The Bridge in Plain Text
Issue To Be Used Any Time After
June 1, 2006
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The Bridge
A monthly publication of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod, ELCA
Connecting the congregational, synodical, and churchwide expressions of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Why the Synod? - Part 2: Synod
Ministry Partners
What do you know about the
Southeastern Minnesota Synod? Do you know what it does or what the money
your congregation designates for it is used for? This issue is the second in
a series designed to help answer those questions for you.
What are “Synod Ministry
Partners”?
Part of your congregation’s offering goes to the synod. From
Southeastern Minnesota Synod, approximately 15% goes to support our ministry
partners. These are ministries that are not operated by the synod but that
the synod supports monetarily. These include campus ministry, Luther
Seminary, our companion synods (Colombia and the Central Diocese of
Tanzania), Christ Through Hands Ministry, church colleges, Minnesota Council
of Churches, Lutheran Coalition for Public Policy in Minnesota, and Region
3. We’re going to focus on the Christ Through Hands ministry as one of the
less known ministries.
Christ Through Hands
Most of us listen to our pastor preach and take in the words of the Bible
through our eyes. Have you ever wondered what your faith experience would be
like if you were deaf or blind? Christ Through Hands Ministry (CTHM) is an
ecumenical organization devoted to bringing the word of Christ to the deaf
and blind. CTHM offers weekly religion classes at the Minnesota State
Academy for the Deaf and the Minnesota State Academy for the Blind and works
with local congregations to provide First Communion and Confirmation
classes. At the Academies, the students study the Bible, participate in
hands-on activities to reinforce the lessons, and provides full
participation opportunities for the students. In our synod, CTHM also leads
a youth and adult sign choir at Our Savior’s in Faribault. In addition,
Debbie Timmers, the CTHM Director, provides interpreting services for Sunday
worship services at Our Savior’s and for ecumenical services in the
Faribault area.
What Does This Mean?
CTHM is one specialized ministry that allows even those often forgotten
by society to receive the Good News. Your hands can be ministers too - by
giving your offering you are able to reach out and touch the deaf and blind,
college students, seminarians, people in Colombia and Tanzania, Christians
throughout Minnesota, and all Minnesotans. Our synod minister partners
enable us to help support a variety of ministries that we could never offer
on our own.
Featured Resources
Visit these web sites to learn more.
• Colleges, Lutheran Campus Ministry, and Seminaries -
www.elca.org/vocationeducation
• Companion Synods -
www.semnsynod.org/globalmission.html
• Minnesota Council of Churches -
www.mnchurches.org
• Lutheran Coalition for Public Policy -
www.lcppm.org
• Region 3 -
www.elca.org/synods/region3.asp
Monthly Bible Verse
We are a synod joined in Bible study. This Bible verse was selected by
Harold Usgaard, bishop of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod, for everyone in
the synod to study.
From the story of Jesus curing
a deaf Man:
“Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha,’ that is,
“Be opened.” Mark 7:34
About Our Synod
The Southeastern Minnesota Synod is a faith community of 130,000 baptized
people in 184 congregations as well as related institutions of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Its geographic area includes
15 counties in the southeastern corner of Minnesota.
The Bridge is a monthly
publication of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod, ELCA. For more information,
contact the synod office:
Southeastern Minnesota Synod, ELCA
1001 14th St. NW, Suite 300
Rochester, MN 55901-2551
(507) 280-9457
www.semnsynod.org
This issue is designed to be
used any time after June 1, 2006.
Graphics from this issue
Right-click the link and choose "save to disk" to save the
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are in high-resolution tiff format. If you require another format, please
call 507-280-9457.
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