Global Ministries and Partners
African Mission Partner – Masama Mboreny Lutheran Parish in Moshi, Tanzania
The roots of our partnership with Masama Mboreny Lutheran Parish in Moshi, Tanzania date to 1989 when the ELCA was beginning a program to bring pastors of growing churches of Third World countries to the United States to learn about parish ministry.
Over the life of this ministry, Faith has made financial gifts in the hundreds of thousands of dollars which has been used to build a nursery school and kindergarten, a granary, brought electricity to the village, and a roof on the church. We have also made financial donations to combat hunger and AIDS education, to support the daily ministry of the parish, provided medication, surgical and medical supplies, equipment and instruments, shared scholarship monies for local children, as well as fund graduate and theological education for lay leaders and pastors. A church bell used to announce worship services, church and community events was located and shipped, with support by the New Jersey Women of the ELCA. As needs are identified, financial gifts have been shared to support ongoing ministries of the parish.
New Jersey Synod Mission Partner – St. Stephan’s Grace Community – ELCA
Faith enjoys a partnership with St. Stephan’s Grace Community, a Lutheran church in the Ironbound section of Newark. The church has members who speak English, Spanish and Portuguese and worships in those languages each week. The congregation celebrates their partnership with community partners and other synodical affiliations annually with a shared liturgy each fall.
Faith’s backpack collection takes place over the summer and each August, we share more than 4 dozen backpacks filled with school supplies with the children and the community at St. Stephan’s Grace. Faith also provides gifts from the Christmas Sharing Tree each year for the children of the congregation, as well as an invitation to attend Faith’s Confirmation Retreat with their confirmands each spring. Each month, members of Faith provide Tutoring for children in first grade through high school, as well as English lessons for their parents and adults in the community. The Knit, Purl and Pray group also makes Magic Reading Blankets, scarf sets, and slippers for the children.
Pedals for Progress
Throughout the year, Faith collects bikes on behalf of Pedals for Progress (P4P), an organization that recycles bikes for people in developing countries. Bikes collected have been shipped to Latin America, Africa, Thailand, and other Pacific Islands. The simple gift of a used bike transforms lives by providing reliable transportation to work and school, transporting produce to market, accessing health care and other essential services.
