"Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!" Psalms 100:2
SID
2024 – 2026
Mission Grants
Total Mite Goal:
$84,000.00
Click on the button for the 2024-2026 Mission Grant report (updated 11/12/2024)
2022-2024 Mission Grants were paid in full!
"Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow!"
FEATURE OF THE MONTH
GRANT RECEPIENT
LUTHERAN BRAILLE WORKER CENTERS
in our Southern Illinois District- $8,000 (4 centers - $2,000 each)
Four areas of our district have Braille Production Centers: Baldwin Center 29, Bethalto Center 125, Chester Center 165, and New Minden (Nashville) Center 315. Each of these centers make Braille and/or large print books for the blind and visually impaired, thereby showing the love of God to people with visual disabilities so they can grow in their relationship with God. The Braille and large print books that are produced at these centers include a devotional called “Begin with God”, the Bible study Today’s Light, Mustard Seeds, hymns, Portals of Prayer, The Holy Bible or books of the Bible such as Psalms, Deuteronomy, and Proverbs. Lutheran Braille Centers provide these books in many different languages: English, Spanish, Malayalam, Kiswahili – just to name a few. They then are shipped all over the world. These centers will use these funds for things like special sized heavy paper, binding spirals, front and back covers, cartons and corrugated cardboard for shipping, and packaging tape.
This grant of $8,000.00 will be shared equally by these four centers. It will allow each center to continue doing the projects assigned by the National Lutheran Braille Workers office in Yucaipa, CA.
Baldwin Sight Center #29, makes large print books for the Lutheran Braille Workers (LBW). LBW sends boxes of printed paper to the Sight Center and the volunteers collate the pages, punch them, and bind them into the finished books. Next, they send the books back to LBW to distribute where needed. Center #29 has done books of the Bible, song books, Mustard Seeds, devotions, or whatever they are sent to work on. These books are printed for many different languages. The Baldwin Sight Center started about 12 years ago and has done more than 25,000 large print books. There are 4 or 5 groups of LWML ladies from the Lower Kaskaskia Zone that faithfully work there once or twice a month.
Left: Betty Fehr, Carol Crabill, and Sandra Ruhmann from Trinity, Prairie are working joyfully at the Baldwin Center.
Above: Besides LWML groups, other groups also volunteer. A group of volunteers from Dietrich Bank in Red Bud came to work at the Center.
One of the best things about this ministry, is that youth-aged volunteers are needed too. Here are a few Lutheran youth from St. John’s in Sparta giving their time to help, as well.
Top Left: Looks like they are getting their instructions on how to get the process going correctly. Pages need to be collated, checked and get ready for punching and binding.
Top Right: These young ladies are binding the books and then one final check before they're ready to ship.
Bottom:
The young men get in on the braille book making assembly too.
Workers from the Bethalto Center #125 are making the Braille books. The process runs smoothly in an assembly line fashion. Papers are inserted into the Braille metal plate Then it is run through the machine to punch the Braille into the sheets of paper. Then the sheets are bound together into the finished books.
They get in a few pictures as they work hard at the center. Looks like they have a good crew of workers. Both men and women get in on the action.
At Center #125 the books of Hebrews- Jude, and Hosea & Micah have been made recently.
Chester Center #165 has sent braille books to 48 countries and 47 states of the U.S.A. since they have started. To the left is a list of the Countries.
Below are the pins where the braille books made at Chester have all gone.
New Minden center #315 has four groups that come each month to work. Each group has 5-8 people on each designated work day, along with Marilyn Stevenson, center coordinator. When the group from Trinity, Hoyleton volunteers, they also package the books and get them ready for mailing; therefore they bring more workers to get the extra work done. Anything that gets mailed to a foreign country requires custom forms and special stamps, even though the postage for the blind is free.
Top left: She is Inserting the paper into the Braille metal plates.
Bottom left: Binding the books.
Right: Marilyn Stevenson, holding the Book of
Deuteronomy
FEATURE OF THE MONTH
GRANT RECEPIENT
ORPHAN GRAIN TRAIN
Orphan Grain Train (OGT) is a Christian volunteer network, whose mission is disaster and humanitarian relief for people in America and around the world. The Orphan Grain Train movement is a loving response to Jesus Christ’s example as a servant and His love for us. OGT started in 1992 at Grace Lutheran church in Norfolk, Nebraska and is a Recognized Service Organization of the LCMS.
2021 was a devasting year for many of our brothers & sisters all over our country. Orphan Grain Train has provided seventeen loads of hay for ranchers in Montana that did not have enough hay for their livestock because of the drought, fires, and grasshoppers. OGT arranged the delivery of 5 loads of hay to Mora, NM where grass lands, homes and businesses have been destroyed by prairie fires. The Hermits Peak & Calf Canyon Fire is now the most destructive in New Mexico history. Many ranchers lined up to receive hay to feed their hungry livestock. Hurricane Ida left a trail of destruction.
The torrential rains in Tennessee have done major damage from flooding along with the string of tornados that took place in December. OGT sent help after Hurricase Ida devasted the New Orleans region in August of 2021. OGT’s disaster relief aid is purchasing roofing materials for families without insurance and little ability to pay for materials.
That’s just mentioning a few of the natural disasters. Orphan Grain Train continues to send to all areas that need help – food, water, drywall, insulation, tools, cleaning supplies, storage units for storing tools and cleaning supplies, these units also contain sleeping quarters and shower units, hay for cattle, posts and wire to repair fences, and any rebuilding supplies needed. OGT is committed to long term help. OGT needs financial help so they can continue to provide financial aid, construction materials, and relief supplies to the families that have lost everything from these devastating disasters.
This grant of $4,000 to Orphan Grain Train will help ease the suffering of countless families that must start over rebuilding their homes and lives.
