I'm Ready for Mission

I'm Ready for Mission is a group of individuals and couples who help support the mission of our church in the Southeastern Minnesota Synod, ELCA. Below is the text from the current brochure. You can download the brochure by clicking here (pdf format - you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to read this document. Get it free at www.adobe.com).

Letter from the Bishop

Dear Members and Friends of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod,

I would like to invite you to join me and other individuals and couples in the synod as a member of I'm Ready for Mission.

Members of this group support mission within our synod by praying for the mission of Christ's church, and promising to make a single contribution of $100 each year to help fund new ministry starts in our synod.

We promise that your gifts will be used for new ministry starts in our synod. We will keep your informed about how your gifts are used.

Please note that this $100 gift must be over and above your regular giving to your home congregation. Please don't reduce your regular giving to contribute to I'm Ready for Mission. The $100 must be second-mile giving.

I am grateful for all the mission work that is carried out by the congregations and members of our synod, and I am also excited about the possibility of new ministries!

Thank you for considering the possibility of joining with other members of the synod, who wish to give a little extra for mission.

Sincerely,
Bishop Harold Usgaard

Description

I'm Ready for mission is a group of individuals and couples who

• have a commitment to mission;

• will contribute $100 once a year for mission in the synod;

• will pray for the mission of Christ's church.

Recent Ministry Starts In Our Synod:
Peace, Eyota
Rejoice!, Northfield

New Ministry Starts In Our Synod:
Gloria Dei, Rochester

How do we develop new ministries?

Developing and starting new ministries is an ongoing process, which includes several steps:

Step 1: We study communities that are growing in population to determine where and what kind of new ministry should be started.

Step 2: We meet with the existing congregations in the community to develop a community-wide strategy for mission outreach. Together we decide who will do which tasks in carrying out the strategy.

Step 3: We develop partnerships for the strategy among the congregations in the community, the synod's other congregations, and the Division for Outreach of the ELCA.

Step 4: As soon as mission dollars are available, we begin to carry out our mission strategy in the identified location.

The support of the synod's congregations is critical. A new ministry start needs approximately $75,000 per year for a three-year period.

Questions? Interested in contributing?

Contact the synod Office at:

Southeastern Minnesota Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
1001 14th St NW, Suite 300
Rochester, MN 55901-2551

Telephone: 507-280-9457
Toll-free (MN only): 1-800-426-6376
Fax: 507-280-8824
Web site: www.semnsynod.org