Ministries



Community Ministries

Ministerial Alliance
The Aurora Ministerial Alliance is a group of churches in the community that have the following goals:

  1. To promote the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the entire Aurora community.
  2. To provide opportunities for united worship for all Christians regardless of their church affiliation.
  3. To grant financial aid to those in need.
  4. To be united on prayer for the mutual concerns of those living around us as their needs are made known.
WHAT we actually do?
Our Primary GOAL is to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the entire community of Aurora.  Everything we DO is an outgrowth of this goal.

WORSHIP/OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES:
  1. We hold special worship opportunities services throughout the year; i.e. Hymn Festivals (at various times), Lenten Luncheons with devotions, Special Lenten Service on Good Friday, Baccalaureate Service for graduates of Aurora High, Prayer services.
  2. We have held joint Sunrise Services at EASTER
  3. We have had Booths at area occasions giving information about area churches and other worship opportunities.
AID TO THOSE IN NEED:
  1. We respond to requests from area congregations, the Christian Service Center, the Aurora Police Dept., to aid individuals/families in need. We so this by giving financial grants to utilities including Empire Electric, Missouri Gas Co..
  2. We provide emergency gasoline for transportation and emergency housing at local motels.
  3. We work with our local Mercy Hospital to provide meals for folks in emergency situations.
  4. We have assisted the Christian Service Center in their food distribution at Thanksgiving.
  5. We have participated with Toys for Tots at Christmas.
  6. We participated in summer's "Come and Dine" meal program at First Baptist
PRAYER MINSITRY
  1. As we gather together at our meetings, we offer prayers for folks in need for healing and general help. (We use first names only for privacy.)
  2. We pray for congregations, our city, state, country and whatever other situations as the requests are made.

WHO is involved? The following congregations are currently active members:

  • Aurora Bible Church
  • Aurora United Methodist
  • Church of the Nazarene
  • Elm Branch Christian
  • First Baptist
  • First Presbyterian
  • Grace Lutheran
  • Harvest Fellowship
  • Holy Trinity Catholic
  • Mercy Hospital
  • Wilson Ave. Baptist Church



Come & Dine


come and dine    come and dine
Emily and Elaine are happy to help.    Edith is helping one of the younger volunteers.

Come and Dine is a free Community Dinner that is prepared and served at Aurora First Baptist Church. Come and Dine takes place during the seven weeks of summer when school is out until it starts again in the fall, helping those families most in need. This year 10,946 meals were served or delivered to elderly and families who would not have had any food to eat. We average 521 meals per night.

We prepare, serve and clean up three nights a week: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. There are several churches and organizations involved, Aurora 1st Baptist, Grace Lutheran Church, Holy Trinity, Wilson Ave. Baptist, Fundamental Methodist, Presbyterian, New Hope, Nazarene Church, Mercy Hospital, Tyson, Schreiber Cheese, American Family Insurance, and Springfield Farmers Market.

SUMMARY of MEALS PROVIDED for 2017:

Our Come and Dine Community Dinners ended Wednesday, August 16. In the 8 weeks (23 nights) of the dinner, we served 12,420 meals, about 1,400 more than I anticipated. Our low night was 387 meals served and our high was 619 meals.
We averaged 540 meals per night.

Grace donated $1,250 towards food along with volunteers to cook and serve and desserts for 3 nights totaling around 500 desserts! If you figure $8 a dessert, this would be $3,936 of contributions!!

If you add up the volunteers for the 23 nights, there were a total of 819 who helped.
Our total expenses were only $18,838.38 thanks to food and supply donations from Tyson, Schreiber Cheese, American Family Insurance, and Greater Springfield Farmers Market who donated over 1,700 lbs of produce. Numerous donations were made of lemonade, kool aide, tomatoes, pickles, ranch dressing, watermelons and cantaloupe. This made the meals cost $1.53 per meal, 9 cents higher per plate than last year. I had $272.48 left in the account, but a late donation last week of $300 made it $572.48. Really close, but God provided!

Come & Dine   Come & Dine
This is a wonderful way for youth and adults to help those in need in our community. If you would like to volunteer your time (even if it is just for a few hours) or help provide a dessert, please contact Pam Bowling to signup. Pam can be reached at vpbowling@yahoo.com or 417-678-0977.


 


Fellowship & Care Committes

Board of Inreach


inreach
Members Cheryl Lile, SueAnn Doss, Joanne Michel

The board of Inreach is responsible for reaching into our congregation and offering fellowship and service. They assist with our Christian Education, Fellowship, Older Adults, Stewardship, Youth, Young Adults and Young Families. If a member has a need in our midst, the board of Inreach determines how we can fulfill that need.

Some of their recent events included: our annual fish fry held every fall. Game nights are also hosted once a month on Saturday evenings at the church with supper provided. Watch the calendar for dates.

When there are 5 Sundays in a month we have a 5th Sunday friendship dinner/potluck following church. Bring any dish to share and enjoy!

There will be a soup supper on the first Wednesday of Advent and Lent. A Christmas program will be the Sunday before Christmas and there will be a pot luck dinner after the service.

Committee members: Cheryl Lile, SueAnn Doss, Joanne Michel, Glenda Enlow (not pictured)

 

Upcoming Inreach Events:
5th Sunday Each month - 5th Sunday Potluck.
Begging of Lent: - Soup Supper
Ash Wednesday - Soup Supper

 

Inreach Celebrations:

Fish Fry

Easter Breakfast-2017
Let's Eat!
Let's Eat!
 

Pastor Ben Schumacher - Celebration of 50 years in Ministry

Ben 50th
Pastor Lampe, Pastor Ben and
District President Emeritus Ray Mirley
Reverend Ben Schumacher, or "Pastor Ben" (as he likes to be known), the son of now deceased Rev. Ben and Thekla Schumacher, was born on May 26, 1943 in Seymour, Indiana. In 1961, he graduated from Concordia High School of what was then known as Concordia Teachers College in Seward, Nebraska. There he met his wife, Elaine (Nee) Grundman. In 1965 he graduated from CTC with a Bachelor Degree in Education, majoring in Religion and Music. Ben and Elaine were joined together in marriage in August , 1966 right after she also graduated from CTC. God blessed them with two children, Miriam and Ben Paul.

From 1965 to 1973, Ben served as Teacher and Director of Music at Bethany Lutheran Church and School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1969 he began summer studies as Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, completing the Master Degree in Parish Music in 1975. In 1973, Ben and Elaine moved to Freistadt, Wisconsin where he served as Teacher/Director of Music until 1982. In 1982, heBen 50th accepted the call to Salem Lutheran in Black Jack, MO where he served for nineteen years as Director of Christian Education for Adult Bible Studies and Music.

From 2001 - 2003, Ben began preparation for the Office of Public Ministry at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, becoming certified for vicarage, then serving at his present location, Grace Lutheran in Aurora, MO. He was ordained into the Office of Public Ministry and installed as Pastor of Grace Lutheran on August 29, 2004 by District President, Rev. Dr. James Kalthoff. Since his retirement in 2009, "Pastor Ben" is currently active in volunteer chaplaincy ministry for Aurora's Mercy Hospital and for Hospice Compassus. He preaches as needed for area LCMS congregations and plays the organ once a month at Trinity, Freistatt, MO. He also provides pastoral ministry for various community social services in Aurora.


LWML - Lutheran Women's Missionary League

LWML
Members include: Delphine Mullen, Edith Chambers,
Margaret Lindeman, Elaine Schumacher, Vonnie Suelter,
Joanne Michel, Helen Johnson and Darlene Lampe

The Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML) is the official women's auxiliary of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. For almost 75 years, the LWML has focused on affirming each woman's relationship with Christ, encouraging and equipping women to live out their Christian lives in active mission ministries and to support global missions.

The mission of the Lutheran Women's Missionary League is to assist each woman of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in affirming her relationship with the Triune God so that she is enabled to use her gifts in ministry to the people of the world.

The ladies at Grace meet monthly. They uplift each other in the study of His Word and fellowship. They reach out in activities that are beneficial to our church and the community and enrich their social enjoyment.