BFLC Outreach

Black Forest Lutheran Church has a number of outreach programs that support not only those in need in the Black Forest and Colorado Springs areas, but also those across the nation and around the world.

Here are some outreach ministries at BFLC:

Black Forest Cares led by Kathy Steinke
Fair Trade Coffee led by Pauleta Terven
Habitat for Humanity led by Laurel Thorstensen
Marian House Soup Kitchen led by Bill Montie
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation led by Rob Martin
San Luis Valley led by Jan Veuthey

Musical Opportunities:

Choir led by Melanie Hohag
Contemporary Group led by Ken Hohag
Bell Choir led by Peter Falldorf

Below are some photos of recent outreach activities supported by BFLC members.

Pine Ridge 2009
Habitat for Humanity
Marian House Soup Kitchen

Pine Ridge Report for 2009

Select a thumbnail photo below, to see the larger image above:

What and where: Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is home to the Oglala Lakota Sioux Indians in the SW corner of SD

Pine Ridge is the major town on the reservation
Our ministry centers around Kyle, a smaller town in the Medicine Root District, NE of Pine Ridge

Why: Pine Ridge is one of the poorest areas of the United States

The Lakota lived in Minnesota and had to move West because of their warring nature and our expansion to the West coast.
After many battles we negotiated the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 guarantying the Lakota “ownership” of the Black Hills forever. When we found gold in the Black Hills, we pushed the Lakota out of the way by breaking the Fort Laramie Treaty in 1889, confiscated 7.7 million acres of the Black Hills and forcing the Lakota Sioux to live on the newly established Pine Ridge Reservation just south of the Badlands and south east of the Black Hills.
In 1891, the 7th Cavalry massacred a small band of Lakota at Wounded Knee, SD, which became the last armed battle between the Indians and the US Government. From then on all Indian tribes were forced to live on reservations.
Not only did we take their land, and force them to live on Reservations, but we destroyed their culture by killing off herds of buffalo, which were their mainstay of survival and by trying to Americanize them to the point where today their culture is virtually gone and may never be able to return.
Lakota Chief Red Cloud said it best, “They promised to take our land and they took it”
Through the ensuing years Pine Ridge has become a welfare state. No economic development, no jobs, no hope, no future. It’s easier to collect welfare than to work.
40,000 Lakota now live on the Rez
Life expectancy is 45
85 to 90% unemployment. Closest jobs are in Rapid City , 120 miles away.
Alcoholism and diabetes effect more than 70-80% of Lakota because the Indians can’t digest sugars like we Europeans can
Average per capita income is close to $3000.00
Live in substandard housing, usually no heat 2/3 of Kyle lives in trailer homes with no heat. They use the oven.
Half the homes have no electricity, 60% have no telephone

BFLC helped during the week of 17 Jul 2009 in Kyle, SD:

Delivered 6 wood burning stoves
Helped nine families with construction and repair of stairs, porches and ramps

Built ramp for Vernal brown Bull
Repaired ramp for Charlotte Kills Straight
Built hand rails for Courtney White Thunder
Repaired railing for Alvin No Horse
Built porch and stairs for Joselyn Apple
Repaired porch and stairs for William Short horn
Built porch and stairs for Tasha Rooks
Built ramp and stairs for John Yellow Hawk
Built ramp for Delbert Walters with funds from French woman, Lina Gouard.

We made a new contact: Claudine Bull Bear
Lina Gouard is Claudine’s cousin who was visiting when she offered to provide funds for us to build a ramp for Delbert Walters who lost his leg to diabetesWe’ll continue to work with Claudine to help more Lakota in and around Kyle

How we can continue to help:

Contribute to the BFLC Christmas presents for kids and Elder boxes to be delivered in Dec 2009
Plan to help with next summer’s Pine Ridge trip to Kyle in mid-July 2010.

We know it’s a drop in the bucket, but Christ compels us not only to refrain from doing wrong, but to persist in doing right.

Over the years, BFLC has partnered with Thrivent to support building homes for the Habitat for Humanity program. Here are some photos.

Select a thumbnail photo below, to see the larger image above:

Blitz House	Blitz House	Blitz House Sign	Tricia and family	Blessing of the lot	Blitz House build in 3 1/2 days
Placing steel I beam	Placing steel I beam	Placing steel I beam	Placing steel I beam	Working on floor joists	Cutting floor joists
Working on walls	Working on walls	Working on walls	Working on walls	Taking a lunch break	Working on roof
Working on roof	Helping those working on roof	Working on roof	Work is progressing on the outside of the house	Work continues	Driveway work
Driveway work continues	Front of house	Dedication	Dedication	Dedication

Photos of BFLC volunteers at one of our monthly visits to the Marian House Soup Kitchen.

Select a thumbnail photo below, to see the larger image above:

BFLC Outreach Programs