Missions
Mission Auction
Mark your calendars for May 16th, 2026
Ready to get “Entwined in Missions?” Christ is the Vine, we are the branches and it’s time to grow our Mission Vine and fruit! How can you help us to bring in another great harvest for Missions? Here are 5 easy methods:
- Help us “Build our Silent Auction Baskets.” On display in the Narthex is a “Wish List” for items we are seeking to build our baskets. Simply sign your name next to an item and bring it to the church as you are able. (Note: We will be changing up our “Wish Lists” every couple weeks, so wait until you see something you have on hand or can easily obtain.)
- Offer to Build a Basket or Bring an Item for our Silent Auction. From tools to artwork, home-made cards to hand-made crafts – we’re always on the lookout for new or “like new” items for the Silent Auction.
- Donate a bottle (or two) of wine from your home “cellar.” We are bringing back the Wine Wall and would love to use your wines to complement our meal and evening.
Volunteer to help the night of the event. Many hands make work light. Let Cindy Watters or Kristina Roberts know if you are available to volunteer for a role on the night of the Mission Auction.
- Buy a Ticket and Attend! Mission Auction and Dinner Tickets will go on sale on Sunday, April 5th (AKA Easter). At $35, this is best deal around for dinner, appetizers, mocktails, 1 Raffle Ticket for one of three grand prizes and you are supporting CTV Missions.
Updates from God’s Mission in Navajo, NM
Dear Friends in Christ,
Even as Christmas Day has now passed, we are still in the twelve days of Christmas, and the joy of our Lord’s birth lights our cold days and dark nights.
Once again this season, we delivered Christmas boxes to people in our community: elders, large families, and single people who don’t have others to share the holiday with. The children of the congregation helped us again and did a wonderful job sharing the joy of Christ. We are very thankful to Grace Lutheran Church in Albuquerque, who for the past six years has gathered the food together and delivered the boxes to Navajo. God supplies all of our needs! (Phil. 4:19)
Children’s Christmas Program
This is now our 13th Christmas in Navajo. Over the years we have tried different things and sometimes succeeded but probably more often have failed. One thing that has never worked was to gather children together to practice a program and then perform it. Every time we tried, our “Mary” or “Joseph” would be missing either practices or the performance itself. So, for the past few years we have been doing an “organic” program. That is to say, we simply have whichever children come to the Christmas Eve service dress up in costumes and help act out the story as we narrate it from the Scriptures. The important thing, of course, in either way of presenting a Christmas program, is that the message is absorbed, and we pray that the Holy Spirit implants this message-“to us a child is born” (Is. 9:6)-in the lives of these children.
Before Christmas, of course, there were the months of September, October and November. Heidi and I traveled for a couple of weeks in September to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. We came home to a surprise celebration put on by members of the congregation! The ladies of our church also participated in an LWML gathering in Cortez, CO, and are looking forward to hosting a zone event in Navajo in April. We continued with our confirmation classes and ladies Bible studies on Saturdays. The Lord’s work continues throughout the year, and we praise Him, “for His steadfast love in the morning and faithfulness at night” (Ps. 92:2).
Financial Support
We have been so blessed by faithful and generous donors over our years of mission work. We currently depend 100% on the gifts we receive to keep us in this ministry to the Navajo people. If you would like to make a donation, checks can be mailed to Grace Lutheran Church, or online donations can be made through the Vanco website or app. Information on these methods of giving can be found on our website, navajolutheranoutreach.org. Please reach out if you have any questions.
LAHASH: You can give a life-changing gift that will offer health and hope to our sponsored child, Innocent Edward Gervas, age 13. Innocent has the genetic condition of albinism and has been largely abandoned by his divorced parents who don’t want him to return home. Innocent is being supported by a local ministry, Albino Peacemakers, in Tanzania where he lives when he is not at boarding school. Innocent is specifically seeking the following:
a. Gift 1: $29 – Clothes
b. Gift 2: $50 – Food package
c. Gift 3: $178 – Bicycle
Financial contributions towards the total cost of a gift are warmly welcomed. You can give on-line at https://lahash.org/christmas or by sending a donation check by Dec. 31st to Lahash International, 1315 SE 20th Ave., Suite 4 Portland, OR 97214.
THESE NUMBERS HAVE FACES: Our partnership to support Babrah, a university student, is part of TNHF boarder efforts to educate and equip Africa’s brightest young leaders, empowering them to cultivate thriving communities. Babrah is the seventh of ten children. Her family fled Rwanda in 1994 due to the Genocide against against the Tutsi’s. Babrah’s family was eventually able to return to Rwanda, but they had to rebuild their lives from scratch. Babrah is excited to study Accounting at the University of Kigali. She hopes to become an auditor and to help reduce corruption. She also dreams of being a voice for children in rural communities, especially young girls. Donations to support Babrah’s Impact Circle can be made via the TNHF Website https://thesenumbers.org/impact-circle or mailed to their USA Office: P.O. Box 13056 Portland, OR 97213. TNHF has a Matching Funds program for employers.
HEART TO HEART ORPHANS: Heart to Heart is raising funds for food for 300 Orphaned and Vulnerable Children in Kenya for Christmas. Each Family will receive: Pkts Maize Flour, 1 Pkt Wheat Flour, 3 Kgs Rice, 1 Kg Beans, 2 Liters of Cooking Oil, 1 Pkt Salt, 1 Pkt Tea Leaves, 1 Bar Soap
Financial donations can be made through their website http://www.hearttoheartorphans.org/ or sent to their USA Headquarters: Heart to Heart Orphans USA P.O. Box 12172 Jacksonville, NC 28546.
CHILD BEYOND INTERNATIONAL: The mission of Child Beyond International (headquartered at Immanuel Lutheran in Hood River, OR; Mission location is in Guatamala) is to share God’s love so that lives are transformed and families restored through a thriving children’s home and relational mission experiences. CBI receives children who are orphaned by parental neglect, incarceration or death and provides shelter, sustenance, education and spiritual support until they can be reunited with their family or adopted into a forever family. CBI also builds modest homes for the impoverished families of their children, helping them to improve their physical and financial status. Their Christmas Gift Catalog can be accessed at https://www.childbeyond.org/pages/christmas-catalog.
CTV Sponsored Child with Lahash
On Wednesday, April 30th, 2025, Nathan Schmidt was officially called to serve as a missionary pastor with LAMP. This call was announced and celebrated at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. For the past four years Vicar Schmidt has worked toward the completion of his studies at Concordia University, Irvine, leading to the degree Master of Arts in Theology with a Specialization in Missions. He will complete his studies in June, after which he will receive ordination and be installed with LAMP on Sunday, August 31st here at Christ the Vine. Nathan will then continue his full-time service with LAMP, but with a new title – Pastor. Congratulations Nathan!
We support a career missionary through The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in the Dominican Republic. Deaconess Danelle (Putnam) Schumann, a native of Oregon, serves the Lord through helping to train women in the Dominican Republic, Latin America and the Caribbean to be deaconesses. In addition she works with people with developmental disabilities and those who care for them through the Good Shepherd Lutheran Homes. You can read more about Danelle, her husband Rev. Carlos and their mission at https://www.lcms.org/putnam.
You can support our missionary through:
Prayer: Pray for God’s protection over Carlos and Danelle and that He would sustain them daily. Please pray that the Lord would guide them as they work to support pastors and form women for diaconal service so that they may faithfully proclaim God’s Word and Christ’s mercy to the lost and broken-hearted. Finally, pray for the continued work of the group home and the wonderful youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities who live there. Let us give thanks to God that Carlos and Danelle are serving His children in this part of the world.
Financial Support: You can designate to support their mission by noting this in the memo link of your gift through CTV, by your support of our yearly Mission and Outreach Spring Fundraiser or by direct contribution to https://www.lcms.org/givenow/putnam.
Personal Outreach: Danelle’s email address is danelle.putnam@lcms.org. (Her Birthday is February 9
Christ the Vine Lutheran Church hosts a mission trip to Gitanyow, British Columbia, each summer. We work with www.lampministry.org, to present a Vacation Bible School, Sports Camp, and a Community Picnic and Program.
Click here for a diary of the 2023 trip.
Here is a recent youtube video on efforts by the Lax’Yip Guardians, (the eyes and ears of the Hereditary Chiefs who have been the stewards of their land since time immemorial), to help restore this beautiful, wild territory in the face of encroaching industrialization and climate change.
Each year following the annual CTV mission auction & dinner, the Mission and Outreach Board solicits input from the congregation as to which missions should receive financial support from the proceeds. The results for FY 2025 are shown in this report.
(Missions supported 2022-2024)
Board Members are Eileen Fligg, Nita Hoops, Angie Nelson, Nathan Schmidt, Tina Schmidt and Cindy Watters. Please let Cindy know if you are interested in joining the Board.