National Missions

ELCA Ministries National

Seafarers & International House (www.sihnyc.org)

“Real Presence … Real Mission” So what does this mean—really? It is all about Christ, His presence, His mission. We exist as an expression of that same life-giving spirit through services that foster human dignity and nurture the human spirit for the stranger we have yet to meet. It is primarily a ministry of care and support for seafarers, who spend months at sea, separated from family support and friends. Through a ministry of presence, we reach out to these seafarers in various seaports throughout the Northeast. Ours are hands of welcome and outreach to those who would otherwise feel isolated and alone. Our mission is to welcome and support these brave seafarers, to care for their physical, spiritual, psychological, and emotional needs, and to serve as a link to family and other loved ones. Whether at port, on the water, or in our guesthouse, we want to be viewed as a “home away from home.” In other words, our visits, our services, and our presence make a real difference.

However, this presence is not solely for the seafarer. We have a mission to the sojourner as well. This could be an international visitor who seeks refuge in our guesthouse. It could be a seafarer at the end of a long journey or a career in maritime work. It could be a student seeking lodging as a part of a internship project. It could be a family seeking comfort and care while a loved one receives medical treatment in a local medical center. It could be a woman-in-crisis who has lost self-worth and dignity. It could simply be an individual seeking a sense of meaning or direction for their life. We are real presence for the least, the lost, and the lonely. But there is even more—really! We represent an embodiment of Christ’s presence in Word and Sacrament ministry as a social ministry arm of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Therefor, our ministry, though ecumenical in outreach, finds its identity and mission in and through support of this larger community of faith. Our mission to the sojourner provides a meeting place or retreat center for congregational groups or individuals who meet at the guesthouse in their own spiritual journey.

Lutheran Social Services (www.lssne.org)

Our services for older adults include the separately incorporated Lutheran nursing homes of Southbury, CT, and Worcester, MA. Emmanuel House Residence in Brockton, MA, and Luther Manor in Middletown, CT, offer assisted and congregate living. Emanuel Village in Worcester, MA, offers independent living for low income elderly and moderately disabled adults. In July 2004, ground was broken for Luther Ridge in Middletown, CT, an affordable complex that offers independent and assisted living in an integrated setting. The Adoption Program of LSSNE offers services of domestic and international adoption throughout New England. The Agency has formal adoption agreements with countries in Asia and Eastern Europe. Through its membership in the nationwide Lutheran Adoption Network, (LAN), LSSNE is able to facilitate adoptions from many additional countries. Offices are located in Rocky Hill, CT; Worcester, MA; Concord, NH, and Cranston, RI.

Camp Calumet (www.calumet.org)

On the northern shore of Lake Ossipee, at the edge of New Hampshire’s magnificent Mount Washington Valley, Calumet is the camp and conference center partnering with 200 congregations of the New England Synod, ELCA. Throughout the entire year, Calumet hosts thousands and thousands of folks of all ages, from all backgrounds and all walks of life. In addition to supporting Calumet directly, each year Zion Lutheran pays one-half of one week’s tuition for every Zion young person who attends summer camp.

Youth Encounter (www.youthencounter.org)

Incorporated in 1965 as a non-profit religious organization, Youth Encounter is an evangelical and confessional Christian organization that began by sending a music ministry team to Scandinavia. Rooted in the Christian Scriptures and shaped by the Lutheran tradition, Youth Encounter has now grown into a global ministry serving churches of many denominations in the United States and over 40 other countries. Youth Encounter’s National Teams are music ministry teams that present interactive programs about the gospel of Jesus Christ, using music, personal testimony, puppet shows and drama. CAPTIVE FREE will have many opportunities to listen, learn and share while visiting homes, schools, churches, nursing homes and youth conferences.

National Ministries (non-ELCA)

The Gideons International (www.gideons.org)

The Gideons International serves as an extended missionary arm of the church: Our sole purpose is to win men, women, boys and girls to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ through association for service, personal testimony, and distributing the Bible in the human traffic lanes and streams of everyday life.

Crop Walk (www.churchworldservice.org/CROP)

CROP Hunger Walks are “Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty”– neighbors walking together to take a stand against hunger in our world. Together we raise awareness and funds for international relief and development, as well as local hunger-fighting.

Covenant to Care (www.covenanttocare.org)

Covenant to Care for Children is a nonprofit, private agency working with faith communities to meet the needs of abused, neglected, and impoverished children and teens. Through a network of volunteers, individual donors, and businesses, we work to foster caring and nurturing environments for children and youth. Our main initiative, Adopt A Social Worker, matches social workers with faith communities to assist in providing the basic goods to meet the material needs of children. Last year, an estimated 27,850 children in Connecticut received basic necessities through the Adopt A Social Worker program. With the help of more than 200 faith communities and over 1,000 volunteers and donors we have served more than 500,000 children since the agency was founded in 1987.