Goal: To provide members of
Faith Lutheran Church with
outreach ministry opportunities at the local, regional and international level.

To encourage and grow member participation.

Local Outreach Programs 

Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels could not function without the help of our volunteers. They spend about an hour each month delivering meals to either Westview Acres or various private homes throughout the Waconia area.

Recipients of these meals must be 60 years or older, homebound and unable to prepare their own meals. Please contact Angela Rud if you would like to participate in this program.  (442-2353)

Waconia United Food Shelf                                                                                         
As of the fall of 2005, 116 families are being served each month in Waconia. With this large number of recipients, there is always a need for food donations.

Faith supports the food shelf by providing opportunities for its members to stock shelves, work at the store or make donations. The youth are also actively involved in this community project. Each November, they collect money and food donations from the congregation to be used to purchase turkey certificates and groceries. In mid-November, turkey baskets are assembled and donated to the food shelf. Other fundraising projects for the food shelf are held throughout the year.

The Waconia United Food Shelf is located at 11 Elm Street South, Waconia. Its hours are: Monday and Friday, and Saturday 9 a.m. to noon; Tuesday and Thursday, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. It is closed on Wednesdays. Their number is 442-3878.

For more information on how you can help support the food shelf, please contact Marty Cramer. (442-4505)

The Back-to-School Supply Drive
For some families, purchasing the necessary supplies for their children to return to school in the fall can be a financial burden. To help, each year, members of Faith donate school supplies to local schools. Teachers are best able to identify those children who can benefit from these back-to-school packets and distribute these supplies for us.

If you would like to participate in this special project, watch for more information each August. Faith's volunteer coordinator for this special project is Julie Christensen. (442-5886)

Addressing Emergency Needs or Local Families

Please contact the church office for more information. (442-2101)  

Regional Outreach Programs 

Giving Tree
Each Year, Faith Members Give to CAP Agency¹s Hope for the Holidays Program
In December, 2005, 300 gifts were donated (supporting 50 families) for CAP Agency's Hope for the Holidays Program. Each year, this holiday gift sponsorship project serves over 1,000 families from Scott and Carver Counties. Gift recipients are families who are unable to provide holiday gifts for their families. Parents interested in having their children sponsored must register at the CAP Agency.

Faith's coordinator for this outreach ministry is Beth Fawcett.(442-4433)

Community Special Projects

Southern Valley Alliance for Battered Women (SVABW)
Located in Belle Plaine, SVABW is a non-profit organization which provides support, referrals, protection and advocacy for battered woman and other victims of family abuse. It serves Scott and Carver Counties.

At SVABW, there are opportunities to volunteer as a childcare provider for women attending support group meetings or to work as a crisis line advocate. To learn more about this organization and its volunteer opportunities, visit them at www.southernvalleyalliance.org or contact Deb Van Houtte. (442-2443)

Our Savior's Shelter
Our Saviour's Housing works in partnerships to provide emergency shelter, transitional housing, and aid to people experiencing homelessness in the Minneapolis metro area. Through case-management services, OSH residents build self-reliance, regain independence, and move from "homeless to wholeness."

Faith volunteers provide an evening meal to Our Saviour's Shelter once a month for 30 - 40 residents. This is a service opportunity for a couple of families or a small group. Families and groups can prepare a hearty meal at home and serve it at the shelter or choose to prepare and serve the meal at the facility. Please call Pam Wartman for more information and to volunteer to serve at OSH. (443-3900)

Westwood House
Westwood House is a transitional housing program of Our Saviour's Lutheran Church located just three blocks from Our Saviour's Shelter. It houses six women who are working toward independent living. Members of Faith contribute by delivering meals for these women on the third Thursday of the month and by donating Christmas gifts. For more information, please call Julia Halvorson. (442-6186)

Lutheran Social Services
Faith Lutheran Church provides funding and referrals to this counseling agency of the Lutheran Church of Minnesota. Call LSS at 1-800-582-5260 for more information on services and locations.

International Outreach Programs

Kenya Children’s Fund
Kenya Children’s Fund is a non-profit Christian organization that seeks to transform the lives of Kenya’s impoverished children by providing life’s basic necessities, principally education, nutrition and medical care.

Its mission is to lift children from a place of hopelessness to personal achievement. With the support of this organization, children flourish under the nurturing care of African professionals who believe in imparting faith-based principles during the most important time in their growing years--from preschool to university. Armed with an education, these young men and women will return to their communities to serve as change agents in every sector of society.

You can participate in this ministry by sponsoring a child for $25 a month, or by making a monetary donation to the organization.

To learn more, visit them on the web at www.kenyachildrensfund.org or contact Faith’s coordinators for the Kenya Children’s Fund: Amy Jensen (442-5883) and Beth Helstrom (442-1834).

ELCA World Hunger Appeal
Faith receives offerings for this ministry of the ELCA. The Hunger Appeal provides disaster relief and development aid in the United States and abroad.

Faith Beyond Boundaries: Cristo Rey, Mexico


Faith Beyond Boundaries: Guyuk, Nigeria

Lutheran World Relief
Lutheran World Relief seeks lasting solutions to poverty and injustice and in doing so, compels U.S. Lutherans to put their faith into action.

Mission Offerings

Mission Offerings
Faith supports a variety of local, metro and international organizations through financial contributions (monthly mission offerings, Thanksgiving, Lent and Christmas offerings).

Feed My Sheep
Southern Valley Alliance for Battered Women
Waconia United Food Shelf
Youth Trips-BWCA/TEXACO
Feeding Children Internationl
Faith Beyond Boundaries-Cristo Rey, Mexico
Our Savior’s Shelter/Westwood House
Kenya Children’s Fund
Faith Beyond Boundaries-Redeemer Lutheran
Lutheran World Relief
Faith Beyond Boundaries- Guyuk, Nigeria

Committee Members
Angela Rud
Julie Christensen
Amy Jensen
Beth Helstrom
Kari Stevenson
Marty Cramer
Julia Halvorson
Linda Plessner
Deb Van Houtte
Pam Wartman