Hello, my name is Tresa Myers. I am married to Richard Myers, and we enjoy the blessing of three children: Dina, Lauren and Aaron. We live in the Lynnwood area of Washington State, about twenty minutes north of Seattle. Our family has been attending Maple Park Lutheran Brethren for approximately eleven years.

I have been involved in many ministries at Maple Park, have grown to love the people there, and have shared many joyful experiences with them. I would have to say that my main passion is Women’s Ministry. I have always loved to watch the effect that Jesus Christ has on a woman; the life-transforming work of our Heavenly Father is amazing! What He does with lives – taking our old selves and making us new – is nothing short of a miracle. I believe generally because of our nurturing nature, when you pour the love of Jesus into her it can not help but overflow onto her husband, children, neighbors, and coworkers. What an effect Christ has on us all!

God has greatly expanded what I do in ministry over this past year. I had the privilege of working with the Anne Graham Lotz (Billy Graham’s daughter) ministry in bringing “Just Give Me Jesus” to the Seattle area. I also work at CRISTA Ministries, a Christian organization with ten ministries under it. I work for the president’s office as a special projects assistant. I also was elected Pacific Northwest Women’s Ministries District President last June.

What an awesome joy and privilege I have! In this short year I have witnessed the love of Jesus though the mentors and many women of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren as they guide and pray me through this wonderful ministry. As I work with these women and go to other Lutheran Brethren Churches, I have noticed that the love that I feel for my home church, Maple Park, has been expanded to the Lutheran Brethren Synod as a whole. I look forward to the adventure God has for us in the coming year!!
Blessings, Tresa <><

I am Rachel (Lynnes) Patterson and am married to Clinton "Boomer" Patterson. We just had our 1st anniversary! We farm west of Bottineau and I am a licensed social worker for Bottineau County Social Services. I have grown up attending Grace Lutheran Brethren Church.

I had the awesome opportunity to be a part of the Lutheran Brethren's first summer mission trip in 1996. I spent about a month in Chad and Cameroon, Africa! I feel I have a heart for mission work. I became a Christian through a backyard GOOD NEWS club held by Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF). Thanks to a youth mission/camp worker my life changed! I spent many summers as a CEF camp counselor. I started my higher education considering missions, and then was directed into teaching, which is a great way to enter countries. During my two years studying education I completed a social work class, and now I have been a family social worker for two years.

I have been praying and pondering this western district opportunity since last fall. I had pushed it to the side and now really see the Lord directing me into this adventure with Christ and all of you! My husband is 100% behind me! I look forward to seeing you all in the near future!

As April arrives, and the last chance for us to give toward our WMCLB 2004-2005 projects, here are a couple of testimonials from recipients of two of our projects for this year. (check our website www.wmclb.com for descriptions of all of the current projects)

Pastor’s Wives Refreshed at Retreat
"Lead me beside the water so still...
Let me catch my breath.
Let me drink my fill...
Let me lie in fields of green, where only gentle breezes blow.
I'll reach out my empty hands for the cup that overflows.
Restore my soul, Restore my soul." (RESTORE by Sherri Youngwood)

These lyrics reflect the spirit of a retreat shared by the Eastern District pastors' wives last summer. For years, Tuscarora has generously given the district pastors, and their families, a week to come away together…to be restored. This past August, the National WMCLB added a unique blessing to that week, a spiritual oasis designed specifically for the wives.

How often haven't our hearts cried out for the Lord's filling, yet we don't sit still long enough to receive it? Kathy Wile quietly helped us unwrap a special gift - a gift of time – time to be alone with the Spirit, time to be filled with the Word, and time together to pray for, and love each other. We were led to our Lord – who gently filled our empty hands with His cup of hope and healing. Thanks to God, who prompted the WMCLB to provide such a time to be restored!
-Ruth Christenson, wife of Pastor Dan Christenson, Bunker Hill LBC, Princeton, New Jersey

Seminary Wives Take Seminary Courses
Thank You! It was so nice to be able to get out of the house (without the children) and study God’s Word. I was able to take two classes, World Religion, and Spiritual Care. I learned a lot of information that will help me at the present time and future. Renee and Rebekah Henrickson were kind enough to babysit the children while we were in class. They were also a blessing. Thank you for your continued support and prayers for the seminary wives and our families. May God continue to bless your ministry and you and your families. Thank you again!
-Love in Christ, Karen Osborne, wife of seminarian Shawn Osborne

WMCLB Handbook Complete, Distributed at Training Workshops
The long-awaited resource for women’s groups is now available. Chloe Koslowsky, Director of Women’s Ministries and the National Women’s Ministry Team were guests of the Pacific Southwest District Women’s Workshop "Energize Your Ministry” February 26, 2005, where a free copy of the Handbook was presented to each church represented. Chloe will be also distributing free Handbooks in her training workshop in the Western District, at Grace LBC, Bottineau, ND, Saturday, April 9, 10:00 a.m.; at Bethel LBC, Grand Forks, North Dakota, Sunday, April 10, 4:00 p.m.; in the Central District, at Inspiration Point Bible Camp, Saturday, April 16, 9:30 a.m.; and at the National WMCLB Annual Convention at Tuscarora Inn, June 11, 2005. Make sure your church is represented at one of these events to get your Handbook!

Sidney Lutheran Brethren Church is located in Eastern Montana, on the North Dakota border, in the irrigated valley of the Lower Yellowstone River along the Lewis and Clark Trail. The church itself is located on the top of a hill that overlooks the valley. Many of our parishioners travel twenty to thirty miles to attend church and church activities, and hail from six different towns. Rolling hills, badlands, and prairie flats surround the valley.

In the early 1990’s Sidney Women’s Missionary Fellowship underwent an in-depth self-evaluation and revamping. The following four objectives were seen as top priorities:

1. The spiritual growth of our women.
2. Assimilation of new members.
3. Service to the church body.
4. To provide mission support and information at home and abroad.

Over the next year or so the whole face of WMF changed. Every woman was contacted and invited to join one of four Caring and Sharing Groups. The function of these groups was multifold. Each one was a Bible study group, a service group, and a ministry group. Each one met on different days and time of day as well as number of times during the month.

The function of these groups has changed somewhat since then but they have evolved to meet the needs of unique groups of women. One appeals to young women with small children and meets weekly, one meets at the local assisted living complex twice a month as an outreach Bible Study, one meets weekly during the noon hour, and one meets monthly in the evenings.

Two years ago we established Ministry groups that replaced our standing committees, some of which are Missions, Grief, Sunshine, Special Events, Decorating, and Nursery. Women are encouraged to be involved in one of these ministries and each group is encouraged to develop the ministry with creativity and with the needs of our women and families in mind. Almost everything SLBC women do is under the umbrella of Women’s Ministries (WM). This seems to work very well. There are challenges to overcome and readjustments to make as people and circumstances change but we are blessed with very accommodating women. We seek to honor God in all we do.

New this year is that our executive board meets monthly, and all of the ministry leaders meet with the executive board quarterly. We are trying to make those meetings educational as well as inspirational. Fellowship time is also important at these events. The WM chairman contacts the ministry leaders between quarterly meetings to encourage and hear any concerns. We are also embracing the tool of e-mail to improve communication. This tool has improved the time for corrections and approval of minutes from a month to a week. This also keeps ministry leaders current. Hard copies are still available to anyone who wants one. One thing we haven’t done well yet is to replicate ourselves. We still have the same number of groups and almost all of the same leaders.

To give you a feel for our ministry here is an example of our last quarterly meeting. One of our young women shared a Power Point presentation about her experiences serving on a medical mission team as a pharmacist in Nairobi, Kenya last summer. One of our middle aged women who had also been a missionary to Africa prepared African food and set up the fellowship hall so that it felt like a small African Church. Many of our props and decorations were supplied by one of our older ladies. The broad age range of involved women at Sidney Lutheran Brethren Church is our greatest strength and also our greatest blessing.