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Love your neighbor as yourself
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SERVANT to SERVANT 6-3-16
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Bishop Hardy working hard at the
Synod office on Floor Committee 11, Structure and Administration
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On May 26-30, 2016, Floor Committees gathered together to prepare for the upcoming Synod Convention.
In the past, I have been a chairperson and served on district floor committees. However, I was not ready for the amount of work that goes into preparation for the Synod Convention.
Currently, I am serving as the Vice Chairperson of Floor Committee 11 on Structure and Administration. This is probably surprising to many of you. Even with a passion for administration and structure, I found myself lost in the by-law changes and tweaks to a long-standing church system.
Committee 11 will bring back to the floor a resolution to change to a 4-year cycle for conventions and districts. This resolution would make the change effective in 2019, following the next Synod Convention. This would allow the Synod time to make all the necessary adjustments to boards and committees. In many respects, this change should have been adopted in 2010 as a part of the restructuring of the Synod. While this resolution passed before the convention with more than a majority, it did not receive the 66.7% required for ratification as a constitutional amendment. With the acceptance of this resolution and congregational ratification, districts would make all the required changes to begin a 4-year cycle.
During the upcoming Synod Convention, we will consider issues of note, such as
- Dispute Resolution Process,
- Seminary, University Funding and Ownership, and
- Election Process for Synod President and Vice Presidents.
This is only a sample of the topics that are on the table for the convention this year.
PLEASE NOTE: The presidential election for Synod President will begin late next week and be open for four days. If you were present at the English District Convention last year in Ann Arbor, MI, you are eligible to vote for the Synod President. Please participate in that election as a representative member of a Synod congregation.
With this election, the church will seek to continue the dedicated and public witness for the Gospel and the clear biblical understanding of the Word of God as the only and unmistakable source of information and truth.
Blessings,
The Rev. Dr. Jamison J. Hardy
Bishop/President of the English District - LCMS
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Call Received
The Rev. Steven Newberg from Lutheran Church of the Lakes, Addison, MI has received the call to serve Peace in New Berlin, WI.
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COMMISSIONED MINISTERS TO REPORT INFO
IN A NEW WAY
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Attention Commissioned Ministers!
Please update your information on the new
Church Worker Update site! This new website will replace the LEIF information on the Lutheran School Portal, which will become unavailable as of June 30, 2016.
With the implementation of the Church Worker Update (CWU) site, both the LCMS School Ministry and LCMS Rosters information will now be completed using one online form. The new form will be called Commissioned Minister Information Form (CMIF). You should have received your login information via e-mail, however any Church worker who may have lost or forgotten his or her login information can follow the online helps at
cwu.lcms.org.
You also may contact the Rosters and Statistics office at 888-843-5267 or [email protected].
To be included in the 2017 Lutheran Annual, please update your information on the CWU site by June 30, 2016. This new site will be used exclusively for searches beginning July 1, 2016 by districts and Call Committees.
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CHURCH AND SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
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Milestone Anniversary
Though Faith Preschool is one of the English District's newest preschools, it's been open for years. It is housed at Jacob's Well in Fort Wayne, IN. The preschool celebrated its 45th anniversary on Thursday, May 19, with an end-of-the-year school party and a Spring Music Program. There were 125 students enrolled this school year, ages 3-5 years old!
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Congrats, grads!
Congratulations to Faith Lutheran Church and School's (Watertown, WI) Eighth Grade Graduating Class of 2016! Featured in this photo are: Jaedan, Carly, Libby, Kira, and Becca.
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Love Thy Neighbor
Members of Ascension of Christ Lutheran Church, Beverly Hills, MI, once again participated in their local community's Memorial Day parade. It is a wonderful way to share the love of Christ to the community they serve.
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Remembering the Fallen
Faith Lutheran Church, Naples, FL, hosted a potluck after worship in memory and honor of service members and their sacrifice. Members and anyone who wanted to attend were invited. Pastor Donald Treglown, who is instrumental in getting thousands of care packages shipped to service members every year, also set a table to remember our nation's POWs and MIAs.
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Congratulations to The Rev. Timothy Holzerland from Shepherd King, West Bloomfield, MI. He is now
an official member of the Federation, which is a nationwide network of chaplains serving fire departments. The Federation offers many courses and Rev. Holzerland plans to further his education in this department.
He greatly enjoys his mission to firefighters and their families.
Currently, Rev. Holzerland is working with the chief to set up a Disaster Response group at Shepherd King. The material being used is from last year's LCMS Disaster Response Conference that Pastor Holzerland attended. The material was extremely helpful and well received by the chief.
Rev. Holzerland is also working on a firefighter small group. In March 2016, a firefighter committed suicide and Rev. Holzerland spent several hours with the family and the firefighters during their time of mourning.
We congratulate Rev. Tim Holzerland on this wonderful accomplishment, and we pray that the Lord continues to bless him and his ministry.
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LUTHERAN EARLY REPONSE TEAM (LERT)
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Dear Friends,
A few weeks ago we announced in this weekly newsletter that our English District is receiving a grant from LCMS Disaster Response for a disaster relief trailer.
We plan to keep this trailer in the St. Louis area at Chapel of the Cross. The Rev. Theodore Laesch, pastor of Chapel of the Cross, is a member of our committee.
This is a wonderful opportunity for us to "love our neighbors" by coming to their aid in times of need. We will be able to help them with both their physical and spiritual needs. We will be well positioned to serve with many other districts throughout the Midwest, and we look forward to doing so.
But to use this trailer, we need a team, a Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT). I know some congregations in Florida have been talking about starting them. As a first step, I would like to ask:
Is there anyone in your congregation that has LERT training?
Do you have anyone that you think might be a good fit for this?
You can learn more about LERT teams here.
Keep watching Servant to Servant for more from us on the trailer and LERT training.
Rev. Brian P. Westgate
Chairperson, English District Disaster Relief & Human Care Committee
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The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod will host the 2016 National Disaster Response Conference which will take place October 18-20, 2016 at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN.
There will be multiple case studies from recent disasters and practical presentations from several ministries doing work in times of disaster.
The conference is for pastors, seminarians, deaconesses, district disaster response coordinators, Recognized Service Organizations or any layperson interested in disaster response.
Click
here for more information on the 2016 National Disaster Response Conference.
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NEWS FROM OUR INTERNATIONAL WORKERS
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Dear Friends,
We wish you all God's blessings on this Memorial Day. We join with you in thanking God for those who have given their all for the sake of our country.
Click here to read our May newsletter. We love to share with you what is going on here in northern Ghana. Please continue to pray for our training as well as for our congregation here in Tamale. We ask the Lord to use all of this for the glory of Christ Jesus.
We would love it if you would share this newsletter with others. Forward it. Print it. However you can pass it on would be appreciated as we have so many prayers to request. And, as always, can you find a corner of your church bulletin board to share this with our brothers and sisters in Christ?
God bless you all,
Rev. Dale and Suzanne Kaster
Your
International Workers in Ghana, West Africa
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Dear Friends in Christ,
Greetings in the name of the Lord. The mission in Mexico is moving forward. Click
here to read our newsletter. May the Lord bless you abundantly!
In Christ,
Rev. Daniel, Kathy, and Ana Conrad
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Meet the Newest Baby Ferry!
We called the taxi about 8:00 AM, and made it to the hospital here in North Sumatra about 8:30 AM or so. We got settled into the room, and I went down to take care of the registration paperwork as requested by the hospital staff. When I returned about 9:20 AM, it was all over! Cheryl was holding the new baby in her arms, and my jaw hung open, stupefied. The staff was amazed at how quickly and smoothly the delivery went, and we were so thankful.
Please allow us to introduce you to the littlest Ferry:
Chloe Elizabeth
She was born on Thursday, May 26, 2016 at 9:15 AM in Medan.
She weighed 3.6 kg (7.94 lbs), and was 50 cm long (19.69 in).
It looks like she'll be our second blond kiddo and is very healthy. Cheryl is doing well, already making great progress in getting her strength back. They're looking to come home on Saturday afternoon/evening if all goes well. We will bring her to the waters of Holy Baptism right away on Sunday morning. Then we'll start the paperwork dance: getting documentation from Indonesia that needs to go to the U.S. Embassy, and then back to the Indonesians.
The Ferry family is overjoyed to share this news with you, our precious friends and partners. We are grateful to you for your continued interest, friendship, and prayers. And we're thankful to our Lord for His protection, grace, and mercy. As we say here in Indonesia: "Puj Tuhan!" or "Praise the Lord!"
Yours in Christ Jesus,
The Ferry Family
Charles, Cheryl, Caleb, Caitlin, Carissa, Cassandra, and Chloe
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Chloe Ferry |
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BEST PRACTICES FOR MINISTRY-HEARTLAND
October 5-7, 2016, Carmel, IN
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Registration is open for Best Practices for Ministry - Heartland, hosted by Carmel Lutheran Church in Carmel, IN. The theme is "Re:Inspire". By the way-it's still free. Click here for more information and to register.
If you would like to lead a session and share one of your best practices, please contact Kate Giger at [email protected].
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Our changing cities, communities and neighborhoods present opportunities for us individually and as the Church to share Christ in word and deed, as we reach out to our neighbors and our churches' neighbors.
The second quarter 2016 edition of Black Ministry's TimeLine newsletter highlights opportunities for congregations and individuals to share Christ with their neighbors.
LCMS Black Ministry welcomes articles highlighting events, programs, activities, mission and best practices to share with other LCMS congregations in TimeLine. Please send your articles to the Rev. Dr. Roosevelt Gray Jr. at [email protected] by
June 30, 2016 for the third quarter 2016 newsletter.
Click here to learn more about LCMS Black Ministry.
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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.
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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 [email protected] (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!
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