Wheat Ridge
offers 'Health, Hope' grants
Wheat Ridge Ministries
is inviting congregations to submit applications
from Sept. 1 through Oct. 31 for its "Congregation
Health and Hope Grant" program.
The grants are
intended to help congregations develop health and
wellness ministries. All Lutheran congregations --
individually or in partnership with other
congregations -- are eligible for the grants.
The maximum amount per
grant is $2,000 for a single congregation, and
$6,000 for collaborative efforts involving two or
more congregations. The amount of the grant must be
matched by the congregation.
Approximately 25
grants will be awarded in November for projects that
support and promote the health and well-being of
people in the congregation and local community.
Grant funds may be
used for health-related events and leadership
development; staff training; planning; materials,
resources or equipment directly related to program
development; and contract services or new staff
essential for program development.
To apply for a Congregation Health and Hope Grant,
visit the Wheat Ridge Web site at
www.wheatridge.org or call (800) 762-6748.
2010 National Youth
Gathering set for New Orleans
Participants will
gather under the theme “We Believe”
ST. LOUIS—June 18, 2008—The theme for The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod’s (LCMS) 2010 National Youth
Gathering is “We Believe,” based on John 20:31, “But
these are written so that you may believe that Jesus
is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing
you may have life in his name” (ESV).
About this theme, Rev. Terry Dittmer,
director, LCMS District and Congregational
Services-Youth Ministry, notes, “One of the things
that youth always say about the Gathering is how
much it means to encounter other students who
‘believe like I do.’ ‘We Believe’ is a wonderful,
corporate expression of our faith in Jesus Christ,
especially as we focus on the creed and our
confession as we take that faith to the New Orleans
community in Word, celebration, service, witness,
and fellowship.”
“We Believe,” the 11th
triennial National LCMS Youth Gathering, will be
held July 17-21, 2010, in New Orleans, La. This
will be the event’s third visit to New Orleans.
Previous New Orleans’ Gatherings included “A Time
for Joy” (1992) and “Higher Ground” (2001). The 2007
Gathering had been planned for New Orleans, but was
moved to Orlando, Fla., in the wake of Hurricane
Katrina.
Along with the return to New Orleans,
some changes have been made to Gathering participant
guidelines. For the first time in its history,
14-year old participants will be invited to attend.
“Our goal is to provide opportunities for incoming
freshman to experience the Gathering,” says Rev.
Mark Kiessling, program director for the 2010
event. “Planners will give special consideration
when developing workshops and program content to
meet the unique needs of these younger students.”
To be eligible to attend the 2010
National LCMS Youth Gathering, youth participants
must be at least 14 years old at the time of the
Gathering, entering freshman year in high school at
the time of the Gathering, or 2010 high school
graduates who have not turned 21 by the time of the
Gathering. Kiessling added, “Each congregation
should consider whether the addition of 14-year olds
to their Gathering family groups fits their youth
ministry model.”
The 2010 Gathering will also allow
congregations to send more adult leaders with their
groups. Kiessling states. “By increasing the
adult-to-youth ratio, congregations can send more
adults, which we hope encourages groups to feel
confident about attending and meeting the spiritual,
physical, and intellectual needs of youth
participants.”
The Gathering Web site,
www.lcmsgathering.com, offers information about
the host city and provides parents and adult leaders
the opportunity to interact with representatives
from the city of New Orleans and members of the LCMS
Southern District office, with whom Gathering
planners are closely working to develop the event.
Registration for “We Believe,” the 2010
National LCMS Youth Gathering, will open in the fall
of 2009. For more information, contact LCMS
District and Congregational Services-Youth Ministry
at 800 248-1930, Ext. 1155.
