Love your neighbor as yourself
SERVANT to SERVANT                        1-22-16


 
SHARE SERVANT to SERVANT
If you are receiving this publication for the first time, it is because you have been identified as a leader of your congregation and someone who may benefit from hearing from the district on a regular basis. The English District eNewsletter, Servant to Servant, is emailed every Friday and will contain photos, stories, and noteworthy information from around the English District and The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. If you would like to change your email address, click on the "Update Profile/Email Address" link at the bottom.  If you prefer not to receive these communications from us, you may opt out at any time by clicking the "SafeUnsubscribe" link at the bottom. You are encouraged to share the information from Servant to Servant with members of your congregation. All are invited to subscribe to this weekly subscription by emailing Peggy Oke at [email protected] or simply forward the newsletter to them using the "Spread the Word" link at the bottom left of this newsletter. They can subscribe by clicking on the link at the bottom right title "Sign up for our emails."

ENGLISH DISTRICT BLOG
Guest blogger  Rev. John Diener from Grace Lutheran Church in Wyoming, MI, shares a very personal experience about how he has "processed" his life .  Click below to read his story.
 

 
NATIONAL LUTHERAN SCHOOLS WEEK
National Lutheran Schools Week provides our network of nearly 2,300 LCMS preschools, elementary schools and high schools with the public opportunity to proclaim and celebrate God's work among us in Lutheran schools. We thank God for the opportunity to provide excellent academic preparation for the children we serve. We are most grateful for the opportunity to share Jesus' amazing love with children and their families. National Lutheran Schools Week gives us an opportunity to proclaim these great blessings within the communities we serve. Our schools are amazing incubators for faithful witness of God's love for us through Christ by teachers and students alike.

 

Click here for a Bulletin Insert.  

 
LUMEN CHRISTI AWARD 
Our gracious Lord continues to bless the ministry of the English District of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod by providing dedicated and talented professional and volunteer teachers in child, youth, adult, and family ministry areas. These servants of the Lord exercise their abilities in many creative and unique ways in the Christian nurture of God's people. The Lumen Christi award is presented annually to publicly recognize the service of teachers, to further promote and encourage all professional and volunteer teachers, and to recognize the use of their talents and abilities in service to our Lord.

All nominations are to be submitted on the webform (see link below) no later than February 15, 2016. If desired, a pdf of the form can be printed and mailed to the English District office. The award winners will be selected and the actual awards will be presented to the two district educators of the year before their congregations on one Sunday during spring. All who are nominated will receive a letter of congratulations for having been considered worthy.

Criteria
The criteria established for the Lumen Christi Award are stated as follows:
  1. Very Committed to Ministry and Mission,
  2. Highly Dedicated to Parish,
  3. Readily Witnesses to Christ, a Spiritual Example, and
  4. A Particularly Effective Educator.
Eligible
Professional Staff: Any full-time or part-time educator that has worked for a congregation, school or ministry of the English District during the current school year. Includes principals, preschool and child care directors, and Directors of Christian Education as well as all teachers.

Congregational Volunteer Educator: Any English District church member that has voluntarily taken on responsibility for teaching or administration on behalf of one of his or her congregation's programs of Christian education during the past year.

To access the Lumen Christi forms click on the appropriate link below:


 

Mail pdf nomination forms to:

 

English District LCMS

33100 Freedom Road

Farmington, MI  48336-4030 

 
COMING SOON:
YOUR CHURCH'S DVD of 'THE FIRST ROSA'
The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod is releasing a complimentary DVD copy of "The First Rosa" to each LCMS congregation.

The name of civil-rights champion Dr. Rosa Parks is well known to history. But there was another Rosa, "a black teacher with liberating dreams," with an inspiring story of her own.
 
Born to an ordinary life in an ordinary town in rural Alabama, Rosa J. Young was anything but ordinary. She played an instrumental role in the founding and development of 30 Lutheran elementary schools and 35 Lutheran congregations throughout Alabama's Black Belt region. With a passion for helping others, educating children and sharing the Gospel, she accomplished extraordinary things for her community and the kingdom of God.

See this compelling documentary on Dr. Rosa J. Young, pioneer Lutheran educator and missionary who, alongside the Rev. Nils J. Bakke, planted dozens of historically black Lutheran schools and chapels in the American South. See the long odds they faced-struggles with strident critics, the Ku Klux Klan, even an invasion of boll weevils-before emerging with a glorious victory.
 
When will your congregation host a showing of "The First Rosa"?  Now is the perfect time to plan a showing of this film that will enlighten the Church to Young's remarkable history, initiate and invoke the vocation of new professional church workers and inspire the establishment of new Rosa J. Young Academies.
 
Watch the official movie trailer, learn more and download materials at lcms.org/thefirstrosa, and stay tuned for the arrival of your church's copy of "The First Rosa".
 
2016 LCMS NATIONAL YOUTH GATHERING
The LCMS National Youth Gathering, held every three years, provides thousands of youth and adults the opportunity to come together as a community of God's people to learn more about Jesus Christ, the Christian faith and their Lutheran identity. During the five days of the Gathering, youth spend time together in God's Word, worship, service and fellowship with others from across the synod. This event is organized by LCMS Youth Ministry in St. Louis, MO.
 
Are you
thinking about sending a group to New Orleans for the LCMS National Youth Gathering? You still have time to register! March 4, 2016 is the last day for the $325 pricing. After March 4th, the price increases to $375. Adding students to your group or adding a new group is easy!
 
If you have questions or need help registering, please contact DCE Korey Danley, NYG English District Coordinator.
 
Office: 816-524-7288
Cell: 816-489-5184
 
INFORMATION ON MARRIAGE POLICIES FOR MEMBER CONGREGATIONS

Clink on the link below to read information on the Synod's beliefs concerning marriage, sample marriage policy for congregations, sample provisions limiting the use of church property to marriages that are consistent with LCMS beliefs.

Learn More

ENGLISH DISTRICT LCMS

[email protected]



Like us on Facebook   Follow us on Twitter   View our profile on LinkedIn   Find us on Google+