Mission Sunday

Mission Sunday - Ablaze

October 19, 2003

“Igniting the Fire”

Praying to the Lord of the Harvest, LCMS World Mission, in collaboration with its North American and worldwide partners, will share the Good News of Jesus with 100 million un-reached or uncommitted people by the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017.

            Through this new initiative, Ablaze, every member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is invited to actively become involved in Christ’s mission as the Holy Spirit uses us to ignite the hearts of 100 million people world wide with the love of Christ.

            We are invited to become mission responders and to become actively involved through the actions of Praying, Learning, Sending, Going, Telling, and Celebrating the Good News about Jesus.

            Today, we celebrate Mission Sunday.  Today is the day to ignite the fire among us.  Ablaze is the new mission initiative within the Missouri Synod that will go into the year 2017.  But today we begin to act.  Under the theme, “Making the Most of Every Opportunity”, the South Wisconsin District, in partnership with the LCMS Foundation will be holding a special Mission Appeal Sunday on January 25, 2004.  Through this appeal we will be able to support missions in our own communities, in the South Wisconsin District and through out the world.

            On January 25th, each family is invited to prayerfully and sacrificially give a financial gift to “Missions” equaling twice the amount of our regular Sunday offering.  This gift is to be given over and above our regular Sunday offering.  For instance, if we normally give $50 per Sunday, on Sunday, January 25th, we would give our regular offering of $50 plus a special offering in the amount of $100 dollars in the special envelope provided.

            This gift to “Missions” will be divided in the following manner: 50% to the South Wisconsin District Missions, 25% the Lutheran Church –Missouri Synod World Missions and 25% back to local congregations for use in mission activities in our communities.  Through these offering the Good News of Jesus will be spread through out the world and Wisconsin through cross-cultural ministries to African Americans, Hispanic, Asian, and Hmong communities, (99% of more than 40,000 new Asian residents in Milwaukee are non-Christians).  Our mission dollars will also support ministries to the deaf, campus ministries, prison and nursing home chaplainries as well as new mission church starts.  And 25% of these mission dollars will come back to local churches for Congregations Day School ministries, Vacation Bible School and Radio ministry.  Through these special offerings we will be able to not only maintain our current mission programs, but expand it under the grace and blessing of the Lord.

            Today’s offering will be sent to the South Wisconsin District office as seed money towards the gift that we will send on January 25th.  Today we ignite the fire and become mission responders as the Lord set our hearts Ablaze with passion to share Jesus Christ with the world.  Amen.