Twenty-One Baptisms and One Adult Confirmation of Nepali Christians Celebrated

One of the main aspects of the season of Epiphany is the recognition that Jesus Christ is the Savior who has come for all nations. This wonderful truth was very much evident at Ascension Lutheran Church in St. Louis on Sunday, January 12 during the congregation's 11 am service where 21 Nepali worshipers were baptized and one adult, Gagan Gurung, was confirmed.

Over the past three years, Christian Friends of New Americans (CFNA) helped connect these new Americans from Nepal to Ascension for Word and Sacrament ministry. Thanks to the dedication of many lay volunteers, 20-25 Nepali worshipers get a ride to and from worship at Ascension each Sunday morning. At Ascension, Nepali Christians participate in a bilingual Bible study, worship, and enjoy fellowship.

The partnership between CFNA and Ascension is reminiscent of the apostle Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”

Individuals from CFNA, Ascension, and the Nepali community have labored among this group of immigrants, and yet God is the One who has given this growth. May the Lord of the harvest continue to bless the work of CFNA and the congregations with which they partner!

By: Rev. Matt Clark, Ascension Lutheran Church

Photos by LCMS Communications/Eric M. Lunsford

See all the pictures at the LCMS Photo Site.

Christmas at Holy Cross

Mandira Tamang, Buddhi Tamang, Beki guragai

There was joy. Resounding, loud, wild, excited joy filled the hallways and old classrooms of the school building at Holy Cross Lutheran Church. The world was there in all sorts of accents and colors—and there was joy.

Approximately 70 children and adults gathered on Monday December 16th to celebrate the Joy of the Christ child with Christmas festivities. Warm food and drink started the evening off as youth and adults visited, sharing conversation and even some sharing their dinners. Youth divided into age groups and created ornament crafts as well as playing games and transforming friends into tissue paper Christmas trees!

Joy continued as the group marched over to the Holy Cross sanctuary, pouring itself out in songs and scripture readings. Pastor Bob Bernhardt shared a message of hope and trust reflecting on the good plan of God to send a Savior to our broken world, and someday restore our full joy in His New Creation. Children cheered as heartfelt thank yous were shared with tutors and leaders of CFNA. The evening closed as children received gifts donated by Village Lutheran Church and SLU’s Filipino Student Association, and then skipped away with siblings and chaperones taking joyful hearts home to share!

The Lord has come and the Lord is coming—Joy to the World!

By:  Sarah Bernhardt

Space Heaters for New Americans

gagan gurung, Mani gurung

During the recent cold snap, with wind chill temperatures at times nearly -30 degrees, sufficient heat in homes and apartments became a genuine concern. In response to a CFNA appeal sent out shortly before Christmas, 30 space heaters were received from numerous generous donors. Each heater was received with much gratitude.

Through the good efforts of CFNA volunteers and facilitators, especially Mr. Gagan Gurung, these were distributed to New American families either prior to or during the cold weather. It is estimated approximately 125 New Americans were the beneficiaries of this effort. A majority of the recipients had arrived in St. Louis from refugee camps in Nepal within the past six months. All credit to Gagan for quickly identifying the most needy families.

As with all refugees, they arrived with very little.  In addition, some were experiencing heating problems, as was the family of Mani Gurung. His rented home had been without heat for the previous three days, forcing the family to move in with others.

For Mani and all the recipients, the heaters were received as a most fitting Christmas gift from those in the Lutheran community who took this opportunity to be of service, responding as Christian friends.

Nepali Singers Surprise TRIVIA NIGHT Attendees

By Bonnie Matzat — Photos by Ron Virus

CFNA held its sixth annual Trivia Night on Saturday, November 16th, at Webster Gardens Lutheran Church and with approximately 225 participants; it was their largest Trivia Event to date. Significant for CFNA, the number of New American participants was also the largest – perhaps 30 or more. To the delight of everyone, Nepali Singers led by Gagan Gurung sang Thy Loving Kindness in Nepali and in English, and captured the essence of CFNA.

Pastor Joel Christiansen welcomed the attendees who enjoyed a light supper of chili and snacks. Following the meal, trivia competition and bingo games began. Joanie Harwell and Stanish Stanley read this year’s trivia questions. Jerry and Joyce Birk served as bingo callers. Throughout the evening, a silent auction was held. There was a grand offering of sale baskets, gift certificates, and an assortment of useful and interesting items.

Many helping hands contributed to the success of the evening. Volunteers sought donated items for the silent auction and picked them up, prepared food, organized auction items, managed ticket sales, set up tables and chairs, and served in various other ways. CFNA extends its sincere thanks to each and every one of them.

CFNA is especially grateful to the congregation of Webster Gardens Lutheran Church for the use of their facilities and for their helpful support. Appreciation is also expressed to the Christ for Youth Charities Foundation and to several Thrivent chapters providing matching funds.

Thanks to all who came, all who served, and to other generous donors!

Thanks OGT!

With 18 branches, the Orphan Grain Train network extends across the nation, and their reach is global. During approximately 20 years of ministry they have provided assistance to children in Uganda, students in Trinidad, orphans in Mongolia – and many more! The Scripture passage undergirding the ministry is from John 14:18 “I will not leave you as orphans.”

Though initial efforts began by sending shipments of grain and goods to the Former Soviet Union, OGT also operates a center in St. Louis located on the premises of the former Concordia Seminary campus on Jefferson Avenue.

From this facility they provide many items local churches, food pantries or mission societies need in their efforts to assist the underserved, including growing numbers of immigrants and refugees (primarily refugees) now residing in urban St. Louis.

During the past five years OGT has partnered with CFNA for outreach to these New Americans. Their steady supply of food items, warm winter clothing, medical supplies, small appliances and more have been gratefully received by numerous recipients. To be sure, this plays a vital role in CFNA’s “quick link” initiatives; i.e., the commitment to link with New American families as soon as possible upon their arrival in urban St. Louis.

OGT is blessed with approximately 30 volunteers who serve on a regular basis, thereby enabling this mission agency to move tons of needed supplies through their facility on a monthly basis.

Questions or donations?  Contact chairman Robert Eggers at 314-856-0537.

Again, THANKS OGT!

From information provided by Mel and Carolyn Stortz, members of Faith Lutheran Church, Oakville.

Students of the Month

By Judith Meyer

If you are talking with Karina (age 12) and Spencer (age 9) Ferguson, you would never guess that 3 years ago, they lived in a small town about two hours from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, the capitol city, and spoke only Spanish. They and their parents moved to St. Louis to join their grandparents and other family members. One reason for coming was to help care for their grandma, who is in a wheelchair. Initially, they went to a public school, but the Adopt a Student scholarships they both have received enabled them to transfer to Green Park Lutheran School in Fall 2012. They live quite close to the school and their family has joined Resurrection Lutheran Church, where their baby sister was baptized.

Karina and Spencer’s mom served as a translator for doctors and other professionals before their baby sister was born last year. Their dad owns a roofing firm. A cousin from Honduras has been visiting for the last month; he is here in St. Louis visiting colleges with the plan to attend college somewhere in the United States next year.

Karina’s favorite subject at Green Park is literature, which is not surprising since her favorite activity is reading fiction. Karina really likes Green Park, not only because she has lots of friends, but because she likes how they teach—“I understand more.”  Spencer likes that Green Park is smaller, less crowded, so he can actually know more people. He sings in the Green Park Choir, and is a member of the LEGO Club. Spencer’s favorite out of school activity is playing with LEGOS, whether alone or with friends, and he plans to be a builder when he grows up.

Both Karina and Spencer expressed thanks for the scholarships which enable them to attend Green Park Lutheran School.

Thank You Abiding Savior!

Steve and Blake wofford install handrails

One of the enthusiastic SendMe teams from Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in South County (4355 Butler Hill Rd., STL 63128) served at the Peace Center on Saturday, October 19. The help they gave CFNA was amazing, and the cheerful cooperation of the seventeen men, women, teenagers, and children on the team was a joy to see. Look what was accomplished by the SendMe team:

• The Peace Center received an attack of “deep cleaning” on all 3 floors, creating a freshness throughout the building by the end of the day.

• Construction work in the lower level included installing attractive paneling in the art room—very nice! Two handrails were added for safety on basement stairs. Adjustments to the restroom will prevent possible leakage and improve the lighting. A pine doorframe in the basement was sanded.

• On the main floor, ceiling tiles were replaced.

• Outdoors, concrete was poured to extend of the concrete ramp to the parking pad. Trees were trimmed. Weeds were pulled. Exterior windowsills where paint was peeling were scraped and painted. Missing screws were replaced in the benches on the deck.

During the team's lunch break, they participated in a devotional Bible study with the Christian Friends of New Americans leaders present. Another part of the SendMe mission was to distribute “Random Acts of Kindness” items, Life Books, and money to bless someone at the work site or in the surrounding community.

A teenage team member used his smartphone to send pictures taken of the servant event at the Peace Center to another service team creating a power point “collage” for the 29 teams at work throughout the St. Louis area. To conclude the day, CFNA leaders, Rev. Stanish Stanley, Rev. John Loum, & Mr. Rich Leigh, were among those who joined the teams at Abiding Savior for a meal and praise service.

The full day’s agenda for Abiding Savior’s SendMe included breakfast, packing lunches, announcements, and worship at the church from 7:00 to 8:30 a.m.; traveling and working at sites, 8:30-4:00; barbecue supper at church with guests from the work sites, 4:30; celebration reports and praise service, 5:30 to 7:00.

Again, our thanks to the Servant Team from Abiding Savior for their great work at the Peace Center, and for their partnership in reaching out to New Americans!

By Ruth Mattson

Betty Bass - Student of The Month

Betty Bass, an eighth grader at Word of Life, came to St. Louis from Sierra Leone when she was five years old. She, her mother and baby brother joined her grandmother, grandfather and several aunts and uncles, who had come to St. Louis several months earlier. She remembers very little about Sierra Leone, including the language she spoke there, although now she speaks Creole, which helps her communicate with fellow immigrants from Sierra Leone. Her father and her three older brothers remain in Sierra Leone and she has not seen them since she left eight years ago.

Betty attended Scruggs Elementary for kindergarten through second grade, which is where she learned English. She transferred to Word of Life for third grade and is debating between Lutheran South, Gateway Science Academy and Central Academy for the Arts for high school.

Drawing and fashion design are favorite activities for Betty, who is considering a career in fashion design. She is learning to sew, and has several books that allow her to design clothing for paper models. She also loves music—hip hop, gospel and rap—and sings in the Word of Life Choir; she dreams of being a female rapper and singer. Another career option she is considering is teaching. Right now she plays basketball, and expects Word of Life to have a good girls’ team this year.

She is in confirmation class at Timothy Lutheran Church, where she is also an active member of the Junior Youth Group. Occasionally she joins the Tagloma Fellowship for their Saturday evening gatherings at the Peace Center organized by Gerald Brewah, although most of the people who participate are adults.

By Dr. Judith Meyer

Dr. Maze Bi Ndukum - Volunteer of the Month

My name is Gerald Brewah, Facilitator for the CFNA Scholarship Program, originally from Sierra Leone, West Africa. It is my delight and honor to introduce to CFNA E-News readers one of the newest members of the CFNA family (and volunteer of the month). She is Dr. Maze Bi Ndukum, a postdoctoral trainee at Washington University. Maze is one of the few female scientists in the diaspora hailing from Africa and I believe her involvement with CFNA will send a strong and positive message to all New Americans, particularly women, to seriously consider the study of science. Without a doubt, science is not only meant for boys, but for girls too.

It has been recently reported that St. Louis has the potential to become one of the fastest growing tech centers in the nation, not unlike Silicon Valley of just a couple decades ago. Moreover, St. Louis could remain strongly competitive because it has some of the finest universities in the nation. I therefore hope CFNA and Dr. Maze will continue to encourage the young minds of New Americans to consider science as a field of study. Here is what Dr. Maze Bi Ndukum wishes to share with our readers:

“I was born and raised in the city of Bamenda located in the Northwest Province of Cameroon, West Africa. I had the privilege to attend a Catholic elementary school for 4 years, it was great time in my life. My parents raised us in the Catholic Church. Due to financial constraints however, my parents had me transferred to the public school. Because of the initial exposure to early Christian education, I always wanted to go back. So my parents let me attend a Catholic high school called St Augustine’s college Nso, and this is where I received my High School diploma in 1997. I enrolled at the University of Buea, in Cameroon where I studied for a Bachelor of Science and later a Master in Science degree in Microbiology. I developed a deep interest in science. Shortly thereafter, I received an opportunity to attend graduate school to study for a PhD at Saint Louis University, which I received with great joy.

“Presently, I am a postdoctoral trainee at the Genome Institute’s Human Microbiome Project laboratory at Washington University School of Medicine here in St Louis. As a research trainee, I am receiving training to become a Research Scientist. Specifically, I am studying the effectiveness of the pneumococcal vaccine given to children in two developing countries — The Gambia in Africa and Bangladesh in Asia. This is a very interesting study that has prospects to help reduce disease burden in these places. It is also a great opportunity for me as I get a chance to experience what it takes to set up and carry out international collaborative research.

“I learned about CFNA during a conversation with Pastor John Loum. With his encouragement our son started attending school at Word of Life Lutheran School, and we are honored that our son is a recipient of the CFNA scholarship this year. When I can, I like to speak with other children about the work I do now, to inspire them to think positively of their future. To this effect, my children and I recently enjoyed being part of the Peace Center Tutoring program for a science presentation to the students about DNA extraction from strawberries.

“I have had several challenges in life including moving from Cameroon to St Louis and adapting to life here as a student, new wife, and new mother. However, my most recent challenging experience is still on going. My family recently went through a divorce. This has been a very difficult time for us, really devastating for our family and so hard to watch our children suffer for what they did not cause and for them to feel pain they did not deserve. I say so because my parents are still together after 45 years of marriage, and I had many negative feelings, like feeling that I failed my children. This experience has also helped me and our children to draw close to God. I gradually have learnt to rely on God’s Word. I felt we are lost with no family and I have been consoled by God’s Word in Psalm 68:6 which says “God places the lonely in families; He sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.” I feel that God has answered our prayers and has placed us in several families, of which the CNFA family is one of them.

“It is a blessing for me to be the mother of three wonderful children; Nevin, Nina-Annette, and Lisa. With them, Aunty Frunwi and our extended family, I have the most enjoyable experiences. My children are still very young and they need me a lot now and I enjoy very much doing things with them and watching them grow.”

Note: Dr. Ndukum and her family attend worship services at Timothy, and occasionally Ascension, Lutheran Churches.

By Dr. Maze Bi Ndukum with Mr. Gerald Brewah

CFNA Welcomes Mr. Charlie Caciano

Please help CFNA welcome Mr. Charlie Caciano as its new Treasurer, replacing Carrie Duesenberg who now serves as Business Manger.

 By way of introduction, Charlie serves as a Senior Partner of Morgan Consulting LC, which he founded 13 years ago. He earned his M.B.A. with an emphasis in finance from Webster University, and holds a B.B.A. from McKendree University. Charlie has been a licensed certified public accountant since 1983.

He recently served The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) as Chief Financial Officer for the Concordia University System (CUS) comprised of ten colleges and universities located across the country, and as Director of Financial Affairs for The LCMS Board for Higher Education (BHE) consisting of two seminaries. During this time, he was also appointed as Chief Operating Officer of Concordia University in Ann Arbor, Michigan to lead a team to position the university for future growth.

Charlie has also served on numerous non-profit boards in Missouri and Illinois, and currently serves as a co-captain for Team Caciano, a volunteer cycling team that raises funds to support cancer research.

He is married to Marcia and they have four children: Adam, Darcey, Caroline and Reed. They are members of Concordia Lutheran Church, Kirkwood.

Again Charlie, WELCOME!

CFNA Golf Event

will woelzlein, keith beier, mark kiessling

“FORE!” rang across the rolling green hills graced by gorgeous puffs of white in a brilliant blue sky. The putter of golf carts mixed with the sounds of chirping birds, and jolly banter filled the green of the Norman K. Probstein Golf Course at Forest Park in St. Louis on September 25. CFNA hosted their inaugural golf benefit complete with a putting contest, deli luncheon, ethnic food tent, delightful dinner, raffle, prizes, and of course—plenty of golf! The course was dotted with signs that explained the CFNA ministry, and while snapping pictures throughout the day I was approached by numerous other golfers (not with the event) eager to find out more about our efforts.

Eighty one golfers participated in the festivities, with a repeating chorus of comments at dinner affirming, “What a wonderful event and turn out, we can’t wait to invite more next year!” CFNA extends its sincere appreciation to all who participated and to the hard-working committee.

By Sarah Bernhardt

Baptisms at Messiah

Sunday, September 8 was special as three members of the Bhutanese community, who have been attending worship services at Messiah Lutheran Church, were baptized and officially became part of God’s family, drowning their old sinful self and bringing to life a new self dedicated to God. They are Giri Basnet, Bhim Basnet, and Ganga Bhandary, all of whom have been active in a Home Bible Study, and with whom initial contact was made through the ministries of CFNA. As each came forward to be baptized you could see their joy of anticipation as they looked forward to receiving their new life in Christ.

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:38-39).

This Bible verse accurately describes what happened Sunday, and the baptism demonstrated how God welcomes all into his family regardless of race or gender.  Hopefully their example will serve as a beacon to guide others who remain skeptical to God’s love and sacrifice for all.

By Jonathon Okine

Festival of Nations

Buddhi Tamang, jerry birk, joyce birk, rev. eddie mekasha, mandira tamang

On August 24 and 25 the International Institute again sponsored the annual Festival of Nations event in Tower Grove Park. With more than 100 ethnic communities represented and over 125,000 participants, this almost certainly represented the largest diversity event, not only in St. Louis, but in the Midwest as well.

For the fifth consecutive year CFNA was among those invited to provide an exhibit, one of the few faith-based organizations asked to do so. During the two-day Festival more than 300 people stopped by to enquire about CFNA and an even larger number of brochures were distributed. Several signed up to be included in the distribution list for the monthly CFNA E-Newsletter.

We extend our thanks to Ann Crosslin (CEO), and the staff of the International Institute for featuring CFNA on their exhibit list. Our thanks also to Rev. Eddie Mekasha, Jerry and Joyce Birk, New Americans Buddhi and Mandera Tamang, and several other volunteers who helped staff the exhibit for the two days.

From information provided by Rev. Eddie Mekasha

Art Exhibit

Self Portrait. Danait Gebremedhen (Ethiopia), age 11, no previous art experience.

The scent of injera (Ethiopia) and Tikil (Nepal) Gomen mixed with African rice and spicy salsa wafted across the kitchen, delighting the appetites of visitors as they contemplatively paged through a long line of sketchbooks. Drawings, paintings, sketches, writing, thoughts, feelings, wants, filled the pages of 15 books that started the summer empty and ended overflowing.

August 16th CFNA hosted an open house art exhibition for the students who participated in Intersect—a summer program that used art as a catalyst to empower, teach, and build relationships. The youth experienced basic drawing and painting techniques, sketching people and animals from life, block printing, dry point etching, as well as photography and film. Over the course of three months we explored the topics of belonging, identity, community and storytelling. We practiced a range of skills from rendering techniques, to developing content, to constructive critique. We focused on extending our attention span for visual thinking and critical reflection. Over 30 youth participated throughout the summer with 15 showing in our exhibition and about 50 people including students, families and volunteers and community members celebrated at our open house.

The exhibition focused on sharing that process. The process of seeing and making. The process of connecting and growing. The sketchbooks revealed our students’ very inner discovery and commitment to thinking, practicing and creating. Each day of art class students took time to work in their sketchbooks exploring whatever was on their minds, practicing skills, or responding to prompts. The walls of the basement art room at the Peace Center were covered in a mass of colors and shapes and marks. In the transition space of the hallway upstairs we projected two films created collaboratively by the youth; one an ‘idea map’ about belonging and the other a gestural performance about the paradox of childhood play and violence. In the upstairs space we shared a wonderful international buffet, our well-worn sketchbooks and a very personal film from a high school student, Lewam, about her history as an Eritrean refugee.

This was the process of creating a place to belong. This was the process of making art and relationships. These were the processes of building a community that loves one another as Christ has loved us. This is the process of learning to know Jesus.

We hope to continue weekend classes during the year- please contact Sarah Bernhardt if you are interested in being involved! Check out the Intersect Project website for contact information, to find out more, and view some of our art!  http://www.intersectstl.com/

Bhutanese Elders at Messiah

rev. Michael okine, tara basnet, govinda ghalley, rev. will miller

Messiah Lutheran Church recently added two Bhutanese men to their board of elders. This was done to ensure that the needs of the Bhutanese refugee community in St. Louis (now more than 1,000, located mostly in south City) are constantly before the pastoral staff and remain a priority for the elders. The two men are Tara Basnet and Govinda Ghalley.

Tara and his family became baptized members of Messiah on August 21, 2011. Govinda became a baptized member shortly thereafter. Formerly of the Hindu faith, both arrived in the USA three years ago and settled in St. Louis. Their initial contact with Messiah was through a Home Bible Study in Tara’s home initiated by CFNA in partnership with Messiah Lutheran Church.Both were approached by the pastoral staff to serve as elders because of their maturing Christian faith. Their consistent and reliable support for both Pastor Will Miller and Rev. Sam Thompson as they continue work among the Bhutanese as part of Messiah’s larger outreach to South City has been greatly appreciated.

We wish the very best for Tara and Govinda as they undertake their new responsibilities, and may our Lord bless Messiah Lutheran as it continues its outreach efforts among New Americans.

From information by Rev. Will Miller

Vacation Bible School

With over 40 registered students between grades K and 6 from six birth nations (Nepal, Eritrea, Mexico, Ethiopia, Iraq and Sudan), the 2013 VBS got off to a great start. During the three day event (July 15-17), 33 of those registered participated at least once, but most were present for all three days.

Webster Gardens Lutheran Church again partnered with CFNA for this special cross cultural ministry event, providing curriculum materials with a focus on the prophet Jonah, large group programs, snacks and nine staff members led by Rev. Brian King.

CFNA was pleased to provide a similar number of staff members, many of whom were New Americans (from five birth nations). Their primary role was to serve as small group leaders, which they handled very well. Interestingly, most of these leaders have been studying in Lutheran schools as CFNA scholarship recipients for the past several years.

Our thanks to Webster Gardens Lutheran Church for their partnership, and to the New American youth for their participation.

Reverend Stanish Stanley

Born in Mumbai (Bombay) India as the son of a Lutheran Pastor, Reverend Stanish Stanley is an ordained minister of the India Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELC), a Partner Church of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod.

Rev. Stanley has served as an IELC pastor at the Vasai Lutheran Malayam congregation in Mumbai. He also initiated a preschool and scholarship assistance program for Lutheran children, this in partnership with Children’s Christian Concern Society, a Recognized Service Organization (RSO) of the LCMS. Rev. Stanley is now pursuing his Ph.D. degree in Historical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.

Rev. Stanley recently accepted responsibility as Coordinator for the CFNA After School Tutoring program. Held twice weekly at the Peace Center for nine months each year, the After School program regularly attracts 60 to 70 New American students each week, all of them capably tutored by approximately 15 volunteer teachers.

Rev. Stanely is married to Beenakumari Stanish, and they have been blessed with two lovely children; Catherine age 7 and Riona age 3.

Pleased join us in extending a hearty welcome to Rev. Stanish and Beena Stanish and their children.

Ministry Through Art

Merhawi holds up his sketchbook. “Does this look right?” he asks, face and hands covered in black charcoal from his drawing. “Wow! Let’s look at the shapes and the shading over here” I suggest as we learn to look and to see closer. I look around the room and a smile spreads across my face as I see 15 students from across the world all together—here in St. Louis—making art. Each one busily works in his or her sketchbook, practicing, thinking, reflecting, imagining, creating. Three days a week for three hours we meet in the basement art room of Christian Friends of New Americans facility. Light streams in from the far left corner illuminating walls pinned full of sketches, prints, and inspiration. We have spent the summer exploring drawing, painting, printmaking, photography and film! We learn about seeing the world, we learn about seeing and listening to each other, and we learn about seeing Jesus. We hope to share this exploration with you on August 16th at an art show open house from 7-9 at CFNA!

Sarah Bernhardt has been blessed with the opportunity to run this program through the generous use of CFNA’s facility and a grant from Washington University in St. Louis. The program has run throughout the summer engaging youth from ages 6-17 in conversation and creation of art, friendships, and a voice for the St. Louis international community!

By:  Sarah Bernhardt

The Baptism of Shiva and Lachi Rai

Messiah Lutheran Church on South Grand was recently blessed to receive Shiva and Lachi Rai into membership through Holy Baptism in July. Shiva was a priest in the Keerath religion, a synchronistic religion mixing Hindu and animistic beliefs. His conversion to Christ has had an impact on the younger members of the Bhutanese community in South City and has already contributed to others asking for baptismal instruction. But Shiva was not the first of his family to express faith in Christ. Not only did his wife, Lachi, first express her faith in Christ, but his son and daughter-in-law were both baptized before him.

Shiva’s story is an example of the Holy Spirit’s power through the preached word. Reached initially through CFNA outreach ministries, the first time Pastor Will Miller and PhD student Rev. Sam Thompson from Messiah visited his home, Shiva was so upset that they were there to speak about Christ with his wife, Lachi, that he kicked a table as he left the room. But, over time, as Christ was proclaimed in his living room to his wife, Shiva’s heart also began to soften to the good news of forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus. Later, when he asked for baptism, Shiva shared that he had already spent his whole life in service to other gods and other “lords” whom he had served out of fear, but that he was now ready with the rest of his life to follow Christ who loved him.

This miracle of the Holy Spirit in the conversion of this household also has much to teach us who work with New Americans because it was only through great patience that the gospel continued to be preached to these wonderful people. Though Lachi professed her faith in Christ early on in the work, Shiva would not give his blessing as the head of the household to her baptism for over a year. During that time, Lachi suffered as she attended services at Messiah every Sunday and eagerly desired to join the rest of the congregation at the Lord’s Table. But this godly woman’s patience and respect for her husband is to be credited with her husband’s eventual conversion. What Lachi and her son Tara, who was also gently speaking with Shiva during this past year, have to teach all of us in God’s mission is that prayer, love, and patience are the greatest weapons in this good fight of faith that have the power to take down the strongholds that the world erects against Christ.  Praise be to God for His work in bringing salvation to New Americans in South City!

By:  Rev. Will Miller

Volunteers Of The Month - Jerry & Joyce Birk

Jerry & Joyce Birk were born in St. Louis, and have resided in South County for over 50 years. They met while attending Harris Jr. College. Jerry graduated from Saint Louis University with a Major in Geology, and Joyce is a graduate of Central Missouri State University with a degree in Elementary Education. She has taught in the Lindbergh and Mehlville School Districts. They have been married for 53 years, have four children and nine grandchildren.

The Birks have been members of Peace Lemay for over forty years. Jerry is an Elder and served on the Evangelism Committee where he became enthusiastic about reaching out and telling others about Christ. Joyce currently sings in the Chancel Choir, is on the Social Ministry Board, and has been teaching ESL and Citizenship Classes to New Americans.

After the Bosnian War, when many refugees were coming to St. Louis, Pastor Kastens encouraged us to attend the first planning meeting of a new Lutheran Outreach to Bosnians. Shortly, thereafter, CFNA was the name chosen for this ministry, an organization that continues to grow and serve Christ and many New Americans from several nations. We began working together with Pastor Tony Boos, and many concerned volunteers. We started ESL, Computer Classes and Citizenship Instruction at Peace Church. We made many new Bosnian friends through sports programs and other social gatherings.

Joyce's most enjoyable experience has been meeting New Americans, helping them become American citizens, and seeing their children graduate and participate in "The American Dream!" Jerry's was traveling to Bosnia with Pastor Boos. They visited many different cities, staying in the homes of relatives of Bosnians they had met in St. Louis. They experienced Bosnian hospitality and culture. Jerry's visit enables him to meet many Bosnian strangers and share his visit with them. Our challenge is to show our friends the great love and care Jesus has for them.

We have been blessed to have a mission field in our backyard. We thank the Lutheran Foundation, CFNA, Christ Memorial, Peace Church, and all our teachers and coaches who have served the Lord with Joy.

By Jerry & Joyce Birk