How can you help?
As a member of a congregation of the Delaware-
Maryland Synod, please combine your sacrificial gift
to Sowing for the Harvest with gifts of others in
support of the three institutions as they build the
Church now and in the future. This campaign to expand
Christ's presence in our midst relies on all the
faithful...on each and every one of us.
Please consider your personal response to Sowing
for the Harvest prayerfully and carefully, giving
back in proportion to the blessings you have received.
We are asking not for equal gifts, but for
equal sacrifice, realizing that we have all been
blessed differently. Your gift may be made as a
pledge payable over three years on a monthly, quarterly,
semiannual or annual basis.
Gifts can be designated on the pledge card for
the general campaign and shared equally
among the three ministries. Or gifts can be designated
for a specific ministry.
Checks should be made payable to Sowing for
the Harvest Fund.
Donations of securities, life insurance policies,
real estate, and bequests also provide opportunities
for individuals to make a gift. For assistance
or information on these options, please
contact Ellen Scarborough in the Office of the
Bishop, Delaware-Maryland Synod, (410)230-
2860 or (800)869-5492.
Your prayers are also needed and encouraged for the success of the campaign.
Download a letter-size sheet of 3 prayer cards to print and share.
Download a full-color letter-size brochure about the capital campaign to print and share.
Download the 16-minute campaign video. Note that the video contains a 15 second test leader and that it is large file for those with dial-up connections. If you have difficulty viewing the video contact the webmaster.
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Why this partnership to raise $6 million?
Currently, the Church is experiencing a pastoral vacancy rate of more than 25%. Sowing for
the Harvest will help its partner ministries raise up new churches and new church leaders.
The Delaware-Maryland Synod is well along in achieving its goal of establishing one new
congregation every year. This wonderful growth within the synod will require more ordained
ministers to serve these churches. The ministries of both the Lutheran Theological Seminary
at Gettysburg and Mar-Lu-Ridge Camp and Retreat Center will address this need. All of
these endeavors cost money and need your support if they are to continue and grow.
Raise Up the Children
 Mar-Lu-Ridge Camp and Retreat Center
Located on 300-plus acres in the beautiful Catoctin Mountains of central
Maryland, Mar-Lu-Ridge is a year-round outdoor ministry of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America. Since 1959, it has changed children's
lives, made disciples, built lasting friendships, and fostered Christian
community. Countless Lutherans in their youth - including many pastors -
have encountered deeply personal faith-building experiences amid the
wonder of God's creation at Mar-Lu-Ridge.
Need: The funds raised in this capital campaign, in part, will be
used to build a new recreation/dining center at Mar-Lu-Ridge and
to provide additional building improvements. The recreation/
dining center will provide a place where campers can play and
enjoy fellowship together during inclement weather, something
current facilities cannot provide. The new center also will comfortably
serve the needs of large retreat groups.
Educate Them for Ministry
Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg
 Poised and focused for the future, Gettysburg Seminary is committed to increasing its enrollment, enhancing its faculty, and training new generations of leaders for the 21st century and beyond.
The oldest Lutheran seminary in the country, Gettysburg has graduated more than 5,400
men and women since its founding in 1826. It led the way then, and must continue to lead the way
now, bearing witness to the need to raise up new leaders committed to preaching the gospel in a
new century.
Need: The seminary plans to develop its historic campus; strengthen endowment support for faculty, scholarships and other programs; sustain its focus on Theological Education with Youth; undergird its Washington, D.C.-based Luther Institute; and broaden annual giving.
Plant New Churches
Delaware-Maryland Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The synod has 183 congregations preaching the gospel of Jesus
Christ. It's not enough. There can be no more important work for
the synod than to plant new churches. The synod has committed
itself, at a time when mainstream Protestant denominations are
on the decline, to plant one new church every year, and it has
done so. Seven new congregations have been planted in the
last five years, with an eighth on the way. Among them are Joy
Reigns Lutheran Church, Edgewater, Md., established in 2004
and now with 150 members and land on which to build its own
church; Peoples Community Lutheran Chapel, Baltimore, established
in 2005, now with 185 members; Grace of God Lutheran
Church, Millsboro, Del.; a Latino ministry at Peace Lutheran
Church, Glen Burnie, Md.; and an Ethiopian ministry at Second
English Lutheran Church, Baltimore.
Need: Securing the future of those churches requires
more support than the synod can currently provide. Your
contribution will help the synod raise additional dollars
from its parent denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America. |
