CHILDREN’S CHRISTIAN CONCERN SOCIETY

Staying in Touch May 7, 2010
It was an exciting weekend when the CCCS had their annual Board Retreat at the new Kansas District Retreat Center outside of Herington, Kansas. It’s new, it’s beautiful, it is perfect for a group like ours as well as individuals. Many, many worked hard with Laborers for Christ to build this building on a lake in the middle of Kansas. Yes, it is quiet, close to the small town of Herington where there are two Lutheran Churches, one in the town and one in the country. It will be a blessing to many.

The significant thing to me is how Lutherans can work together to do the Lord’s work.
Laborers for Christ do a specific task to help while the CCCS has a different task. It takes us all. In June Dawn Mueller, the CCCS liaison to Cambodia and Thailand, and I are going with the Garuna Foundation to these two countries where the CCCS has new projects. Dawn and I are taking the large Sunday School pictures from Concordia Publishing House with us as how they covet Christian Materials. The Garuna Foundation has the goal of training Pastors and teaching Lay people. Several times a year they go to these countries with teams on teaching engagements. Since the official formation of the Thailand Lutheran Church in 2004 the membership has grown to over 500 baptized members and the number is growing. The newly formed Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cambodia was officially accepted by the Government in January of 2009. The Church will adopt their new constitution on May 14th of this year. They have a formal membership of over 1200 baptized members. They are starting schools and the CCCS has accepted the challenge of helping with school fees and uniforms. Christian Education is the CCCS mission.

Rev. Amos Bolay is the newly elected President of the Unified Lutheran Church of Liberia and the Chairman of their CCCS committee. The CCCS programs are managed by a four member committee and all are volunteers. All the CCCS funds are strictly used for the schools and scholarship beneficiaries. Ten Lutheran Schools and 14 scholarship sites totaling 4,500 students are being served. Last month the Orphan Grain Train delivered a container with text books and other educational supplies to the schools. This is possible because the language of Liberia is English. Rev.Bolay sent many pictures of the students using the books and of the new shelves which proudly display them.

It was gratifying to see in the May-June issue, page 6, of The Lutheran Laymen a picture of volunteers working at the CCCS supported Lutheran School in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala. Christ the Savior Lutheran School was the second project of the CCCS in Guatemala and is serving over 250 students. The principal of the school is a former student from the Zacapa Boarding Home which was the first CCCS project.

Through the Lutheran Hour Overseas projects the CCCS is able to provide funds for materials in the 6 Little Bible Schools in Cuba. Without the Lutheran Hour, outreach to Cuba would be almost impossible. Through the Lutheran Hour the CCCS also provides funds for Christian Education in Paraguay and Uruguay. Uruguay, with only 6 % Christian, is the most secular country in South America.

It takes us all working together. We thank each of you for your part. Our best way of “sharing the love of Jesus with children around the world through Christian Education” is telling others one by one. Call the CCCS office, 785 357 7688, for more information or brochures and materials to share with others or you can check the web-site www.cccskids.org.

As Rev. Ciro Mejia, the first National Lutheran Pastor in Central America, states in every letter to us, “Dios es siempre permanente fiel.” (God is always, permanently faithful) We thank you all.

Edie Jorns, CCCS Projects Director