Martin Luther once said, “We cannot give God anything; for everything is already His, and all we have comes from Him. We can only give him praise, thanks, and honor.” When our sisters in the faith met at the LWML’s organizing convention in 1942, one of their first acts was to select mission projects to support. First was the support of Christ Church Chapel for the Deaf in Cleveland in the amount of $15,000. In postwar Europe, they sent aid to children orphaned by the ravages of World War II.
The LWML at Zion English Lutheran Church had a night of recognition and thanks for the “veteran members”. They served a dinner and Halley Ulland sang some original songs as entertainment. There was also a display of LWML records from years past that is an amazing look back at the “way things used to be”. Younger members served the meal and a good time was had by all. The work the LWML does in supporting mission and ministry around the world starts at small gatherings like these. These women who were a part of ministries that started at the beginning remember twenty five cent “dues” and helping pay the tuition of congregational students at “our schools”. I didn’t have the heart to tell them that one of the students they supported went to Bethany in Mankato which is a school affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Synod but the fact remains that over $100,000,000 has been raised for mission and ministry by women like this. They paid for postage stamps and collected soup labels. They paid for altar paraments and orphanages.
Kaye Kreklau the LWML National President was there (top row left) and brought some wonderful favors. I didn’t get the permission of these women to name them on a blog so I will leave that to others. If you know someone beside Kaye in this picture you can “tag” them and then when you get the chance you can thank them.
