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Love your neighbor as yourself
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SERVANT to SERVANT 2-5-16
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The Charter Service for Tree of Life, Inverness, FL was held on Sunday, January 31, 2016. Bishop Jamison J. Hardy officiated and preached about "New Beginnings". The Rev. David Raetz and The Rev. Paul Sutterer assisted during the worship service.
Bishop Hardy asked questions of the congregation pertaining to their commitment to the Word and desire to be part of the English District. The charter was presented and Bishop Hardy and Ron Hansen, Congregation President, signed it. The service continued with Tree of Life's choir performing beautifully and excellent musical accompaniment. Bishop Hardy gave a truly powerful sermon followed by the largest communion participation to date. At the end of the service, all the current members were invited to sign the charter. There were eighty people in attendance and a reception followed at Citrus Hills Country Club.
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| Bishop Jamison J. Hardy, The Rev. David Raetz and The Rev. Paul Sutterer |
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Charter Service
Tree of Life, Inverness, FL |
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Call-Declined
The Rev. Timothy P. Kade, Epic, Rochester Hills, MI has declined the call to First, El Cajon, CA.
Calls-Received
The Rev. Larry K. Loree, Holy Ghost, Monroe, MI has received the call to All Saints, Slippery Rock, PA.
The Rev. Dr. Jonathan C. Naumann, Redeemer, Oakmont, PA, has received a call from the LCMS Board of International Missions to be a missionary for Latin America.
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Sue Neff, RN Parish Nurse, is the English District Representative for Parish Nursing. She is our guest blogger this week.
Interested in Parish Nursing? Four things you need to know!
Click below to learn more!
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Workers enrolled in the Concordia Health Plan (CHP) can learn how to use Vitality in a way that works best for them! Concordia Plan Services (CPS) will be hosting two separate webinars that will assist in educating and teaching workers everything from how to set goals to how to redeem their Vitality bucks! Have fun, earn points, but most importantly, Be Well so you can Serve well!
Below are links to register for the two webinars - they are identical in content, so it is not necessary to attend both:
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THE CHURCH AND MENTAL HEALTH WORKSHOP
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As part of their continued programming, LCMS Life Ministry is hosting a one-day symposium focusing on providing resources for congregations and pastors who are helping families navigate mental-health issues.
This event will be held Saturday, April 9, 2016 from 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. There is no cost to attend, and lunch is provided.
Join them as they begin the conversation about this topic, led by the following presenters: Dr. Beverly Yahnke, executive director for Christian counsel for DOXOLOGY; Rev. Todd Peperkorn, pastor of Holy Cross, Rocklin, CA; Rev. Jeffery Pflug, pastor of Faith, Madison, IN and LCMS Disability Task Force member; and Deaconess Dorothy Krans, director of LCMS Recognized Service Organizations and LCMS Disability Task Force member.
LCMS Life Ministry hopes this will provide a good starting point for families and congregations and will start a conversation that will extend beyond this one day.
For more information, or to register, contact LCMS Life Ministry at 314-996-1711 or [email protected].
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LWML ENGLISH DISTRICT CONVENTION 2016
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Freely Sowing, Serving, and Sharing
April 22-24, 2016
Embassy Suites Philadelphia - Airport
9000 Bartram Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19153
The following links provide more information about the convention:
You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. Galatians 5:13
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PROFESSIONAL CHURCH WORKERS CONFERENCE
June 14-16, 2016
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Please note date change from May to June
The Professional Church Workers (PCW) Conference will be held beginning the evening of Tuesday, June 14, 2016 and will continue until noon on Thursday, June 16, 2016. It will take place in Hales Corners, WI. The district circuit visitors will meet following the PCW Conference until noon on June 17, 2016. Registration information will be coming soon.
In conjunction with the District Conferences and meetings English District Professional Church Workers have the opportunity to attend J2e3 (Jesus to... Everyone. Everywhere. Everyday) Missions Summit June 13-15, 2016. To register for J2e3 please go to www.J2e3summit.com. There is not a registration fee to attend the Summit. The district will pay for travel for those also eligible and attending the PCW Conference. You will be responsible to book and pay for the extra night(s) hotel to attend J2e3.
You need to register separately for the Missions Summit
. Save the dates!
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For over 13 years, Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) has been pleased to provide consolidation and education loans to Rostered Church Workers (RCW) to help them achieve their personal financial goals.
LCEF is extremely delighted to announce that, because of the strong working relationship between LCEF and the Lutheran Federal Credit Union (LFCU), the Lutheran Federal Credit Union began to originate all RCW consolidation and education loans on February 1, 2016.
Because of LFCU's national charter, RCW consolidation and education loans will now be available to eligible borrowers in all 50 states providing greater opportunity and benefits to our church workers.
More news on the expansion of the RCW residential loan program will be coming in the very near future. LFCU was chartered to serve the people of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod (LCMS) with transactional financial products such as checking accounts, savings accounts and loan products. In addition, there is online software available for budgeting and stewardship education.
We thank God for his abundant blessings that not only make these added benefits possible, but make this great partnership between LCEF and LFCU a blessing to our church body.
For more information on these loan products call 314-394-2790 or visit
https://www.lutheranfcu.org/loans_rcw.php
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CHRIST ACADEMY CONFIRMATION:
A Retreat for Confirmation-aged Boys and Girls
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| The Rev. Matthew Wiefeldt |
2016 Spring Confirmation Retreat
April 8-10, 2016
THEME: Jesus: For You
Throughout Holy Scripture God gives to His people, culminating in His greatest gift, His Son, Jesus Christ. Come join us as we take a look at six of the key Bible stories showing us God's gifting nature for you.
LEADER: The Rev. Matthew Wietfeldt, CTSFW admission counselor.
"The Lord's gifting to us is beyond our wildest dreams. I'm excited to lead this retreat because I love to share the gifts of our Lord and grow together with Him in faith."
RETREAT FEE: $110.00 per person, includes on-campus housing and all meals.
For additional information or to register, please email
[email protected] or phone 260-452-2204.
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DCEs and other parish professionals who are interested in enhancing the intentionality and effectiveness of Christian education in the church are invited to attend the 2016 Heartland DCE Conference at Concordia University, Nebraska from May 19-21, 2016. Keynote speakers include Dr. Thom Rainer, Thom and Joani Schultz and Dr. Phil Schwadel.
If you are interested in hosting some event in connection with the conference or would like to be an exhibitor at the conference, please contact Thad Warren at [email protected]
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Looking for a fun, affordable, and Lutheran VBS program? Check out "River of Life" from the Lutheran Heritage Foundation, a week-long VBS curriculum highlighting five favorite Bible stories featuring water: creation, Noah and the ark, the crossing of the Red Sea, Jonah and the baptism of Jesus. The curriculum uses craft materials most churches have readily available, and best of all, the program is entirely reproducible - use it again in future years! Just $125.00 to purchase.
To preview the "River of Life" curriculum,
click here
.
The preview pack includes a few pages pulled from the actual "River of Life" curriculum you're considering purchasing. These sample pages should give you a good idea of the program's content.
Call LHF at (800) 554-0723 for more information.
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REV. MARK BRADEN TEACHES IN COLOMBIA
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The Rev. Mark Braden has been traveling to Colombia twice a year for the last three years, and has been invited back to Colombia to teach again. He has taught in South America and the Caribbean since 2006. In addition to serving as Pastor of Zion, Detroit, MI, he serves as an International Fellow for the Luther Academy, is an adjunct member of the faculty of Concordia Theological Seminary, teaches periodically for Concordia University Ann Arbor, and is a departmental editor for Gottesdienst magazine, authoring the regular column, "Taking Pains," an exposition of the Holy Liturgy.
Read More
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| Left to right: Ruth, Hannah, Lois, Vaughn, and Phoebe Naumann |
Introducing the latest addition to the Naumann family, born to Rev. Gordon and Marta Naumann: Lois Arlee Naumann, born on January 2, 2016, weighing a healthy 7 pounds 13 ounces. The proud grandparents are the Rev. Dr. Jonathan and Deaconess Cheryl Naumann. To God be the Glory!
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In
an effort to make the English District a more useful tool in the success of your own congregation, Bishop Hardy is asking for your help in the completion of a Church Leadership Form. His hope is to more efficiently reach out to you in a timely manner and to work with you more closely as brothers and sisters in Christ. The form is very simple to complete. All he asks for is the contact information for the leaders of your congregation, including those individuals who serve on your church council.
Please complete the form and mail/email/fax it to the English District office:
English District LCMS
33100 Freedom Rd.
Farmington, MI 48336-4030
Fax: 248-476-0188
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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 have it sent to a different 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 publication 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 titled "Sign up for our emails." Thanks for spreading the word!
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