaged in service to the world.

The Forum on Faith and Life was created and a director hired. The Forum serves as a premier and robust theological resource for the campus community, the church community and the global community. The Forum facilitates transforma�ve conversa�ons about issues of human ul�macy. At the Associa�on of American Colleges and Universi�es this January, Dr. Eboo Patel (Founder and President of Interfaith Youth Core) recognized Concordia publicly as a vanguard ins�tu�on for interfaith coopera�on and programming.

AdditionalReports

AdditionalReports

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Greetings, once again, from Finlandia University to all delegates and guests of the 2012 Southeastern Iowa Synod Assembly. As you gather in God’s mission, it is my hope that your worship and study inspire faithfulness to the Gospel.

I am grateful for the companionship of our synodical partners throughout Region 5 and 6, and beyond, and particularly for the relationship Finlandia enjoys with Bishop Tom Skrenes and the congregations of the Northern Great Lakes Synod.

Over the past months I have been gathering with small groups of colleagues to imagine in new ways Finlandia’s best self. My conviction is that Finlandia’s best self is found in more purposefully accompanying students as human beings. Call it Human Higher Ed. One of the many ideas we discussed is expressed in the following statement by Harry Lewis:

“…the fundamental job of undergraduate education is to help [students] grow …, to learn who they are, to search for a larger purpose for their lives, and to leave college as better human beings”

Finlandia desires to take seriously the notion that learning in college needs to be comprehensive, holistic, and consequential, tending to the whole person. That is, the collegiate experience needs to more intentionally capture learning that occurs in and outside the classroom, to more purposefully engage the whole student, and to prepare men and women to lead lives of consequence and meaning.

Tom Christiansen argues that human-centered higher education is, as well, authentically Lutheran:

“We are Lutheran colleges and universities because of our educational vision, a vision about what it means to be human in the world.”

Over the next eighteen months Finlandia will continue to sharpen her vision for intentionally accompanying students in their entirety. I welcome your thoughts on this idea. I offer a genuine invitation for feedback. Email me at philip.johnson@finlandia.edu. What do you think?

In the 2011-12 academic year, Finlandia continues her leading role in providing private, church-related higher education to families with the greatest financial need. By a large margin, Finlandia leads all ELCA colleges and universities in serving the largest enrollment percentage of economically challenged students and families.

Please visit our website, www.finlandia.edu, and click on University News to explore our bi-weekly newsletter. I believe you will enjoy the read.

In closing, I ask that our companions in Regions 5 and 6 continue to pray for Finlandia’s students, staff, and faculty. Thank you for your continued, enthusiastic advocacy for Lutheran higher education in your congregations and synods.

Sincerely,

Philip Johnson President

A learning community dedicated to academicexcellence, spiritual growth, and service

AdditionalReports

Dear Friends,Warm greetings on behalf of President Kent Henning, our faculty, staff, students and alumni! Here are some highlights of recent additions or enhancements to the campus:

Another Record Enrollment at Grand View, 31% Increase in Residential StudentsGrand View University announced a 6.8% increase in full-time enrollment this year – to 1,801 students. The total number of students is now 2,229. This is another record year for the university in both full-time and total enrollment, as well as Grand View’s largest freshmen class in history. Grand View is also an increasingly residential campus with a record-breaking number of students living on campus. All campus housing facilities are full, with 801 students living on campus, a 31% increase over last year. To accommodate the growing enrollment demand, work on a new four-story residence building began last spring. The new apartment-style building was completed in the summer and is at capacity, housing 232 students.

According to Grand View president Kent Henning, “We’ll continue to look at investment in new student-centered facilities, especially housing, to accommodate our expanding residential population. As we enroll even more out-of-state and international students, the demand will increase further. Students want to engage fully in campus life and be part of community, because it’s integral to their education and growth as citizens.”

Grand View Named to the 2010 Presidential Higher Education Community Service Honor RollThe Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) honored Grand View University as a leader among institutions of higher education for their support of volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement. The university was named to the 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for engaging its students, faculty and staff in meaningful service that achieves measurable results in the community.

Grand View encourages its students to get involved through various campus and community service projects. Recent projects include Meals from the Heartland, Woodrow Wilson Week, as well as academic service learning projects.A total of 851 institutions applied for the 2010 Honor Roll, a nine percent increase over last year, a sign of the growing interest by colleges and universities in highlighting their efforts to engage students in making a difference in the community.

Grand View's Nurses Student Association Receives Stellar Chapter AwardGrand View University's Nurses Student Association (NSA) is among the top student nursing organizations in the nation, according to the National Student Nurses Association (NSNA). Grand View's NSA was one of five school chapters to receive NSNA's Stellar School Chapter designation. Grand View's Faculty Advisor Carolyn Pauling and eight Grand View nursing students accepted the Stellar Chapter Award at the NSNA Annual Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah. Launched in 2010, the Stellar School Chapter Program recognizes NSNA school chapters for their ongoing involvement in NSNA and their commitment to professional development.

Grand View Recognized with NAIA Champions of Character Five Star AwardGrand View University Athletics has again been recognized with the Champions of Character Five Star Award announced by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Association, which boasts a proud reputation as an arena that promotes competitive athletics, academic excellence and character values simultaneously, recognized 220 colleges and universities and 23 conferences with the Champions of Character Five Star Award. Institutions were measured based on a demonstrated commitment to Champions of Character and earned points in each of the following categories: character training, conduct in competition, academic focus, character recognition and character promotion. Institutions earned points based on exceptional student-athlete grade point averages and by obtaining zero ejections during competition throughout the course of the academic year.

The Center for Renewal ContinuesThe Center for Renewal, an outreach ministry of the University, continues its mission of renewing the saints and the church so that the light of Christ can be more brightly reflected in the world. In addition to events and services, the Center has also been doing a lot of work on how congregations can support and encourage ministry in daily life. For more information and a schedule of programs, go to www.renewingchurch.org.

If you have not visited Grand View University, or have not visited us for some time, we extend a special invitation for you tocome for a visit sometime soon! Thank you for your ongoing support and prayers for the Colleges of the ELCA.

God’s Peace and Joy,The Grand View University Campus Community1200 Grandview Avenue / Des Moines, IA 50316

1-800-444-6083 / www.grandview.edu

AdditionalReports

Church Relations | DIRECT 507-933-7001 | FAX 507-933-6337 | church-relations@gustavus.edu800 West College Avenue | St. Peter, Minnesota 56082-1498 | 507-933-8000 | gustavus.edu

• ANNUAL REPORT FROM GUSTAVUS CHURCH RELATIONS — DECEMBER 2011 •Greetings to you from your colleagues in ministry at Gustavus Adolphus College! As we celebrate the 150th

year of Gustavus, it is with deep gratitude that we celebrate our identity as a College of the Lutheran Church.Through the years our approach to the college and church relational bond has always been marked by two characteristics: a desire to form authentic relationships and the commitment to being engaged as a servant-leader. For this reason we established the Gustavus Adolphus College Association of Congregations. Thank you to the many of you who have made good use of our ministry partnership. It is our joy to offer ourselves in service to you and the community you serve.

This year has been marked by numerous historic achievements. In the fall we were thrilled to welcome the largest incoming class of students in the history of Gustavus. In an effort to increase faith support and programming we have expanded our chaplains staffing from a two- to a three-chaplain format and created a campus ministries team. At homecoming, Gustavus officially kicked off celebrations for our 150th year, the Sesquicentennial. The Warren and Donna Beck Academic Hall, a 125,000 square foot, LEED certified new academic building was dedicated in October. Dr. Greg Aune was named the Jon and Anita Thomsen Young Distinguished Endowed Chair in Music. In 2011, the Gustavus Center for Servant Leadership was formally launched, offering increased programming for students, staff, alumni and congregation partners. To learn more about the new Center please visit: www.gustavus.edu/servantleadership.

We are proud of our heritage as a College of the Lutheran Church. We will continue to provide countless resources to members of our Gustavus Adolphus College Association of Congregations. This Association is important as the place where official governing boards of the College are elected each April. Within this Association, key relationships are formed that help us maintain and grow this connection. We continue to provide and offer an ever-expanding menu of resources to congregations. To access a full listing of resources we offer for congregations please visit www.gustavus.edu/churchrelations.

MARK YOUR 2012 CALENDARS AND JOIN US FOR THESE SPECIAL EVENTS:• Gustavus Association of Congregations 2012 Convention—APRIL 21, 2012

The theme for the 2012 gathering will be “Celebrating 150 Years of Faith at Gustavus.” Bishop Mark Hanson, the Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will bring the keynote address. The schedule includes an afternoon food packing event with Feed My Starving Children.

• Student Leadership Day—also APRIL 21, 2012. We invite your youth ministry leader to take advantage of an excellent opportunity to bring 5 to10 key student leaders for an upbeat student leadership development event. Tiger McLuen of Youth Leadership will bring the keynote address in an event that will also feature live music and small group discussions.

• MAYDAY! Peace Conference—MAY 2, 2012 “Multicultural Sweden”• Annual Nobel Conference®—OCTOBER 2-3, 2012 “Our Global Ocean”• Christmas in Christ Chapel—NOVEMBER 30-DECEMBER 2, 2012

For more information about these events and the resources we offer congregations, please contact Church Relations in the Center for Servant Leadership (507-933-7001) or visit us on-line at:www.gustavus.edu/churchrelations.

Thank you for your partnership and prayers!

Rev. Grady St. DennisDirector for Church Relations

AdditionalReports

AdditionalReports

ELCA Synod Assemblies 2012

Greetings from St. Olaf College! Since 1874, St. Olaf College has educated students in an academic community shaped by its commitment to the Lutheran tradition. At St. Olaf, students work closely with dedicated faculty who challenge them to grow in mind, body, and spirit. St. Olaf has always seen its vital connection to the Lutheran tradition as enhancing its standing as one of the leading liberal arts colleges in the United States.

Like its predecessors, this year’s entering class brings outstanding academic talent to campus. The class’ average academic grade point average in high school was 3.65. The median ACT composite score was 29, and the median combined SAT score was 1330. Fifteen percent of the students identify themselves as having a multi-cultural heritage, and 15% are in the first generation of their families to attend college. The class includes a record number of international students. 45% of this year’s incoming students who indicated their religious affiliation identified themselves as Lutheran.

In both the curriculum and the co-curriculum, St. Olaf students explore theological issues and are challenged to choose their vocations in light of this exploration. All St. Olaf students take two religion courses, one focusing on the Bible and the other on Christian theology. In addition, all students take an ethics course in which they analyze ethical issues from a variety of perspectives.

This year, we are seeking a new College Pastor to serve the St. Olaf Student Congregation and the St. Olaf community. The Rev. Ann Svennungsen is serving now as our Interim College Pastor after the retirement of the Rev. Bruce Benson, who was the College Pastor at St. Olaf from 1981-2011.

We look forward to welcoming you to visit St. Olaf -- either in person or on-line. Come to campus to join us at concerts, lectures, conferences, or summer camps. Or, visit the St. Olaf website at www.stolaf.edu to join in streamed events on-line. During the academic year, daily Chapel and Sunday morning worship services are held at Boe Memorial Chapel and streamed on-line at http://www.stolaf.edu/church/chapel.

We thank you for your prayers and support, we encourage you to send students to St. Olaf, and we wish you well.

David R. Anderson ‘74President

2011 AnnuAl RepoRt to the SynodSWartburg College is dedicated to challenging and nurturing students

for lives of leadership and service as a spirited expression of their faith and learning.

Students at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, engage in a four-year, liberal arts, residential, college experience where faith

and learning inspire life-long leadership and service to God’s world.

Wartburg is committed to nurturing a community of learning supported by deep roots of intellectual curiosity and

compassionate action. A diverse student body and faculty bring a rich variety of ideas and experiences to this enterprise. In the

2011-12 academic year, Wartburg enrolled 125 international students from 49 countries and 204 U.S. students of color. These

students comprise 18.4 percent of the student body, making Wartburg one of the most diverse small-college campuses in Iowa.

Enrollment remains strong with 1,805 students and includes residents of 29 U.S. states.

The college welcomed seven new faculty members, filling open positions in Mathematics/Computer Science, English,

Engineering, English Education, Music, Sociology, and Religion/Philosophy (Ethics Chair). New faces on campus include Dr.

Daniel Kaplunas, conductor of the Wartburg Community Symphony; Dr. Jennifer McBride, Assistant Professor of Religion and

Regents Chair in Ethics; and Gail Sexton, new coordinator of church relations and faith community outreach, a position now

finding its home in the Center for Community Engagement. Bishop James Arends, La Crosse Area Synod, became the newest

member of the Board of Regents, filling a three-year term of office.

In February 2011, Wartburg celebrated the arts and worship at an Epiphany Vespers event, Shine Like the Sun. John

Ylvisaker, composer and hymn writer; the Rev. Paul Oman, artist; and the Rev. Phil Blom, preacher, joined the Wartburg Choir

under the direction of Dr. Lee Nelson and the Chapel Choir under the direction of Dr. Karen Black to capture the light and hope

of Epiphany. Music, storytelling, and art spoke of the light of Christ’s work in our world to a packed house in the Wartburg

Chapel.

A diverse series of convocation speakers inspired campus dialogue, including Dr. David Ratke, chair of the school of

humanities and social sciences at Lenoir-Rhyne University and Wilhelm Löhe scholar; Dr. Amy Nolan, associate professor of

English at Wartburg, who spoke on the graphic novel genre; Dr. Surekha Rao, president of the Academy of the Social Sciences

in the School of Business and Economics at Indiana University Northwest, who spoke on “Understanding the Potential Impact of

India’s Economic, Political, and Business Environment”; Dr. Paula Survilla, Slife Professor in Humanities, who spoke on “Audente

fortuna iuvat: Reimagining the Humanities from Legacy to Cultural Nexus”; and Luis Argueta, director of the documentary

“abUSed: The Postville Raid,” who discussed the ongoing impact of the May 2008 immigration raid in Postville, Iowa.

Spiritual Life and Campus Ministry spearheaded a successful Feed My Starving Children Mobile Pack, which assembled

over 197,000 meals and educated more than 940 Wartburg and community volunteers about world hunger needs. The annual

junior high church youth event in November involved malaria education and a hands-on “Blankets of Love” project. Fifty student

groups constructed and prayed over ‘tie blankets’ for each of the children who reside at Lutheran Services of Iowa’s Beloit, Iowa’s

residential facility.

The Wartburg Choir was invited to sing at the White House on Dec. 17, 2011, and subsequently received an invitation to

provide preludial and service music that same day for the annual Bethlehem Service at the National Cathedral. The service was

part of a simulcast between the National Cathedral and Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem coordinated by the clergy of the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and the Episcopal diocese of Jerusalem of the Anglican Church and

their Washington D.C. counterparts. The Rev. Dr. Munib Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan, delivered

the sermon. Bishop Younan received an honorary degree from Wartburg in 2001. The Rev. Fred Strickert, Wartburg professor

emeritus of religion, is an assistant to Younan.

These highlights provide only a few snapshots of Wartburg College life this past year. The ongoing picture is rich with

opportunity and promise as students, staff, and faculty provide a mentoring community that encourages dialog, integrative

learning, and encouragement for all to listen to their lives and the world in ways that offer hope to all.

Darrel D. Colson Rev. Ramona S. BouzardPresident Dean of the Chapel

AdditionalReports

2012 Report to the Southeastern Iowa Synod Assembly Dear Senders, As the people of Southeastern Iowa Synod, you are Senders. That’s a way to describe your partnership in the missions of Wartburg Theological Seminary (WTS) and the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago (LSTC). We appreciate your sending!

As individuals, congregations, and synods you send financial support. This churchly support is the foundation for the economy of leadership formation in our ELCA.

As individuals, congregations, camps, campus ministries, colleges, and synods you send people who may become seminary students. You send students by saying to someone, “Have you considered being a pastor or another church leader? I think you have the gifts,” The seminaries don’t know who should come here to prepare for leadership, but you know. You see these people in your congregations and in your families and friendship circles.

In many ways, you send us the message that you care about seminaries and our students and that you are praying for these ministries.

Thank you for sending! And thank you in advance for your gifts in the coming year. We try to express our thanks by being faithful and effective in the work you’ve given us. Below are a few samples of this mission.

During 2011-2012 Wartburg Theological Seminary continued to live out its mission of forming valued leaders for the church by:

Sending out 48 graduates of degree and certificate programs as valued leaders to serve in congregations and ministries throughout the country and world at 2011 Commencement.

Offering a fully Distributed Master of Divinity degree program, giving students the opportunity to complete the first years of the degree program through online and on-campus intensive courses, to serve an internship, and to complete their degree with a year on campus.

Expanding Wartburg’s Distributed Learning program to allow students to complete the Master of Arts degree through a combination of online and face-to-face intensive courses.

Beginning a new Hispanic Ministry Concentration to equip graduates for pastoral ministry in Spanish language contexts. Master of Divinity students may now choose a concentration in Hispanic Ministry or Youth, Culture and Mission.

Developing the new Certificate in Theology and Congregational Leadership to meet the needs of church members who want to strengthen their ministry leadership. This certificate joins two certificate programs already offered at Wartburg Seminary; Certificate in Town and Country Church Leadership and Certification in Youth and Family Ministry.

Naming Jay Alanis as Director of the Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest. LSPS, a program of Wartburg and LSTC, continues to be the premiere educational program devoted to the development of pastoral leadership for Hispanic communities through the ELCA’s TEEM (Theological Education for Emerging Ministries) program.

AdditionalReports

In a year of transitions, the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago continued to fulfill its mission of forming visionary leaders to bear witness to the good news of Jesus Christ by:

Sending out 59 students from six degree programs at the May 2011 Commencement – 33 in the master of divinity (M.Div.) program; most of those graduates are now ordained and serving in congregations across the U.S.

Celebrating Dr. James Kenneth Echols’s 14 years of service as president of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. The board expects to elect a new president at its May 2012 meeting.

Welcoming 70 new students in degree programs in fall 2011 and 13 non-degree students. Fifty

one students come to LSTC from 24 different countries.

Congratulating nine LSTC M.Div. students, eight first-year and one second-year, who received prestigious Fund for Theological Education Fellowships– more than at any other seminary in the U.S. and Canada. They are given to students who have exceptional gifts for leadership.

Beginning a year-long Envisioning Process to ensure LSTC’s financial sustainability into the

future.

Deepening LSTC’s relationship with Valparaiso University, the source of our greatest number of M.Div. students. Valpo will offer a Master’s in Health Administration degree from LSTC’s campus starting in 2012. The two schools are exploring offering accelerated and dual degree programs.

Sharing faculty expertise throughout the worldwide church. Craig A. Satterlee, Axel Jacob and

Gerda Maria (Swanson) Carlson Professor of Homiletics, published Preaching and Stewardship (Alban Institute). Ben Stewart, Gordon A. Braatz Professor of Worship, published A Watered Garden: Christian Worship and Earth’s Ecology (Augsburg Fortress). José David Rodríguez, Augustana Heritage Professor of Global Mission and World Christianity, is serving a three-year term as chancellor at the Evangelical Institute of Theological Studies (ISEDET) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Vítor Westhelle, professor of systematic theology, is serving as honorary professor of theology at Aarhus University, Denmark, during the 2011-2012 academic year. A full list of faculty publications is at http://www.lstc.edu/about/faculty/recent-publications.php.

We invite you and members of your congregation to the seminaries to attend daily worship, to participate in a continuing education event, to discern a call to ministry, or to visit with some of the future leaders that you and your synod support through your gifts to the Lutheran School of Theology and Wartburg Theological Seminary. To learn more about the seminaries, their faculty, programs and upcoming events, visit www.wartburgseminary.edu and www.lstc.edu. Your partnership is essential for Wartburg and LSTC to continue their shared mission of providing dynamic theological education for present and future leaders of your congregations and ministries in your synod, for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and to the glory of God. Yours in Christ,

President Stanley N. Olson Interim President Philip L. Hougen Wartburg Theological Seminary Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago

Gerhard Frost begins his poem called “Anniversaries” with these words:Anniversaries are thinking places, thanking places,

where one may reflect and review, recollect and renew – taste and savor - all that’s been,

the better to receive all that is to be.

Those words are wonderfully descriptive of the past year at Ewalu. Alongside of an excellent summer (with a strong increase in participation!), the completion and dedication of ALL of the new cabins and lodges, and a strong “retreat season” - we remembered and celebrated 50 years of service to God through the ministry of Ewalu. We had 50th Anniversary “open houses” for the local community and for the wider constituency of Ewalu. We claimed all of Labor Day weekend for a “Come and Be!” celebration weekend. We worshiped (Ewalu’s first director, Pastor Warren Salveson, preached), we played, and we gave thanks to God as we sang around campfires, laughed and walked for miles down “memory lane.” We had a marvelous year “tasting and savoring” all that has been in this great ministry.

And we smiled as we pondered “all that is to be.” The ministry of Ewalu is on solid ground –literally and figuratively. The new cabins and lodges were built on rock just inches below the surface, but they also offer new and welcoming (and energy efficient!) lodging spaces that will accommodate a wide variety of ages, group sizes and physical abilities. Ewalu has weathered the last three years of this struggling economy, and, with signs of increased participation at every level, this ministry is well-prepared for a bright and busy future.

Since this is my last report to the constituency of Ewalu (I will retire from Ewalu at the end of the summer of 2012.), I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for the privilege of serving in this amazing ministry. My family and I have been blessed to serve in this ministry for sixteen summers. (Outdoor ministry folks always measure their longevity in summers.) We have been blessed to see the excitement and hear the laughter of thousands of campers – to see them grow in faith and in their relationships to God. We have also been blessed by the enthusiasm, dedication and vibrant faith of our summer camp counselors. It is a joy to watch them “work” – as outstanding role models and mentors in the faith. Their contribution to the life and ministry of the camp – and the wider Church! – is beyond measure. We have met and partnered with hundreds of colleagues in ministry – remarkable people doing remarkable things! - in congregations, in our synods, in the rural community, in the inner city and in our companion relationships with Namibia and Tanzania. The ministry of Ewalu has no boundaries; it touches and is touched by a very wide world – locally, nationally and even globally. How wonderful it has been to be part of it.

And we give thanks to God for all of you who have shared in this ministry with us! – with your hearts and hands and gifts and prayers. We are grateful for your good presence in this ministry and in our lives.

Dale Goodman - Executive Director, and Susan Goodman - tireless volunteer

AdditionalReports

Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

We are pleased to be partners with you in the ministry of the Gospel! As extensions of congregational ministries, we are pleased to provide important

opportunities for people to step into refreshment. In the beauty of God’s creation and the loving community of God’s people, camp and retreat participants are renewed in faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Sometimes they even discover God’s love and salvation for the first time. It is our privilege to be part of these holy moments for individuals and groups. Thank you for sending youth, families, seniors, men and women to camp; thanks for the opportunity to work with you in day camps; thanks for your prayers; thanks for your quilts and financial gifts; thanks for the opportunity to work with you and as a mission extension of your local ministries. Ingham Okoboji offers retreats for all ages during the school year. Participation in our nine annual youth RECHARGES is on the rise. Families attending our six summer Family Camps are also growing. We thank you for making these opportunities possible through your partnership. Youth have 17 camps to choose from this summer at Ingham Okoboji. The Bible Study theme, “ALIVE” will explore the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians. Rev. John and Joan Holt of Albert Lea will lead an ELDERVERSITY with the same theme on June 4-5 as another opportunity this summer for those 55 and older. We also want to give back to the Church and her leaders. We continue to offer our six family camps to pastors at half price as one way to bring refreshment to the shepherds of our flocks. This year, we add full-time youth directors and their families to this group that we want to bless in the same way! Added camp scholarships are available to those who are in need. It is amazing to watch the Christian family be blessed by taking intentional time away at Bible Camp. We are thankful for the opportunity to work with churches, families and individuals to provide a time and place apart: a time of re-centering in the Lord Jesus Christ, a place for renewal, a time of re-connecting with our God and Creator, a place for reconciliation with God and God’s people, a time to let the other distractions of life be set aside, a place to step away and dream dreams, and a time to let those dreams be directed by the Word and Spirit of God. The burdens and concerns of life are great. We need to hear afresh the call of our God to lay those burdens at God’s feet. We invite you to take every opportunity possible for this renewal – as individuals, families and churches. Attend a Bible Camp this summer! Thank you for your partnership in ministry! May the work of the Lord continue to flourish! For the campers whose lives you bless, Rod Quanbeck, Executive Director

Visit us in Iowa or online at www.OKOBOJI.org or call us at 800-OKOBOJI!

AdditionalReports

AdditionalReports

“I am now a 40 something adult. When I look back on my teenage years, my summers at Lakeside always make me smile. It was at Lakeside that I felt at peace. It was at Lakeside that I felt accepted. It was at Lakeside that I could hear God talking to ME. It was at Lakeside that I KNEW I was special. And then there were the other fun things………… I pray that many more kids are receiving the blessings that I had through Lakeside.”

Faith formation partnerships with congregations has been at the heart of the sharing of the Gospel at Lakeside. Will our children have faith? Our 40 something camper above is evidence that they will. 95+% of pastors report that they discerned God’s call to the ministry in a camp experience. Thousands of lay persons have also experienced God’s call to vocation in local congregations on councils, synod committees, community involvement on non-profit boards, serving at Lutheran Services of Iowa and hundreds of others. What an incredible resource outdoor ministries is to the life of the Church.

Lakeside is an active part in the work of the Holy Spirit in the three Iowa synods of the ELCA. Lakeside remains Christ-centered, Trinitarian and Sacramental as a camp of the Church. Outdoor Ministry at Lakeside continues to be sustained by mentor-work groups, volunteers as nurses, counselors-in-training, carpenters, electricians, plumbers and campers picking up the sticks blown about by the wind and storms. The communion of saints is evident in an environment nurtured by God’s presence in all that we do and say.

Family Camp has grown. Grandparents bring their grandchildren. Veterans and their families are invited to receive the hospitality of Christ and the support of individuals and families that care. What a great place to provide a network of resources to them for possible employment.

Lakeside is a strong asset of the Church. We stand side by side with congregations and synods in the faith formation of children, youth and adults all year long. In Baptism we covenant with the child, the family, the congregation and God to walk with and support each child in their faith life. Telling the story, living the story and sending the story home provides campers and families with resources to use after they go home from camp. Providing servant opportunities, daily devotions and bible study create a daily discipline for each camper.

Pastors and campers: some have buried their shoes under what are now fully grown 50 year old oak trees; leaned a rake against a tree and watched it disappear into the tree; stood under a tree and heard God’s call to full time ordained ministry and those are only the stories that have been shared. There are thousands more.

We invite you to consider the baptismal covenant made in all our congregations with all those children and their families. When we sincerely mean what we say and we walk with each one of them, we are loving our God, our neighbor and ourselves. Amen.

AdditionalReports

I Thessalonians 5:23 & 24 “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.”

The past year was another amazing year at Riverside! You can sense the excitement of the Riverside ministry as you talk with each staff person and see the campers as they are excited for morning worship. The one thing you can’t do is to know what it is like to be in the middle of it all!

The history of Riverside includes a wonderful vision, changed lives for large numbers of youth and adults, the Gospel proclaimed and God’s grace experienced in so many ways. Today the Riverside ministry continues to bless so many people in these same ways. God, as always, remains faithful!

So what is it like to be working at Riverside? It has to be one of the most fulfilling opportunities for which one could ask. It is a lot of hard work! It is invigorating. It is faith building. It is being stretched in ways you never knew you could bend! It is humbling.

We have the opportunity to hire some of the most outstanding counselors each year. One can’t imagine how God can improve on the previous year’s counselors, but He does. God amazes us every day. The mother of a staff member wrote “Riverside made him more confident in sharing his faith with others. That deep "this is what I believe and why" conversation comes a lot more easily for him. He loves working with children and now volunteers at a Bible program on Wednesday evenings and I believe that is because he enjoyed Riverside so much. He has just grown in so many ways and speaks so fondly of his experience. Riverside has really touched his heart!” It is so apparent that God is at work.

The rewards of our hard labor come when a parent says their son or daughter has been reading their Bible every day and has been a changed person since coming to camp. The rewards are in the words of campers as they share that they have the strength to say “No” to circumstances they couldn’t say “No” to before. Hearing that a family started attending church again, after their son came home from camp with a desire to be involved, is just one more testimony of how we can serve and support our church partners.

Thank you to each one who has somehow been a part of God’s work through the Riverside ministry! Your works are a testament of your faith!

Dave McDermott, Director

Riverside Lutheran Bible Camp www.Riversidelbc.org3001 Riverside Rd. E-mail: rlbc@storycity.netStory City, IA 50248 Telephone: (515) 733-5271

AdditionalReports

Office: 100 S. Fifth St., Suite 600, Minneapolis, MN 55402 Mail: PO Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209 * Phone: 612.330.3300 * Toll-free: 800.328.4648 * Web: augsburgfortress.org

Spring 2012

Dear Friends and Partners in Ministry:

It gives me great pleasure to share with you some of the exciting things happening at your ministry of publishing, Augsburg Fortress. Here are five things that you might not know about our work:

1. We have three divisions: Augsburg Fortress focusing on creation of group use faith formation, worship and music resources for congregations (mostly ELCA and ELCIC); sparkhouse, focusing on creation of group use faith formation resources for the ELCA and other mainline denominations; and, Fortress Press, focusing on publishing text and reference materials for colleges, universities, seminaries and individual readers in the areas of religion and theology.

2. Augsburg Fortress is a leader in the creation of content delivered via digital media: We have offered web-based subscriptions since 2005. These include Sundaysandseasons.com, Herewestandconfirmation.org, Akaloo intergenerational Sunday School, Spark Sunday School, and by the time you read this letter, Prelude Music Planner. And, Fortress Press is the #1 denominational eBook publisher: Amazon Kindle = 1200+ titles Nook = 900 titles Google Editions = 1500 titles Apple iBooks= 100 titles Plus, we now have Lutheran Study Bible available as a mobile app with Olivetree.com

3. New faith formation resources coming in 2012: Spark Summer (for kids summer programming) re:form Ancestors New Testament (for high school and young adult Bible study) Holy Moly! (Sunday School for preschool-grade 4) Connect! (Sunday School for grades 5 & 6 coming this summer from sparkhouse) Go Make Disciples: An Invitation to Baptismal Living (catechumenate resource guide) Animate! (ecumenical introduction to Christianity resource coming this summer from sparkhouse especially geared to younger adults)

AdditionalReportsThe Center for Renewal

The Center for Renewal is an outreach ministry of Grand View University in Des Moines. The vision that guides the Center is “to renew the saints and the church so that the light of Christ can be more brightly reflected in the world.” In an effort to fulfill that vision, we:

• Encourage conversation that helps congregations and their leaders become aware of and find ways to respond to the changes taking place in our culture and in our congregations;

• Provide services, events and resources that foster renewal, both in individuals and in congregations; and

• Assess the results of our work and report these to our constituents as a means of encouraging and supporting others who seek renewal in their life and/or their congregation.

The Center is perhaps best known for sponsoring events. Through the Ankeny Forum we consistently support, challenge, and encourage pastors in the greater Des Moines area. The Congregational Leadership Series, first held in 2009, is a series of two-part seminars for church leaders to cultivate a new imagination for congregational leadership. Held in three locations across southeastern Iowa, this series targets lay and rostered leaders in the Southeastern Iowa Synod, as well from other denominations. An ecumenical retreat for pastors, designed to encourage a new imagination in pastoral leadership, is scheduled for June 17-20.

Our work is not limited to events, though. The Center also seeks to be a means by which leaders and members can think through and find ways to respond to the issues and challenges of our times. Most significant recently has been the Equipping Congregations project, an effort designed to answer

one question: What does it mean to name, empower, support, and send God’s people into the world, in God’s name, to love and serve others in their everyday tasks and relationships? The project began with pastors, asking, How might we describe, empower and support pastors who see their calling in terms of equipping members for ministry in their everyday lives? Conversations continue as we seek to identify ways that congregations and their leaders might live out this vision. An interim report on this ongoing project is available on the Center’s website.

Our work has shown that leaders are hungry for resources they can use to inspire discussion about the realities that the church faces, and the alternatives to which God might be calling us. In response we offer 17 conversation starters designed to inspire in-depth conversation about a wide variety of topics related to congregational life. A PDF that describes the various conversations can be downloaded on our website.

The Director of the Center for Renewal is also available to walk with you in any area that has been identified as being important for the renewal of your congregation. We are able to provide leadership for retreats or presenters at congregational or conference forums.

In the process of serving individual members and congregational leaders, we are learning much about the need for renewal and how it happens. Bookmark our website www.renewingchurch.org and visit it regularly to keep up with all the Center’s work. Visit our forum, http://centerforrenewal.wordpress.com to join the ongoing conversation about the church and our renewal, or follow us on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/centerforrenewal.

We at the Center and at Grand View University deeply appreciate the partnership we have with members of the synod. We look forward to serving you as we are able.

Renewal is the ongoing conversion of the Church, through which we rediscover the ability to

discern, proclaim, and participate inGod’s redemptive mission in the world.

Dear Colleagues in the Southeastern Iowa Synod,

I am pleased to write that the 2011 Iowa Church World Service/CROP Year was one in which 90 CROP Hunger Walks were organized by several hundred volunteers. Four of Iowa’s top five CROP Hunger Walks in 2011 were held in Muscatine, the Quad Cities, Ames, and Iowa City. The fifth largest Walk was in Sioux City. 12 of Iowa’s top 15 CROP Hunger Walks were located within the Southeastern Iowa Synod.

Income from additional sources, such as Blankets+ (Congregational Offerings) , individual gifts, planned giving and estate donations, and ecumenical contributions, resulted in over $800,000 given to the Iowa Ministry of Church World Service in 2011. Our ministry is to refugees, victims of human (war) and natural disasters (floods/earthquakes/drought), and self-help development, such as digging wells, planting gardens, and harvesting fish from community fish ponds are the main emphases of Church World Service. Thank you for your generous support of these and other ministries that seek to help people help themselves and, we hope, lead to a world where there soon will be enough for all.

Overall, Church World Service/CROP received $83 million, as of June 30, 2011, the end of our 2010-11 fiscal year. Approximately $ 25 million was generated from CROP Events and other congregation, individual, and community contributions, including our Blankets + offerings. $39million came from U. S. government support for refugee resettlement; $8 million was given to CWS from partner denominations, including the ELCA; $6 million was generated from donated materials; and $4 million plus was generated through investments and other income. Church World Service, like Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, is a major church-based refugee resettlement ministry licensed by the U. S. Government. Church World Service maintains 22 Regional Offices throughout the U. S.

We are probably best known for our CROP Hunger Walks. Many ELCA Lutherans throughout Iowa provided leadership on our 90 CROP Hunger Walk Coordinating Teams, and through local congregational involvement. Lutheran volunteers contributed in significant ways in all of our top 15, 2011 CROP Events and most of the 90 CROP Hunger Walks held in Iowa during 2010. In fact, the record-setting $58,000 raised in the 2011 Quad Cities CROP Hunger Walk witnessed Lutheran contributions leading the way!

I welcome your requests to assist you in starting new Walks and strengthening veteran ones. Please e-mail rmelby@churchworldservice.org or call 515-274-2224. Our website contains many resources and information. www.churchworldservice.org

Rev. Russell Melby, ELCA, Iowa Director, Church World Service/CROP

AdditionalReports

Thank you to the Southeastern Iowa Synod for generously supporting Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) with your giving which totaled $277,500 in 2011. We would also like to give a special thank you to the 39 congregations who gave $74,100 in 2011 to support our annual ministry. Also, thank you to congregations who provided handmade quilts and other gifts for those we serve.

Lutheran Services in Iowa responds to the love of Jesus Christ through acts of compassionate service.

What a powerful love we have been given! The love of Christ is the ultimate gift. It is a gift that deserves an incredible response. LSI’s response is one of compassionate service to children, families and individuals who need it most, often times as they struggle through dark and difficult times.

Your partnership in this ministry is an incredible gift. It allows LSI to fulfill our mission. This shared ministry reaches out into our communities and assists our most vulnerable neighbors, our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Thank you for the role you play in responding to Christ’s amazing love!

2011 Highlights

What We Do

Prevent child abuse through parent education,

intervention and support

Provide 24-7 mental health services at two residential

treatment centers for children, many of whom have suffered

past abuse or neglect

Help people with disabilities build independence and provide

relief for family caregivers

Keep families together through crisis intervention

and skill-building

Recruit, license and support foster and adoptive families

who provide safe homes for Iowa children, as

partners in Iowa KidsNet

Provide extended training and support services to

people of refugee status

Provide dignity, comfort and independence through

home health care

Respondingto christ’s love

www.LSIowa.org • 866.584.5293 • www.facebook.com/LSI.iowa • www.twitter.com/LSIowa

LSI gets a new lookLSI introduced a new logo and tagline to better reflect our compassion for people, passion for results and to highlight our mission’s intersection of faith and service.

Volunteers make a difference954 volunteers engaged in 24,156 hours of service to children and families.

Endowment campaign launchedLSI launched its Celebrating Tradition. Building Futures. campaign. The campaign will increase LSI’s endowment to $20 million, giving LSI the stability and strength to fulfill our mission today and in the future.

Lutheran Disaster Response - IowaLSI, the three Iowa synods of the ELCA, and ELCA colleges and camps have partnered to create a new LDR - Iowa. This partnership will strengthen disaster response efforts in Iowa.

LSI’s good work recognized by stateLSI was awarded DHS contracts for group foster care (residential treatment), supervised apartment living and child welfare emergency services, as well as Family, Safety, Risk and Permanency, a program that helps keep children safe. Iowa KidsNet received the contract for recruitment and retention of foster and adoptive families. LSI is a leading partner in Iowa KidsNet.

AdditionalReports

Mosaic in the Southeastern Iowa Synod

Mosaic is the largest faith-based provider of services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the United States.

Our services continue to grow, now including more than 3,600 adults and children in 10 states, with partner programs in

Great Britain, Romania and Tanzania. We are an affiliated social ministry organization of the ELCA.

Find out more about Mosaic by attending a Discover the Possibilities event, offered at Mosaic locations throughout

the Southeastern Iowa Synod each month. Contact your Mosaic local agency to find out when you can attend.

Des Moines, Iowa | 515.246.1840Nevada, Iowa | 515.382.5520

South Central Iowa (Osceola) | 641.342.6015

National Office | 4980 S. 118th St. | Omaha, NE 68137-2220 | 877.366.7242 | www.mosaicinfo.org

AdditionalReports