Shepherd’s Heart Ministry, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) and a Recognized Service Organization (RSO) of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. The Executive Director, Rev. Ed Brashier is also the LCMS Southern District Disaster Response Coordinator who has been active in disaster response since Hurricane Katrina and has deployed long-term 25 times all across the Eastern USA.
 
Lutheran Church Charities Disaster Response has served with Rev. Ed Brashier and his Shepherd’s Heart Ministry following many hurricanes and tornadoes in the Southern District.
 
Since 2016, the Ministry’s 2011 Keystone Cougar 30 ft. bunkhouse RV has been used on eight long-term deployments to house Rev. Ed Brashier and other volunteers. It is showing its age and is in need of replacement. The RV needs to be capable of sleeping four adult men. Most bunkhouse RVs have adult and children-sized beds, so a replacement may need to be customized.The Keystone Cougar RV is currently being used in Fairhope, Alabama where Shepherd’s Heart Ministry has been responding to Hurricane Sally for the last two months.
 
Rev. Ed Brashier is asking Lutheran Church Charities for any assistance it could provide towards upgrading their RV and a diesel truck for hauling equipment.

The NID Parish Nurse Network has been active in encouraging, supporting, and equipping parish nurses within the borders of the district for over thirty years. 
 
The parish nurse must have an active RN license. The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) recommends that the parish nurse obtain their education from a source associated with the LCMS. 
 
The NID Parish Nurse Network provides partial scholarships to as many people as their funds allow. The potential opportunities are many, but the resources are decreasing. Rising costs for continuing education and decreased on-site gatherings due to COVID-19 threaten the solvency of the scholarship fund. 
 
Any assistance that can be provided will be greatly appreciated.
 
CLICK HERE to learn more about the NID Parish Nurse Network.

The NID Parish Nurse Network had the pleasure and privilege of “adopting” Raeda Mansour, parish nurse at Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem (Palestine) and the only parish nurse in all the Holy Land.
 
Marcia Schnorr, parish nurse at St. Paul in Rochelle, Illinois, was serving as Coordinator, LCMS Parish Nursing. Marcia developed a distance learning course that allowed her and Raeda to work together to equip Raeda to become the first parish nurse in the Middle East. There were no role models so Raeda was brought to the USA and completed an internship at St. Paul.
 
The NID Parish Nurse Network has continued to fund a biannual trip for Raeda to come to the USA to attend the annual Parish Nurse Conference at Concordia University Wisconsin and/or a conference hosted by the NID Parish Nurse Network.

The travel cost for the biannual trip is approximately $2000-$2500. This cost is paid for by funds remaining in the NID Parish Nurse treasury after all other scheduled NID Parish Nurse Network Education event expenses are paid each year. However, winter storms and COVID-19 made it necessary to provide some of the gatherings by Zoom instead of on-site. 
 
The decrease in attendance and related fees, and the increase in continuing education application costs has created a deficit, and funds are short. Any assistance that can be provided to fund Raeda's trip to the United States to continue her education will be greatly appreciated.
 
CLICK HERE to learn more about Raeda Mansour, Parish Nurse in Holy Land.

Micaylah, 7th Grader
 
Micaylah struggles with learning disabilities. She loves animals and wants to be a zoologist.
 
I hope this letter finds you and your family doing well. This COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the world. My family knows firsthand how devastating this disease can be. My husband became ill in March. Our 13-year-old daughter, Micaylah, was worried sick about him. It was hard for her to even focus on school or anything else. It was even harder to see my husband sick like that, and I honestly didn't even know if he was going to make it through.
 
I cried and prayed nonstop. I tried to remain strong for him and my daughter, but it was hard. I've never seen him that ill before. He was sick for about six weeks, in which he could not work. During that time, my hours at my job were reduced, which made matters even worst. We were not able to pay our bills and we fell behind in our daughter's tuition. While my husband's health has gotten better, we are still struggling to catch up with our responsibilities.
 
Our daughter's schooling is essential to us. She wants to work with animals when she grows up. She knows everything about animals. They are so vital to her. She has a gift, and we want to foster it. Please help my husband and I to keep her at Christ the King Lutheran School. They are AWESOME there, and they have helped my daughter come a long way.
 
Thank you in advance for your consideration. May the Lord continue to bless you and your family and please stay safe. Family is everything!
 
Thank you

Magic, 6th Grader
 
Magic is a sixth grader who is struggling with learning disabilities and Chicagoland Lutheran Educational Foundation (CLEF) is assisting Christ the King in getting Magic tested through the Board of Education for Special Ed classes. This is on hold until the virus allows normalcy in the educational programs and testing.
 
Magic likes basketball and games. He excels in art. He loves helping Pastor Brazeal with school chapels.
 
My son Magic enjoys the outdoors; from going swimming, to the parks, museums, going to the movies, playing with friends and family, basketball. Magic spends his time with family and studying - math is his favorite subject. Magic is interested in becoming an engineer and being able to have his own engineering company. Magic also spends his time learning to cook different foods and the foods he likes.
 
Tasha

Your donations help children like Micaylah and Magic stay in the Christ-centered environment of Christ the King Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, Illinois.

Pastor John Brazeal, Principal Geri Brazeal, the school staff, and members of the congregation have been sharing the life-changing love and grace of God, in Jesus Christ and a quality education for the children of the families they serve for 47 years.
 
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, many families have lost their jobs and are unable to pay the school tuition. As COVID-19 lingers on, the future of the children staying in school at Christ the King grows bleaker.

Please prayerfully consider donating now to the scholarship program to keep children like Micaylah and Magic in school and Christ the King serving their community.

The freezer will help Immanuel to provide greater assistance especially to churches who don’t have refrigeration and need to pick up food on a weekly basis and give it out immediately.
 
As the program director of Immanuel Lutheran Church-Put Your Hands Together Food Outreach I have a request that will positively affect our ministry and every other food ministry in the Northern Illinois District. We have been blessed with overwhelming amounts of food donations from the major airlines in Chicago, mostly which is frozen that we re-distribute to ministries and food relief agencies.
 
In order to store this food even for one night requires a large walk in 10x10 freezer, freezer kit, 49 cuft., upright 2-door or portable freezer pod rental.
 
We ask that if any used models for sale or donation become available please keep us in mind for any freezers or refrigerators, even if we need to install several smaller ones.
Pictured is the most reasonable and readily available model, under $3,000 brand new that would immediately serve our needs.
 
Thank you for considering our request and spreading the word and the Word! 
 
Jayne Siou,
Put Your Hands Together Food Outreach
Immanuel-Hillside Food Pantry
 
Please click on the button below to make a financial contribution towards the purchase of the freezer.

Alternatively, if you have a freezer to donate, contact Dianna Bonfield at (224) 257-4371 or email her at Dianna@LutheranChurchCharities.org.

Sheridan, 6th Grader
 
Sheridan is a very talented child, extremely funny, a very caring person always willing to help. She does very well in school and excels in playing the violin.
 
Sheridan’s mom is a hard working single mom who lost her job due to COVID-19 but was able to find another so she could continue support her family. Although she has a job, with the hardships inflicted by COVID-19, it is difficult to make ends meet for this family.
 
The experience that my daughter Sheridan had since being at Christ the King (she's been at the school since she was 4) has been one of the most rewarding experiences I could've ever asked for. The public school education system in Chicago often fails black youth and the staff at Christ the King go above and beyond for the kids, as they are their own. Sheridan has grown and continues to grow in a way that is astonishing and we owe a big part of her development to her time at Christ the King.
 
Stefanie, Sheridan's Mom

Mirahri, 4th Grader
 
Mirahri's dad, Milton, is a tailor and his business is a small shop on the Magnificent Mile where stores were looted and destroyed earlier this summer. They lost everything, even the chair and display cases along with their merchandise.
 
Mirahri has two older brothers who were Christ the King students. His brother Milan graduated this spring from Christ the King. 
 
The family is very involved at Christ the King School. Milton tailor-made the choir uniforms for each of the students, and donated them to the school.
 
My husband and I are looking forward to this upcoming school year. This year will be tougher than others dealing with the pandemic. Not only has income been cut in half in result of the shutdown order, our business was looted recently in Chicago's downtown area.
 
Our son Mirahri will be in the 4th grade attending Christ the King school this fall and is very excited about the different learning experience that is on the way. I'm writing this on behalf of my husband and I and most definitely Mirahri's much needed education. We really appreciate your benevolence and will maintain all necessary academic achievements with great success.
 
Terina, Mirahri's Mom

Your donations help children like Sheridan and Mirahri stay in the Christ-centered environment of Christ the King Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, Illinois.

Pastor John Brazeal, Principal Geri Brazeal, the school staff, and members of the congregation have been sharing the life-changing love and grace of God, in Jesus Christ and a quality education for the children of the families they serve for 47 years.
 
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, many families have lost their jobs and are unable to pay the school tuition. As COVID-19 lingers on, the future of the children staying in school at Christ the King grows bleaker.

Please prayerfully consider donating now to the scholarship program to keep children like Sheridan and Mirahri in school and Christ the King serving their community.

15 Students Needed Sponsors at $3,000 each for $45,000
Your Donations Helped to Raise $28,175
$16,825 Still Needed to Reach Goal

 Donate Today to Help Us Sponsor All of the Children

Thank You for Donations Received!

Mikel, 7th Grader
 
Mikel attended a public school for four years where he was bullied which affected his learning. He was recently diagnosed with a learning disability and is now in Christ the King's special education program with the help of Chicagoland Lutheran Educational Foundation (CLEF).
 
Mikel's mother sent the following letter to the school:
 
Since January 2020, I was unable to work full-time and most recently returned to work on August 3rd. As a single mother and head of the household, I have done my best to keep our family up and running with food, clothing, and shelter during this time.

Constantly focusing on the happiness and safety of my children, I was forced to remove my son from Chicago Public Schools (CPS) due to bullying. He was hospitalized after being injured from an encounter with a bully, which made me understand the severity of his experiences. I decided to place him in a private school at Christ the King in order to give him a better chance of being in a safe setting while getting the best education possible.
 
Mikel is an overcomer. With the help of tutors, he is back on track academically, and he is happy at his school.
 
As a caring mother, I want to do everything possible to keep my son at his school. With your financial contribution, we can positively impact the trajectory and outcome of his emotional, mental, physical, and academic stability.

In advance, I thank you so much for considering our family when determining how to disperse funds. I can assure you that it will be used properly to keep my son in the safest and most progressive environment possible.
 
Genuine appreciation,
Latonya

Your donations help children like Morgan and Mikel stay in the Christ-centered environment of Christ the King Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, Illinois.
 
Morgan is one of the students who was helped by donations from kind people who read the need for students' tuition in the LCC Making a Difference newsletter. We are very pleased that people are reaching out to help students whom they do not even know. Morgan has grown up in the classrooms of Christ the King. She has been with us since she was twelve weeks old. Her mom teaches here in the primary grades.
 
Thank you for the help we are receiving for families of Christ the King!
 
Geri Brazeal
Principal, Christ the King Lutheran School

Many families have lost their jobs and are unable to pay the school tuition. As COVID-19 lingers on, the future of the children staying in school at Christ the King grows bleaker.
 
Students who have come through Christ the King School have had their lives significantly changed by the love of Christ showered on them through Pastor John and Geri Brazeal, and the staff. The Christ-centered environment has a major impact on their lives and is a counterbalance to the environment many of them live in.
 
Read the stories below to learn how Christ the King is changing lives of children who otherwise would have no hope for their future.

Zayd, 6th Grader
 
Zayd is extremely smart but struggles with issues of abandonment. Three years ago he was abandoned by his mother at Chicago O’Hare airport. Since that incident, Zayd’s great-grandmother has had custody of him but with the pandemic, she has been having financial difficulties. As a retired great-grandmother battling some health issues she is not able to pay the full tuition for her great-grandson's school.
 
“I am so thankful that Zayd has become a baptized member of Christ the King. Zayd has been battling many mental issues since his mother abandoned him. Christ the King has become his family. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am so glad that he now sees himself as a child of God.”
 
After his baptism and becoming part of God's family, Zyad left the following message for Tim Hetzner, LCC President/CEO:
 
“When I get older I will help you with all the jobs at Lutheran Church Charities, and I want you to train me to have a comfort dog to help other people."

Jeremiah, 7th Grader
 
Jeremiah came to Christ the King in grade 6. He was three years behind other students his age. Since then, he has been working very hard to catch up. He is improving in his schoolwork, and he is excited to learn about God and be a part of His family.
 
Jeremiah's mom lost her job due to COVID-19. His dad is a veteran who works with the Veteran’s Group on the south side. Both parents are helpful members of Christ the King.
 

Due to COVID-19, many families have lost their jobs and are unable to pay the school tuition. Other families are behind in their tuition from the last school year but are struggling to pay a little at a time. As COVID-19 lingers on the future of the children staying in school at Christ the King grows bleaker.

In the Bronzeville community of Chicago, Christ the King Lutheran Church and School, as small as they are, has stood for 47 years and still stands as a big beacon of hope for the people around them. Pastor John Brazeal, Principal Geri Brazeal, the school staff, and members of the congregation for 47 years have been sharing the life-changing love and grace of God, in Jesus Christ and a quality education for the children of the families they serve.

Students who have come through Christ the King School have had their lives drastically changed by the love of Christ showered on them through Pastor John and Geri Brazeal, and the staff.

Redeeming Life Outreach Ministries, a Recognized Service Organization of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, is expanding its MATERNITY HOME ministry into Chicagoland! 

How can you help? 

We are looking for a home! The ideal maternity home would have five or six bedrooms, three to four bathrooms, a large family room, and a roomy kitchen. With faith, family and education as the foundation for all we do, the home would be situated adjacent to an LCMS congregation that desires to serve as the “church family” for our residents. Also, easy access to public transportation and a community college would best serve the needs of our mothers.