Missions
“Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers.” Luke 10:2
“Serving with Love”, the Missions Team provides leadership to attend to the needs of people at the global, national and local level.
Global Partners – Go into the World…
Through the ELCA we enjoy a companionship in Christ with the North Central Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania and the Arcot Lutheran Church in India.
Lutheran World Relief
Faithful St. James members cut and assemble quilts and school bags. Large and small pieces of fabric become a message of peace and love as they are stitched together and sent to those in need.
These quilts are donated to meet needs in our country. Sewn bags are filled with necessary school supplies that enable children to attend school and have a better future. More workers mean more quilts and school bags will be made.
We support small farmers around the world through sales of Lutheran World Relief Fair Trade items. Fair Trade is a way of doing business that acknowledges the worth and basic human rights of all people. When you buy Fair Trade items, more of the money you spend reaches the hands of the people who produced them. Look for the Equal Exchange coffee, tea, cocoa, olive oil, and chocolate bars on the shelves next to the Art Gallery.
Disaster Relief
Volunteers from St. James have gone on trips to help homeowners rebuild following disasters in Biloxi, MS and Minot, ND. Volunteers return from the trips energized by the experience stating “We definitely received more than we gave. We bonded in a special way with each other and really felt the Lord’s presence among us.” These disaster rebuilding efforts involve a cooperative effort of many members who support the volunteer workers through financial gifts, needed materials and prayers.
Lutheran Disaster Response to Hurricane Sandy on the east coast was another call to action resulting in generous contributions from St. James members and other area churches. Items for “Flood Buckets” were purchased and assembled by many helping hands. Tom Fox and Bill Kempf personally delivered these much needed supplies to Staten Island. Tom presented the idea for providing help following these disasters. He was humbled and gratified by the ways that “God’s Work, Our Hands” was revealed each time through the work of the Holy Spirit among the members of St. James.
Local
Mission emphasis at St. James includes local Habitat for Humanity building projects. Over the years, St. James has provided and served lunch to the Habitat Saturday volunteers in Moline, Rock Island, and Davenport.
The special offering on Good Shepherd Sunday has been designated for Lutheran Social Services of Illinois. Locally the In Touch Adult Day Center in Moline is part of the ministry of LSSI.
There are a number of local outreach programs that our members support and participate in. These include Adopt-A-Highway, serving suppers at the Christian Care Rescue Mission in Rock Island and food pantry donations.