|
From left: LCEF President Merle Freitag, San Pablo Congregation
Chairman John Silva and his wife Lucy, Maria Merlo and her husband
Pastor Alex Merlo, LCEF Board Chairman Jack Schumacher
|
|
 |
|
Back row: Executive Director Paul Maras and his wife Jill
and Pastor Jock Ficken and his wife Gail,
from St. Pauls Lutheran in Aurora.
Front row: John Silva and his wife Lucy
and Pastor Alex Merlo and his wife Maria.
| Iglesia Evangelica Luterana San Pablo of Aurora, Illinois, was selected by the Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) to receive its prestigious Fred E. Lietz Mission Project Award. The award was presented November 18, 2005 at LCEF's annual Leadership Conference in Palm Springs, California.
"San Pablo Lutheran has been recognized for 'making a difference' in its community," said Merle Freitag, LCEF President. "The Fred E. Lietz Mission Project Award recognizes outstanding efforts of a mission project associated with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod."
Accepting the award for San Pablo were Rev. Alex Merlo and his wife Maria, and congregation chairman John Silva and his wife Lucy, shown in the first photo with LCEF President Merle Freitag and LCEF Board Chairman Jack Schumacher.
Joining the celebration were representatives from San Pablo's mother congregation, St. Pauls in Aurora: Senior Pastor Rev. Jock Ficken and his wife Gail, and Executive Director Paul Maras and his wife Jill, in the second photo.
"We believe Iglesia Evangelica Luterana San Pablo is providing a marvelous ministry model for other LCMS congregations that serve immigrant populations," said Larry Ulrich, Northern Illinois District LCEF. "San Pablo and St. Pauls Lutheran Church are showing other congregations the way for reclaiming urban ministries—connecting people to Jesus Christ in the same church homes occupied by past generations of immigrants."
In his nomination, Larry described how San Pablo Lutheran is reaching out in the community. "The ministry includes a strong 'praise band' that is completely lay volunteer-driven with music that is Hispanic in flavor. The congregation also offers English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes that draw approximately 100 adults from the community each week. San Pablo has a strong children's ministry that includes a community summer Vacation Bible School program. And each year, Pastor Merlo leads a mission trip to Honduras, bringing together members of three other LCMS congregations in the district along with San Pablo members. These Christian missionaries visit and continue to help rebuild a rural community in Honduras that was devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998."
The offering from the conference's Sunday worship, earmarked each year for the Lietz Mission Award winner, was $6,800.
San Pablo's story began in 1987 when St. Pauls Lutheran Church and Emmanuel Lutheran Church formed an outreach ministry, Iglesia Evangelica Luterana Cristo Principe de Paz, to reach out to the Spanish-speaking community in Aurora. In 2000, Cristo Principe de Paz Lutheran merged with St. Pauls and became known as San Pablo Lutheran.
In 2003, St. Paul and San Pablo began a planning process intended to define a strategic direction that would lead the two congregations into the future. "The leadership of San Pablo expressed an interest in purchasing property from
St. Pauls via a loan from LCEF," says Rev. Alex Merlo. "The congregation's 10-year plan positions San Pablo to successfully expand its strong outreach—evolving from German immigrant roots to serve a community now dominated by a new ethnic group."
Partnerships were important in the planning process, which included the Lutheran Church Extension Fund, Church Development Partners and the Northern Illinois District of the LCMS. Partnerships continue with area congregations (Cross, Yorkville; Word of Life, Naperville; Peace, Lombard; Immanuel Batavia; St. Mark, St. Charles; Immanuel, Downers Grove and St. Pauls, Aurora) involved through member participation on a Board of Advisors San Pablo is engaging to further its ministry in the immigrant community on the East side of Aurora.
San Pablo's ministry currently serves 140 communicant members with an average weekly worship attendance of more than 100.
The Lietz Mission Project Award recognizes outstanding efforts of mission projects associated with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. The award is named in honor of Fred E. Lietz, the first Executive Secretary of Church Extension at the LCMS when it formed in 1957. In 1978, when the Lutheran Church Extension Fund incorporated, Fred became the first President of LCEF. Fred and his wife Carolyn attended this year's presentation in Palm Springs. The mission projects selected annually for this award are reaching out to people who have not yet heard of Jesus Christ. Through the spark of the Holy Spirit, these missions are helping set the world Ablaze for Our Lord and Savior.
The mission of the Lutheran Church Extension Fund is to provide opportunity to make funds and services available in support of the Great Commission through The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. The not-for-profit organization provides low-cost loans and facility-planning services to churches and schools of the LCMS through the investment support of church members. For more information about LCEF, call 1-800-843-5233 or visit the LCEF website.
Page Last Updated: 7/20/2007 10:01:24 AM
|
