Helped by an LCEF loan, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, a mission congregation in Bismarck, N.D., opened its doors to the community this past summer in a former retail store. Members are making good use of the space and members are actively reaching out to the developmentally disabled with its Faith and Friends weekly service. It is also a ministry partner to Bethesda Lutheran Communities, with the goal of providing a Lutheran, faith-based group home for people with the disabilities.

The congregation of Immanuel Lutheran, Wentzville, Mo., had outgrown its church building and had been worshipping in the school’s multipurpose room for several years. With a generous gift of land in an area along a major road and in close proximity to one of the local school district’s major campuses, the congregation constructed a new church. The new facility was dedicated in August. Immanuel used an LCEF loan to help keep its 100-year history going forward and continuing to touch people in its community.

The congregation at St. John, Kimball, Minn., used Capital Funding Services and an LCEF loan to build a new contemporary country church. There were two characteristics of St. John’s ministry that members wished to be carried out in the design: a passion for the cross and a desire to build relationships with Jesus Christ and each other. The interior and exterior windows were designed to create a central alignment between the front door and the altar and draw people to the cross. The shape of the sanctuary windows and ceiling also leads one to the cross, and natural light shines on one’s path to the altar. This new structure reminds congregation members of their purpose every time they enter.

Though attendance at St. Paul Lutheran in Brandon, Minn., averages 15, the congregation is determined to grow. Established in 1900, the current building has the same amenities it always has, which means no running water, kitchen or inside bathrooms. A loan from LCEF helped the congregation build all of this and a fellowship area. The congregation is excited and restarted its vacation Bible school last summer. The congregation’s positive energy is a good example of how rural congregations can begin work on revitalization and renewal.

The work we do today can bring joy that lasts forever, and that’s what has motivated members of Living Word Lutheran Church in Jackson, Wisc., to participate in the Consecrated Stewards program for the past two years.

“We’re thankful to God for bringing the harvest in,” Pastor Bernie Huesmann said. “But what’s really neat is that our members have become more involved in Bible studies, they better understand the concept of proportional giving, and have followed through on their pledges.” Congregation members pledged 54% more the first year, an amount Huesmann considered “off the charts.” That was followed the next year by an equally impressive increase of more than 28%.