The Greater Milwaukee Synod has mission partnerships which include support for the Salvadoran Lutheran Church and groups the church supports. Through our benevolent giving, First Lutheran supports the Los Heroes Sewing Collective, which works with local women to teach sewing skills they can use to create personal care kits distributed through the church. The kits are distributed by care workers to young women in outlying areas. For their work, the women are paid $5 per day. The stipend helps them support themselves and their families with basic needs and helps keep families together in El Salvador. Our money supports the workshop with equipment and fabric.

Ways we can continue to support these entrepreneurial women:

• Pray for them and their families and community
• Share our leftovers from sewing quilts and home goods with them
• Support them with our faithful offering

Habitat for Humanity is a multi faceted service that at its core offers affordable housing, both locally and globally. There are many success stories at their website, but this one is special.

Nearly 20 years ago, Rita and her husband Angel made the decision to build their own Habitat for Humanity home. Watch her heart-warming story about how safe, affordable home ownership changed their lives forever.

Not only do they build new homes in the area, they also offer educational programs and many volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups, including religious based groups. Here is an excerpt from their website.

“Affordable Home Ownership & Repairs
Habitat does not give away free houses. Habitat offers low interest rate mortgages and affordable home ownership opportunities. A future homeowner must show that they have a need for housing, are willing to partner with Habitat for Humanity and are able to pay for a Habitat mortgage.

Qualifying homeowners help build their brand new or renovated homes while participating in financial education and home maintenance courses provided by Milwaukee Habitat. We also offer an Affordable Mortgage Program for families interested in purchasing a home on the open market. In addition to home ownership opportunities, affordable home repairs are available for existing homeowners.”

Habitat publishes a weekly email message. Here is a link to their Good News Tuesday message this week.

And here is a link on how may faith based organizations can partner with Habitat

Perhaps First Lutheran should investigate how we can best partner with Habitat in 2020.

IMPACT 2-1-1 is a resource for information and referral for Milwaukee County and southeastern Wisconsin residents in need of assistance with family, health and social services. They provide telephone intervention and assessment services 24 hours, 7 days a week for a wide range of issues including emergency food; alcohol and drug abuse; access to health care; homelessness, emergency shelter; family and parenting issues; legal assistance and health insurance coverage. In 2018, IMPACT connected nearly 260,000 people with services that help maintain stability, restore health and enhance productivity. Our food pantry is listed with 211.

For more information FOLLOW THIS LINK