At Messiah Lutheran Church in Mauldin, a day does not go by that someone doesn’t say one of two things: “Ask Tom” or “Tom would know that.” Tom Manske is the “Tom” to whom I am referring even though we do have many other “Toms,” members of our congregation, who are also very valuable and talented. You know the type. I’m sure you have a “Tom” in your own congregation!
This spring, the National Workshop on Christian Unity brought together many different denominations for a time of work and worship. This gathering is a network of networks, including LEIRN (Lutherans), CADEIO (Catholics), EDEIO (Episcopalians), UMEIT (United Methodists), EPEDA (Evangelicals and Pentecostals), and others. These networks conduct their own network business meetings in some separate sessions and then come together for plenaries, worship, and break-out sessions.
On March 17, 2018, a Small Leaf Linden was planted in Wittenberg, Germany, for the Lutheran Campus Ministry in Clemson, South Carolina, USA. Students from this Ministry travel to Wittenberg regularly. The 2018 trip was the seventh.
Made possible through generous grant support from the SC Synod’s Growing in God’s Mission fund and the Stewardship of Life Institute, the SC Synod conducted a pilot project for electronic giving (e-giving) from September 2016 through August 2017 with eight SC Synod congregations in the upstate and midlands. In exchange for project participation, the synod reimbursed administrative expenses associated with VANCO’s Simply Giving credit card/debit card and electronic check (e-check) platform. The focus of the pilot project was answering the following question: Does electronic giving merely result in the same gift at a higher cost of doing business, or do electronic giving tools increase giving?
This is, and has been, the mission of the South Carolina Lutheran Retreat Centers at Camp Kinard and Coastal Retreat. It’s truly a lofty mission and our board of trustees and staff have wrestled for the past few years with how we are called to live into this vocation. With such incredible resources to offer at these special places, we want to ensure they are playing a vital role in helping individuals grow in faith within the SC Synod and beyond. And we believe the Holy Spirit is doing just that here at Camp Kinard and Coastal Retreat!
Believing in the presence of God, the value of human life and the dignity of the individual, the mission of Lutheran Homes of South Carolina, Inc. as a ministry of the church, is to promote the well-being of older adults by providing residential, health care and hospice services.