Mission Trips
Thanks for Your Support for the trip
Very early in the morning on Jan. 5
a group of 21 from St. Matthew’s made a trip to El Salvador. This is the fifth annual congregational trip to El Salvador, where our partnership with the Salvadoran Lutheran Church and Casa Esperanza continues to grow. This year’s intergenerational group (listed below) is very representative of the congregation and includes eleven college students and nine first time visitors to El Salvador.
The group will spend nine days in El Salvador, beginning with a St. Matthew’s led two-day Sunday School teacher training event. They will also work on some projects at Casa Esperanza, the homeless shelter which is our partner ministry in El Salvador, and will visit communities and historical sites as well as spending time with the children we sponsor.
The Mission Trip group returns Friday, Jan. 13.
We look forward to sharing the details of the trip in worship services and at the adult education time on Jan. 29.
Photos of the 2012 El Salvador Mission Trip are online [here].
Joplin Adult Mission Trip
worked to build up what’s been torn down
Members of St. Matthew’s along with St. John’s Lutheran Church in Brookfield and Ascension Lutheran Church in Waukesha traveled to Joplin, Missouri, to work to restore that city after devastating tornados in May. The group stayed on cots in the basement of Abundant Life Christian Church.
Among the activities of the Mission Trip were: helping to settle people in FEMA trailers, working to sort and stock food and clothing in the We Care store, and sorting and recycling debris being cleared from demolished buildings. As with cities like New Orleans, it will be years before Joplin is restored. The hospital was seriously damaged and is a priority for restoration. Major box stores and the High School are gone along with many, many homes. High School classes are being conducted in a damaged but not destroyed shopping center.
The group consisted of Allan Land, Pr. Margaret and Tim Schoewe, Shari Egan, Lynn Howard, Chuck & Karen Crook, Bob Storm, Bret Rockenbach, Dave Fagerberg, Darlene & Ken Bahr, Deb Gerner and Rennie Lawson. Please keep them in your prayers as they travel.
Read more about the Joplin tornado [here].
Some photos of the group's departure Oct. 15 are below. (Click photo to enlarge.)
El Salvador trip, Jan. 6-15, 2011
A group of 22 from St. Matthew’s connected with our partners in El Salvador. While there, they
visited various congregations, gathering information on the bridge project, and working on some repair
projects at Casa Esperanza, the homeless shelter that we have supported in the past.
This year’s intergenerational group was very representative of the congregation and included nine college students and eleven first-time visitors to El Salvador. The group spent nine days in El Salvador, visiting communities and historical sites as well as working on some projects with the Salvadoran church.
Congregational Trip to Tanzania August 2010
Jambo Rafiki! - Please keep in your prayers the travelers to Tanzania: Tim & Jill Nelson, Bridget Smith, Gordon Moehling, Pastor Elias Kitoi, Pastor Chris Manke and Pastor Margaret Schoewe.Thank you for your generous donations of cows and other items to benefit our Tanzanian partners in ministry.If you wish to make a gift in support of the trip, it could be directed toward the Anniversary Fund, which will benefit all three of our partner congregations. The Mission trip began Aug. 16 and concludes Aug. 31.
A note from Pastor Chris upon arrival at Sing’isi community: “We arrived around 9:00 p.m. and ended our very long journey... Probably close to 75 people met us at the airport with beautiful singing and warm smiles. It felt wonderful to be back in Tanzania. We then drove to the guest house of the diocese where the entire group followed and continued singing to us. Thankfully, they took mercy on us and let us go to bed. This morning is approximately high 60s outside and beautiful. Mount Meru’s peak is clearly visible from our house. We’ll next travel to the bishop’s office after breakfast to greet him and his staff. Mchungaji Chris”
Photo Album: 2010 Tanzania Mission Trip [here]
Read more about our Tanzania partnership [here].
2010 Blue Ridge Mountain Mission to North Carolina
The Blue Ridge Mountain Mission Trip group has returned from its 8 day Mission Trip to North Carolina! We celebrated the Mission Trip on Sunday, July 11 at both the 8:30 and 11:00 worship services. Youth and adult speakers shared their experiences at the services.
Blue Ridge Mission Trip photos [here]
Blue Ridge Mountain Memories
After months of preparations and planning, the Blue Rridge Mountain mission trip is physically behind us. But the stories we heard and the experiences we shared will be with us forever.
There was Bob, who with “2 bucks, 2 shovels and an abandoned baseball field” started a community garden in the midst of a neighborhood plagued by violence and poverty. That garden has become an oasis of peace and promise for the community. (See the facebook group Pisgah View Community Peace Garden). Off limits to the gangs that still operate in the area, the garden boasts rows of vegetables and flowers and is home to free-range chickens, bees, and the occasional orphaned duckling or mocking bird.
There were Allen and Freddy, who worked tirelessly and with an abundance of humor to provide homes to first-time homeowners through Habitat for Humanity.
There was Susan, whose passion for the health of the earth fuels her tireless crusade to beautify all areas of Asheville, from the projects to parks.
There were the women at the thrift store who were moved to tears by the work ethic of the St. Matthew’s group.
There was Jen, whose administrative skills and heart for children translated into a program that provided mentorship and essential skills for low-income children.
There was Pastor Austin who opened his church to a group of teenagers putting on a VBS for his parishioners and whose deep faith and passion for justice enflame his ministry.
There was 4-year-old David, who was has undergone several surgeries for birth defects and whose smile was ever present and all encompassing.
All of these people and countless others who were part of our experience in Asheville, have enlarged our community and given enhanced meaning to the image of the church as the body of Christ. All of them and their varied and diverse gifts have given face to Christ’s command to love your neighbor as yourself. Through them, we were blessed to see the good that exists in a world that is too often defined by negative occurrences.
We thank you for all of the ways that you support this trip that is such an integral part of the faith journeys of all the participants.
- Gretchen Haugse
El Salvador mission trip, January 7-15, 2010
Our mission trip to El Salvador took place January 7-15. This was a very meaningful trip with the group getting to know the people and the needs of El Salvador. Activities included cultural visits as well as various service activities, such as teacher training events and a possible remodeling project at Casa Esperanza. Photos and videos are now posted online.
The photo here is of the El Salvador mission trip participants at an historic meeting with Bridge community Santa Maria's mayor including "Engineers Without Borders" Wisconsin representative and other community officials. Click photo to enlarge.
Video slideshow of the El Salvador Mission Trip [here]
Photos of the 2010 El Salvador Mission Trip are online [here].
Videos of the 2010 El Salvador Mission Trip are online [here].
Photos: El Salvador Global Mission Forum Dec. 6
Photos of the Youth-Adult Forum with Dan Beirne are [here].
A group of 65 youth and adults participated in the "Road to the Rockies" Mission Trip June 20-28. The “in-tents” experience will took them to Harvest Farm in Wellington, Colorado, a residential rehabilitation center for men recovering from drug and alcohol additions. The group stayed at Harvest Farm all week, with most of the group sleeping in tents.
Because the group was so large, it was not possible for all of them to work on the farm at the same time, so half of the group worked on the farm alongside the men, while the other half worked at various other sites in Fort Collins. Those sites included a Habitat house, a food pantry, neighborhood agencies which have property chores for the group, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Larimer County. The group was divided so that everyone will work at the farm for 2 days during the week, and all had the opportunity to share daily meals and devotions with the residents.
Photos of the Mission Trip are found on the Photo Album pages here.
2006 and 2007 Missions to Biloxi
Photos are now online from the 2006 and 2007 Mission Trips to Biloxi, Mississippi. In both 2006 and 2007 the groups made side trips to other locations, including Graceland (Memphis, TN) and New Orleans. Photos are included of the Mission Trip projects, as well as "off time" activities. Check them out here.
St. Matthew's Groups and Ministries
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