May God Bless You Today

andrew bergantz, noah and ethan gjelvik add mulch to the playground

children enjoying the playground

installing a new window

Thank you, Dr. Bill Matzat and Concordia Lutheran Church Kirkwood! May God Bless You Today!

Dr. Bill Matzat and many Concordia, Kirkwood members together with Peace Center volunteers from around the world have helped make the Peace Center much more beautiful and functional. Bill’s painstaking grouting May God Bless You Today above the entrance welcomes everyone! The team has further enhanced the entrance with a wall of glass block windows and more decorative wood work that names the building and our purpose.

bill with eric Gjelvik, Dr. john lautenschlager, bob gill and others.

During the past eleven years the CFNA Peace Center at 4019 S. Grand Blvd., has been the beneficiary of no less that 11 (yes, 11!) renovation and/or enhancement projects provided by servant event teams from Concordia. These teams led by Rev. Bill Matzat have made the entire facility more efficient, eye-pleasing and safer.

The first project was the renovation of the kitchen and fellowship room. Tearing off outdated wall paper, adding coats of fresh paint and new tile flooring added much beauty and warmth. Notable improvements elsewhere in the building included glass block windows for the first floor Computer Room and basement areas, providing a feeling of space and light as well as adding security. More protection was added with wire mesh cages for our a/c and windows not visible from the street. The parking area was covered with a wooden deck and now is always dry for games. A playground was created with decking, seating areas, flowering trees, play equipment, and fencing. The most recent servant event, this past June, added a horizontal ladder (see photo).

Thank you Pastor Bill, Concordia servant event participants, and our New American friends for a job well done! May God bless you today!

Rev. Al & Carol Buckman Concordia, Kirkwood

A St. Louis Missionary

Rev. workeneh, wife ayni and family

Rev. Theodors (Teddy) Workeneh, together with his wife and family, arrived St. Louis on July 28, 2014 from Ethiopia to enroll as a graduate student at Concordia Seminary. The following month he began part time service with CFNA as a Facilitator. In addition to facilitating the enrollment of Ethiopian and Eritrean refugee children into LCMS schools, he was also responsible for maintaining relationships between the schools and the families of these students.

In July of this year, having graduated with a Masters degree in Sacred Theology, Teddy began service with CFNA as a full time missionary among the 5,000 Ethiopian and 1,500 Eritrean people in the St. Louis area. Though a large majority consider themselves to be part of the Christian community, less than 25 percent are active in any Christian denomination. A mission field to be sure!

rev. workeneh with leaders

As would any missionary, Rev. Workeneh began his ministry by building relationships. Not only has he been reaching out to numerous families through the distribution of welcome packages, home furnishings and more, he has also established relationships with the leaders of the local Ethiopian and Eritrean communities.

The needs of these communities are not only reflected in the afore-mentioned activities, but also in the After School Tutoring program Rev. Teddy recently established at the Peace Center. Additionally, a leadership training class has also been started, in which three young men from Ethiopia and Eritrea have been enrolled.

Indeed, challenges and opportunities abound for this ministry, and the approximately 30 people now meeting weekly for Bible Study at the Peace Center. Clearly, with God’s blessings, Rev. Workeneh is off to a great start. Moreover, his partners at CFNA, the LCMS Missouri District and Timothy Lutheran Church are fully prepared to be of further assistance. Let’s be sure to keep Rev. Teddy and his family in our prayers.

By Rev. Allan Buckman, with Rev. Teddy Workeneh

rev. workeneh and members

Jaylynn Bernhardt

Editors Note: Born in Romania and adopted at the age of four, Jaylynn is one of approximately a dozen Lutheran Young Adult Corps volunteers assisting congregations and mission societies of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod this year. Resembling the Peace Corps, this innovative LCMS program only recently became fully operational. Here Jaylynn tells her story.

I was raised in Portland, OR by my parents, Douglas and Karen Bernhardt, with six older siblings. After graduating from high school last year, I completed one year of studies at Southwestern College in Oregon majoring in childhood development and family studies.

Earlier this year I found out about the Lutheran Young Adult Corps. It gives young people from all around the country the opportunity to serve in different cities, doing various types of work with churches and organizations. For the next ten months I will be serving with CFNA and also with the Compass/Intersect program at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, both located in south St. Louis.

I very much look forward to working with all the volunteers and families affiliated with CFNA. Because I too, am from another country, I have a special place in my heart for working with people who are from other countries.

In my free time I enjoy swimming, dancing, listening to music, and being with my friends and family. I am very blessed to be able to be part of CFNA and see all of the wonderful works of service CFNA provides for people. A big thank you to everyone who has welcomed me into this program and for your love, teaching, and warm fellowship. It is great to see how awesome St. Louis, and the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod really are!

By All Possible Means

By All Possible Means

The Apostle Paul writes: “I have become all things to all people that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22).

Paul writes that although he is a totally free person, he chooses to make himself a servant, a “slave to everyone” so that he might bring the good news of Jesus to as many people as possible. It seems to me that the mission of Christian Friends of New Americans is like that. I have seen different ethnic refugee groups and families come to the Peace Center and participate in activities.

In that setting and in other churches, people of good will have reached out to welcome new refugees to our city and nation. For Christians, the goal is to share God’s love so that “by all possible means” we can connect them to Jesus and His body of followers, the church.

Helping at the Peace Center is hard work — always a degree of chaos, and lots of help needed with transportation, program support, volunteer recruitment, fund-raising, and facility upkeep But we see the CFNA vision bearing fruit as we continue to reach out to new families, to people young and old, over and over, so that “by all means” we might share with them the love of God in Jesus Christ, which is the “power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16).

Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for the opportunity to reach out to New Americans. Help us to rejoice in the work of the Holy Spirit in the refugee community, and give us lasting joy as we share the love of Christ with people of “every tribe and nation” in as many ways as possible. Amen.

Chaplain Ted Wuerffel St. Louis, MO

LWML Mission Trip

shresti counting jars

making progress

The lwml team with some happy recipients

Our 2017 LWML short-term mission trip to Christian Friends of New Americans was truly a blessing. Five sisters in Christ from the North Wisconsin District, one from Minnesota, and two from St. Louis took part in this servant event among refugee women and children.

On Friday, July 28, 2017 we held a Vacation Bible School with 26 children registered. It began with music and an opening devotion. The children were then separated into groups and were guided from crafts to lessons, and then to various activities including snacks. We closed with a puppet skit as well as water games outdoors. The children were such a joy to work with. They all seemed very excited to be part of our Vacation Bible School. Later in the early evening we did some cleaning and painting around the Peace Center.

On Saturday, we took some of the refugee women to Eckert Farmers Market to purchase fresh peaches. We enjoyed lunch with the women, and later shared God’s Word. Then we taught them how to can freezer jam. To be sure, they were pleased to take freezer jam home to share with their families.

The photo at the top was taken during our canning demonstration. The mother in the foreground, together with her two children, also joined us for the Vacation Bible School. We were so blessed to be with the women and children, and what a great opportunity to share God’s Word and His love with all of them.

Serving the Lord with Gladness!

In Christ,

Mary Scharenbrock Second Vice President, North Wisconsin District LWML

Closing the Gap

Getting ready. Students and book bags

Every year, families with school-age kids spend hundreds of dollars on school supplies. For some parents, especially among New Americans, providing backpacks and basic school supplies for their children may constitute a genuine financial challenge.

This year members of Concordia Lutheran Church, Kirkwood stepped up with a substantial collection of back packs and school supplies for distribution among New Americans. Twenty-three recently arrived Ethiopian and Eritrean children were the beneficiaries, and it was a blessing to see how these gifts brightened the faces — and the hearts — of these children. As an LCMS pastor to the Eritrean and Ethiopian immigrant community, I gratefully acknowledge and thank the generous donors and the congregation, without whose timely support this much appreciated assistance for these families would not have been possible.

pastor workeneh with a happy recipient

Among Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrants, a significant gap exists between those who regularly gather around God’s Word and those who do not. Clearly, God uses the generosity of His servants to further establish His Kingdom, especially among these immigrant people. Those of us who lead this effort are very much enabled by your continued generosity, and we request your continued prayers and financial support. Questions? Please contact me at ayted94@gmail.com.

We praise God for His many blessings!

By Rev. Theodors (Teddy) Workeneh Evangelistic Missionary Ethiopian/Eritrean Bible Fellowship

CFNA’s YMCA Swim Program

having fun!

“Pastor Stanish… is there swim today? I want to come; please wait for me, okay?…”, was Abishek Gurung’s plea when he realized that he and his group of friends were a little late. The bus taking them to the Summer Swim Program at the O’Fallon Park YMCA was about to leave. He was among the 60 New American youngsters registered for an event that was designed not only to teach swimming skills, but also to strengthen relationships between CFNA and New Americans in the south St. Louis area.

With students from nine different birth nations (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Iraq, Nepal, Syria, and Congo), the program definitely provided a genuine cross-cultural experience for all involved. In addition to the students and a half dozen well-qualified, service-oriented YMCA staffers, 10 CFNA volunteers were also available to assist with logistics and provide valuable mentoring. Every swim class featured a devotion during gathering time at the Peace Center.

Three weeks later, the program concluded with a fun ice cream party, also at the Peace Center. Swimmer Gojam Tuka declared the entire program to be “really good” and asked, “Will we go next week too?” “Maybe next year” was my reply.

At the pool

A sincere thank you to the O’Fallon Park YMCA for the use of their facilities, to Carol Buckman for having made the arrangements, to Lutheran High School South for the use of their bus, and to Pam Fox (Ascension Lutheran Church) and Laura Jostes (Lutheran Church of Webster Gardens) for obtaining Thrivent grants to help cover the cost. Thanks also to the CFNA volunteers who took time out of their busy schedules to mentor and care for the young swimmers.

To God alone be the glory!

By:  Rev. Stanish Stanley Executive Director - CFNA

Life Skills

abby and some of the demonstration participants

What do you do with an over-abundance of tomatoes? How about a canning class at CFNA? Here Abby Wuerffel shares her experience:

On Tuesday, July 25, seven refugee ladies, along with three of their young girls, met with Nawal Orsan, Beena Stanish, Joanie Harwell, and me at the Peace Center to watch a canning demonstration. Using large kettles and a quart-jar grid insert, we canned 17 quarts of tomatoes. That was a pretty good accomplishment on the small residential stove at the Peace Center! With the help of Nawal to translate recipe directions into Arabic, and with the friendly spirit of Joanie to make the ladies feel comfortable, and with Beena's help at the stove, everything went well.

Each of the immigrant ladies took a part in the canning process — from heating the jars thoroughly in very hot water to waiting for the “pop!” when the jars sealed. And everyone was able to take home two jars of beautiful canned tomatoes. It was a rewarding and enjoyable experience. By myself, it would have been too much to pull together, but with the help of the other CFNA volunteers, it worked out wonderfully well. Everyone enjoyed the canning experience and the time together.

very much involved

Thanks to everyone who helped make the event a success, including the drivers who provided transportation. And special thanks to Mike Wuerffel for providing many delicious  tomatoes from his wonderful garden. Finally, we offer thanks to the Lord for His great favor toward us in ”establishing the work of our hands!”

By Abby Wuerffel Timothy Lutheran Church

Editor’s note: During a recent Asset Mapping Event the sharing of life skills emerged as a future ministry possibility. Our thanks to Abby for sharing her experience.

YES It Was the 1950s

It was the 1950s and the Korean War was raging. Small group Bible studies met in homes and many prayers were said for beloved soldiers. But this evening was different. The Moores arrived and began to share a letter from their son, Gibby. He said he did not want to tell them he had volunteered for a dangerous mission that had to be done. He knew that someone from his troop would be assigned. He shared that he had volunteered because he knew that if he were hit and killed, he would go to Heaven.

Yes, he was hit in the chest and it might have been a deadly wound but this was a young Christian man who boldly carried a Gideon New Testament in his breast pocket. The bullet lodged there. Some said, I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11

The 1950s was not an easy time; there were no emails, no video conferencing, no long-distance phone calls but more prayers were said. As we remember those days, we must also remember to continue to pray for God’s protection for our service men and their families today who deal with the physical wounds seen and the emotional wounds unseen.

Carol Buckman St. Louis, MO   

Someone Special

aminata is presented to those gathered

For the first time a New American student is named Valedictorian of her graduating class. This happened during the 2017 graduation ceremonies at Word of Life Lutheran School. Aminata Sesay, who arrived in St. Louis with her grandmother as refugees from Liberia, West Africa approximately 10 years ago, was the recipient.

It was not easy, as the challenge of numerous cultural and linguistic differences had to be overcome. But Aminata, with help from her teachers, the encouragement of her grandmother Alimatu, and the support of the membership of Timothy Lutheran Church, overcame them all. During her eight years at Word of Life, Aminata was the recipient of scholarships provided by Christian Friends of New Americans (CFNA).

aminata with classmates

On graduation night, she not only gave the Valedictorian address, but also received the school’s annual Christian Leadership Award. In excerpts from her speech on graduation, Aminata shared, “We’ve experienced many things, good and bad, during our time here at Word of Life… and we’ve learned many crucial lessons… and the most important lesson he [8th Grade teacher Travis Besel] taught us is to know our identity as a child of God.” She went on to say, “…I’m going to sound like a mom for saying this, but I am really proud of every single one of you for coming this far. I hope you excel further in life.”

Alimatu Sesay, Aminata’s grandmother, shared some of her granddaughter’s extraordinary story in an address to the Timothy congregation. “I want to thank Aminata for her hard work and good behavior. Since she has started attending this school I have not received any negative report from her teachers or from the school on your behavior.” She went on to thank pastors, principals, teachers, drivers, and the church for giving a good education to her granddaughters.  “I want you all to know that since I came to the United States of America, Timothy Lutheran Church has been there for me, as the only family I have in this country. They have provided me with all the assistance I needed both material and spiritual, including educating my grandchildren.”

aminata

As a Timothy Lutheran staff member, I have observed Aminata in Sunday school, confirmation, Christmas programs, VBS, volunteering, sports, service projects, and youth events. She consistently approaches the challenges of life with faith, hard work, dedication, thoughtfulness, perseverance, gratefulness, friendship and love.

Aminata is a genuine inspiration who encourages us all. She told her 8th grade class and everyone gathered at graduation on May 25, 2017, “In a world like ours we’re taught to do what makes us feel good. But God says otherwise. Romans 12:2 says, ‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.’ And sometimes what the world says and what God says can put us at a crossroads.”

By holding on to her identity in the Triune God and following His will to pursue excellence and provide servant leadership, Aminata serves an excellent example for all of us.

By Mark Thompson Timothy Lutheran Church

Purse Party

something for even the youngest!

choosing purses

During the last week of June, eight girls ages 6-10 who are members at Webster Gardens Lutheran Church participated in a week-long service camp. Instead of choosing to go to zoo camp or girl scout camp, these girls spent their week participating in service projects and experiencing the joy of serving! Their primary project was filling gently used purses with personal care products for women, as well as some fun items such as nail polish, manicure kits and colorful scarves.

As an end of camp celebration, the girls planned a party for the New Americans who are served by Christian Friends of New Americans (CFNA). The afternoon started with a devotion at the Peace Center and campers singing, "They'll Know We are Christians by our Love". Afterwards we went upstairs for refreshments and getting to know each other.

Through the generosity of the Webster Gardens Women's Greenhouse Bible Study and the children attending their VBS, over 75 purses for adult women and 17 purses for children were filled. These were carefully spread out over the tables in the fellowship room so that the women and children could choose their own purses! The smiles of happiness on the faces of the New Americans is a memory that will stay with all of us for the rest of our lives.

Our theme for the week was, “JOY - Jesus, Others, You”, and using that as a model for prayer and service. Our time at the Peace Center was a great start in living with J-O-Y every day. The girls are looking forward to partnering with the CFNA for other serving opportunities in the future!

By Judy Ruf The Lutheran Church of Webster Gardens

filling purses

the providers

Thank You LCMS

the participants

LCMS volunteers provide clean up services for downtown St. Louis ministries at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church and Christian Friends of New Americans

On June 28, 2017, more than 30 volunteers arrived early at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church downtown St. Louis to provide a day of hard work in support of St. Luke’s and Christian Friends of New Americans (CFNA). The volunteers were employees of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS) International Center, Kirkwood, Mo. Included were those from the LCMS Foundation, Lutheran Church Extension Fund, Concordia Plan Services, and corporate LCMS.

St. Luke’s, led by Rev. David Dittmar, provides the local community with a Christian preschool program along with allocating a wing of its building to hold home furnishings for CFNA. These include beds, tables/chairs, dishes and other household items for low-income refugee families, which are received and distributed from St. Luke’s.

The end of the day!

The service team met with Rev. Dittmar, and CFNA leaders Rev. Stanish Stanley and Richard Leigh, to divide the work into three areas: organization of CNFA inventory, paint and restore areas of the preschool, and provide landscaping around St. Luke’s.

By the end of the day, the service teams accomplished all of these goals leaving St. Luke’s and the CFNA areas cleaned, organized, freshly painted, and the trash hauled into the commercial-sized dumpster. The dumpster was filled to the top, and volunteers also trucked away all the yard waste and recyclable materials for proper disposal.

Through St. Luke’s and CFNA, the LCMS provides these mission and ministry services every day, whether it is teaching five-year olds about Jesus, giving a refugee a bed to sleep on, or rolling up sleeves in service to others. We all have our gifts, and in walking together we accomplish great works in service to our Lord Jesus Christ.

By Blake Tilley Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, Brentwood, MO

Asset Mapping

On July 12, Messiah Lutheran Church hosted an Asset Mapping session for CFNA in their recently remodeled Fellowship Hall. Facilitated by Matt Miller of Send Me St. Louis, the purpose was to gather information regarding the strengths and resources within the organization, in order to help uncover solutions. The entire effort was driven by the question: “How can we best leverage assets needed to expand the mission efforts of CFNA?” Forty-one participants, including representatives from local LCMS churches and Lutheran High School South took part.

The evening started with a special Indian meal planned and prepared by Dr. and Mrs. Stanish Stanley, together with a team of volunteers. Cookies and Ted Drewes were enjoyed as dessert while Pastor Ron Rall (Timothy Lutheran Church) led the group in a devotion. Pastor Stanley provided a brief history of CFNA before Asset Mapping began.

relaxing and reflecting while taking a break

Seated at tables of seven, participants began by writing down their own assets – physical, personal, relational, institutional and financial. Secondly, participants combined their assets with others at their table to generate new program ideas. During Step 3 the entire group voted on which new ideas they liked best. Up for consideration were several creative ones including a bridging event, a concert fundraiser, life skills classes for New Americans, a multi-cultural mission expo, and a video game night.

Though a final decision has yet to be made, one or more of these will be implemented. The entire event was deemed a success, with the fellowship among the participants having been perhaps, the best part of the evening. 

By Kerry Pozaric Concordia, Kirkwood 

sorting through possibilities

receiving a meggage from pastor rall

Lifted Up

Luke 18:9-14: To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.

Jesus once told a story about two men who went to the Temple. One man was very religious. He fasted; he gave offerings. He prayed: “God, I thank you that I’m not like other people. I’m not a robber or an evildoer. I am not even like this tax collector.”

The tax collector was standing in the back. Tax collectors worked for a foreign government, against their own people. Many of them got rich, taking money from people who had no choice but to pay. They were hated.

So what could the tax collector say? He couldn’t even look up. Instead he beat his breast with his fist and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Jesus said that God approved of this prayer, not the other prayer. “I tell you that this man went home, right in God’s eyes.” This man, who humbled himself before God, would be lifted up by God. Forgiven by God. Loved by God.

When Jesus came to this world, He came as the totally righteous Son of God. People called him “the friend of sinners”—and he agreed! That was why He came. The people who needed God to have mercy on them, needed Him.

Jesus came to humble Himself—even to the point of death—so that just as He is lifted up to life, so we also will be lifted up. He still is the Friend of sinners.

Jesus, we thank You that You do have mercy. You promise to lift us up, as You are lifted up, and give us a life, right with You, forever. Amen.

Bruce Cameron St. Louis, MO

Who is Served?

snack time

The 2016 – 2017 school year has come to a close, and that brings an end to another year for the After School Tutoring (AST) Program at the Peace Center. At several times during the year, we compile a report entitled “Who Is Served?” which helps us know more about the children we serve.  Each student who comes to the program is asked to complete a registration form, and with the help of facilitators, drivers, tutors, and family members, we gather data about the children.

This year, we had 95 students who completed their registration forms. We had an additional 35 children who came for at least one tutoring session but did not bring in completed forms. These children were served by more than 125 volunteers throughout the school year. Attendance at tutoring sessions averaged about 35 children per night.

tutor gary krekow with syrian students

As has been the case in the past, we had more girls than boys registered. We did see a shift in the grade level of attendees, with a rise in the number of high school students this year. The majority of our students (85 percent) attend St. Louis Public Schools. Those registered listed the following as their birth countries: Bhutan, Congo, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guinea-Conakry, Liberia, Nepal, Sierra Leone, Syria, and the United States. Prior to November 2016, we had no children from Syria in the AST Program. Syrian children now make up 27 percent of our population. Sixty-one percent of our children stated that they were “Christian” or part of a specific Christian denomination, and almost 34 percent of the children listed “Muslim” as their religion. About 40 percent of the children arrived in the United States in 2016 and 2017.

As we come to the end of another AST year, we pray that God would bless and keep all of our children safely in His care over the summer. May He continue to bring New American children to us so that we may have the opportunity to share the Gospel message with them.

By Sandy Gerber St. Johns, Morganford

Bright Future for Scholarship Recipients

2017 has been a banner year for graduations among New American students supported by Christian Friends of New Americans. Four New American youth graduated from Lutheran High Schools and seven graduated from Lutheran grade schools. Diana Wulu and Lekator Member-Meneh, who just graduated from Lutheran South, have received CFNA scholarships since 3rd grade at King of Glory Lutheran School. Diana will be studying international business at SLU next year, where she received a substantial SLU Grant. She loves business and travel, so her major fits her well. Lekator is already at Mizzou, where she has a volleyball scholarship.

Bethlehem (Betty) Mulat, who also just graduated from Lutheran South, is going to UMSL, where she will major in criminal justice. She received an UMSL Grant to help support her studies.

Marchello Kaka, who graduated from Lutheran North, will be heading to Jefferson College with plans to transfer to a four-year institution. Both Bethlehem and Marchello first received scholarships when they were attending Word of Life.

Two CFNA scholarship students graduated from eighth grade and are heading to Lutheran High—Quiwonyen Hollowanger from Grace Chapel to Lutheran North and Aminata Sesay, from Word of Life to Lutheran South. Both will have scholarships next year from CFNA.

diana wulu, betty mulat, lekator member-meneh

In addition, Word of Life graduated five other New American youth; while these students received Today and Tomorrow scholarships, they were supported by CFNA through the faciliators (Gerald Brewah, Janey Menner, and Theodros Workeneh). Mami Passawe will have a CFNA scholarship next year at Lutheran South. Abou Gayeyou will attend SLPS Gateway STEM Academy, Ernest Jloah and Abdulaye Johnson will go to SLPS Clyde C. Miller Career Academy, and James Sesay will attend Bishop DuBourg.

It is anticipated that CFNA will again provide scholarships for between 25 and 30 New American students this coming academic year. Interested in helping provide the required financial assistance?  Contact me at Judithwmeyer@gmail.com.

Judith Meyer Timothy Lutheran Church 

diana wulu, marchello kaka

CFNA Executive Director

the rev, stanish and beena-stanley family

rev. dr. stanish stanley

The Rev. Stanish Stanley, Ph.D., has been selected to serve as the Executive Director of Christian Friends of New Americans, and will assume full responsibilities for this position beginning July 1.

Rev. Stanley, together with his lovely wife Beena, came to St. Louis from India where Rev. Stanley had been serving as a pastor of the India Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELC), a partner church of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. While in the USA, Rev. Stanley was enrolled in the graduate school of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, where he recently completed all requirements for the Ph.D. degree in Historical Theology. The Stanleys are blessed with three beautiful daughters – Catherine, Riona and Alina.

Rev. Stanley has served with CFNA as a volunteer for the past four years, three of them as the Peace Center Coordinator, with special emphasis on providing leadership for the dynamic After School Tutoring Program. As Executive Director, Dr. Stanley has already begun to assume responsibility for the growing number of CFNA programs and ministries.

Please join us in welcoming Rev. Stanley to his new position. We wish him and his family our Lord’s richest blessings.  

Identity Youth Week

serious craft time

“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Galatians 3:26-27

June 5-8, Identity Youth Week exploded onto the scene of St. Louis’s South City with the purpose of engaging youth from grades 7-12. Think VBS for middle and high school students. During this four-day camp the youth dove deep into how their identity is rooted in their baptism. Powerful speakers, meaningful Bible studies, music, mission/serving projects, shared meals and team building exercises in the context of peer groups filled their time together. The primary lesson: Our identity in Christ changes everything. Three Lutheran churches (Epiphany, St. Trinity, Trinity-Soulard) partnered to launch this ministry, in which Christian Friends of New Americans (CFNA), with their numerous New American students, played a vital role. They, together with young people from the Lutheran congregations, soon found themselves caught up in a new dynamic as they together built and painted bug houses, sang praise songs and danced to music as bubbles blew around them. Before it was over, two New American youth had asked for baptism.

building bug houses

Several youth remarked that of the three service locations, the hours at CFNA were their favorite, with some asking how they could volunteer on a more regular basis. As we plan next year’s Identity Youth Week, the partnership with CFNA will remain at the heart of this immersion into life within the Body of Christ.

Amy Zeigler Epiphany Lutheran Church

The Father's Embrace

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” Luke 15:20

Jesus tells a story about a son who demands his inheritance early and then leaves home for a far country where he wastes his property in reckless living. The son ends up starving, desperate, and guilty. He heads back home, hoping that he can survive by becoming a servant to his father. Have you ever felt desperate and alone in a far country with no hope? Who will help you and welcome you?

The father sees his عناق الأب son at a distance and feels compassion for him. He runs and embraces him and kisses him. He does not treat him like a servant but accepts him as his son. He puts the best robe on him, a ring on his finger, and shoes on his feet. Then he prepares a feast for the whole community to celebrate his son’s return.

Your heavenly Father gives you the whole world as a gift. Even when you waste His gifts and live selfishly, He forgives you and runs out to embrace you. Your Father sent His only Son, Jesus to live for you and die on a cross to pay for your sins. That Father welcomes you into His family because of Jesus’ death and resurrection. He prepares a feast of celebration for you here with His family and in heaven forever.

Father, thank You for Your embrace to welcome me home to Your family because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Amen.

Arabic Translation HERE

5K RUN/FUN WALK

Emcee rev. stanish stanley with seminary participants

The sparkling, sunny day on the beautiful campus of Concordia Seminary was perfect for the third annual 5K RUN/FUN WALK! With a 5K Run as an added feature, the event was enhanced by a lot more smiling faces. With over 140 registered, there were 120 event participants with 78 entered for the Run.

The numerous New Americans who joined in the event included several recently arrived Syrian refugees. From birth nations such as Ethiopia, Eritrea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Syria and Congo, these welcome participants made up nearly a third of the total. Though fewer in number, they proved to be strong competitors with 1st place going to Adi Seleman (age 16, Ethiopia). Seminary student Brian Muldowny came in second.

Third place finisher Kintale running in his socks

Kontale Tuka (Ethiopia, age 12) had trouble with his shoes coming untied, so he took them off and ran in his socks.  He came in third.  When asked if he planned to run again next year he said, “Yes, and for sure I’ll win.” Again, he is just 12 years old!

Many thanks are in order, including expressions of gratitude to:

• Concordia Seminary, and especially the kind words of welcome offered by Provost, Dr. Jeff Kloha.

• The New American Folk Dancers, under the direction of Diana Wolf, who provided some very well received song and dance entertainment.

• The Walk/Run Committee including Chair, Harold Melser, as well as Rev. Stanish Stanley who also served as the event Emcee.

• Jake Mohnke for his event experience, and the guidance he provided.

The third annual 5K Run/Fun Walk—a great event that provided both fun and fellowship in a Christ-centered setting.

By Diana Wolf with Rev. Al Buckman

The Race begins!

women’s first place finisher, SHaneen kaleel, gaining on seminarian Matt, and brother yuseef

numbers “one and “two”

deaconess laura jostes with syrian participants