Wheat Ridge Ministries is pleased to share the third resource in its “Odyssey” series, My Odyssey with Parkinson’s Disease, written by Rev. Dr. Richard T. Hinz.  (Order the book now)

Wheat Ridge Ministries believes that sabbatical leave for rest and renewal is a significant way that congregations can support professional church worker health and wellness.  Ministry sabbaticals can help staff persons stay healthy in the midst of the pressures and complexities of serving others.  To assist congregational leaders, Wheat Ridge is providing resources for sabbatical rest and renewal through a Ministry Sabbatical Resource Center.

Ms. Marlene Lund, Dr. Debra Esernio-Jenssen and The Rev. Paul R. Huneke were recently recognized as Wheat Ridge Ministries’ 2004 Seeds of Hope Award recipients for their exemplary dedication and commitment to serving in ministries of health, hope and healing.

Wheat Ridge Ministries, in partnership with Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), is offering financial assistance to Lutheran congregations to encourage the development of support services for immigrants and refugees.  For the seventh year, competitive grants are being made available through the Good Samaritan Fund established in honor of The Rev. August Bernthal for his dedicated leadership in serving refugees and immigrants.  These seed grants are intended to enable congregations to develop vital support services for immigrants and refugees that are needed in their communities beyond the initial stages of resettlement.

Wheat Ridge Ministries recently elected two new members to its Board of Directors to replace outgoing members Rev. Paul J. Blom, Dr. Mimi Fields and Rev. John Nunes. 

The Rev. Dr. Frederick Aigner, The Rev. Dr. James K. Echols and Mrs. Jane G. Geske, R.N., C., will each be recognized with a Wheat Ridge Ministries’ 2005 Seeds of Hope Award at the Sixth Annual Benefit Dinner on February 12, 2005 at The Lodge at McDonald’s Office Campus in Oak Brook, Illinois.

Dr. Richard W. Bimler, president of Wheat Ridge Ministries since 1991, announced to the Board of Directors at their November meeting that he plans to step down from his position as of March 1, 2006.

Wheat Ridge Ministries, an independent Lutheran non-profit organization, recently approved nine grants totaling $270,000 to assist new ministries of health and hope throughout the world.  

Wheat Ridge Ministries, an independent Lutheran non-profit organization, recently awarded nearly $53,200 in Congregation Health and Hope Grants to 31 Lutheran congregations across the country. 

The Rev. Dr. Herbert F. Brokering, a pastor, poet, pilgrimage guide, speaker and staff associate for Wheat Ridge Ministries, has been selected to receive this year’s Wittenberg Award.  The Luther Institute of Washington, D.C., presents the annual award to individuals for outstanding service to church and society.  Other recipients of the award are the Rev. Julius Jenkins, president of Concordia College, Selma, Alabama; and the Rev. J. David Simonson and Eunice Nordby Simonson, missionaries in Tanzania; Dr. Norman Borlaug, international food expert and Nobel Peace Prize recipient; and the founders of the children’s program, “Davey and Goliath.”