Global News

News

Lutheran Malaria Initiative: Why Malaria?
Malaria kills more than a million people a year, but it is easily prevented and treated.

Malaria is a disease of poverty. It exacerbated the conditions of poverty by making people too sick to work or tend their fields, becoming a major barrier for people trying to lift themselves out of poverty.

A child dies of malaria every thirty seconds.

Three quarters of those killed by malaria are pregnant women and children under the age of five in Africa.

The Good News: We can make a difference
The world knows how to fight malaria. Efforts to prevent, treat and contain the disease are simple and can be successful.

There is global momentum right now to contain malaria. The United Nations and many non-profit foundations are working on preventing and treating the disease. The time is now.

Simple steps make a big difference. Eliminating standing water, providing anti-malaria medications and insecticide-treated bed nets, and education are all key elements in the fight against malaria.

Our congregation has an unprecedented opportunity to join with other Lutherans in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, and Lutheran World Relief in working to fight malaria through the Lutheran Malaria Initiative. This July our VBS students kicked off our efforts to fight malaria. They learned about preventing and containing malaria and gave offerings to provide bednets. Thank you to the VBS students, teachers and parents!
Stay tuned to learn more about what we can do to “Cast our Nets” and make a difference.

New Equal Exchange coffees to try!
Lutheran World Relief and Equal Exchange are proud to announce a new coffee line from the LWR Coffee Project. Old favorites like Sisters’ Blend (now available in whole bean) and Breakfast Blend are joined by two delicious new offerings: Breakfast Blend Decaf and Gumutindo – a totally new coffee straight from LWR and Equal Exchange’s partner in Uganda! Please see Al Anderson to place your order.

Lutheran Malaria Initiative
The Lutheran Malaria Initiative is a focus of the ELCA and its partners in Lutheran World Relief. The Minneapolis Area Synod has been chosen as a pilot in using the Companion Synod Program to implement the fight against malaria. Malaria is preventable and treatable, yet a million people die from it every year. Opportunities will be available soon to be involved in this important campaign to prevent malaria by use of insecticide-treated bednets.

May 2010

Thank you for your support!
Some of the money from recent fundraisers will be used to resume support of the evangelists who work in the outreach areas of our Mubi, Nigeria partner church. Some will be retained for a future trip to Nigeria to reconnect with our partners, possibly in fall, 2011.

Companion Congregation Celebration
Some members of First Lutheran will attend the celebration sponsored by the Global Companion Table of the Minneapolis Area Synod for churches in a companion relationship with congregations in the global church. It will be held on Thursday, May 13 at St. Barnabas Lutheran Church in Plymouth. Main topic will be how to involve children and youth in companion relationships.

Water and Wells in Nigeria
Jay Johnson has returned from a six-week experience traveling to Nigeria as a water engineer while working with the Lutheran Church of Christ. To see pictures and learn about the people he met, his purpose, and what he found about the status of water and wells in Nigeria, visit Jay’s blog at jayinnigeria2010.blogspot.com.

Global News continued...

Fair Trade Coffee