Faith & Service
Human Care

GIFTS FROM THE HEART

From Human Care, Zone Spring Rallies 2025


Our LWML MNS District ladies held Gatherings and Servant Events, and collections were held for area mission projects. Following are the Zone Rallies held Spring 2025. The Servant Events and mission support projects were:

  • ARLINGTON ZONE Spring Rally was held on April 12, 2025, at St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Gibbon, MN. Speakers were Darlene Fretham and Doyle Benson on the Orphan Grain Train. Donations were $199 to MNSLWML and $405 plus 551 items of underwear to Orphan Grain Train. Attendance was 40.
     
  • AUSTIN ZONE Spring Rally was at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Brownsdale, MN, on April 26, with Pastor Robert Host as the guest speaker. He spoke about his families’ time as missionaries in Papua New Guinea, especially as it related to “sewing your seeds on the word of God” from Matthew 13:8-13. There were 25 people in attendance and another 6 guests. The zone took in $300 in registration fees, $150 of which was returned to Our Savior's for hosting the rally. Gifts from the Heart were designated to Riverland College Food Shelf with $275 being received and nearly 300 lbs. (a full car) of donated canned goods and personal care items.
     
  • BLUE EARTH ZONE Spring Rally was held on Tuesday, April 15 at St. John in Sherburn. Jeffrey Burkart was the speaker. They collected a wide variety of items of table napkins, tampons, feminine hygiene products, paper towels, toilet paper, Kleenex, dish soap containers, bodywash, dish soap, laundry soap, hand soap, hand lotion, twin extra-large sheet sets, pillows, toothbrushes, Post-It® notes, dryer sheets, toothpaste, pillowcases, and many more items.
     
  • CARVER ZONE Spring Rally and Servant Event was at Trinity, Waconia, on April 26, 2025. Rev. Dave and Darlene Fretham were the speakers for the Orphan Grain Train. There were 41 people in attendance. The offering collected was $94. Gifts from the Heart donated to Orphan Grain Train were 44 receiving blankets, 49 infant sleepers, 10 other layette items, $171, and a $250 check from the LWML Carver Zone. At the Servant Event, there were 50 layettes assembled, boxed, and delivered to the OGT storage unit in Mayer.
     
  • FARIBAULT ZONE Spring Rally was on April 26th with Gina Little, from Pregnancy Options, speaking. GFTH included clothes, diapers, and money.
     
  • LITCHFIELD ZONE Spring Rally was held April 26, at St. John Lutheran Church, Atwater. House of Hope Madagascar was the speaker who received $263 in donations.
     
  • LAKE MINNETONKA ZONE Spring Rally was at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Mound on April 26th with speaker Dr. Jeffrey Burkart. They collected $240 in GFTH to King of Kings Lutheran School Endowment Fund in Roseville per Dr. Burkhart’s request. There were 16 in attendance which included Dr. and Mrs. Burkart, Pastoral Counselor Rev. Mike Michalk, and 13 registered and 1 first-timer guest.
     
  • LAKE PEPIN ZONE Spring Rally was held on April 5th at St. John’s-Hammond with the theme – “In (Not Of) the World”, with speaker Rev. David Kind from University Lutheran Chapel (ULC) in Minneapolis. He spoke about the ministry at ULC to college students and others. Gifts from the Heart were collected for ULC’s Community Chest (food shelf). It included 243 items (such as soups, pasta, peanut butter, school/office supplies, and toiletries) & $105; offering of $131 for district in-reach; with 24 ladies + 3 pastors attending.
     
  • MCLEOD ZONE Spring Rally was held April 5, 2025, at First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Glencoe. Gideon, the Comfort Dog, and his handlers, Cindy Mueller and Pam Linemann, provided the rally program attended by 59 persons (including about 1 dozen children). Gifts from the Heart offering for Gideon was $704.75 (included $100 honorarium), MN South District offering was $347, and mites offering was $280.04.
     
  • NE SUBURBAN ZONE Spring Rally was April 26th, 2025. Jared Ballenger from Destiny Rescue spoke about how our churches can help victims of human trafficking. It was held at Messiah Lutheran Church in Mounds View. 52 attended, the in-district offering was $152 and the ingathering for Destiny Rescue was $708. Registration fees came to $348.
     
  • NW SUBURBAN ZONE Spring Rally was on April 26, at Beautiful Savior Church in Plymouth. Madalyn Krinke & Dr. Paul Dasari from Bible Faith Lutheran Ministries were the speakers. $1,415 was given to Bible Faith Lutheran Ministries. 
     
  • PIPESTONE ZONE Spring Rally was at St. James Lutheran Church in Holland, on April 12, 2025. The LWML Prayer and Praise Service was officiated by Pastor Petrich. Gifts from the Heart were received for Pipestone County Hospice House in the amount of $245, 31 attended, and the offering was $188.
     
  • ROCHESTER ZONE Spring Rally was held Saturday April 26, 2025, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Stewartville. “Leaving a Legacy” was the theme; Pastor Justin Kumfer, Senior Pastor at St. John’s Lutheran, Stewartville, led the opening devotion. Rev. James Heining, Rochester Pastoral Counselor, led the Bible study “Quiet Servants”. He explored less known biblical characters, found each in the bible, and then answered who it was and what gift they had. We read about Jethro with wisdom and nurturing, Bezalel with craftsmanship, Jason with hospitality, and many more.  Each of these Bible characters, with different gifts of service, left a one-word legacy through their way of service. Rev. Fran Green presented “Discovering Your ‘One-Word to Leave a Legacy,” Psalm 143:5 and Ephesians 2:10.  The ladies worked through many questions to help them discover their individual life “word”.  At the end of his presentation, all knew “we are who we are because our identity is in Christ”. There were 52 people in attendance.  The GFTH donations were collected for POBLO in Rochester.  $460, boxes of Keurig coffee K-cups, disposable tablecloths, paper plates, drinking cups, and paper bowls.
     
  • ST. CROIX RIVER ZONE Spring Rally was held on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at South Shore Trinity, White Bear Lake. The theme was “Serving & Sharing God’s Love” presented by Dr. David L. Mennicke, Coordinator of the St. Paul Outreach Center. 43 were in attendance with a total of $410 received for registration and offering totaling $262. Gifts from the Heart totaled $456 and 1 box of 900 baby wipes, 8 onesies, and 1 lotion given to Options for Women-East Pregnancy Medical Clinic.
     
  • ST. PAUL METRO ZONE Spring Rally was held Saturday, April 5, 2025, at Emmaus Lutheran Church, St Paul. Speaker Pastor Vue Lee, LCMS MN South District, Assistant to the President for Missions. Topic “Emerging New Ministries in the LCMS MN South District”. Gifts From the Heart: food shelf items for a local food shelf. Twenty in attendance, offering $68, registration $90.
     
  • SE SUBURBAN ZONE Spring Rally was held on May 3, 2025, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Farmington. The theme: “Who Takes Care of the Caregiver?” Attendance 30. Rally Offering $287. Gifts from the Heart In-Gathering $490 and VISA cards for mission offerings at the national LWML Convention in Omaha this summer.
     
  • SW SUBURBAN ZONE Spring Rally was held on May 3, 2025, at Redemption Lutheran, Bloomington. Speakers were from Orphan Grain Train, Dave & Darlene Fretham. Ladies made tied fleece blankets for OGT and collected Visa gift cards for the national LWML Gifts from the Heart.
     
  • WASECA ZONE gathered April 26, 2025, for its Spring Mission Gathering at Trinity Lutheran Church, North Morristown. A delicious brunch was served by the Ladies Aid with 23 in attendance. General offering was $118, mite offering $325. Various donations were given to Phil’s Friends to help cancer patients with their cancer journey. This included 5 little packs of Kleenex, 14 toothbrushes, 11 toothpaste, 2 mouthwash, 3 lotion, 4 decks of cards, 9 pairs of socks, 15 journals, 1 lip balm, 110 hats, 1 blanket, 7 game books, $170 cash, and $80 gift cards. Deb Vinkemeier shared a presentation on “Caring for the Caregiver”.
     
  • WINONA ZONE Spring Rally was held at Messiah in La Crescent on Saturday, April 26, 2025. Theme: “Wholeness Wheel Centered in Baptism”, Bible verse: Galatians 5:22 “The Fruit of the Spirit”; Speaker: Stephenie Hovland, talked about spiritual well-being. Attendance 37, offering $158; Gifts from the Heart of $363 for the La Crescent Food Shelf. Pastor Mueller led a devotion and Bible study.
     
  • WORTHINGTON ZONE Spring Rally was held on April 26, 2025, at St. Paul Lutheran Church (Rost Twp.) Lakefield. Our theme was “For I know the plans I have for you” (Jeremiah 29:11). Our speaker was Linda Medhus, Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. We collected 793 items for their school plus $610 for Gifts from the Heart. 41 attended.

We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:3 NIV).

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!  Thank you for showing Jesus' love!  

Kay Gottschalk, LWML MNS District Vice President of Human Care and Committee Chair; and committee members Doreen Hoffman, Deb Otto, Dianne Nutzman, and Pastor Bert Mueller.