For St. James Web Site

World Outreach Committee

This committee supports world-wide mission programs. We give regular support to five missionaries and mission work in Jerusalem, Bangladesh, Panama, a seminary in St. Petersburg, Russia and a new area of mission and church building in India.

We purpose to help educate the congregation to appreciate, support and pray for churches and missionaries all over the world. Occasionally we have displays, mission events with missionary speakers and Sunday school sessions with a focus on World Hunger, Lutheran World Relief and global mission causes.

Missionaries and Overseas Churches to Whom St. James Church Gives

Prayer and Financial Support

Pastor Mark and Marcia Holman are ELCA missionaries in Jerusalem, where Pastor Holman serves the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer/English speaking congregation. This congregation works and prays to promote the cause of peace and justice between Israel and Palestine. We are excited to support this peacemaking ministry.

Utpal and Stacy Saha serve with the World Mission Prayer League. Stacy works as coordinator and trainer of the midwife program at LAMB (Lutheran Aid to Medicine in Bangladesh) Hospital in northern Bangladesh. This program serves an area populated by over two million people. Utpal oversees two Christian reading rooms and is a translator and educator for church leaders in the area. As the hospital and area grow there is an ongoing need for health professionals, as well as educators for the K through tenth grade school. Utpal and Stacy, along with their two children, visited St. James in August of 2006 where they spoke at all the services and presented Sunday programs for children and adults.

Earnesto and Norma Weigandt have been serving in Panama since 1977, and have been supported by St. James for fourteen years. The Weigandts work with a tribal people in the western hills of Panama where they have planted several churches and directed a number of development projects. They visited our congregation in January of 2001 and we had a work team from St James spend two weeks working with the Weigandts in 2002. More recently, in 2006, Pastor Ed Keyser and Dick Waybright visited and assisted their work.

The Lutheran Seminary at St Petersburg in Russian is also supported by St. James. This new seminary was established to train pastors and leaders for the growing Lutheran Church in Russia. The Rev. Randolf Bluemke is President of the seminary that exists, in large part, because of the vision and one million dollar fundraising effort of the late Dr. Gerhard Krodel, a champion of this institution. We give thanks to the Lord for the life and work of Dr. Gerhard Krodel and the continuing work of Mrs. Joan Krodel on behalf of this institution.

The Emmaus Ministry of Andhra Pradesh, India reaches out to a much neglected area of the state. Pioneered and led by Pastor B.C. Paul, the ministry receives most of its support from the Telugu Christians and professional and business people of the state capital, Hyderabad. Pastor Paul visited our congregation in August of 2005, brought the message at our Sunday services and providing a visual presentation with many stories from the work for our Sunday school. St James is blessed to be able to provide financial and prayer support for this important ministry.

Those We Have Supported In the Past Who Continue to Request Our Prayers

Until December 1, 2003, Pastor Thwol Omot Odolla served as Chairman of the Ganbella Bathel Presbytery (position similar to bishop) of the Ethiopian Evangelical Lutheran Mekane Yesus Church. Many of his tribe and congregations lived nearby in Sudan, facing genocide from the Muslim government of northern Sudan as the civil war raged. From December 13-15 raiders attacked their town, seeking out Christian and Anuak tribal people and especially targeting educated young men and leaders. By the grace of God Thwol and his family escaped, along with two thousand of the residents of Gambella. They fled first to the Sudan and then to Kenya, and are now living there in a UN refugee camp. Thwol has started tabernacle ministry there among the refugees. When he requested our aid to unite his whole family we were able to help, and now the family members are all together. He has asked that we pray for his work and family; we continue to provide support for him when it is requested.

Senkon Y. Tehmeh, a farmer trained at the Waybright farm, is now tribal chief of the Bor-You-Mah clan in Liberia. He was wounded in the civil war in Liberia which began on Christmas Eve of 1989 and lasted until 1997. He had to flee his home and farm. St. James has given help for the rebuilding of their school which was destroyed in a raid on the village. Senkon is presently back on the farm, restoring it after it became overgrown by jungle. As a result of this war 37% of the population have been killed or driven from their homes, yet the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Liberia has grown in strength and witness in spite of terrible adversity.

St. James Lutheran Church in India. This partnership and ministry with our sister church in India was facilitated by Steve and Barbara Kolumban, who served as missionaries there. St. James, Gettysburg has helped them to construct a church and has also helped to roof four other churches in their parish. They no longer need financial aid, but continue to ask for our prayers.

The children’s Sunday School offerings for the past year were all given to ELCA God’s Global Barnyard.

Goats for goat banks 35 @ $ 50.00 $1750.00

Fish Farms 4 @ $250.00 $1000.00

Pigs 20 @ $ 30.00 $ 600.00

Chicks 10 flocks of 10 @ $ 10.00 $ $ 100.00

Total $ 3450.00

This has given 69 poor families in Africa, Asia and Central America opportunities to have better nutrition and economic stability.

We thank God for this.