St. Paul's Lutheran Church - Spring Grove, PA

THE MISSION AND SERVICE COMMITTEE

The Mission and Service Committee of St. Paul Lutheran Church is one of our most active committees. Its responsibilities include oversight of a wide number of projects and services, both inside and beyond our congregation. The Mission and Service Committee helps our church achieve our mission of knowing Jesus and making Jesus known by serving others in the name of Jesus, so that people in need may experience God’s love. Some of the ways are:

Support for Ministries of the Church

Offerings to support ministries of the national Lutheran Church and our Lower Susquehanna Synod World Hunger Appeal
Lutheran Social Services
Lutheran World Relief
Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Rocky Boy Indian Reservation, Montana
Manow Lutheran Seminary, Tanzania
York County Council of Churches
Constructores Para Cristo, a ministry to build homes for the poor in Mexico

Support for Other Social Service Organizations

Habitat for Humanity: builds homes for lower-income groups
Bell Socialization
Hospice
Visiting Nurses Association
Christmas collection of gifts for local agencies

Cash Grants for Emergency Needs

For individuals: Food letters, redeemable at Kennie’s Market in Spring Grove, support for students, and various other types of emergency aid, as funds allow.

Emergency appeals for aid to those in need.

On-Going Projects

Refugee Resettlement	In 1999, we helped a refugee family from Bosnia begin a new and better life in America. We helped them get a home, find a job, learn English, and assisted with other aspects of their transition to life in our country. We look to help other refugee families in the future.
York Rescue Mission	Once a month members of our church cook and serve a Sunday night meal at the York County Rescue Mission on Market Street in York. Contact the Coordinator
St. Paul Has Heart	Each February our church has a month-long food collection of canned goods for local food banks.
CROP	We participate in the annual CROP Walk for World Hunger.
Manow Seminary	This school helps train pastors for the Lutheran Church in Tanzania. It is part of the Konde Diocese in Tanzania, which has an official relationship with our Lower Susquehanna Synod
Mexico Mission Trips	We support Constructores Para Cristo, an organization that combines a spiritual retreat with building homes for the poor in Mexico. In 2002 and 2003, 24 of our members went on a mission trip to Piedras Negras, Mexico to support this organization and build a home for a family. We have done a trip every year since; in 2010 we will go again
Our Savior's Lutheran Church	Our Savior Lutheran Church is a congregation which ministers to the Chippewa-Cree Indian tribes on the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation in Montana, one of the poorest regions of our country. In 1999 our church sent 35 members on a mission trip to help build their new church building.
Ministry House	This ministry was begun in March, 2002. The ministry house provides a temporary home for persons or families displaced by fire, sudden unemployment, in transition situations, etc. A committee oversees the management of the house and reviews applications for temporary residents. Contact the Coordinator
Fundraisers	We raise funds for our benevolence projects through member offerings and various fundraising activities, such as: Cookouts at Kennies Markets: Twice a month on Saturdays, from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, from Spring to Fall, we grill hot dogs, hamburgers, and sausages at Kennies’ Market in the Spring Forge Shopping Center. Contact the Coordinator Annual Yard Sale Contact the Coordinator
Cemetery Mowing	Volunteers mow the Spring Grove Cemetery, for which we receive a donation to the Mission & Service Fund.