 Please forward this email on to congregations and individuals who are interested in the Lutheran Malaria Initiative. They can also sign up to receive this monthly E-newsletter by emailing malaria@elca.org.
Health and Hope Newsletter
Welcome to the first edition of the Health and Hope Newsletter, the monthly electronic newsletter of the Lutheran Malaria Initiative!
The Health and Hope Newsletter provides news, stories and updates to individuals and congregations within our Pilot Synods. If you would like to submit a short article, story or resource review for consideration, please contact Rachel at rachel.claman@elca.org or by phone at 773-380-2955.
Luther Seminary Research Project to Study Pilot Synods
The Lutheran Malaria Initiative has a great opportunity with a new partner, the Center for Missional Leadership at Luther Seminary. As part of a grant initiative funded by the Lilly Endowment, four Luther Seminary professors will conduct research and analysis of 2010 Pilot Synods’ participation in the Lutheran Malaria Initiative. We’re looking for several pilot congregations (or early adopters) in each 2010 Pilot Synod who might be interested in participating in a survey in January 2011. Other congregations will be chosen for a second round of surveys, in June 2011. Class of 2010: please send Jessica (Jessica.Nipp@elca.org) the names of congregations that might be ready for a survey in January. Surveys will be sent to pastors, council members and Initiative point people in each congregation.
The second part of the research project will involve interviews with congregational and Initiative leadership, which will take place in late 2011 and 2012. We’re very excited about this new partnership and our opportunity to learn more intentionally from your participation!
Resources now available on Web site
This is it; the news you’ve all been waiting for! Health and Hope Handbook materials are now available to Pilot Synods on the Lutheran Malaria Initiative Web site. The direct link is www.elca.org/malaria/handbook. On this page you will find the newest revisions of the Handbook materials, educational and worship materials, and other Lutheran Malaria Initiative resources.
Please also note that there is a new form for Quarterly Reports and Remittances. The new form has one page for the synod treasurer (or other financial officer) to fill out and one page for the synod coordinator to fill out. We have also added some deadlines! We'd love it if you can remit the funds, and submit a fund-raising report that covers the months through July 2010, by October 15th -- or as soon as possible thereafter. After that, we've listed quarterly deadlines on the worksheet. Special thanks to Mary Simonson Clark, who has already filled out a report for the Minneapolis Area Synod.
Find Your Gift Planner
Many of our Pilot Synods are in areas that have an ELCA Foundation Deployed Gift Planner. Gift Planners are a valuable resource for our Pilot Synods. They can help identify potential donors, cultivate relationships and close major gift agreements for the Lutheran Malaria initiative. To see if there is a Gift Planner in your area, visit the Web site at www.elca.org/giftplanners.
 Resource Corner: Guns, Germs and Steel
Jared Diamond’s book "Guns, Germs and Steel" was published in 1997.
It received wide critical acclaim and many awards, including the Pulitzer Prize. The book’s premise is that the three main forces of history – forces that helped European nations achieve and maintain dominance over nations of the Southern Hemisphere—were guns, germs and steel. In 2005, the National Geographic Society produced a three-part video mini-series based on Diamond’s book. In part three of the video series, malaria is emphasized as one of the "germs" which continues to exert a major influence on the political and economic realities in Africa.
I think this would make a very interesting video clip for an adult forum on the Lutheran Malaria Initiative. The most pertinent part is in Part 3, beginning with minute 42:45 and continuing to the end (53:40). View Guns, Germs and Steel Part 3 at www.tinyurl.com/GunsGermsSteel3. The video clip I indicated highlights one particular clinic in Zambia where a large majority of the patients are children suffering from malaria, and underscores the hope of achieving malaria containment, and thus greater overall productivity, in the near future.
It’s astounding to me that a three-hour video that attempts to provide an overview of vast portions of modern history would spend a full ten minutes talking about the impact of malaria in Africa. It strengthens my resolve to join the Lutheran Malaria Initiative in restoring health and inspiring hope for thousands of people!
~ Jessica Nipp
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