Lutheran World Relief
Lutheran World Relief has been active for over 50 years, working with partners in 50 countries to help people grow food, improve health, strengthen communities, end conflict, build livelihoods and recover from disasters.

Shepherd of the Valley participates in LWR’s ministries through our involvement in the Coffee Project, Handcrafts Project, through a variety of collections, including soap for refugee camps, infant layettes, and through financial support. To learn more about Lutheran World Relief’s wide ranging ministries, go to www.lwr.org

LWR Coffee Project
Coffee is the world’s second most traded commodity, and yet coffee farmers are some of the poorest people on earth. For several years, coffee prices have been at historic lows, not even covering the expense of growing the crop, and most coffee farmers live in abject poverty. Lutheran World Relief has worked with Equal Exchange, a for profit, fair trade corporation, to give US Lutheran congregations a way to use the power of consumer choice to improve the lives of small coffee farmers in Tanzania and Latin America.

Shepherd of the Valley offers Equal Exchange’s organically grown, fairly traded products for sale on the third weekend of each month. SOTV members purchase a variety of delicious coffees, teas, cocoa, and chocolate, and are assured that their purchases are helping people in other communities feed and shelter their children, improve schools and healthcare. We are also serve fairly traded coffee at SOTV functions.

Jeff and Bev Kile coordinate the LWR Coffee Project at SOTV. A team of volunteers work in 60-90 minute shifts on Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings to sell the coffee. If you would like to become involved, contact Jeff and Bev at bjkile@msn.com.

To learn more about Lutheran World Relief and the Coffee Project, go to www.lwr.org.

To learn more about Equal Exchange and its farming cooperative members, go to www.equalexchange.com.

LWR Handcrafts Project
Baskets from Bangladesh, sturdy wooden puzzles from Indonesia, olive wood crèches from Israel—all these and more are available through the LWR Handcrafts Project.

Lutheran World Relief and its partner, SERRV International, have teamed up to bring US Lutherans a catalog filled with unique, handcrafted gift items. For Shepherd of the Valley members, it’s an easy way to put faith into action—by purchasing these high quality and fairly traded items, we give skilled artisans from developing countries a chance to participate in the global marketplace, enabling them to earn income that helps them care for their families and strengthen their communities.

Catalogs are available in the main office (we ask that you use them and return them after you’ve ordered) or online at www.serrv.org. Please use our parish code when you order: 1448.

Heifer International 2008
We were blessed to have sunny and warm weather for “Fill the Ark” weekend and the petting zoo on May 4, 2008. What a fabulous day! 

Thank you for your joyful generosity on May 4 as SOTV contributed over $9,600 to Heifer International  The number will rise over the year as people generously make additional contributions. Wow! The compassion of this congregation for the well-being of our sisters and brothers in Christ is amazing. Supporting a Christian based organization such as Heifer is just one way we can be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ.

Doesn’t it feel GREAT to be a part of something so life changing? Our God is an awesome God.

HUNGER FACT: 854 million people across the world are hungry—up from 852 million a year ago.

Hurricane Katrina
To see pictures from the Hurricane Katrina group, click here

For stories about Hurricane Katrina, click here

Pine Ridge Reservation
South Dakota
Shepherd of the Valley has an ongoing relationship with the residents of Pine Ridge, who live in one of the poorest counties in the United States. We regularly provide winter outerwear, school supplies, and Christmas gifts. Cris and Bill Ireland coordinate the SOTV-Pine Ridge connection.

Luther Seminary
SOTV provides financial support for the Seminary in general, as well as for individual students, currently including Amy Orstad, Randy Haas, Glendine Soiseth, and Jeff Gustafson.

Youth Service Trips
Hundreds of SOTV youth participate in Youthworks service trips each summer, reaching out to share God's love in places like Mexico, Pine Ridge, Fort Apache, Milwaukee, Duluth, Vancouver, and Denver. Students work in soup kitchens, day care for children and the elderly, paint homes and experience sharing the love of Christ with people whose lives are often very different from their own.

Visit our Youth pages for more information about current projects and opportunities.

Global Health Ministries

Helping the Hands that Heal
GHM is a grassroots organization assisting Lutheran health care programs in developing countries by providing financial support for projects, by locating and shipping urgently needed medical supplies, by recruiting health care personnel and by funding the training of national health care workers. SOTV's OK's have volunteered at GHM's headquarters and warehouse in Fridley. Lutheran Healthcare Bangladesh does similar medical ministry with the financial support of SOTV. For more information, go to www.ghm.org.

ELCA Disaster Response

This ministry meets urgent needs in the United States and around the world in areas ravaged by natural disasters and war. SOTV members donated $25,000 in the weeks after September 11th, and over $19,000 in response to hurricanes that ravaged the Gulf Coast in 2005.