Zoar strives to carry out Jesus’ command to love our neighbors by supporting local, regional, and international mission or service organizations.

2022 Current Missions:

Teach Beyond

TeachBeyond recruits and sends Christian educators, administrators, and workers to serve in schools around the globe by working with schools and organizations to provide continuing education to teachers, boards, and school owners. TeachBeyond supports K-12 schools, English language learning programs and projects. They combine faith and learning in the belief that through the power of God’s Holy Spirit, lives and communities will be transformed into Christ’s image. Not only do they provide education in the classroom, but they go beyond, into informal settings to teach skills, vocation, and character based on their core values of faith, integrity, holiness, creativity, and a love for people. https://www2.teachbeyond.org/

Water Missions International

Water Missions International is a nonprofit Christian engineering ministry that creates sustainable safe water and sanitation solutions for people in developing countries and disaster areas. They have created customized safe water solutions in nine permanent country programs in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Using state-of-the-art technology and engineering expertise, the organization has provided access to safe water and the Living Water Message of Jesus Christ for more than 2.8 million people in 52 countries on five continents since 2001. Through safe water and outreach events doors are opened to share the Gospel https://watermission.org/

Ukraine Relief Funds

Zoar donated to three organizations to help aid refugee relief.  One is Lutheran World Relief as recommended by the LCMC.  LWR is on the ground in Poland assisting with the Refugee crisis.  We will also be connecting with two Methodist churches in western Ukraine that are providing food and shelter as a stopping off point for those escaping the country.  Pastor Daren served with the Evangelical Methodist Church in Eastern Europe while in the Republic of Macedonia.  In partnership with the East European Mission Network, we will also be helping to feed and house refugees in neighboring Estonia. 

 Minnesota Adult & Teen Challenge

For almost 30 years, Mn Adult & Teen Challenge of Duluth has been restoring hope to people struggling with drug and alcohol addiction through faith-based recovery programs and transitional/aftercare services.
http://www.mntc.org

Lutheran Indian Ministries

Lutheran Indian Ministries proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ with Native American peoples, disciples Native leaders to share the Gospel with their brothers and sisters, addresses social sufferings in a way that values Native cultures, and envisions a day when all nations walk together in Christian fellowship.  Lutheran Indian Ministries serves Native American communities in the Alaskan interior, Hawaii, the Pacific northwest, and the southwestern US. https://www.lutheranindianministries.org/

Wycliffe Ministries

Wycliffe Bible Translators USA is an interdenominational nonprofit organization with a goal “for people from every language to understand the Bible and be transformed.” Based in Orlando, Florida, it partners with many organizations and churches around the world to help facilitate the work of Bible translation.  https://www.wycliffe.org/

Zoar Starfish Fund

One day, walking along the shore I saw an old man throwing starfish into the ocean. “Why?” I asked him, looking out across the beach.

The old man smiled, “Because the sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”

“But do you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile?” I asked, “You can’t possibly make a difference!”

At this, the old man bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it into the ocean and said “It made a difference to that one!”

The Zoar Starfish Fund is designed to assist congregation and community members in crisis situations. Please contact Pastor Daren for more information.

Birch Grove Kid’s Meals

Birch Grove Community School is a very small school.  60% of K-5 pupils qualify for free/reduced meals, and the school has limited resources to help fight hunger.  Zoar’s contribution to the Hungry program assists BGCS in purchasing breakfast bars and food for children that forget a lunch from home.  https://www.birchgroveschool.com/

Cook County Food Shelf

For Cook County residents facing an unexpected budgetary crisis, the Food Shelf is here to help supply a box of three nutritious meals for three days. Zoar supports the Food Shelf through canned good and monetary donations.
http://www.wtip.org/content/cook-county-food-shelf

Duluth CHUM

CHUM is people of faith working together to provide basic necessities, foster stable lives, and organize for a just and compassionate community. CHUM provides core social safety net programs which include emergency food, shelter, advocacy, and outreach to over 7,000 hungry, homeless and low-income people each year in the the Duluth area.
http://www.chumduluth.org

Samaritan’s Purse – Disaster Relief

Samaritan’s Purse international relief program provides critical needs including water filtration systems, cooking kits, hygiene supplies, and heavy-duty plastic for emergency shelters. U.S. disaster relief tractor-trailers are stocked with heavy-duty tarps, generators, chain-saws and other tools to aid in cleanup efforts. The team maintains a constant state of readiness – monitoring weather conditions and emerging threats around the nation in order to respond at a moment’s notice to help victims of natural disasters. https://www.samaritanspurse.org/

Global Health Ministries

Global Health Ministries (GHM) is a non-profit, volunteer powered organization that supports global Lutheran efforts in healthcare.  GHM ships medical equipment and supplies all over the world. These shipments help make healthcare accessible for some of the world’s most vulnerable people.  As a congregation, we have supplied sheets, bandages, and cloth masks for their clinic operations.  These can be made from repurposed bedding we are able to obtain from our local resorts and hotels.  We rip queen size flat sheets into the twin size sheets GHM requires and turn the rest into bandages.  We use fitted sheets for medical masks and we send the pillow cases we receive directly. In past years, we have assembled hospice kits and newborn kits as well. https://www.ghm.org/

Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ

LCMC is the free association of congregations that Zoar Church is affiliated with. We support LCMC disaster assistance efforts, educational programs, and annual gatherings.
http://www.lcmc.net

Past Missions:

Cook County Salvation Army

The Salvation Army works to provide basic needs, housing, rehabilitation, disaster relief, and spiritual counseling to those in need in Cook County.
http://salvationarmynorth.org/service-extension-program/northern-minnesota/

East European Network – Vision Petrozavodsk

A ministry partnership of Lutheran churches supporting the rebuilding of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria in Russia. Zoar members have participated in language camps and outreach programs in Petrozavodsk and Karelia, Russia.
http://eemn.nextmeta.com/vision-petrozavodsk

European Refugee Crisis

We support the efforts of The International Church in Skopje and he Miss Stone Social Outreach Centre in providing backpacks, warm clothing, hygene products and Bibles in Syriac and Arabic to the Syrian and Iraqi refugees streaming through the small European country of Macedonia.
http://www.icskopje.org

Evergreen Mission Congregation, Saipan

A congregation of Chinese, Philippino, and native Chamorro members on the Pacific island of Saipan. Their church was destroyed by Typhoon Soudelor last August. Pastor Seo and congregation leaders have located a new building but need help funding a remodel to turn it into a worship and education space.

Lutheran Association of Missionaries and Pilots

LAMP is a cross-cultural ministry sharing Jesus Christ with God’s people in remote areas of Native North America.
http://lutheranmissionariesandpilots.org
http://www.lampministry.org

Military BibleSticks

Faith Comes By Hearing provides Military BibleSticks to our troops at no cost to them through military chaplains.
https://militarybiblestick.com

The Seed Company

The Seed Company works with Christians throughout the world to translate the Bible into local languages. Stationed in Burkina Faso, Seed Company missionary Galen Johnson has deep roots in the Tofte area.
https://theseedcompany.org