Ministries:
At the last supper Christ washed the feet of his disciples. After he had done this he stood up, and directed that they should go and do as he had done to them. He did not mean that the disciples should go about washing each other's feet, but that they should be prepared, if they were going to be his disciples, for a life of service to those outside of themselves. If the church, as the physical body of Christ on Earth, is going to be legitimate, it must then be in service to those outside of the congregation; to individuals and agencies in need. This service must go beyond evangelism, or sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it must emulate Jesus Christ, on his knees, serving those in need.
Ministry outside of the congregation is one of the hallmarks of the Christian faith. A congregation that does not do ministry outside of itself is a congregation that is purely self-serving, unhealthy, and ultimately dead; regardless of it's attendance figures. If faith without works is dead, the church without works is dead too.
One of the ministries St. John is involved in is the companion parish program.
The Boay Lutheran Parish is our companion Parish. The Boay Parish is part of the Arusha Diocese which in turn is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. The Boay Parish has six congregations. They are from 8 km to 60 km apart. Their pastor is Pastor Humphrey John Rabo.
The Boay Lutheran Parish
Pastor Rabo and
his wife Judith
Guest House made by the Women's ministry;
including Hand-made bricks and roof tiles
Every year our ladies make well over a hundred quilts and distribute them, both locally, to both food pantries and women's shelters, but also through Lutheran World Relief. During our Annual Mission Sunday in the fall, the quilts are brought into the sanctuary to be both displayed and blessed before being sent off to those who could use either a warm blanket, or a good sun shade.
Vacation bible School is taught for a week, late in the summer. This is an almost entirely lay led ministry, that involves a large portion of the congregation. Many of the children of the congregation bring friends, and have a great time.
This year, the congregation of St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church is celebrating it's 150th anniversary, it's sesquicentennial, and in honor of that, we are, besides throwing one heck of a party, also donating the proceeds from the party to local charities. Through out the year we will be having various speakers, and others come to help us celebrate.
The congregation is quite generous, and is mindful to contribute to any benefit in the area that they become aware of. Most recently the church has donated it's Lenten offering to help repay a loan for a handicap accessible van for a local congregation.
While it is not exactly a ministry in it's own right, Pastor Andersen is very excited about the imminent formation of what he is calling the "Emerging Ministries" committee. Essentially a ministry incubator. While the details are still being fleshed out, the goal is to have a group of people who can aid and mentor others in the congregation to form the ministries that they feel called to.