Pastor Jeff Johnson, Trinity, Cleveland and Mr. Brian Upton, Building Hope in the City - Director of Development will be given the award at the LCEF Fall Leadership Conference in Tampa, FL on Friday, Nov. 20; In addition the Sunday morning worship service collection will be matched by LCEF and donated to BHIC.

Building Hope in the City is an independent Lutheran organization that seeks to strengthen urban ministry and mission in Northeast Ohio and beyond.

Formed in August 2003, Building Hope in the City owes its birth to God's blessings and grace at Trinity Lutheran Church, a thriving, 153-year-old LCMS congregation located just outside of downtown Cleveland. Since 1992 and under the spiritual direction of Rev. Jeff Johnson, Trinity has grown steadily in size and strength. The desire to share these blessings with other urban congregations drove the formation of Building Hope in the City as a separate mission organization.

Today, with its own dedicated board, staff and hundreds of volunteers, Building Hope in the City's efforts stretch from Cleveland to Akron and Cincinnati. The organization provides a broad new voice for urban missions and for the importance of God's People to be present in the city, sharing His Word and their witness to His redeeming love in Christ.

The continuing and overall goal of BHIC is to see congregations in our cities be vibrant and healthy once again. Given the current state of Urban ministry in the LCMS, such a project represents much-needed “research and development”  for the church-at-large and an opportunity to develop new models for effective mission. To reach its goals, BHIC concentrates its efforts in a few key areas: church planting across cultures, new ministry development within existing congregations and equipping leaders and volunteers for urban ministry.

David Bowers, Ohio District – CEF Executive Director David Bowers submitted Building Hope for the award.

To find out more about Building Hope in the City and learn how you can become involved, visit the Building Hope website.

The Fred E. Lietz Mission Project Award recognizes outstanding efforts on the part of mission projecs within The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod that have been helpd through loans or services from the Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF).

Created in 1990, the Fred E. Lietz Ministry Award is named in honor of Fred Lietz, who was the first executive secretary of Church Extension in 1957.  Mr. Lietz then became the first president of the Lutheran Church Extension Fund when the organization was incorporated in 1978.