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    Make Malaria History

    St. Barnabas “Goes Green” for the ELCA Malaria Campaign

    Posted on June 26, 2012 by jessicanipp

    This past year, the confirmation group at St. Barnabas Lutheran Church in Cary, IL picked several service projects.  The ELCA Malaria Campaign was one of them.

    The group brainstormed different ideas for fundraising and voted.  There was a tie– the top two results for the ELCA Malaria Campaign were “hold a carwash” and “sell t-shirts.”  As a tiebreaker, the generous confirmation students decided to take on both projects. 

    On a cold, rainy day this spring, they rolled up their sleeves and washed $300 worth of cars! 

    The confirmation students at St. Barnabas designed and sold green t-shirts in their community to raise money for the ELCA Malaria Campaign.

    They also pooled their creativity to design, engage community sponsors and sell over 150 neon green t-shirts.  The front of the shirt features an outline of the African continuent and the words, “Got Malaria? 200 million people do!”  Community sponsors are thanked on the back.

    Confirmation teacher Karen Kerbyson lauded the enthusiasm of the group: “The youth really took this project and ran with it. Before I knew it, they had approached businesses in the community to ask for sponsorship. I had to scramble to keep up with them!”

    Due to the generous community sponsorship and an additional match from Thrivent, the St. Barnabas confirmation group was able to raise $1,738.25 for the ELCA Malaria Campaign.

    In June, the Vacation Bible School kids of St. Barnabas jumped on the bandwagon, bringing in all of their loose change and raising an additional $71.00.

    As they presented the check, the confirmation youth declared, “With Christ, all things are possible. Together we can end malaria!”

    We’re so grateful to the youth of St. Barnabas for their leadership within the congregation and within the community. They have inspired and energized their parents and other adults of the congregation to continue their efforts to raise money for the ELCA Malaria Campaign.

    ELCA Seminarians Act, Sing and Dance to Raise Funds

    Posted on June 19, 2012 by jessicanipp

    Martin (Rob Bork) proposes to Katie (Angela Storer)

    by Nathan Berkas

    Earlier this spring a number of students at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago performed a musical entitled, ‘Katie Luther: The Musical.’  The musical was written and directed by Sara Suginaka and Brock Klobe, two LSTC students, and was centered on the life of Katherine Von Bora – Martin Luther’s wife. 

    The musical featured an original script as well as thematic parodies of pop culture favorites – “Marty’s Girl,” “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Katherina,” “I Need A Hero,” and many more cleverly altered hits.  The performance was an incredible testimony to the students’ creativity, energy, and talent, with impressive performances from students in various graduate programs and classes.

    Aside from the obvious talent, the production was also a testimony to the students’ desire to support the ELCA Malaria Campaign.  Through a free will offering, LSTC was able to raise several hundreds of dollars and helped to raise awareness of the ELCA Malaria Campaign with the audience.  Prior to the performance, an LSTC student explained that the funds raised through the ELCA Malaria Campaign would go towards providing resources – mosquito nets, insecticides, medication, and education – in an effort to help eliminate the spread of this deadly disease.

    Melanchthon (Ben Adams) and his buddies lament that there's just one Katie and Luther got her. Musicians: Alex LaChapelle, Brock Klobe, Justin Tigerman and Ryan Gerlach.

    It was a wonderful night of singing, dancing, and laughing together, while learning about the life of Katherine Von Bora and supporting the ELCA Malaria Campaign.  A true example of ELCA seminarians “acting” locally, while thinking globally!

    The grand finale-- worthy of a standing ovation, no doubt!

    Many thanks to the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago for the photos and creativity! See more Katie Luther: The Musical photos here.

    Lower Susquehanna Synod team wows at assembly

    Posted on June 15, 2012 by jessicanipp

    The Lower Susquehanna Synod (in Pennsylvania)’s malaria team definitely made the most of their Synod Assembly this year.   Members of the malaria team created a fantastic display with some resources available from the ELCA Malaria Campaign.

    At the Lower Susquehanna Synod Assembly, participants were asked to donate $10 or $20 to the ELCA Malaria Campaign. Donors received a pin!

    We loved their clever display becuase there was so much going on. Volunteers from the malaria team engaged passersby with information about the ELCA Malaria Campaign, and all Synod Assembly participants received information about the ELCA Malaria Campaign upon entering the assembly hall. That was a great way to engage everyone in learning about the Campaign!

    At the display table, participants were invited to donate–right then and there–to the ELCA Malaria Campaign. The team invited donation of $10 (for a net) or $20 (for two nets).  Anyone who made a donation received a “Make Malaria History” button– not only a great incentive, but also free advertising for the ELCA Malaria Campaign.

    The team’s request for donations was very successful. More than $1100 was collected at the table display, and we know that many more Synod Assembly members will send their gifts in later.

    This Synod Assembly display is hard to overlook!

    The malaria team in the Lower Susquehanna Synod has a very ambitious goal– they want to raise $500,000 (half a million dollars!) for the ELCA Malaria Campaign. We’re confident that they can make their goal, because we know that the Pennsylvania Lutherans are generous people, and the team is very organized. They plan to reach out to all of the congregations and special ministries in their synod, including camps; ELCA colleges, campus ministries and seminaries;  synodical ministry organizations and retirement homes. They also plan to reach out to individuals in the synod who could potentially make major gifts.

    With a plan like that, we expect great things from the Lower Susquehanna Synod. :-)

    Many thanks to Christine Mummert, Lower Susquehanna Synod Coordinator, for these facts and photos!

    Good Gifts for Malaria

    Posted on June 14, 2012 by allisonbeebe

    The ELCA Good Gifts Catalog offers more than 50 gifts to give in honor of a friend or loved one. These gifts support the many ministries of the ELCA. Did you know that several Good Gifts benefit the ELCA Malaria Campaign? Mosquito nets and medical care are among the gifts that you can choose. To see all of the ELCA Good Gifts which relate to malaria, click here.

    Once you’ve chosen a gift, be sure to tell the honoree. The ELCA offers printable cards and e-cards so that you can announce your gift. Click on the links below to open the PDF files for the cards. Then, simply print them out, fold them up and send them off!

    Mosquito Net Card 

    Medication Card

    Village Heath Team Card

    Protect Women and Children from Malaria Card

    We are in the season of weddings and graduations. Consider making a gift in honor of a bride, groom or grad. Giving through ELCA Good Gifts provides a great way to support the ELCA Malaria Campaign and honor those close to you.

     

     

     

    Every 45 Seconds…

    Posted on June 5, 2012 by jessicanipp

    Many thanks to Pastor Kelly Derrick, of St. Philip in Roanoke, VA, for sharing this heartwarming–and heartbreaking–story with us.

    “Malawi is known as the Warm Heart of Africa.  For two weeks in May, five women from St. Philip Lutheran Church, Roanoke,VA experienced firsthand the warmth, grace and kindness of the people of Malawi (in southeastern Africa).  Our trip was in partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi.   Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, and yet, their richness of faith was without measure. 

    ‘The highlight of the trip, for us, was spending four days with our sister parish, Mponela Parish, molding bricks.  Mponela Parish is starting the building process for its Parish Center – a building which will serve as worship space and also as a gathering space and community center for the eight congregations in the Parish as well as for the people of the wider village community.  We joined our sisters and brothers – who were not too sure whether five American women could really do this work! – in carrying water, mixing mud and molding bricks. 

    “Despite the language barrier (English is the official language of Malawi, but most people speak Chichewa), we were able to learn from, laugh with and motivate each other as we carried water on our heads and molded 8,000 bricks in four days.  The work was exhausting!!  It highlighted the dedication of the people as well as the great need for nearby, clean water wells.  St. Philip has committed to raising the $50,000 needed by our sisters and brothers of Mponela Parish to finish their Parish Center.  Other congregations are invited to join in this support.

    Wakesa Maseka with her mother, Elizabeth. Three-year-old Wakesa lost her life to malaria two weeks ago.

    “The low point of our trip actually came after we returned.  While working with our friends in Mponela Parish, we stayed in nearby Madisi Parish.  While there, we got to know Abusa (Pastor) Anthony Maseke and his family – his wife Elizabeth, three sons, and daughter Wakesa.  We spent time blowing bubbles with Wakesa and the other children of the parish.  The Masekes invited us into their home, where Abusa Anthony, Elizabeth and little Wakesa shared with us a delicious local dish made from sweet potatoes and peanuts. 

    “On May 24, we received word that Wakesa Maseke had died of malaria.  She was three years old.  We were, and still are, devastated by this news.  She got sick shortly after we left Madisi, and just one week later she died.  Malaria is a devastating disease which continues to take too many lives.  Please consider supporting the ELCA Malaria Campaign, in memory of Wakesa.”

    Every 45 seconds, a child in Africa dies of Malaria. For the five women of St. Philip’s who traveled to Malawi in May, this number is now much more than just a statistic.

    If you are interested in hearing more about the St. Philip’s trip to Malawi, you can contact Pastor Kelly Derrick for more information: pastorkelly@stphiliplutheran.net.