Rev. David Priem’s Letter

South Texas Mission District

109  E. San Antonio St.

Fredericksburg, Texas 78624                                                                                     †

Phone 830-997-2288  Fax 830-997-7869

Email:  pastordp@austin.rr.com

A member of the North American Lutheran Church

 

Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord,

 

One of the core values of the NALC is that we are Mission-Driven.  At the heart of that value is the dedication to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in order to make disciples.  The call of Jesus is to reach out to people of all nations.  Every congregation is encouraged to support at least one local and one global mission opportunity.

In the South Texas Mission District we have four mission congregations, one of which is Church of the Living God, a Chinese Mission in the heart of Houston where there are over 300,000 Chinese immigrants.  What a tremendous opportunity we have to reach out and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with many people who may never have even heard of Christ.

Pastor Joshua Ong has indicated a great need that their church has, that I want to lift up and ask for your support.  They currently worship in a Presbyterian Church, who is charging them $2,310 per month.  This is only for worship space on a Sunday morning.  They are not able to have sufficient office space, space for youth programs, or Bible Study classes during the week.  The rent is going up and they are being asked to also help with the maintenance costs of the building.  Often any event they schedule may get bumped by another group using the same space.

This has been an ongoing struggle for a number of years.  Efforts have been made to find affordable property in the heart of their mission area in Houston, but property has not been available until now.  They have located an office building for sale in Chinatown with adequate space to meet their growing needs, able to not only accommodate weekend worship, but to have space available for offices,  classrooms, meeting rooms, and youth activities.

The cost of the building has been reduced from $750,000 to $550,000, which is a great price for that area.  The amazing thing is that this mission congregation has already raised $150,000.  Praise to God for their hard work and faithfulness!  They plan on securing a loan of another $200,000, which is all the debt that they can service at this present time.  That leaves them about $200,000 short of what they need to go ahead and purchase.

This is where you come in.  In 2 Corinthians, St. Paul shares these words, “Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  One of the marks of Discipleship is to dedicate ourselves to the tithe and beyond.  We are asking that you prayerfully consider a gift to help Church of the Living God make this space a reality as they continue to reach out to the surrounding community to fulfill the great commission of making disciples of all nations.  Gifts may be sent to Joy Lutheran Church, 717 FM 359 Rd., Richmond, TX 77406.  They serve as the financial agent at the current time for Church of the Living God.  (Please note on the check, Church of the Living God.)

In Christ,

David Priem,  Dean of South Texas Mission District