Why does St. John’s and the Sewing Group save stamps?
About 10 years ago I read an article in Living Lutheran magazine about a project that was on-going at a Lutheran Church in Texas. The project involved people collecting postage stamps. Stamps of all kinds, common, commemorative, canceled, famous people, foreign, etc. All stamps were needed. When enough stamps are collected, they are sold to stamp collectors. The money/proceeds made from these sales is sent to Lutheran World Relief Headquarters in New York. ALL proceeds are used to defray the costs of shipping Lutheran World Relief quilts overseas.
So I wrote to the lady who was in charge and asked how St. John’s could be involved. She sent me the guidelines and how to begin to save the stamps for St. John’s…
Cut off the stamp side of the envelope. I do not need name or addresses, just the third part of the envelope with the stamp. I will cut and trim accordingly. Bring your stamp/envelopes to church. On the table in the narthex, below the church bulletin board is a wooden box with 3 slotted openings in the top. The center opening is marked for stamps. Just drop them off and I will pick them up. (I just mailed a large box to Texas last month.)
So please save your stamps and bring them to church. Do you know of a friend who works in an office or business where stamps could be saved for our project? Would you please be so kind to ask for their help? (Example: Mail arrives at church with stamps on them and Eloide saves the stamps for us.)
Saving the stamps is an important piece of helping Lutheran World Relief get quilts into the hands of those who need them. Each year Lutheran World Relief spends nearly $1.7 million to operate its quilt and kits ministry. Those funds, combined with the generosity of Lutheran quilters and kit makers throughout the United States, enables Lutheran World Relief to annually distribute more than $12 million worth of quilts and kits around the world.
Fact #1—Since the Stamp Project started in 2009,. Over $9,000 has been raised to help offset the cost of shipping quilts.
Fact #2—Last year, your gifts reached 838,302 people around the world.
Fact #3—It costs $2.25 to ship one quilt.
I hope that I have explained the stamp collection to everyone. But if you have any questions, please call me. My deepest appreciation to all of you who have been so faithful in bringing in the stamps. Thank you.
Dear Lord,
We pray that these quilts will serve a useful purpose in the life of the recipient, that they will bring warmth in the cold, shelter from the sun and heat or a wall of a home. May these quilts bring a message of care from someone they may never meet. Amen
God Bless everyone,
In Jesus’ name,
Carole Wenzel