Mission Service Activity of the Month
September 2019: Sharing Jesus’ Love in Action – Caring for Missionaries
Photos by LCMS, used with permission
As Women in Mission, we have been actively involved in supporting missions around the world with our mites for over 75 years. Some of us have been on mission trips. We may also know missionaries that serve people in various countries around the world. The question is, how can we, as Lutheran Women in Mission, care for our missionaries? Let’s learn more about mission, outreach, and missionaries.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).
Mission and outreach in The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod (LCMS) began in 1851 and has expanded to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus all around the world in the language of the people they serve. Today, the LCMS trains, sends and supports called and appointed career, long-term and short-term missionaries in various countries around the world and in the United States where there are mission stations, partner churches, schools or mission relationships.
As the Holy Spirit begins to gather people into Christian fellowship, missionaries assist these new Christians in forming their own indigenous church leaders.
LCMS missionary teams are made up of people who focus on planting churches, leadership formation or some type of locally initiated holistic services in areas of health, agriculture, community development, English-as-a-Foreign-Language classes or partner support activities.
Missionaries. What Do Missionaries Do? The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod website.
Retrieved July 19, 2019 from <https://www.lcms.org/missionaries>
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me" (Isaiah 6:8).
So what can we do to care for our missionaries around the world? The Office of International Mission (OIM) website is dedicated to connecting you to missionaries through stories, photographs, videos and podcasts. It provides helpful information about the work, quick facts about the area, leadership, resources and events in each region of the world. Updates are given frequently on LCMS missionaries, their projects, missionary partners and the people they serve.
- Stay informed
- Subscribe to the OIM newsletter (see link above).
- Subscribe to The LCMS online publication, Lutherans Engage
- Experience what your missionaries are doing in Belize and Kenya
- Read blog from The Reporter about missionaries.
- Learn about work in Africa
- Learn about work in Asia
- Learn about work in Eurasia
- Learn about work in Latin America
- Join the LCMS Mission Work Facebook page or other related pages.
- Pray for our missionaries around the world as they reach out with God’s love and mercy and the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. Use these bulletin inserts and prayer cards.
- Get Involved
- Support Missionary Care by inviting a missionary to speak at your church, adopt a missionary, project, or mercy work.
- Together in Mission is a network of congregations committed to funding our missionaries.
- Mission Senders is a network of families and individuals committed to funding our missionaries.
- Mission Central is a team of professionals working closely with the LCMS International and National mission to help you personally support missionaries.
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Care for a Missionary using the LWML Gospel Outreach Missionary Care Package and guidelines for Skype pamphlets. Discover how to select a missionary and then experience the fun and joy of supporting and praying for specific needs of that missionary. They would love to have you as partners!
- Share Jesus with the World. Your generosity today makes possible your Synod’s witness and mercy efforts both at home and abroad. Give now.
You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many (2 Corinthians 1:11).
A Prayer as You Plan:
Dear Heavenly Father,
We praise and thank You Lord for those who have dedicated their lives to the mission of reaching people with the Gospel of Jesus around the world. Thank You for all the spiritual gifts that You have bestowed upon our missionaries, that through His Word, the Holy Spirit will make His Name known to those who sit in darkness. Help us to remember to support and care for our missionaries with our prayers and our gifts, whatever they may be. Make us conscious of the obstacles that affect our missionaries and their families so that we can aid them and share what we have with them; our time, talents and treasures. Help us to share the good news of what our missionaries are doing, with others, so they too may join in caring for them. We ask now that You guard and protect our missionaries from all harm and danger and that You provide ways for them to receive the support and encouragement they need to carry out Your great commission. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ (Colossians 4:2–3).
The Gospel Outreach Committee would love to hear about, and share, your mission service activities! Please contact the Vice President of Gospel Outreach here. Thank you!
