Stories from around the synod

INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS IN MISSION – Celebrating 34 years of reaching across borders of faith and culture on behalf of children, women, and youth to create partnerships that strengthen our world wide community.

International Partners in Mission (IPM) began in St. Louis, MO 34 years ago, by returning Lutheran missionaries Jim Mayer, Paul Strege, and others, as a response to the desire to do mission as partners rather than a paternalistic approach. First known as Partners in Mission (PIM) and later as Christian’s Linked in Mission (CLM), the partnerships now reach over 50 projects in 26 countries around the world crossing borders of faith and culture on behalf of children, women, and youth to build justice, peace, and hope.

Central States Synod congregations of the ELCA have been longtime supporters of several Missouri projects as well as projects around the world. Shining Scholars is a project in the Missouri Boot Heel within Central States Synod which supports students and encourages them to remain in school when the extreme poverty of the area offers them little hope of improving their lives. Support is given to the students through monthly focus meetings led by an area coordinator and financial resources. Through Shining Scholars, some students have gone on to higher education and the promise of improving their own lives and the lives of others in their community.

Community Women Against Hardship, located in St. Louis, works with women and children through after school literacy programs, a computer training program, diabetes education, jazz and art enrichment, and transitional housing. Thousands of volunteer hours provided by St. Louis Metro Coalition congregational members rehabbed a burned out school building which now houses the Community Women Against Hardship programs in North St. Louis.

Worldwide, Dr. Mark Manary’s Project Peanut Butter in Malawi, Africa has saved the lives of countless children through his nutrition program. Dr. Manary, a member of Gethsemane Lutheran Church, St. Louis, traveled to Malawi many times to treat some of the 20,000 malnourished children who are annually brought to hospitals called Nutritional Rehabilitation Units where the children stay for an extensive treatment period. Through much long term care they would be restored to better health and sent home only to return to the hospital later in the same malnourished condition because of the lack of clean water and food. Malawi grows peanuts, and Dr. Malary developed a lipid paste called Ready-To Use-Therapeutic- Food (RUTF) of peanuts fortified with oil, milk powder and sugar which could be fed to the children and a two weeks supply sent home with the child instead of a lengthy hospital stay. In six weeks of treatment on RUTF, 95% of the 2,000 children treated have returned to health. Because of this success, the program is being used in many other countries as well.

IPM emphasizes experiential learning and ‘mission’ through people-to-people engagement, providing immersion experiences for North Americans with IPM’s Project Partners worldwide. IPM sponsors immersion experiences to projects in El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Italy, India, Kenya, and Tanzania to acquaint North American with the realities of poverty and injustice around the world. Through their presence and concern, participants provide hope and solidarity with partners around the world.

We thank individuals and congregations of the Central States Synod, ELCA, for their prayers, volunteer efforts and mission support to build community both locally as well as throughout the world through the ministry of IPM.

Flo Saeger
Christ Lutheran Church
Webster Groves, MO
3/22/07

“(Jesus) My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” John 15:12