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Growing to Know Jesus
By Carl Ziemer:Bio on April 1, 2008
WELS Special Ministries encourages, assists, and trains believers to minister to people with special needs
One of the fastest growing areas of Special Ministry right now is Prison Ministry. It’s not because there are more inmates, although there are has probably been a doubling of inmate population in the last 20 years.
It’s because…
- God is enabling us to develop and offer biblical materials appropriate for jail and prison ministry
- God is providing us with significant funding through WELS budget (ca. $100 K / year), through grants ($290 K last year) and individual gifts
- God is moving lay people and pastors to view those behind bars (and their families) as mission prospects
- God is motivating lay people and pastors to train for prison ministry (about 100 new lay members have been trained by the Jail Ministry training team last year) More than 1,200 volunteers are active in Prison Ministry at this time. We’ve been richly blessed also because of our recent and close cooperation with WI Lutheran Institutional Ministry (WLIM)!
Special Education Services would come in close behind. Our volunteers have been greatly aided by the wonderful cooperation and effort of Jesus Cares Ministries (JCM) which is managed and funded by The Lutheran Home, Belle Plaine, MN. The WELS Special Education Committee works closely with JCM, but has been severely hampered by inadequate funding and a subsequent lack of part-time and full-time leaders and workers. This ministry has accomplished a great deal for developmentally disabled people, however, through the dedicated and faithful service of volunteers.
I firmly believe that other areas of SM have similar potential for significant growth. The areas of special ministry that seem to be poised for rapid expansion would include but are not limited to:
- Health and Wellness ministry to aging and Parish Nursing –just think of the baby-boom generation and the multitude of ministry opportunities it will provide WELS believers and churches!
- Military Services. Our nation is at war. In addition to full-time military personnel, more than 3,000 WI National Guard troops will deploy to Iraq next year alone! After its largest deployment in history back in 2005, Minnesota’s National Guard will deploy another 723 Soldiers from the St. Paul-based 34th Combat Aviation Brigade in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in late May 2008. Before deploying to Iraq these troops are expected to travel to Fort Sill, Okla. for three months of pre-deployment training. Many other states are also deploying large numbers to areas of hostility, too many to list here.
(While God has blessed Military Services with grants and gifts amounting to about $160,000 / year we could do so much more with additional funding. WELS Health and Wellness receives less than $2,000 /year.)
Bottom line: WELS congregations are positioned to play a huge role in providing spiritual, physical and emotional support to the members of their congregations and community - if WE will only recognize and seize these God-given opportunities for Gospel ministry!
We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
Topics: GENERAL, Parish Services, SYNOD LEADERS
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:32 am
The article was well done and very informative. All glory to God for His goodness to us!
Blessings,
Dave Nack
April 9th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
It is wonderful to hear and see the cooperation between different parts of the body. We are all in this together and can learn from and help each other. God Bless your work Carl!