BIENNIUM MITE UPDATE
2008-2010 Biennium goal is $215,000.
To meet this goal we need to receive each month of the biennium $9,772.73.
Based on the total biennium goal – for the 14 months (9/1/2008 thru 10/31/2009)
we have received $120,132.62 in mites. We needed to receive $136,818.22 for this same period making us SHORT of our mission goal by a total of $16,685.60.
Please remember that of the total mission goal of $215,000.00, 25% ($53,750.00) goes to national and $38,915.00 goes to in-reach, leaving $122,335.00 for grants.
Please remember to send all monies for Mites, Quarterlies, Memorials and other donations to the NID/FINANCIAL SECRETARY at PO BOX 4254, Naperville, IL 60567.
Below are the Grants for 2008-2010.
1. Arabic Ministry – Dr. Naeem 
$10,000 paid
Dr. Naeem, a Lutheran pastor, was born in Egypt and worked for many years as a medical physician. He grew up among Muslins and understands Islam. The center of his mission is to bring Jesus Christ to the Muslim world. He is spreading the Gospel through radio messages, the internet, lectures, and mailings and is supported by the Rocky Mountain District of the LCMS. Dr. Naeem has formed an international seminary, teaching Lutheran doctrine with a faculty of 5 volunteer professors and a current enrollment of 100 applicants. The internet broadcasting and the costs for computers, software and expenses are not funded by his salary. A grant of $10,000 would support the outreach to Arab-speaking persons for the Biblical Orthodox Lutheran Mission
2. DuPage Asian Indian Gospel Outreach$10,000dispursed $516.18 Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, IL seeks to ignite the start of new Asian Indian mission stations in Chicagoland, together with CAME and the NID LCMS. Over 90% of the 200,000 Asian Indian people living in the NID are unchurched. A strategy of identifying, recruiting, mentoring and assessing Indian missionaries (lay and clergy) will be employed. An Asian Indian missionary will be recruited to lead this mission effort. CAME will also work with other congregations in the Chicago area to coordinate outreach and encourage them to open their doors to host and support Indian outreach. A grant of $10,000 will support this mission.
3. Planting New Congregation Salta City, Argentina$7,393 paid
Funds for this project will go toward planting a new Lutheran congregation in Salta City. The sixth largest city in Argentina, it has a population of 600,000 and 90% are Roman Catholic. There are few Protestant churches in the country. A group of 15 people are meeting regularly and are preparing a constitution to start a new Lutheran congregation. It is estimated that between July 2006 and June 2007 the congregation membership should reach 70. Rev. Claudio Herber, the shepherd of this new congregation estimates an additional 4,000 contacts can come from sharing Christ with the parents of two nearby schools and through men and women who respond to Christ for all Nations radio spots. With limited income from local families, this congregation would have difficulty starting. LCMS feels this project is of high priority and requests a grant of $10,000 towards establishing a new congregation in Salta City, Argentina.
4. Concordia Seminary St Louis Food Bank12,000.00 paid
The Seminary’s residential students benefit significantly from the Food Bank. Nearly four hundred men study on campus each academic year. More than fifty percent of these students are married, with the majority having children. Some of the 100 students on vicarage are serving near St. Louis. In its sixth year, the deaconess studies program equips women of all ages for mercy ministry. Many of these students utilize the Food Bank for a majority of their monthly groceries. It would be far more challenging to prepare for future service in God’s mission field if the Food Bank did not exist. This grant would cover about two thirds of the Food Bank’s monthly budget.
5. Lutheran Orphanage in Jeremie, Haiti12,000.00 paid
The children of Jeremie, Haiti are surrounded by the pervasive practice of voodoo and the Church of Haiti is compelled to raise children with the freeing knowledge of the Word of God. Pastor and Mrs. Isaac, Haitian Nationals, have taken into their home orphaned children and need help to feed, educate, and spiritually guide the children. There is extreme poverty in Haiti, and shared resources can help to spread the word of God with less fortunate people in Jeremie, Haiti. At the Meeting of the Haiti Lutheran Mission Society in Fort Wayne Indiana in 2004, the Illinois District was asked to be a sister church with the Lutheran Church in Jeremie. The $12,000 combined with the funds already raised would enable them to build an orphanage for the orphaned children under the care of the Lutheran Church in Jeremie, Haiti.
6. Muslim Outreach and Church Planting – Chicago12,000.00
There are as many as 400,000 Muslims living in the Chicago area. Assisting immigrants with their needs while witnessing about God’s love, developing relationships, and teaching God’s Word through small group Bible studies are some of the ways by which Muslims and others are coming to faith in Christ and fellowship within the church. This grant would help the NID missionary, Hicham Chehab, to take steps towards planting a new multi-ethnic congregation such as the one currently using the facilities of Peace Lutheran Church in Lombard.
7. Disaster Response Trailer12,000.00dispursed $498.45
The prompt responses by Lutheran Church Charities to the destruction caused by tornadoes in Pierce City, Missouri and Utica, Illinois as well as the ongoing response to the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina have educated this agency as to what is needed to help a devastated community. LCC is eager to provide adequate training and appropriate tools for volunteer teams. The grant would assist in funding the completion of the Disaster Relief Trailer and training of its use so that dedicated volunteers may be better able to serve their Lord by serving people in need.
8. Lutheran Special Education in NID10,000.00dispersed $7,572.64
Children with special learning needs are often denied access to Christian schools due to the problems posed by their special learning needs. Nationally 20% of the public school population has special learning needs. The law guarantees these youth an education – a public education where Jesus is not taught. But LSEM believes that parents of children with special learning needs should have the opportunity to send their children to Christian schools. For those youth whose families value a Christ-centered education, LSEM stands eager to join in partnership with LCMS schools to make this a reality. The need for our ministry in Northern Illinois is great. LSEM has been helping children in the Northern Illinois area since 1984. Last year, our ministry provided special education programs in 15 LCMS schools helping 218 children. Five years ago there were more than 30 schools with special education services. The proposal submitted for your consideration is to help LSEM keep fees as low as possible so that Lutheran schools in Northern Illinois are able to maintain and grow special education programs and services. As a result, more children with special learning needs will be served and more importantly these children will learn about Jesus and will lead fulfilling lives.
9. African Immigrant Ministry in NID$12,000.00 dispersed $6,124.83
The uniqueness of this project is that it is conceived by the African leaders themselves for the purpose of serving their own people. Those served are refugees and immigrants from Africa and Haiti. These groups represent some of the minority populations of our country and often have spiritual and physical needs that not many churches and organizations can serve. Language is often the main barrier between the immigrants and the rest of the community. By providing the worship services in French at Zion, in Ewe at Christ the King, and in Amharic at St. Peter, the leaders of these ministries have created an environment where people can worship in their own language and also build relationships, and share information and resources. The proposed grant will allow the three ministries to the African Immigrants to provide worship materials such as bibles in the specific Languages, worship books, CDs with French sermons, musical instruments, and also outreach materials such as welcome packs and fellowship dinners.
10. Extra Mile Crisis Response Ministry12,000.00 dispersed $1479.75
The Extra Mile Ministries is a Lutheran Ministry based out of San Diego California, with an office in Biloxi, Ms. The goal of this ministry is to respond to churches facing crisis and or disaster. The ministry also has developed a national response team that arrives at a crisis/disaster with trained Christians to help victims emotionally and spiritually. A unique part of this ministry is the use of K9 Comfort dogs that provide touch therapy. The warmth of these dogs provides a calming effect for those traumatized by tragedy. To continue this important Gospel healing ministry the team needs funding to help support travel costs, housing and day to day expenses while at the disaster site. Also the grant would help with important brochures and devotional literature to be used as handouts.
11. Cambodia -- Battembang School and Outreach $10,750.00 dispersed $8,000.00
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is working with Trinity Lutheran in Battembang, Cambodia, which is the first Lutheran church in the country to reach out to the community. With the average pastor’s age being 24 years old, the church leadership is very young, and they are reaching out to the other young people of the country. Less than one percent of the population is Christian, and the pastors and other young Christians reach out to non-Christians through English as a Foreign Language class, where non-Christian students study Christian doctrine and hear the Gospel. The grant would provide Bible studies, teaching aids and electricity for worship services, Sunday school and an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) school to tutor local students.
12. Academic Textbooks and Supplies for Themba Girls$2,192.00
The Themba Trust of Dirkiesdorp, South Africa Girls High School is a cooperative partnership ministry of the Lutheran Church in South Africa, the Free Evangelical Lutheran Synod of South Africa, and the Selbstandige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche of Germany. They seek to educate and catechize young South African Zulu women for a life of service to their Lord. All the girls receive assistances to attend. By providing academic textbooks and supplies, LCMS Lutheran World Relief can provide more scholarships for the girls to attend.
