• The Bible says (1 Cor.9:14), “The Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.”
• Over the last several years, St. Matthew staff received the following wage increases:
  • 2004-05 2.3% increase
  • 2005-06 1.5% increase
  • 2006-07 Wage freeze
  • 2007-08 2.4% increase

* We could charge a fee and our international friends would likely pay it. But we would lose a strong part of our gospel witness. Then internationals would see our ministry as them receiving a service they were paying for rather than an act of kindness offered to them by followers of Jesus Christ.

* Luke 6:27-35 tells us to live differently, giving freely and not demanding or expecting a return from anyone.

While it is considered income in the budget, St. Matthew’s tithe to Synod is based on offerings, not on tuition. After an extensive Biblical study, the Administrative Board approved in 2005 a paper called “The Tithe at St. Matthew.” It is available at the Welcome Centers today.

• Classes are free for internationals. This provides a significant opportunity to help our International friends not only hear but experience the free gift of the Gospel brought to them by their Christian friends at St. Matthew.
• Jesus himself insists that the Gospel must be kept free in Revelation 21:6 & Revelation 22:17. And Matthew 21:12-17 & Acts 8:14-21 show us the dangers of mixing the free gift of the Gospel with money.

• Cost for Int’l Ministry (07-08 budget year):
  $93,467 Salary,
  $9,720 Medical
  $15,450 line item in budget
  $1,250 funding from designated funds
  TOTAL = $119,887
  $119,887 divided by 450 people in classes = $266.42 per person per year
  $266.42 divided by 28 weeks of class = $9.52 per person per week

Note: In addition to weekly classes, the ministry also includes Christmas and Easter Celebrations, and other relationship-building activities.

There are currently about 350 men, women, and children enrolled in our Int’l Friends classes. Another 120 kids attend childcare. 70 people remain on waiting lists.

• About 95% of our Friends are from Japan. Missionaries in Japan are amazed by the work God is doing at St. Matthew (the average Lutheran church in Japan is only 30 people – more than 10 times that hear about Jesus through Int’l Friends classes).

It has been tried in the past, but it quickly became an obligation and participants were pressured to give. Our friends from Japan do not understand the concept of “freewill”. Japanese people are ruled by a norm called “han-gaeshi” which drives them to try to repay any debt of kindness with a similar act of equal value or sacrifice. They do not like to feel indebted to anyone. Any time we can provide our International friends with a gift that they are not asked (or allowed) to repay, we put them one step closer to the free gift of life through Jesus Christ that we CANNOT repay.

Yes we can! Outreach is bigger than a ministry board, but here are just a few things that are happening in order to connect with people who are new to St. Matthew and to KEEP connected with our members.

• Each week, our outreach team makes phone calls to all the guests who supply that information.
• In addition to the ministry to members who have not been in worship for over a year, the Elders contact many members who have not been active in worship for six months; and they do exit interviews in pertinent situations.

• Our Friends are very grateful for the opportunity to join classes, where they can experience God’s love and acceptance through their interactions with American Christians.
• Here are a few recent examples of early impact:
• Belonging to the class is a great experience for me. I'm really happy to find you. To see other people and talk to them makes fun and helps me to get over my homesickness which catches me sometimes. Kind regards, Julia

We hope not. Because tuition is payment for a service received, it is not tax deductible, according to the IRS. More importantly, according to the Biblical concept of the tithe, we give our first and best offerings to God in the offering plate, before we make any other payment.

Minister to Youth, John Welte, answers…

The answer is yes, but what price are you willing to pay? Many of the local churches have their primary ministries for children and youth take place on Sunday mornings and they accomplish this by having families separate upon arrival to church and go to their own meeting areas where worship, Bible class, and fellowship are combined into a 1 to 1-1/2 hour time frame.

We have chosen to place a higher value on