SERVICES

For 30 years or more, LCMS has tried to start a church in Grove, Okla., one of the fastest growing retirement communities in the country. Happily, this year the congregation of Immanuel Lutheran broke ground for a new church! Lutherans in this area have held a constant faith they could build a church, and now are doing just that, with the help of Capital Funding Services and an LCEF loan.

The pastor at Redeemer said the great thing about SMP is that the lay people continually focus on their "best understanding of God's calling and plan" for them. If they are having a meeting and decisions are being made, someone in the group will usually call attention to their SMP and say, "Remember our plan. Is this decision a part of our plan? Is this the direction that God's calling and plan for us is pointing?"

Frederick, Colo. is located north of Denver and attracts many young families with children. However, until recently, there were no LCMS churches in the community. Pastor Jeremy Jacoby and his wife Julie were looking to plant a church in the northern Denver area and used an LCEF demographic study to assist in the process. The new church, Family of Christ, began in 2007, and the congregation has since used the demographic information to send out mailings to introduce the community to this new church. Membership is growing, so the congregation is using Strategic Ministry Planning to further define its mission.

Building an Open Arms Child Development Center in Gainesville, Fla., the congregation at First Lutheran has opened a place that promises to be a neighborhood anchor, not just a day care for children.

With the help of LCEF’s Strategic Ministry Planning (SMP) service, the congregation developed a better understanding of God’s calling and set a comprehensive plan for the future. A capital campaign helped support the congregation’s new mission, and LCEF partnered with the congregation for the construction loan.