Coordinating WELS humanitarian aid efforts
Filed Under: Central Africa Medical Mission, Committee on Relief, Home Missions, humanitarian aid, Humanitarian Aid Committee, WELS Kingdom Workers, World Missions
For the first time, representatives from five WELS entities that deliver humanitarian aid in some fashion came together to discuss how they can work cooperatively to accomplish even more for God's kingdom. The meeting, held in Milwaukee Oct. 1, was funded by a Thrivent Financial grant and included representatives from WELS Board for Home Missions, Central Africa Medical Mission, Committee on Relief, Humanitarian Aid Committee, and WELS Kingdom Workers.
Each group explained its current organizational structure and individual goals for the future. Then all the groups identified joint priority issues and attainable objectives for the future that relate to WELS humanitarian aid in general. Steps to be taken include creating a new committee, with representatives from each group, to develop an overarching humanitarian assistance philosophy and to tackle other future joint efforts. The groups also resolved to make this meeting an annual event so that they can remain informed about the humanitarian aid work that the other WELS committees are carrying out.
Rev. Dan Koelpin, administrator of WELS Board for World Missions, is enthusiastic about the work that was begun at this meeting. He says that humanitarian work is important for the future of WELS World Missions. "Humanitarian assistance is a great handmaid to the work that World Missions does," Koelpin says. "We don't want it to detract from our primary work of gospel outreach, but often it creates goodwill that enables us to spread the gospel."
