INVESTMENTS

When Hannah, Benjamin, and Seth Meyer obtained their first K.I.D.S. Stamps, they became the third generation to invest in the LCEF ministry. Their parents, Darcy and David Meyer, tell their children that LCEF is a stewardship and ministry tool, as well as a way to invest safely.

Darcy’s parents, Dr. Gary and Nola Treece, of Yakima, Wash., helped her invest in LCEF when she was a child. David’s parents, Rev. Laurence and Ona Meyer introduced him to the program when he attended Emanuel Lutheran School in Hamburg, Minn., and participated in the Minnesota South District’s stamp program. Rev. and Mrs. Meyer say that “there is something special in knowing another generation enjoys preparing for the future and supporting the Lord’s work.”

Kenya has a fast-growing Lutheran population, yet a relatively small number of full-time pastors. In order to assist and support Lutheran congregations, missions, and schools in this largely Muslim country, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kenya (ELCK) constructed a new building called Luther Plaza in Nairobi. LCEF assisted the ELCK with a construction loan made possible through the Arthur C. Haake World Ministry Fund. According to LCMS World Mission, the ELCK has 70,000 members yet only 110 pastors to serve them. The three-story building houses ELCK headquarters, and the central diocese and Nairobi Parish offices, and ministry space. The yet-unneeded extra office space is being rented out to help sustain the operation of the building.

In November, the congregation of St. Paul Lutheran Church and School in Concordia, Mo., dedicated its new education building. It will house the lower grades of the school, as well as the school administrative offices. An upper floor remains unfinished and will provide space for future expansion. LCEF is a proud partner to the congregation as St. Paul’s members seek to provide quality space for better outreach to the community and service.

Laborers For Christ was asked to assist the congregation at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, El Centro, Calif., to add nearly 1,000 square feet to its original Spanish-style church, which now serves as its fellowship center, Janke Hall. The congregation uses the hall for church and community meetings, classes, and social events. It also has a satellite worship site at the Hispanic Outreach Center in El Centro.

This spring, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Sturgeon Bay, Wisc., members will mark the one-year dedication anniversary of their 14,000-sq.-ft. worship and education facility, which also includes an inviting coffee and snack area. With the creation of the new space, the congregation is rejuvenated, Pastor Nathan Lewis said, and members seek ministry partnerships with food pantries, group homes, clinics, work places for people with special needs, resource centers for those with mental illnesses, and youth clubs. LCEF was blessed to partner with Prince of Peace to fund the expansion.