From: "Pastor Andr? To: "Confessional Lutherans in Missionary Boldness" Subject: CLIMB: LCMS campus ministry in Pittsburgh! Date: Monday, November 05, 2001 11:48 AM 5 November A+D 2001 Monday Dear Friends, It is urgent. If LCMS campus ministry in Pittsburgh does not get substantial help soon (i.e., money!), I soon may be working for free. That cannot go on too long before I would have to depart and leave student souls to heterodox bodies and worse! Here at First Trinity they get liturgical worship with the Sacrament every Sunday and festival day, instruction from the Small Catechism every Tuesday, from the Large Catechism every Wednesday, Matins prayed every morning, and fun/friendship/etc. Below is an article that appears in the November edition of the Pittsburgh Lutheran, so it is written a little bit differently than if I were writing directly to you. Regardless, it gives you a little taste/summary of what is going on here. Please respond as you and the congregation(s) you serve/attend are able. Contact me at ericandrae@hotmail.com Thank you! May the Lord Christ bless all you do in his name. In Him alone, Pastor Eric R. Andrae LCMS Campus Ministry Needs Your Support A football player from New Mexico. A classical violinist from Alaska. A wife & mother from Sweden. A graduate student in public policy. An atheist from Korea. A die-hard Lutheran from San Francisco. A volunteering student-leader from Pittsburgh. What do all these people have in common?! They all are a part of the LCMS campus ministry family of Pittsburgh. Through Lutheran Student Fellowship (LSF) and International Student Ministry (ISM), two of your PALM [Pittsburgh Area Lutheran Ministries] general missions, these students and many others are being reached with and nurtured in the good news of Jesus Christ. With the help of emerging student and faculty lay leadership, LSF/ISM is building a community committed to helping students and their families grow into and mature in the Lutheran Christian faith, as well as facilitating understanding and sharing among peoples of all cultures and languages on campus and in congregation. Pittsburgh LCMS campus ministry fosters a life and a loving community centered around the Gospel, the Scriptures and Sacraments, of Jesus Christ through worship, nurture, outreach, friendship, and service. This academic year began with the annual Welcome Back Barbecue; approximately 40 people attended and enjoyed good food, fun, and games. Continuing the theme of food, monthly ethnic dinners are held at First Trinity Church, which allow the domestic and international students to come together, enjoy the company of each other, and learn from one another; this school year we will sample the cuisine of China, Mexico, India, Sweden, the U.S. (appropriately, during the annual LSF/ISM Thanksgiving dinner), Korea, and others, all prepared by natives. Other social events (ice skating, plays, movie night, retreats, etc.) take place on a regular basis, planned and organized by a group of committed students. Central to the life of any Christian community, of course, is the public proclamation and study of the Word of God. As such, two student Bible Studies are offered each week, 'beginner' and 'intermediate'. Opportunities for public worship abound both at the First Trinity parish, ideally situated in the heart of Oakland very near Pitt and CMU [Carnegie Mellon], and on the campuses. Matins (Morning Prayer) is prayed daily and the Divine Service of Holy Communion is celebrated every Day of the Lord and on all major & minor festivals. The life of faith created and sustained by Word & Sacrament is then lived out in the community. The students are equipped to witness and evangelize so that the kingdom of God and the number of disciples may grow at the Pittsburgh area colleges. Furthermore, service/leadership projects which assist such noble causes as the Pittsburgh Lutheran Center for the Blind and Family House are being planned and led by the students. In order to draw students into the life of the parish, a visible presence on the campuses is crucial. As such, on-campus efforts include weekly prayer services, office hours, attendance at all InterFaith Council meetings, participation in various publicity fairs, lunch with students, and attendance at social & educational events. Moreover, in First Trinitys lecture hall, English as a Second Language (ESL) classes are taught by two Masters level lay women, Julie Stiegemeyer and Terri Watson. Recently, Sung Hee, an ESL student and young mother from Korea, approached me after one class and asked in her wonderfully broken English: I am interested in your Bible Study. But I know nothing about the Bible or Christianity. May I come? As you may well guess, my smiling response was a resounding Yes! and a quietly spoken prayer of thanks, God be praised! Will you please help the cause of the Gospel in the lives of Sung Hee and others? We need your support in the battle against the liberalism, godlessness, post-modernism, anti-Christian bigotry, and culture of death so prevalent on the American campus today. Can you show a new student around Pittsburgh or cook a meal? Can you pray to our Lord Jesus Christ that he may bless our efforts to spread his good news? Can you give a considerable monetary gift and pledge continuing support, so that we may purchase more Bibles, pay our ESL instructors, pay fees to the colleges for our officially-sanctioned presence on campuses, buy advertising space and other publicity, renovate parish student living quarters, and handle any other of the myriad of costs associated with this ministry/mission? LCMS/PALM campus ministry of Pittsburgh is in urgent need of your prayers, your time, and, yes, your financial contributions. As individuals and/or congregations, please prayerfully and faithfully consider becoming a partner in this, God's exciting mission on our campuses. Without your help, the campus ministry may not survive and souls will be lost. If you can assist in any way, please contact me at: LCMS Campus Chaplain 535 N. Neville St. Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-683-4121 ericandrae@hotmail.com Thank you! And God bless you! Rev. Eric R. Andr? ************************************************************** [To subscribe to my email list, send an email to ericandrae@hotmail.com with only SUBSCRIBE in the body.] The Reverend Eric Robert Andr? Associate Pastor for Campus Min., Intl. Min., Academy Rectory, & Community Outreach: First Trinity Ev.-Lutheran Ch., 531 N. Neville St., Pgh. (Oakland), PA 15213. 412-683-4121; 683-3725, fax. http://www.FirstTrinity.net http://www.augsburgacademy.com _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp + + + Confessional Lutherans in Missionary Boldness + + + The CLIMB e-letter brings you unedited, uncut reports directly from the mission field, whether in South America, Africa, Europe, inner-city, rural, or collegiate America, or military installations and battle sites around the world. 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