On Saturday, July 10th, over 30 people gathered to walk the neighborhood surrounding Bethel Lutheran Church LC-MS. The neighborhood walk is just the first step in a plan to engage the community. The next phase of this project will take place this coming Saturday, July 17th, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with the neighborhood "Walk to the Block Party."  Starting at 4:00 p.m., neighbors of Bethel Lutheran have been invited to come hear the results of the recent survey. 

Those close to the church are encouraged to come out and meet their neighbors, enjoy some free food and take your turn at sinking Rev. David Seabaugh (who also happens to be LINC-TC president) in the dunk tank.

For more information visit: www.bethelstpaul.com

If you are interested in organizing a neighborhood walk or hearing more about neighborhood connection ideas, please contact LINC-TC Outreach Manager Dustin Barnes at 651.485.2436 or dustin@linctwincities.org

LINC-TC is blessed with Board Members who are deeply committed to doing ministry in the name of Jesus. We'd like to highlight Jack Hunter who has offered his gifts and knowledge in construction during several trips to Haiti with his church. Read his tribute to Pastor Louis, the father of Lutheranism in Haiti who was recently murdered: 

On March 8th, I arrived back in Port au Prince for the first time since our short-term mission team from Holy Cross in Prior Lake had been airlifted out of Haiti the day after the earthquake.  This time I brought Bud Ericksen, a structural engineer, with me.  Our task was to determine which facilities had been structurally damaged by the January 12 earthquake or its aftershocks, and, if structurally damaged, make recommendations for repairs necessary to return these buildings into service.

The Haiti Lutheran Mission Society was formed in the US thirty-two years ago to support the mission work of Pastor Doris Jean Louis.  Over the years the mission in Haiti has expanded to include four churches, two elementary schools, one high school, two medical clinics and two orphanages.  The last orphanage was completed and dedicated just two days before the earthquake.

We arrived to the sights and sounds of Haiti returning back to the normal rhythms of life; streets were crowded with the ever-present sidewalk vendors.  Now, however people stand or sit in front of rubble instead of buildings and 200,000 of them live in tents instead of homes.

Pastor Louis and his wife Elucie, drove us from site to site and helped us as we inspected damaged structures.  One structure, the high school, had totally collapsed and was being reduced to small chunks of concrete and rebar.  The two elementary schools were undamaged. Two churches were only slightly damaged but needed to have their superstructures (steeples, cupola, etc.) removed to protect against future shocks. The newly completed orphanage, sorely needed in Haiti, will require some extensive repairs.  The new medical clinic was undamaged.

After several days of inspections we had a fairly clear picture of the work required to get the congregations back in the churches (they had been worshipping outside for the past 2 months) and the children back into the schools.  Pastor Louis also asked us to inspect about nine private residences of his members.  In most cases we were able to deliver the good news that those families could leave the refugee camps and return to their houses since most of the damage was superficial and not structural. 

On Friday March 12, when Pastor Louis took us to the airport he embraced us and thanked us for our work.   He was heading to the Dominican border to make sure a medical mission team from Michigan could make the border crossing without incident.

We left Port au Prince for Miami.  Later in the day when our plane to Minneapolis was late in departing Miami, I called my wife Pam. It was then I received the horrific news that Pastor had been murdered.  I was stunned and, and like everyone else, felt helpless.  When he and Elucie returned home at the end of their day, two men, demanded money from school tuitions.  When that failed, they shot Pastor Louis.

While sitting on the plane, I could do nothing but pray for the children, the beloved gentle people, and for the mission.  Pastor Louis had a heart to reach the people with the good news and the vision to move the ministry forward.  He was truly the “father of Lutheranism in Haiti” and we will all miss him greatly.

 - Jack Hunter

LINC is thrilled to welcome Dustin Barnes to the staff beginning in June as the new Outreach and Organization Manager. Dustin brings a vibrant ministry heart to our organization, ready to tackle a combination of responsibilities. He is replacing Sarah Legband who had begun developing the Neighborhood Connection process and Amy Gundermann who had served as the Administration and Communications Coordinator. Please join us in giving thanks to God for this new addition to the growing LINC-TC team! 

LINC-TC has packed up the boxes spread across the metro and landed at our new home in St. Paul at Jehovah Lutheran Church. We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to work more closely as a staff and find the location to be perfect for connecting with our network around the Twin Cities. Stop by Thomas Avenue sometime and say hello! 

LINC-Twin Cities is thrilled to welcome Rev. Dr. Paul Mueller as their new Associate Executive Director. Paul comes with a wealth of experience, most recently as Administrative Pastor at Family of Christ in Ham Lake, Regional Director of Africa for LCMS, and Director of the Oswald Hoffmann School of Christian Outreach.

Paul will be providing leadership for creating a mission hub in the Twin Cities and will oversee the day-to-day operations of LINC. The depth and breadth of Paul’s experiences will be a blessing as LINC looks to achieve, with God’s blessing, its vision to “Be a catalyst among Twin Cities’ congregations to empower Christian missionaries, to reach out in mission and in service, impacting the lives of their diverse urban communities.”