Blessings and a happy New Year!

We are off to an exciting year! We hope and pray that the Lord would move each of you to get involved in this exciting ministry. Being a Christ follower, a believer, a Christian, isn't about just warming the bench on Sunday mornings. It's about getting off that bench and into the the game, joining Jesus on His mission, experiencing the excitement as we see His love working in the lives of others. 

1 Timothy 2:1-7 The Message (MSG) -- Simple Faith and Plain Truth

2 1-3 The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.

4-7 He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we’ve learned: that there’s one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us—Jesus, who offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free. Eventually the news is going to get out. This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth.

Please, read these two pdfs and share with others!

1) Job's decision (pdf)
2) January Newsletter (pdf)

Blessings on you, your family, and on His ministries that are part of your lives, 

Rev. Norman R. Finke
Executive Director of Koinoneo Independent Mission Agency (KIMA

‘Twas the week before Christmas, when all thro’ the house
Many a creature was stirring, even me and my spouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
and we are off to Houston to be with our loved ones there.
 
I pray that each and every one of you gets a chance to be with your loved ones as we celebrate the One Who loved us enough that He sent His Son, tiny, itty-biddy Jesus, to be born in a lowly manger, grow into manhood doing the things you and I couldn't do, and then died on a cross on a hill far away. And wonder of all wonders, He arose so that He could spend an eternity loving on you.
 
That’s the reason for the season. Celebrate it!

Click here for the December Newletter (pdf)

Click here for Support Argentina Students (pdf)

Rev. Norman R. Finke
Executive Director of KIMA

Why are we still here? Wouldn't it be better if we were with God in heaven enjoying all that He has prepared for us? No pain! No sorrow! Joy, joy, joy! But that's not happening right now.

So God must have something in mind for us to do. What is it? What am I to do? Turn to Him and ask Him and then get ready to go where He leads.

In Luke 2 it says, "So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28 Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,

29 “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised.
30 I have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared for all people.
32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and He is the glory of your people Israel!”

I think that God wants us to join Jesus on His redemptive mission to our world.

Click here to read the December KIMA Newsletter.

Rev. Norman R. Finke

I spent almost five days last week with Rev. Isaac Garcia, his wife Yolanda, and Lay-pastor Job Jimenez. I was really impressed with their enthusiasm for the ministry. We attended a workshop together at Our Redeemer in Irving, TX.

They hope to provide similar workshops in Mexico next May or June. Dwelling 1:14 will be hosting these three workshops possibly in Mexico City, Matamoros, and San Luis Rio Colorado.

There was also a request for a book that would contain selected liturgies as well as essential resources for ministry in illness and bereavement, as well as materials for use in various special circumstances. I have a book called "Pastoral Care Companion" that would be perfect if it was in Spanish. CPH said they were working on it and it would be available sometime next year. Augsburg Fortress has one that is called "Ritos Ocasionales." The price for it is $25.00.  The men in Mexico would like about 14 copies of this for all the pastors, lay-pastors, and men who help to conduct services in the missions. So if anyone out there wants to participate in this endeavor, please, send a contribution and earmark it for these books.

Keep these workers in the Kingdom in your prayers. They are working on the same type of problems as we are only very often they do not have the resources that are needed.

Here is his report with photos in pdf format.

Blessings to you and your ministries,

Rev. Norman Finke
Executive Director of KIMA

This morning as I get ready to send out this Newsletter I ask you to remember two people in your prayers.

Today, Friday, September 12th, Jennifer, the daughter of Paul Krentz, our Mission and Ministry Facilitator for Area B, is having surgery to remove her brain tumor. This operation is being performed at M.D. Anderson Medical Center in Houston. Approximately a week later, following further diagnostics, a future course of treatment will be put in place. Your prayers for Jennifer and her husband Andy as well as the surgical team who will be doing this procedure are desired.

The second person is Rev. Darrell Howanitz, who is also receiving treatment through M.D. Anderson in Houston.

I thank you for any prayers.

In this Newsletter I have tried to share with you some of the exciting things that God is doing in Mexico and how we might also learn from some of those experiences and apply them to our own communities.

Click here for the Newsletter (pdf)

May God bless each of you, your families, and your ministries.

Rev. Norman Finke
President of KIMA

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow! The lost has been found! There may all kinds of good things you think of when you read those words and I am sure they are all better than the ones I had as I typed them in.

Lost coin?
Lost sheep?
Our losing sight of the Savior?
Finding the lost?

All mighty ideas and things we need to be thankful for.

Unfortunately, I was only thankful for I found this Newsletter on my computer after I lost it.

Maybe we all just need to trust the Lord a little more in the small things and we will see Him working in the important things -- like winning souls.

Please, read this Newsletter, pray about it, and pass it on to others!

Click here for the Newsletter (pdf)

Rev. Norman Finke
KIMA

Hello dear friends in Christ,

We have had some exciting things going on these last few month. About the time you begin to think that all is well and we have accomplished something, God comes along and says now that you have done those things how about trying this?  In this newsletter we want to share some of those opportunities with you. I know that we have all been blessed by the Lord as we look around and see all the good things that are happening around us. I would like to ask you to share this newsletter with people around you who have also experienced the blessings of God.

Click here for the newsletter (pdf)

Have a great weekend as you join together with your church family in worshiping our dear LORD!

Rev. Norman Finke
President of KIMA

Job Jimenz is a young man whose father was the original pastor of San Mateo Lutheran Church in San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico. His father died a number of years ago and Job has finished his university training with a degree in Psychology. He has always helped out in the church but has now decided to become an ordained pastor. The Lutheran Synod of Mexico has officially made him a Lay-pastor who has been given the honor of administrating the Sacraments. He was also recently elected to the position of Secretary of the Lutheran Synod of Mexico. Besides serving San Mateo in San Luis Rio Colorado he serves or oversees three  other missions in the Sonora Desert. They are Santo Tomas at the small town of Ejido Mesa Rica about an hour south of San Luis; the second one is Rey de Gloria at Ejido Independencia about 45 minutes south of the city; and the third one is in Ejido Fronterizo and at present has no name. All these missions are out in the desert. 

We will be posting Job's newsletters from time to time to share with you the work being done in San Luis Rio Colorado. 

Here then is the first: 
newsletter for the missions in and around San Luis Rio Colorado Sonora, Mexico (pdf).

We give thanks to the Lord for His love and guidance. We pray that you will have a blessed summer. 
Please, share our Newsletter (pdf) with others.

Pastor Norman Finke, KIMA

Praise God for all the help!

We are pleased to announce that Koinoneo Independent Mission Agency has been enrolled as a participating organization in Thrivent Choice.

Thrivent Choice is a charitable grant program that allows eligible members to recommend where Thrivent Financial distributes part of its charitable outreach grant funds each year. Thrivent Financial members may direct Choice Dollars® to our organization in a particular month; Thrivent Financial reviews the recommendation and makes an electronic contribution by the 10th of the following month. Those funds will be used to carry out the religious, charitable or educational purposes of our organization.

We are listed as Koinoneo Independent Mission Agency. City: Waxahachie; State: TX; Zip Code: 75165; Organization Type: Other Lutheran Organization; Organization Focus: Religious.