Dear Partner Followers of Jesus,
Yesterday I worshipped at the grand opening of WestSide Lutheran’s new building. WestSide, a new congregation of our Synod, is located on the northeast side of Sioux Falls in a place that lacks the features that make a collection of houses a community. There are no restaurants, no parks, no schools, and no churches – until now.
While driving up I witnessed something really cool – young families walking to church! Hey, I’ve been at this long enough to spot a newbie. I could tell that it had been a while since they had last found their way into a place like WestSide. Had it not been for this new church, it might never have happened. It gives me joy to know that when these young adults begin to grow in Christian community, they will discover that they are more than mere wage earners working for the things that money can buy. When that happens they can become people with courage to “strive for justice and peace in all the earth,” as we state in our affirmation of baptism.
Yesterday there were families walking to church in other places, too. In Cameroon, Africa whole families walk miles to worship at their Lutheran church. In Somoto, Nicaragua, people traverse rivers on foot to worship with their brothers and sisters in Christ. In places of extreme poverty such as these companion synods of ours, the Lutheran church empowers people. Together they design tools and training that enable them to improve their lives and to create a path to justice in a very unjust society. In a world where the powerful see them as a commodity — cheap labor, the people are nourished to live as beloved and honored children of God.
WestSide Lutheran and the four other new congregations of the South Dakota Synod and the communities of faith in our companion synods don’t just happen. They take hard work, and they require money. It’s what helps pay for the salary of the pastor and the costs of ministry. When you give mission support you help make this happen. You make an investment in God’s mission. You show the world who you are. You put your money where our mouth is. So thank you.
Thank you for following Jesus right where you are. Your acts of love and justice proclaim to the world that the Church of Christ is here for good. And thanks for giving beyond where you are – beyond your own needs. Such giving enables us to act powerfully in ways that are only possible when we work together.
Your Brother in Christ,
Pastor Bill Tesch,
Associate to the Bishop and Director for Evangelical Mission
