District Awards 2010 Ablaze! Grants

One of the key resolutions adopted at the 2009 Iowa District West convention was 4-07, “To Promote a Mission Outpost Attitude.” It called upon each congregation, ministry, and school to recognize the mission field of the local community and to develop at least one new mission outreach objective, concentrating on connecting to the unchurched of its own community.

To encourage that to happen, the district set aside $35,000 in its 2010 budget for Ablaze! grants, so named after the initiative in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and its partner churches for one focused and concentrated effort to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with those who do not yet know Him.

Word was sent out, applications were made available across the district, and God’s people engaged in prayer, visioning and planning. Over and over the question was asked, “How can we begin to connect with and prepare to reach those in our community who do not yet know Jesus as their Savior?”

When the March 31 deadline arrived, more than 24 applications had been received, requesting more than $104,000! The mission committee had its work cut out for it in deciding who would be the recipients.

After much prayer, discussion, and deliberation, the committee chose 12 grants to be fully or partially funded. Desiring to favor those initiatives that stressed an intentional outreach to the unchurched, reflected a financial and service investment by the congregation, and contained a strategy for follow-up, the committee approved the grants shown on the chart below.

Recipient

Initiative

Amount

Asian and Sudanese Missions, Des Moines

Multi-ethnic Camp VBS

$2,250

Hope, Des Moines

Clothing and food programs

$3,000

Living Faith, Clive

“The City” software

$1,500

Mount Olive, Des Moines

Day school day care

$3,000

St. Paul, Boone

Technology equipment, Financial Peace University

$1,500

St. Paul, Carroll

Mission in Mercy Outpost

$2,500

St. Paul, Council Bluffs

Expanded education programs

$1,000

St. Paul, Emmetsburg

Outreach event/banquet

$500

Shepherd of the Valley, WDM

Materials, outreach event

$2,500

Siouxland Lutherans in Mission and Ministry

LCMS promotional DVD

$4,000

Spencer and Northwest circuits

Preparation for possible church plant

$5,000

Zion, Denison

Financial Peace University

$1,500