Women of LCC plan for the future, LWMLC President Barta reelected

The logo of the 2015 LWMLC convention. (Find out more about the design here.)

WATERLOO, Ontario – Mission, service and fellowship are the elements Lutheran women consider key in an organization. How do you keep and increase those elements while making major revisions to how you are organized with the intent to free up resources, time and finances to respond in greater measure to God’s call? Women, meeting in Waterloo, Ontario, for the ninth national convention of Lutheran Women’s Missionary League–Canada (LWMLC), tackled this question in small and large group discussions.

President Barta addresses the convention. (Screengrab).

The convention saw Iris Barta reelected as President of LWMLC for another three years. “God is so good,” President Barta said following her reelection. “He has once again blessed LWMLC with a wonderful convention. We now begin a new triennium, knowing God will guide us and strengthen us to boldly ‘fan into flame the gift of God.’” Fan into Flame the Gift of God (based on 2 Timothy 1:6) served as the theme for this year’s convention.

A major topic of discussion at the convention was the development of a new structure for LWMLC. A broad outline with little detail was presented to delegates, leaving room for women of the church to provide their input on the plan before getting into specifics. A copy of the discussion paper is posted at www.lutheranwomen.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Discussion-paper-edited.pdf. President Barta welcomes comments and ideas from any woman of Lutheran Church–Canada (email them to president@lutheranwomen.ca).

Looking into the nearer future, delegates also selected which mission projects they will support with their “mites” in the coming triennium. A goal of $130,000 was approved for mission grants. The projects selected included needs in Nicaragua, Cambodia with a focus on women and children as well as support for the seminary in Ukraine. Projects in Canada ranged from supporting LCC’s mission in the Maritimes to the 2016 National Youth Gathering to a community cupboard in Kitchener and a technology upgrade for the seminary in Edmonton.

Other officers reelected at the 2015 convention were Roberta Nixon (Regina) as Vice President of Christian Growth; Gail Mitchell (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) as Vice President of Communication; Lorraine Kaija (Niagara Falls, Ontario) as Vice President of Member Development; and Rachel Kuhl (Kanata, Ontario) as Financial Secretary. New to the General Council are Renate Bishopp (Saskatoon) as Vice President of Christian Mission; Betty Ann McKinty (Red Deer, Alberta) as Recording Secretary; and Lorraine Weir (Winnipeg) as Treasurer.

The gift of generosity was much in evidence during LWMLC’s recent convention. Three offerings, totaling about $13,000, were taken during the event. The first supports the mission grant goal for the triennium, the second supports medical missions of the LWMLC Ontario District and the third supports LCC’s missions in Costa Rica. A walk for missions raised, through pledges, $12,115 with funds still coming in after the convention. Gifts of Love were gathered for Monica Place (Waterloo, Ontario), an agency devoted to helping young women who have chosen life for their babies. Five carloads of items were received along with approximately $1,000 in cash and $600 in gift cards. During servant events the morning prior to the convention, delegates folded gauze bandages, and created pillowcase dresses for Haiti and CLWR, tray cards for hospitals and care homes, and “everyone deserves a birthday” kits.

Video of the convention is available online at http://livestream.com/accounts/687388/events/4151820.

———————

Print this article