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	Hmong Lutheran Ministry Making disciples of all Nations From many cultures - gathering in one faith!

DEAR FRIENDS IN CHRIST:

Summer is finally here. One way to appreciate the season is to look at colorful flowers and the shrubs now surrounding our church. We appreciate the faithful efforts of diane Brinkman and others who have worked to make our property so attractive, both to us and to others who may visit us here.

Summer is here for our children and young people as well. More than twenty of our youth will be going to Camp Wapogasset during the first week of July. In that beautiful setting they will learn more about their Christian heritage, they will make new friends, and they will swim and ride horses and enjoy sports. Our generous friends at Wapo have made their attendance possible, and a number of our men expressed our thanks by putting in a day of work there.

July will also see the beginning of a new venture for us of Luther Memorial. We know that many children, our own and others, would benefit from a summer experience that focuses on reading skills. The Growing Tree program, therefore, will be expanded to Tuesdays and Thursdays as well as continuing our usual session on Saturdays. Beginning on July 13th, children will have opportunity to improve their reading ability from 1:00-3:00pm three days a week (through August 7th). There will be instruction in both English and Hmong. This pilot program is supported by a grant from the McKnight Foundation. We hope that it will introduce even more Hmong families to Luther Memorial.

Nengyia Her and I took part recently in a "transformational ministry" conference sponsored by the Division for Outreach of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. That Division has provided us with funds to underwrite the outreach ministry of Nengyia Her and Bee Vang to Hmong families. The division has encouraged us to plan and prepare for new efforts to build on what we at Luther Memorial are doing as a multicultural mission congregation. These are exciting and challenging times for us!

Basic to all we do as members of Luther Memorial is our weekly gathering for worship. There we are reminded of who we are and what we are to do. There we sing together, pray together, learn together, and draw closer in friendship and mutual understanding. There our Lord Jesus Christ does his gracious work among us, and by his Word we are encouraged and given hope. I look forward to seeing you each Sunday, and - in the word of the apostle Paul-I rejoice in our partnership in the Gospel. God bless you

CAROL STUMME, PASTOR

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