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Local
Bridges of Hope - this
ecumenical social ministry networking organization is housed
at First Lutheran on the
mezzanine level
of the church. It is not a ministry of FLC, but is supported
by First Lutheran, along with many other local faith communities.
Started in 2001, Bridges of Hope specifically serves parents,
children and families in need of local resources but who
are struggling to find them or to make ends meet. Bridges acts
as in intervention agency that helps find available resources
in our Brainerd Lakes Area. First Lutheran supports this
ministry
with space and funding for Bridges work in coordinating area
churches' local benevolence efforts. See Bridges' website
for more information: www.bridges-of-hope.net
Good
Neighbor Fund - this fund, administered by First
Lutheran pastoral staff, is supported by First Lutheran members
for
the purpose of meeting immediate needs of individuals and
families in the community. Good Neighbor Fund gifts provide
everything
from a bag or two of groceries for those struggling to
keep food on the table to rent or heat assistance that could
allow
a family to "get over the hump" at a critical
juncture. Donations are welcome!
Sharing Bread Soup Kitchen -
this program, located at Temple Baptist Church at Oak and 10th
Sts., is a broadly-supported
ecumenical soup kitchen. Hot meals are served Monday-Saturday
evenings from 5:30 - 6p.m. First Lutheran members serve
on the first Monday night of each month. To become involved,
call
the church office
Salvation Army Food Pantry -
another ecumenical program, the Food Pantry is housed at the
Salvation
Army Center
on 5th and
Front Streets in downtown Brainerd. First Lutheranites
support the pantry year-round with non-perishable food
and cash donations,
especially so during Minnesota FoodShare Month in March
and at Thanksgiving time. Donations of food can be dropped
off
at any time in marked boxes in the lobbies at First Lutheran
Interfaith Hospitality Network -
First Lutheran is one of 13 church sites to host this homeless
shelter program
for
families,
begun in April, 2007. One week per quarter, the church
hosts up to 6 families or 18 people for seven nights
of housing
and meals in the church. During the day, families spend
their time
at a local day center staffed by IHN personnel, who
help
clients work on job search and permanent housing needs.
A team of First
Lutheran members shares the love and grace of Christ
by providing and serving meals, making box lunches
for each
day and staying
overnight at church with our guests. If you would find
great meaning in serving in this mission, call the
church office!
We would be glad to have you
Lutheran Social Services
Camp Knutson and Homeless Youth Programs - Camp
Knutson is a beautiful camp just
north
of Crosslake
owned by Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota. The
camp hosts programs, primarily in the summer, for
adults and
children with everything from developmental disability
needs to acute
skin conditions, alopecia, and HIV/AIDs. First Lutheran
supports this camp's vital work and celebrates this
connection. The
camp is also host to our annual Spring Lakes Area
ELCA Men's Retreat, as well as Lakes Area ELCA Premarriage
Retreats. For
more information on Camp Knutson, see their website
at www.campknutson.org.
FLC also supports LSS's local homeless youth programming.
We have a desire that no person, particularly children,
go without
a warm place to sleep each night
Habitat for Humanity -
this national program has a Lakes Area affiliate, through whom
First Lutheran
members
volunteer
time
and effort. Call the church office for more information
on local Habitat projects and a way to get involved
Synod
(Northeastern Minnesota Synod of the ELCA)
Voyageurs
Lutheran Ministry - First Lutheran youth 3rd -12th
grades attend Bible camp at either Camp
Hiawatha on the shores
of Deer Lake north of Grand Rapids (3rd-6th grade)
or
Camp Vermilion on the shores of Lake Vermilion north
of Cook.
FLC is a member of the Voyageurs Lutheran Ministry
corporation of congregations and enthusiastically
supports this camping
ministry. See Voyageurs' website for more info: www.vermilionnet.com.
And, see the youth pages for Bible camp dates and information
Northeastern Minnesota Synod - FLC's largest
piece of financial support toward missions goes to our
synod, headquartered
in Duluth. We understand that we are part of a much
larger
church
than just our congregation. The Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America functions via 65 smaller geographic
units called
synods. Through our synod, a great deal of regional,
national and global ministry takes place that we
could never do
on our own
Global
Rev. Joyce
and Ian Graue, ELCA missionaries to the Central African
Republic - First Lutheran
provides
financial
and prayer support for the Graues, who recently
moved from
Papua New Guinea
to their new call in the Central African Republic
Lutheran World Relief - We collect and assemble
health and school kits, make quilts, and conduct drives
for needed items. This Lutheran agency works in most corners
of the world
with the poor. Emphasis is placed on agricultural
development, water systems, housing, education, etc. Lutheran
World Relief
responds to natural disasters around the world.
See the Lutheran World Relief website: www.lwr.org
Global Health Ministries - We support health
care programs of Lutheran churches in other countries
by gathering and
shipping useful donated health care equipment and
supplies to countries
where such materials are not available or are very
expensive. We also encourage the financial support
of facilities for
patient care, mosquito netting to protect families
from malaria, drilling
wells and the cost of sending a sea container of
donated medical supplies to other countries. This
work is done
through our
Women of the ELCA program at First Lutheran
ELCA Hunger Appeal - First Lutheranites have always
had a heart for hunger and poverty needs around the
world.
There
is a tradition
of generosity here that includes giving to the ELCA's
global hunger ministry, Hunger Appeal. Funds and
gifts go to places
around the globe where need is greatest. The ELCA's
Lutheran World Relief and Hunger Appeal programs
are rated as
some of the highest in the world in effectiveness
and financial
efficiency.
We are proud to place an emphasis here
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