TO: MEMBERS OF THE CONGREGATIONS OF THE MISSOURI DISTRICT

Dear Friends in Christ:

Our Missouri District Convention of last summer put some challenging goals before us. Here are some of them:
● To establish 10 new congregations in the triennium of 2003 -2006
● To enhance our ministry to college students in Missouri
● To make reaching the lost a priority
● To establish 3 new ethnic ministry starts
● To train workers for rural-small town ministries where a full time pastor cannot be called due to financial constraints and numbers
● To encourage congregations to use District Staff to help them in shaping mission and ministry outreach in their communities (Use of Mission and Ministry Facilitators)
● To provide increased financial support for the education of professional church workers

These are wonderful goals to be sure. But the situation is that the financial support the District receives from its congregations is decreasing. The overall giving, thanks be to God, is increasing. But instead of giving directly to District and Synod, many congregations are choosing to send direct support money to missionaries and other entities they see as needing financial help.
As a result of this we find that, for the first time in many years, 2003 ended with a deficit in the District budget.
In order to better evaluate our future financial resources, the Board of Directors voted to set only a 5 1/2 month budget until July 1, 2004. On July 1, 2004 our District will begin operating on a fiscal year budget.
Meanwhile, after checking the pledges from congregations for 2004 and other support non-restricted budget income, we anticipate a deficit of $83,000 for the first 5 1/2 months of 2004. In order to make this up, the Board of Directors requested that the District President mail a letter to the congregations and members of congregations of the Missouri District to ask for additional gifts to help us carry on basic mission and ministry challenges.
My writing this letter to you is simply to request two things of you:
1. That you remember our District and its congregations, pastors and teachers in your
prayers.
2. That you, with your prayers, send a special gift to help your Missouri District
accomplish the mission and ministry goals set by the convention.
Our appeal we make to you in the name of Jesus who 'for our sakes became poor, that through his poverty [we] might be made rich"(2Cor.8:9). "Though he was in the form of God" writes Paul, "[He] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being in human from, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.” (Phil. 2:6-8). His poverty has indeed made us all rich. We are rich in the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation that he won for us through his atoning death and
triumphant resurrection. And, as Americans, he has blessed us temporally as well. And what we give for the sake of his mission, we are really giving what belongs to him in the first place.
I believe this is the first time in my twelve years as your District President that I have had to make an appeal like this to you.
Believe me, I am grateful for all the support you give to the work of the District and Synod and other entities related to the Synod, either through your designated or undesignated gifts. The people belonging to the congregations of the Missouri District have given significant gifts for the overall mission of the church. But at this time the Missouri District needs extra gifts to meet its mission and ministry goals. May we count on your extra help at this time?

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Rev. Dr. James W. Kalthoff President

P.S. Please send your gift to the Missouri District, 660 Mason Ridge Center Drive, St. Louis, MO 63141. You may designate it for "General Mission Work" or for "General Services to the Congregations."