Helped by an LCEF loan, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, a mission congregation in Bismarck, N.D., opened its doors to the community this past summer in a former retail store. Members are making good use of the space and members are actively reaching out to the developmentally disabled with its Faith and Friends weekly service. It is also a ministry partner to Bethesda Lutheran Communities, with the goal of providing a Lutheran, faith-based group home for people with the disabilities.

The congregation at St. John, Kimball, Minn., used Capital Funding Services and an LCEF loan to build a new contemporary country church. There were two characteristics of St. John’s ministry that members wished to be carried out in the design: a passion for the cross and a desire to build relationships with Jesus Christ and each other. The interior and exterior windows were designed to create a central alignment between the front door and the altar and draw people to the cross. The shape of the sanctuary windows and ceiling also leads one to the cross, and natural light shines on one’s path to the altar. This new structure reminds congregation members of their purpose every time they enter.

A phrase often used, “space and place” for ministry, doesn’t have to simply apply to a physical structure. The congregation of Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Houlton, Wisc., enjoys hearing the Gospel alfresco, or outdoors. Family of Christ is blessed with a beautiful, peaceful setting for its church, and members certainly enjoy it. They gifted funds, materials, and sweat equity to build an outdoor worship space, with the help of a LCEF loan.

Rev. Mark Schreiber was able to guide his flock in more than just the Good Word: he put himself through college and seminary by working in landscaping, therefore brought a lot of experience to the project. Now, every Sunday in the summer (weather permitting) members attend 8 a.m. services outdoors in an idyllic setting, complete with a brook running between the wooden pews.

In November, the congregation of St. Paul Lutheran Church and School in Concordia, Mo., dedicated its new education building. It will house the lower grades of the school, as well as the school administrative offices. An upper floor remains unfinished and will provide space for future expansion. LCEF is a proud partner to the congregation as St. Paul’s members seek to provide quality space for better outreach to the community and service.

Laborers For Christ was asked to assist the congregation at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, El Centro, Calif., to add nearly 1,000 square feet to its original Spanish-style church, which now serves as its fellowship center, Janke Hall. The congregation uses the hall for church and community meetings, classes, and social events. It also has a satellite worship site at the Hispanic Outreach Center in El Centro.