Community Lutheran Partners, Inc.

“I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus…” — 1 Corinthians 1:4

Greetings from Community Lutheran Partners!

Much like Paul writing to the church in Corinth, I am thankful to God and to the congregations of this Synod for the service you offer your communities and the world. Thanks to you, CLP offers household necessities to those starting a new life, flood buckets to those who trying to clean up unexpected messes and the various odds and ends that we all seem to take for granted until we don’t have them. CLP will continue to respond to those in immediate need and requires your assistance to do so. I’ve got some useful skills, but printing money and weaving sheets are not among them. In all seriousness, we rely on your support to be able to offer help to those who require it.

Among the other activities of CLP, I would like to stress that I am a resource for you and your congregation. Networking, brainstorming, planning a new ministry in your community, I am here to help you! As a soon to be ordained minister of word and service, a portion of my ministry is helping others to find and develop theirs. At the very least, you will get an enthusiastic cheerleader.

In light of this, I am pleased to announce that we are starting a listening and discernment program called Here I Raise My Ebenezer. I call it Ebenezer for short. Named in part because I love Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing but mostly because service is determined by our location in time and space. Ebenezer means Stone of Help. It was a memorial of past battles and hope in God, both present and future. We should celebrate what we have done and are doing, while we can also look and plan on how our service can be different or improve. While I cannot get out to every congregation between now and the end of the year, I will attempt get to as many as possible. If this sounds like something you want to me to come talk about, please contact me. I don’t have to come on a Sunday; we can plan on another time.

My goal with Ebenezer is to look not just at immediate issues that need help but to also start to address ideas of resiliency and sustainability within communities. I had mentioned last year that social ministry is changing. This is a good thing! It means that we recognize that we can do better! We want to do better!

Stop by the CLP table at the Synod Assembly for more information and the Ebenezer survey. There will likely be other goodies available as well.

I had mentioned above that I lack some skills and abilities. One of those is the ability to clone myself enough times so that I may approach everyone in the Synod and ask for $5. CLP needs you to speak up in congregations and council meetings on our behalf. A fundraiser, a loose collection, every bit helps.

Again, I am thankful for your support of Community Lutheran Partners! Please keep us in your prayers and in your financial giving.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus. (1 Cor. 16:23-24)

Mary Sanders
Executive Director
Community Lutheran Partners, Inc

P.S., CLP needs board members! Approximately 4 meetings per year! Snacks at meetings! Fun, fun, fun!