St. Martin's Mission Work
St. Martin's Lutheran Church is involved in many exciting missions in and beyond our community. Below are brief descriptions of several of these missions. Please contact Mission Team leader Maureen Berghoefer at 798-4820 if you would like more information about missions at St. Martin's or if you would like to get involved.
Lutheran World Relief
LWR seeks lasting solutions to poverty and injustice and in doing this compels American Lutherans to put their faith to work. St. Martin's concentrates on making quilts that bring warmth on a cold night. The people of St. Martin's also donate items for health care kits to help refugees maintain personal hygiene while living in exile. Ordinary items become extraordinary gifts of comfort and love. "They will know we are Christians by our love."
Plant a Row Garden
Plant A Row is a garden ministry at St. Martin’s. People in the congregation adopt garden rows and help with planting, maintaining and harvesting their row. The fruits and vegetable are donated to the Middleton Outreach Ministry (MOM) where they are distributed to families. In the past five seasons of donating over 3,000 pounds of produce, we have established a great relationship with MOM.
Men’s Homeless Shelter
St. Martin’s has been serving evening meals at the Men’s Homeless Shelter for 15 years at Grace Episcopal Church on W. Washington Avenue, Madison. Members of the congregation sign up to make food and deliver it to the church kitchen at 6:30 pm. and then a group of volunteers deliver the food to the shelter and help to serve. We arrive and set up food, place hot items in the steam table. We begin serving by 8 pm. and usually finish about 9 or 9:15 pm. Our congregation shares this ministry with St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. During the summer months we have served 60-70 men per night and during the winter 90-125 men per night. In addition to our wonderful group of volunteers who help with this ministry, Confirmation students and the Senior High Youth Group have also helped serve. The men utilizing the shelter are very appreciative of the good we bring and the time we spend there.
Giving Tree
The purpose of the Giving Tree is to provide needed items to area families during the holiday season. This short-term ministry, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2009, runs from the week prior to Thanksgiving through the week following Christmas and is one of the largest ministries at St. Martin’s. In 2008 nearly 400 members were directly involved. The Giving Tree is largely dependent on individual donations and is organized by several small groups of volunteers. The miracle of the Giving Tree is St. Martin’s response to Mathew 25:35: "I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me…"
Habitat for Humanity for 2011
From the Dane Co. Habitat for Humanity website:
Things are moving along for the Duplex Build in Mt. Horeb, WI this summer. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered so far to help with the build. We have had a great response! More are always welcome.
At the February meeting, the plans were reviewed and discussed. The duplexes will make a great home for two families. Plans have been submitted to the plan commission for approval. People are getting excited !
It is anticipated that the build will start in July so the major push now is to finalize the fundraising effort for the build. This build is a collaboration of Thrivent contributions, corporate contributions, private contributions and donations in-kind. GIK donations can include; excavation, plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing materials, gutters, siding, soffit, and fascia, insulation, drywall, and flooring. About $3,000 is needed to start the build, with fundraising events scheduled throughout the summer to raise the remainder.
There are numerous events scheduled during the summer to help raise funds. If you would be interested in helping with this, let me know and I will get you in contact with the organizer. Some of the events include:
• Helpers earn $10 per hour for bike races: Horrible Hilly—June 18, the Insane Terrain—July 9, and Dairyland Dare—August 13
• Brat stand at Miller Foods in Mt. Horeb on Saturday, Sept. 3.
As mentioned last month, we are looking at working one Saturday a month through the build, with a goal of five to eight people each Saturday. There will an opportunity to provide lunches similar to what we did previously. So, if you are interested in getting in involved please let me know, no skills are needed. You can participate on whatever days will work out for you. We have a lot of fun, we laugh, eat good food, and work hard. Watch for work schedules next month.
Middleton Outreach Ministry (MOM)
The need is great and MOM helps prevent homelessness and end hunger.
In 2011 MOM helped 600 families a month (in 2010: 420 families per month; 2009: 300 families per month).The MOM Food Pantry gave out 700,000 lbs. of food in 2011 (in 2010: 430,000 lbs.).
In addition to food, they offer clothing, housing assistance, help for seniors, school backpacks, Thanksgiving baskets, gifts at Christmas, and support for people who sometimes have nowhere else to turn.
The need continues and St. Martin’s continues to help. Many of you contribute in ways I’m not aware of, but here is the list I came up with:
1. Food Drive in April
2. Individual members donating food and clothing throughout the year
3. Plant-A-Row Garden (thanks to Ralph and all the other volunteers)
4. Contributions of school supplies
5. ‘Stuff the Truck’ at Terry’s in September (thanks for help from Youth Group)
6. Our wonderful Giving Tree
7. Volunteer driver for the Senior Program
8. Remitt Program (thanks to June Feely)