Honorable Mention: Resourcing Churches over 1,000
Lutheran Church of Hope
Name and Location: Lutheran Church of Hope; West Des Moines, Iowa
Denomination: Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA)
Pastor: Mike Housholder
Date Founded: 1994
Weekend Attendance: 6,947
Email: pat.quaid@hopewdm.org
Overview: Lutheran Church of Hope is helping transform lives and livelihoods of people infected with and affected by HIV in several African nations as well as in Iowa. Over the past two years, the congregation has raised nearly $1.3 million, and is committed to becoming a "50-50 church, in which 50 percent of the church's annual budget of $5.1 million would be spent to fulfill its mission statement: "Reaching out to the world around us and sharing the love of Jesus Christ."
Specific Initiatives: Lutheran Church of Hope funds the work of five organizations committed to helping the AIDS pandemic:
- AIDS Project of Central Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa - Offers case management, advocacy, one-on-one support, housing assistance, transportation, emergency financial assistance and anti-retroviral drugs to more than 20 percent of the nearly 1,600 men and women in Iowa who reported they are infected with HIV.
- Blessman Ministries, Limpopo Province, South Africa – Builds safe and affordable housing to create new communities for children orphaned by AIDS. The project will provide these children protection and reduce the likelihood they will be molested or sold into various forms of slavery.
- ChildVoice International, Lukodi, Uganda – Delivers physical and emotional care and spiritual healing for children and their families who have been devastated by civil war. It is also planning to expand into medical care for AIDS patients.
- Globe Serve Ministries, Accra, Ghana - Utilizes more than 50 pastors to encourage and empower men and women through a wide range of spiritual and professional educational service.
- World Vision, Matatiele, South Africa- An an area development program of the global Christian organization, in which staff provide educational services to help prevent the spread of HIV, as well as specialized agricultural and nutrition programs for people receiving anti-retroviral medication.
Engagement of the Congregation: After hosting the World Vision Experience: AIDS exhibit, the church sent two members to a World Vision project in South Africa in 2008, and plans to send 12 more in 2010. In addition, 500 members participated in the annual AIDS walk to raise funds for assisting Des Moines area residents affected by HIV and AIDS. Nine people from Lutheran Church of Hope visited Ghana in 2009 to work in agriculture projects, and to help host a three-day training program for women leaders in Ghanaian churches. The church also has reached out to the Des Moines community. In September, 2008 they hosted an event in which 12,000 local residents packaged meals for people in South Africa, Haiti and Tanzania.
Judges' Comments: "The work that Lutheran Church of Hope is doing to reach into the darkest corners of the world is inspiring. Not only are they reaching people in Africa, but they are reaching out to those affected by AIDS in their local community, something that is not on the radars of most local churches. Their goal of giving 50 percent of their operational budget to reach outside of their walls is unprecedented. The judges hold Lutheran Church of Hope in very high regard."
