Service to others — both locally and globally — is at the center of our church community. Each month, our Benevolence Program collects contributions from our social justice-minded congregation for deserving charities both locally and globally.
Benevolence presentations are made at services on the second weekend of each month. A special collection is made at that time, but donations can be made throughout the month for that month’s designated charity. The funds are then sent to the recipient organization following that month. Ten percent of each month’s donation goes to Divine Savior, ELC’s sister church in Cataño, Puerto Rico. The full remainder of funds goes to the designated recipient organization. If there is more than one recipient organization in a given month, the funds are split equally between all the charities.
Learn more about this month’s 2019 Benevolence Program charity recipient organization here, and see our list of monthly projects below.
JANUARY ($943): Divine Savior (Puerto Rico), our sister congregation in Cataño, receives financial assistance for operational needs and to support recovery efforts from Hurricane Maria.
FEBRUARY ($849): Compassion International provides educational, health and spiritual guidance to “our” kids: Vanesa, 13, in Mexico, and Simon, 6, in Tanzania.
MARCH ($839): ELC summer youth programming. Through Vacation Bible School, Mission Week and our YouthWorks mission trip to Indianapolis, we’ll touch the lives of dozens of kids over summer break.
APRIL: Mount Horeb’s backpack lunch program offers a steady source of nutritious food to kids from homes where food insecurity is a regular issue.
MAY: Feeding our area’s hungry. Every year, Americans waste 31% of food at the retail and consumer levels — representing roughly 133 billion pounds and $161 billion. Fair Share Coalition repurposes local CSA food and Healthy Food for All repackages area supermarket and restaurant food.
JUNE: Lutherans United Assisting After Disaster is a grass-roots association of churches in the ELCA South Central Synod of Wisconsin that assists disaster survivors through the initial stages of recovery.
JULY: Madison Area Jail Ministry features 1-on-1 devotion to the spiritual needs of people who are incarcerated and the sheriffs deputies who work at the jail.
AUGUST: Lutheran World Relief tackles global poverty by helping people adapt to the challenges that threaten their livelihoods and well-being. Our church creates and collects quilts, school kits and health kits, which volunteers load into railroad boxcars this fall, destined for Lutheran World Relief.
SEPTEMBER: Through SABA, International, we aid The Nest Children’s Home, New Dawn Orphanage, and Bethel Outreach Children’s Center in Kenya.
OCTOBER: DAIS provides trauma care, shelter, and social services for victims of domestic abuse.
NOVEMBER: Accessible local health care through Our Lady of Hope in Madison and Community Connections Free Clinic in Dodgeville supports people in our region who would otherwise have few or no options for assistance.
DECEMBER: Lutheran Social Services delivers a wide range of programs and services, including adoption, foster care, addiction treatment, senior housing, mental health, and family assistance.
BONUS: We’ll reinvest repaid microloans through KIVA to small businesses worldwide.
