St. Luke is actively involved in world missions, but do you know what we are doing locally?  In 2012, our proposed budget includes donations to these local, or national/international causes with local impact, worthy causes:

• Meals on Wheels - $2000
• Saleeby Center - $100
• Hartsville Interfaith Ministries - $2500
• Kairos Prison Ministry - $2000
• United Methodist Volunteers in Missions - $800
• Habitat for Humanity - $2000
• Darlington County Free Medical Clinic - $3000
• PeeDee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault - $750
• Christmas in April - $1000

The Ramsays have been missionaries for St. Luke since 1995.  They are currently working at The Mission Society.

Jim Ramsay, Vice President for Mission Ministries at The Mission Society

As vice president for mission ministry, Jim oversees the ministry arm of The Mission Society, which includes field ministry, church ministry, and international mobilization. He provides oversight for these three ministry departments in the home office. He works with missionaries on the field, field leaders, regional coordinators, and national partner ministries to provide strategic planning, encouragement, decision support, and accountability. Jim also assists in the screening and preparation of new missionaries.

Jim joined The Mission Society staff in September 2006 after serving as a missionary with the organization for 10 years. He and his family lived in Kazakhstan and where they worked in a variety of ministries and where Jim served as field leader and Asian regional coordinator. Jim assumed the vice president role after serving nearly five years as senior director of field ministry.

Jim Ramsay's bio can be found here in pdf format.  And be sure to check out Jim's blog with The Mission Society.

Shawn Ramsey, Assistant Coordinator for Missionary Kids at The Mission Society
Shawn served with her husband Jim and their four children in Central Asia for 10 years before joining the staff of The Mission Society. She assists Vicki Decker in coordinating care for Missionary Kids (MKs). Having raised four children on the mission field herself, Shawn brings a lot of experience to this position.

 (Reprinted from missionsociety.org, with permission)

Michael and Lolla coordinate the ministries of “Life for Children Ministry,” which Michael founded. Life for Children Ministry is a ministry with a passion and a heart for offering hope and new life to orphans of HIV/AIDS and vulnerable children. This outreach provides food, housing, health care, education, and spiritual nourishment to the children with whom it works. Through Life for Children Ministry, orphans are reintegrated into loving homes with their extended families. The long-term goal is the spiritual and economic transformation of communities.

Life for Children Ministry
Vision - To give hope and life to HIV/AIDS orphans and vulnerable children.
Mission - To identify orphans whose parents/guardians have died of HIV/AIDS and support them physically, spiritually and socially by providing food, housing, healthcare, education and spiritual nourishment.

Michael is himself a HIV/AIDS orphan and desires to help other children of the same plight experience a full life in Christ.

For more information on Michael and Lolla's ministry, or to donate to the Life for Children Ministry, visit the The Mission Society's feature on the Agwandas here or visit Life for Children Ministry's website.

(Reprinted from missionsociety.org, with permission)