Love your neighbor as yourself
SERVANT to SERVANT                        5-13-16


 
BISHOP'S VISITS

Alberta Phillips, Bishop Jamison J. Hardy,

Terry Phillips

On Sunday, May 8, 2016, Bishop Jamison J. Hardy had a great visit with the saints at Grace Lutheran Church and The Rev. David Tannahill in Vine Grove, KY. The bishop was the guest preacher during the morning worship service.

While visiting at Grace, Vine Grove, KY, Bishop Hardy met Alberta Phillips and her son, Terry Phillips. 

Alberta was married at Our Savior, Mt. Lebanon, PA and her son was baptized there.

Bishop Hardy's first call was to Our Savior. It was during his ministry there that he helped Our Savior and Hope, Upper St. Clair, PA to merge and form, Peace, McMurray, PA

Bishop Jamsion J. Hardy and

The Rev. David Tannahill

Grace, Vine Grove, KY

Abiding Faith, Florence, KY
Bishop Jamison J. Hardy traveled to Abiding Faith, Florence, KY in the afternoon of Sunday, May 8, 2016. He had the pleasure of meeting with members of the congregation and of the call committee.
Derby Day
While spending the first weekend in May in Kentucky, Bishop Hardy met up with friends to attend the Kentucky Derby.
DEREK MATHER'S VISITS
Training Event
The Rev. Derek Mathers, Assistant to the Bishop and Mission Executive was glad to have the opportunity to attend the "Connect to Disciple Training the Trainer Event" on May 3, 2016. He was there with Pastors John Diener and Fred Reaman from our English District.
Philadelphia Visit
When in Philadelphia, The Rev. Derek Mathers attended the Logos Vesper service with the leadership of Philadelphia Lutheran Ministries.
DIVINE CALL
Call Declined
The Rev. Josh Moldenhauer from Grace, Oberlin, OH has declined the call to serve St. Paul, Mishawaka, IN.

CHURCH AND SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Prayer Shawl Ministry,

Faith, Arlington Heights, IL

Love Your Neighbor
 
Comforting Covers
 
The Prayer Shawl Ministry at Faith Lutheran, Arlington Heights, IL, finished their season in April. For eight months, women in the ministry received donations of materials and created the following:

29 prayer shawls
18 quilts and blankets for Ronald McDonald Family House
16 lap throws for Wheeling Township
33 cancer caps
8 blankets for "Phil's Friends" (cancer patients)

The ministry also celebrated the increasing outreach of this ministry, as 18 different members shared a prayer shawl, and four non-members (through the preschool, Rainbows and guests) signed out a prayer shawl to share. What a comfort to receive - both physically and spiritually - and a wonderful way to "love your neighbor as yourself."
Toilet Paper Wars
 
Recently, a little friendly competition happened at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Lee's Summit, MO. The Women's Ministry vs. Student Ministry Toilet Paper Collection Challenge for Hope House was a success! The youth pulled through and collected 604 rolls, while the women brought in 589. Though each ministry has different "rolls," they shared one goal by providing nearly eight months of toilet paper to Hope House. Job well done!
Shoe Collection
One Day Without Shoes was on Tuesday, May 10, 2016 and the junior class of Valley Lutheran High School in Phoenix, AZ, collected shoes from Tuesday until the end of the week! The students are taking part in the Toms push to make a positive impact on the world.
Spring Cleaning
Spring yard clean-up was a success thanks to this great crew at Fairlawn Lutheran Church in Fairlawn, OH. They were able to bless a couple of Fairlawn members and a neighbor with raking and general clean-up.
School News
 
National Day of Prayer       
           
Prayer gatherings were hosted all across the nation on Thursday, May 5, 2016. Students and staff at Hales Corners Lutheran Church, Hales Corners, WI, met and prayed at the flagpole. Students, teachers, neighbors, Scouts and hand bell ringers gathered together for prayer on this National Day of Prayer. 
Hales Corners Lutheran School
Accelerated Reader Bucket Dump Challenge
Teachers Get Soaked
 
Hales Corners Lutheran School students and teachers at the elementary school participated in the Accelerated Reader Bucket Dump Challenge. If, as a school, they read enough books to earn 7,000 Accelerated Reading (AR) points by the end of the year, the student with the highest AR point total could choose a teacher to dump a bucket of water on. The students worked hard and earned enough points by April to complete the challenge. Way to go readers!  Keep up the great work!
Robotics News
 
Congratulations to Mrs. Schumacher and the Redeemer Robotics Team from Redeemer Lutheran School in Oakmont, PA. They won the "Fairy Tale Land" competition. Teams were presented with an obstacle course to follow, then had 1 1/2 hours to design and program their robot. The team did a great job problem solving and persevering!
 
 
 
Milestone Recognized
 
Principal and teacher, Patricia Grunde, of Bethesda International Academy in Chicago, IL, was recognized for her outstanding 40 years in education. Gail Holzer from the English District LCMS joined the staff and students to honor Ms. Grunde for her hard work and dedication. 
 
Faith-filled day
 
Mother's Day weekend was a busy one for Faith Lutheran in Arlington Heights, IL. They hosted their annual plant sale, with proceeds going to support the Lambs of Faith Preschool. The preschool had a table set up for children to plant a flower to give as a Mother's Day gift. Additionally, the Buildings and Grounds Committee sold bags of mulch as a fundraiser towards a new roof for the church, and Women of Faith held a bake sale to support the missions of Faith. The church partnered with Arlington Heights Police Department to do car-seat safety checks, making their community safer for the littlest residents.
Plant sale
Car safety checks
LUMEN CHRISTI AWARD
The Rev. J. Derek Mathers, Kenneth Freeman, The Rev. Jeffrey Miskus
On Sunday, May 8, 2016, Kenneth Freeman was greatly surprised to be presented with the English District Lumen Christi award for the Lake Erie Region at St. Mark, Mississauga, ON.
 
Ken shares his heart for Jesus with everyone who grants him an opportunity to do so. He inspires all, not only through what he teaches, how he teaches, and the diversity of the people he teaches, but also in how he lives out what he teaches. Truly Ken is a Light of Christ to all who meet him.
 
As Ken says, "It's not me, it's Jesus!"

LOOKING FOR NIV PEW BIBLES
Have you replaced your NIV pew Bibles (copyright 1984 editions) with new ESV copies?  Do you have a set of hardcover NIV '84 Bibles sitting on a shelf, or in boxes, that you would like to share with a young mission congregation?  If so, please email Grace Lutheran Church in Vine Grove, KY at pastor@gracevinegrove.org.
DISASTER RESPONSE
LCMS Disaster Response recently informed the English District that it will be one of 26 recipients of funds for the purchase and stocking of a Disaster Relief Trailer. Once we have the fully-stocked trailer and have formed a Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT), we will be able to respond to natural disasters of all types in the area where the trailer will be located. Tentative plans are for it to be kept in St. Louis, a central location for our district and synod. We will provide more details as they become available.

Read more  in this recent news article.

If you or anyone in your congregation is interested in being trained as a local responder, see the list below for upcoming events.  (Must be 18 years of age or older.) For more information, read the article in the January Reporter.

Upcoming LERT training events:
  • May 14, 2016 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Clinton Township, MI
  • June 11, 2016 - Redeemer Lutheran Church, Peoria, IL
  • August 27, 2016 - Kearney or Lexington, NE (TBD)
  • September 10, 2016 - Brighton, CO
  • September 10, 2016 - Urbana, IL
If your church is interested in hosting a LERT training event, click here for more information or contact Aaron Nielsen at Aaron.Nielsen@lcms.org .
 
REFORMATION 500
We are excited to report that work on our English District Reformation 500 commemoration has begun!
 
Our Reformation 500 theme is "Freed in Christ to serve in our homes, our church and our communities" (Galatians 5:13-14 and Dr. Luther's 1520 treatise On the Freedom of a Christian), and Nancy Schultz of Catalina Lutheran Church, Tucson, AZ, has crafted a beautiful banner to mark the occasion!
 
The  Reformation 500 page on our  English District website is up and running, and several projects are planned.
 
One project currently in development is the telling of the stories of Reformation-era laypeople who lived out their vocations in Christian Freedom, paired with the stories of contemporary English District laypeople, matched by vocation, who are doing the same.
 
Work is underway on the first biographies, and we are looking for nominations of individuals from your congregations in the following vocations: creative writing (especially poetry), music (especially in vocal performance or composition), artist, pharmacist, business, and elected public service (ex: city council, mayor).
 
We have already identified a physician to be featured; more vocations will follow as we move forward.
 
Additionally, if anyone is interested in researching and writing the stories of various Reformation-era laypeople, we would love the contribution! 
 
Please email any nominations, expressions of interest or questions to Roni Grad at roni.grad@gmail.com . Thank you in advance and God's blessings!
 
NEW VIDEO EXPLAINS LICENSED LAY DEACON RECOMMENDATIONS
A new LCMS video released May 6 explains the recommendations of a task force charged with implementing Resolution 4-06A - "To Address Questions Re: Service of Licensed Lay Deacons" - adopted by delegates at the Synod's 2013 national convention.

In the 15-minute video, titled " Licensed Lay Deacon Task Force Recommendations," task force Chairman Rev. Larry Vogel, associate executive director of the LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations, acknowledges that there have been "questions and debates" within the Synod about its use of licensed lay deacons (LLDs) for more than 25 years - ever since the program was established by convention action in 1989 as a way of preparing "trained and supervised laymen to serve temporarily in Word and Sacrament ministry when no pastor is available, in exceptional circumstances or in emergencies."


SUPPORTING OUR MISSION
The English District Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod supports and funds missions, from our churches' local communities to people across the globe. Whether it is a scholarship or basic humanitarian needs, we try to "love our neighbors as ourselves" in all we do. Your financial support can assist us in doing more in Christ's name. To support English District ministries,  click here. Please prayerfully consider making a donation today.    
SERVANT TO SERVANT
Previous issues of the e-Newlsetter, Servant to Servant, are available on the Resources page of the English District website:

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 poke@englishdistrict.org (include full name, email address and church) 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!
 
ENGLISH DISTRICT LCMS

webmail@englishdistrict.org



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