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Lutheran Mission Society
601 Hammonds Lane
Baltimore, MD 21225
410-636-0123
1-877-737-8567
Copyright 2007 Lutheran Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Nancy Rondeau
"Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you. . . or needing clothes and clothe you?" Matthew 25:37
Mark your calendars! The Lutheran Mission Society will celebrate the Grand Opening of the EXPANDED Essex Compassion Center on Saturday, January 31, 2009 from 12:00 Noon til 2:00 PM at the Essex Center located at 438 Eastern Blvd. (21221).
Carson Entertainment's "Art of Imagination," featuring the illusions of Garry Carson and Kelsey, will be presented Friday, March 6, 2009 at 7:00 PM at the Kerr Center for the Arts on the Annapolis Area Christian School Upper Campus located at 109 Burns Crossing Road in Severn, MD 21144.
One hundred percent of ALL ticket sales will be divided between the Lutheran Mission Society and the building fund of St. Paul's Lutheran School in Glen Burnie. Carson Entertainment, which offers free fundraisers for non-profit organizations that support youth and children, is putting on the show. Garry Carson, a professional magician since age 14, and wife Kelsey, former Miss Nevada, performed for over 2 1/2 years at the MGM Grand Casino and World's Largest Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada and have been voted Las Vegas's #1 Family Attraction for two years running.
The show features "Grand Illusions, Exotic Animals, Audience Participation and Comedy." Join us for an exciting evening of family entertainment and help support the vital ministries of the Lutheran Mission Society. Tickets are $10.00 (plus please bring a canned good for the LMS food pantry with you to the show). The show begins at 7:00 PM and doors open at 6:30 PM.
TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE
AT THE DOOR
STARTING AT 6:00 PM
ON FRIDAY!
For tickets contact either:
- St. Paul's Lutheran Church: email
jheid@stpauls-lutheran.org or call
410-766-5790 .
- Lutheran Mission Society: email
or call 410-636-0123.
DIRECTIONS TO SHOW. . . . . . . .
There will be entertainment for all ages, including vocalist / keyboardist Nancy Rondeau, who will provide original Christian music as well as spiritual standards, and the magic of Sir James and Josh the Magic Mime, who will delight the young at heart of all ages. There will be face painting for the kids. Light refreshments will be served. There will be numerous drawings throughout the celebration for merchandise and gift certifcates.
Please join us for an afternoon of fellowship, fun, inspirational music and celebration. All are welcome. Please call 410-636-0123 (or toll-free 1-877-737-8567) for more information. Click the Mapquest link below for directions to the Lutheran Mission Society Essex Compassion Center.
[Jan 9] People were skeptical that 13-year-old Robert Volpe, a student at Concordia Lutheran School in Hyattsville, MD, could spearhead the organization of a benefit concert for the Lutheran Mission Society's Annapolis Compassion Center. But as Robert's piano teacher, SeungShin "Sophia" Yoo, reflects, "When God wants to do something for His glory, He sparks people through his Holy Spirit." And so, guided and empowered by God, Robert led the way for the Spirit of Christmas benefit concert to take place on December 14, where 350-400 people were in attendance and over $2,000 was raised to help LMS.
All of this began when Robert took a trip with other Concordia students to the Annapolis Compassion Center to deliver food and toys which they had collected at Concordia for an annual drive to benefit the Lutheran Mission Society. Robert's heart was stirred by the plight of the working poor he saw there and how LMS seeks to aid them. "I had heard all the stories about homeless shelters and stuff," he says, "and then I saw this, and I was like, 'okay, gotta do something!'"
"Something" ended up being Robert brainstorming about and planning the concert, with which he got everybody around him involved, including his school; his church, Trinity Moravian; Trinity and Redeemer Lutheran, which are Concordia's "host" churches; and all his contacts, including his piano teacher Sophia and his mom, Pastor Dawn Volpe, who is the pastor at Trinity Moravian. Sophia is a part of the musical group Veritas Musica, and she suggested the idea of the concert and offered the group's help in the performance. Robert wrote to a lot of places to help pull in numerous sponsors, and Pastor Volpe sent out newsletter information to all the area Lutheran churches and worked to figure out more potential sponsors to contact.
Another champion in this process was Dr. David Falkner, the principal at Concordia. Because of budgetary concerns, the school wasn't going to do a Christmas concert this year, but at Dr. Falkner's urging, the teachers jumped in to get involved with Robert's benefit concert, doing even more than the Volpe family had expected. Dr. Falkner made sure that all the parents of Concordia students got notified about the even, and placed a notice every week in the school's "Monday Notes" that donations were needed.
The concert was a very moving experience for all involved, who continually remark that the Holy Spirit was very much present there. Deaconess Roberta Hillhouse, the Director of Ministry Advancement at LMS, observed, "To call it a Christmas concert doesn't capture it. . .it was an event." Hillhouse spoke during a time of offering about the effects of poverty in Maryland, and the rest of the concert included performances by Concordia students from preschool to high school age (including a pantomime group known as the God Squad), performances by professional singers who are among Sophia Yoo's contacts, Scripture readings of the Christmas story, and a sing-along of Christmas carols. Pastor Volpe and Sophia attest to how the concert was a blessing to everyone, not just LMS; a lot of family members who attended were unchurched, and the concert helped them become more familiar with hymns and the gospel story. People were so moved by what they encountered at the concert that they kept giving even after it ended. Many boxes of canned goods and books were donated to the Annapolis Compassion Center as well.
Everyone close to Robert, himself included, learned a lot about how God can work through a determined and steadfast person and all those who can lend a hand. Robert's mom reflects, "Something that I learned from this was that Robert had the idea, he had the persistence, but it took a whole community to pull it off. That's something I was telling my church: a lot of times young people have the ideas and they have the vision, but they might not have the experience, the skills, and sometimes we as adults sit back and say, 'have at it, have a great time,' instead of saying, 'what can we do together
to make this work? It's a community."
not just LMS; a lot of family members who attended were unchurched, and the concert helped them become more familiar with hymns and the gospel story. People were so moved by what they encountered at the concert that they kept giving even after it ended. Many boxes of canned goods and books were donated to the Annapolis Compassion Center as well.
Everyone close to Robert, himself included, learned a lot about how God can work through a determined and steadfast person and all those who can lend a hand. Robert's mom reflects, "Something that I learned from this was that Robert had the idea, he had the persistence, but it took a whole community to pull it off. That's something I was telling my church: a lot of times young people have the ideas and they have the vision, but they might not have the experience, the skills, and sometimes we as adults sit back and say, 'have at it, have a great time,' instead of saying, 'what can we do together to make this work? It's a community."
by Melissa May
