2001 Bernthal Grants Go to 33 Congregations

In 2001, the Bernthal Fund awarded grants totaling $148,000 to 33 congregations across the country. The grantees are listed below in alphabetical order by state.

ELCA=Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
LCMS=Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

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In 2002 the Bernthal Fund was renamed the Good Samaritan Fund. See lists of grantees from other years: 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000.

Read more about the Good Samaritan Fund grant program.

California

Our Saviour's Lutheran Church (ELCA)
Fresno, CA
Rev. William Knezovich
Award: $5,000
Our Savior's will hire an immigrant outreach and intake coordinator who will refer immigrants to existing church-based programs and directly assist with the youth and family ministry.

Florida

St. Michael's Lutheran Church (LCMS)
Ft. Meyers, FL
Rev. Jon Zehnder
Award: $5,000
A new Amigos Center will be opened at St. Michael's Lutheran Church, which plans to hire a BIA accredited representative to provide direct legal services, as well as to offer ESL and Spanish classes.

Salem Haitian Lutheran Church (LCMS)
Lake Worth, FL
Rev. Elie Louissaint
Award: $4,000 ($5,000 in 2000)
This project will continue a mentoring program to assist newly arriving Hatians with basic needs such as finding temporary housing and jobs, and enrolling in ESL classes.

Illinois

Purna Jiwan—Abundant Life South Asian Ministries (ELCA)
Chicago, IL
Rev. Dr. Eardley Mendis
Award: $5,000
Abundant Life will open a South Asian Service Center in Chicago to meet community needs.

Iowa

La Voz de Esperanza (ELCA)
Des Moines, IA
Rev. Richard Peterson
Award: $5,000
This project will offer four hours of low-cost legal services provided by an accredited representative of project partner AFSC at "Super Wednesday," a monthly family event sponsored by the church and attended by immigrant and nonimmigrant families.

St. Stephen Lutheran Church (ELCA)
Urbandale, IA
Rev. Ron Mohr
Award: $5,000
The grant will help launch a Computer Round Up program (exclusively for non-Match Grant clients) and provide volunteers for the conversation part of the ESL lab.

Maryland

Zion Lutheran Church (ELCA)
Takoma Park, MD
Rev. Kim Erno
Award: $5,000
Zion wants to organize a housing rights campaign that would advocate for safe, decent, affordable housing.

Massachusetts

First Lutheran Church (ELCA)
Lynn, MA
Neal Halvorson-Taylor
Award: $5,000
First Lutheran's ministry, God's Welcoming Community (GWC), will equip and empower the newly settled refugees and other immigrants with language and other skills necessary to make their adjustment to life in America successful.

First Lutheran Church (ELCA)
Malden, MA
Rev. James Knowles
Award: $5,000
First Lutheran will start a revolving loan fund to be used by asylum seekers (10-15 in the first year) to cover expenses such as short-term training courses and housing deposits.

St. Paul Lutheran Church (ELCA)
Arlington, MA
Rev. Ross Goodman
Award: $5,000
St. Paul wants to provide an after-school and school break program to help the eight Sudanese youth they co-sponsor make a transition into American culture without losing the strengths and values of their native culture.

Minnesota

Hmong Central Lutheran Church (ELCA)
St. Paul, MN
Rev. Dr. Naw-Karl Mua
Award: $3,000 ($5,000 in 2000 for tutoring; $5,000 in 1999 for scouting)
Develop a Marriage Enrichment Program for the Hmong community

Minnehaha Communion Lutheran Church (ELCA)
Minneapolis, MN
Rev. Harry Mueller
Award: $5,000
Minnehaha will extend the number of hours of its part-time parish nurse by ten hours each week to enable her to specifically target the immigrant community.

Peace Lutheran Church (LCMS)
Faribault, MN
Rev. Richard Wilkie
Award: (Joint award with Trinity Lutheran as lead church- please see Trinity for amount)
Peace and Trinity will establish a day care center for Sudanese children.

Missouri

St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church—Amigos de Cristo Mission (LCMS)
Sedalia, MO
Rev. Javier Sierra
Award: $4,000 ($5,000 in 2000)
The grant will help pay the salary of a resource coordinator who provides direct assistance to Hispanic immigrants, and coordinates volunteers from St. Paul's and from a community based self-advocacy group called Latinos Unidos.

Nebraska

Cush Community Lutheran Church (ELCA)
Omaha, NE
Gatkouth Kuich, Lay Pastor
Award: $5,000
Cush Community will create a Sudanese Language Outreach program, in which Nuer language classes will be offered to the Sudanese community, targeting women and children, on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

New Jersey

Christ—St. John Lutheran Church (ELCA)
West New York, NJ
Rev. Daniel Johannson
Award: $5,000
The Community Outreach and Referral Program (CORPUS) will help an immigrant congregation develop a vocation of service to other newcomers.

New York

Living Water Lutheran Church (LCMS)
Brooklyn, NY
Rev. Jukka Kaariainen
Award: $5,000
Living Water and CCEC will develop a new after-school and day care center.

Salam Arabic Lutheran Church (ELCA)
Brooklyn, NY
Rev. Khader El-Yateem
Award: $4,000 ($5,000 in 2000)
Salam will to continue to offer three-month low cost ESL classes, held at the church in the evening.

Pennsylvania

Tabernacle Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA)
Philadelphia, PA
Rev. Rosa Key
Award: $5,000
The grant will help expand a successful model program that teaches Liberian seniors beginning reading and math, provides social activities, coordinates field trips (this also helps the participants learn to use public transportation), and uses games and storytelling as teaching tools.

Tabor Lutheran Church (ELCA)
Philadelphia, PA
Rev. Andreas Wagner
Award: $5,000
Tabor will train adults and children in the use of computers.

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church of Manhattan (ELCA)
New York, NY
Rev. Rhonda Hoehn
Award: $5,000
Trinity will launch an ESL teaching project targeting women and children.

Trinity Lutheran Church (LCMS)
Faribault, MN
Rev. Robert Snyder
Award: $5,000 (joint grant with Peace Lutheran)
Peace and Trinity will establish a day care center for Sudanese children.

South Dakota

Zion Lutheran Church (LCMS)
Sioux Falls, SD
Rev. Timothy Heupel
Award: $4,000 ($5,000 in 2000)
Zion last year created the Sudanese Refugee Assistance Center, administered by an outreach coordinator, to advocate for the Sudanese and to meet direct needs. The grant will help pay the salary of the coordinator this year.

Tennessee

Trinity Lutheran Church (LCMS)
Gallatin, TN
Rev. Dave Maki
Award: $5,000
Trinity wants to hire a part-time Outreach Worker (ideally from the Sudanese community) to meet with families and assess their needs. The worker would link the Sudanese with existing state, county and community resources.

Texas

Calvary Lutheran Church (ELCA)
Richland Hills, TX
Rev. Phil Heinze
Award: $5,000
Calvary Lutheran, in partnership with a Lutheran mission in El Cenizo, community centers in both colonias, and the Webb County sheriff's office, will send youth from Calvary to the colonias to construct playgrounds at each of the community centers and at the Lutheran mission congregation, and to create organized activities.

Cristo Rey Luterano (ELCA)
El Paso, TX
Rev. Rose Mary Sanchez
Award: $3,000 ($5,000 in 2000; $5,000 in 1999)
Cristo Rey will continue to respond to the needs of the community in three ways: (1) to expand its own ESL classes; (2) to provide "scholarships" to attend more intensive ESL classes at the community college; and (3) to continue to provide legal/social advocacy for immigrants.

Cristo Rompió Las Cadenas Misión (LCMS)
Fort Worth, TX
Rev. Mark Joeckel
Award: $5,000
Cristo Rompió Las Cadenas, in partnership with Lutheran Inter-City Network Coalition (LINC), will offer Spanish literacy and ESL classes, as well as free childcare to those attending these classes.

Our Saviour's Lutheran Church (ELCA)
Tyler, TX
Rev. Gustavo Guerrero
Award: $3,000
The purpose of this project is to provide accessibility to immigration counseling, ESL classes, and the raising of awareness among new immigrants.

Park Place Lutheran (ELCA)
Houston, TX
Rev. Robert Navarro
Award: $5,000
The project will develop an educational program which will include: 1) Spanish literacy classes; 2) ESL; 3) English literacy; 4) GED classes; 5) assistance with preparing for tests necessary to enroll in community college; 6) childcare support for mothers with small children enrolled in one of the above programs; and 7) Spanish classes for members of the congregation and local businesses.

St. John Lutheran Church (ELCA)
Grand Prairie, TX
Rev. Susan Rodriguez
Award: $5,000 ($5,000 in 2000)
St. John will open an Immigration Counseling Center for the undocumented Hispanics in the community who qualify for status.

Washington

Faith Lutheran Church (ELCA)
Leavenworth, WA
Rev. Alex Schmidt
Award: $5,000
The Ministry will offer two ESL classes each week at the church (afternoon and evening), with childcare provided, will start a free medical clinic, and will hold anti-racism conferences.

Washington, D.C.

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church (Jubilee Center) (ELCA)
Washington, DC
Rev. Dean Moe
Award: $4,000 ($4,000 in 2000 for legal services; $5,000 in 1999 for Jubilee Center).
An adjunct professor from the local law school will oversee a law clinic located at the Jubilee Center to provide direct immigration legal services.

Iglesia Luterano Santa Maria (ELCA)
Washington, DC
Rev. Leonel Cruz
Award: $4,000 ($5,000 in 2000)
This project will expand upon its successful tutoring program to create an ESL and literacy component for adults to attend, and establish a basic information and referral system on immigration issues.

 

See lists of grantees from other years: 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2000.
Read more about the Good Samaritan Fund grant program.

 

 
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