Wheat Ridge Ministries of Itasca, Ill., announced that it is awarding more than $400,000 in grants to 15 congregations and to help 12 new projects of other ministries. The congregations include six in the Missouri Synod.
Grants totaling $370,000 are going to new efforts of 12 “health and hope” ministries, including:
* $35,000 to People of the Book Lutheran Outreach, Dearborn Heights, Mich., to provide affordable and immediate medical facilities in rural areas of Pakistan;
* $35,000 to Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries, to establish a horse-riding program for persons with disabilities;
* $30,000 to Orphan Grain Train, Norfolk, Neb., to develop a program for educating missionaries and partner-church workers to recognize and identify areas where medical missions can fill a need for physical care, identify personnel, place them in the field and find funding for their work; and
* $35,000 to Lutheran Community Services Northwest, Seattle, to provide safe and secure Latino foster parents to meet a growing need for placing Latino children.
The Synod congregations that are receiving a portion of the $32,000 in Wheat Ridge Health and Hope Grants are Benediction Lutheran Church, Milwaukee; Christus Rex Lutheran Church, Rio Rico, Ariz.; Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, DeWitt, Iowa; Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church, Bronx, N.Y.; St. John’s Lutheran Church, Decatur, Ill.; and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Perham, Minn.
For information about Wheat Ridge grants, contact Wheat Ridge Vice President Richard Herman at (800) 762-6748; wrmhermanre@wheatridge.org; or visit the Web site http://www.wheatridge.org/.
January 2004
