The Rev. Dr. Wade Butler was installed on Sunday, May 1, 2016 as the Intentional Interim Minister at Martin Luther Chapel, Pennsauken, NJ. The Rev. J. Derek Mathers officiated the service. With stories of cherry pies and black shirts that looked like cats in the road, he assured God's people that together God is moving all of us to a new place in Jesus.

 

On that same day, Sunday, May 1, 2016, The Rev. Larry Loree, Jr. was installed at All Saints Lutheran Church, Slippery Rock, PA. Bishop Jamison J. Hardy officiated the service. A delicious meal followed for everyone to enjoy. It was a wonderful fellowship experience!

Call Declined

From Our Schools

 

PJ Day

Lambs of Faith Preschool at Faith Lutheran in Arlington Heights, IL, celebrated the Week of the Young Child. On Pajama Day, Pastor Tom Sanders was in his pj's reading bedtime stories to the children. God continues to bless Lambs of Faith under the direction of Mrs. Jori Reuter. Now in their third year of operation, the school needs to add another classroom for the next school year. Even with that new classroom, they anticipate having a waiting list next year.

Congrats to the Graduates!

Love Your Neighbor

 

Worship and Lunch

 

On March 21, 2016 Chapel of the Cross, St. Louis, MO, had its semiannual Homebound and Seniors service and luncheon. The day started with a Communion service in church. After the service, attendees enjoyed a delicious meal of ham, baked potatoes, vegetables and cheese cake for dessert. Members who are unable to make it to this event are transported to church in a bus or private vehicle. This was a very special day for all, worshiping together, having two meals together (Communion and the luncheon), and enjoying each other's company. The next one is planned for November.

 

The Rev. Justin Laughridge, English District Missions Council Chair, represented the English District at the FORO. A Foro, Spanish for "forum," is a system of support used for LCMS missions and sister churches in Latin America and the Caribbean. Here are some highlights:

 

FORO was held April 16-18, 2016 and missionaries gave reports on the missions, continued theological education, and mercy work through the schools and Good Shepherd Lutheran Homes. Matins and Vespers were celebrated every day. They rejoiced about the opening of a new mission in Santo Domingo in the Ozama neighborhood. Please pray for continued activities there and services which are currently held twice a month. The FORO heard about our new deaconess program through our Mercy Center and Dominican Seminary, which is currently being developed and will require ten courses for a Dominican woman to become a deaconess. We heard as well that seven women who have been studying for the past five years are to be commissioned as deaconesses in 2017 and two men (seminarians Idjon Fritz and Yban Navarro) will be ordained. Pray for their continued studies. This month they said goodbye to Daniel Fickenscher, who has worked in the area of communications, and next month Vicar Justin Massey will be leaving as well. Both served DRLM for three years and are going home to Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne; Justin to finish his studies and Daniel to begin them! We wish them both the blessings of Jesus on their continued ventures and thank them for their service to the church, their fellowship in the Gospel and give thanks to our Lord Jesus for their continued zeal for the Gospel.

Cornerstones of the Church

 

On Sunday April 3, 2016, the Anniversary Committee and congregation of St. John's Lutheran in Pembroke, Ontario, Canada, gave special recognition to the senior members, calling them "Cornerstone Members." The members were thanked for their decades of service to the congregation and recognized for the milestones through which they have lived. The congregation then hosted a wonderful time of fellowship.

To read the heartfelt letter written to the Cornerstone Members, click here.

The 2016 Lumen Christi Volunteer Educator of the Year Award was presented on Sunday, May 1, 2016 to Barbara Taylor, a member of Peace Lutheran Church in McMurray, PA. 

  

Barbara has served in a variety of educational positions at Peace for over 30 years, including Sunday school teacher, chair of Christian Education, Sunday school superintendent, and an organizer for Vacation Bible School. Barbara was nominated by Susan Fleischmann who stated:

"Barb is the epitome of an educator, always finding a way to encourage the children to be engaged during Sunday school due to her ability to put the children at ease and in a comfortable setting. Barb has always been able to convey the love of Christ to young children by her cheerful and positive spirit. She shows patience, joy, and the desire to keep the children engaged in the subject matter, sparking curiosity and participation."

The English District commends Barbara and is proud to present her with this award. 

I would like to thank the powers that be for the honor of winning the Lumen Christi Volunteer Educator of the Year Award! It has also been an honor to be nominated for it over the years. I think, though, that the real honor is from those who trust me enough to be the beginning of their children's faith journey. Teaching is certainly my passion and teaching the youngest is where my heart lies. They have a way of looking at the world that is truly refreshing and their spiritual progress is easy to see, which makes teaching them very fulfilling.

 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, this means the world to me!

 

Barbara Taylor

Have a Wish List? LCEF Can Help.

Every ministry has a wish list. Some have decided to replace outdated office equipment or the church organ, while others may need more room for a community space, child-care facility or worship space expansion. Others are refinancing a loan to get a better rate and free up more dollars for ministry. Whatever the needs or wishes of your ministry, let Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) help make them a reality. LCEF offers both adjustable- and fixed-rate loans, depending on your organization's needs. If you and your leadership team are unsure which type of loan is best, contact your LCEF District Vice President David Thiele at [email protected]  or visit lcef.org.

 

LCEF is a nonprofit religious organization; therefore, LCEF investments are not FDIC-insured bank deposit accounts. This is not an offer to sell investments, nor a solicitation to buy. LCEF will offer and sell its securities only in states where authorized. The offer is made solely by LCEF's Offering Circular. Investors should carefully read the Offering Circular, which more fully describes associated risks. Lutheran Church Extension Fund-Missouri Synod (NMLS#3444.) Illinois Residential Mortgage Licensee (MB.0006057). Lutheran Church Extension Fund-Missouri Synod (NMLS#3444).  National Office: 10733 Sunset Office Drive, Suite300, St. Louis, MO, 63127-1020, lcef.org, (800)843-5233.

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, 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.

You may  read more  in this recent news article.

 

The Rev. Brian P. Westgate

Chairman, English District Disaster Relief & Human Care Committee

For 23 years A Place of Refuge Ministries in Wisconsin has been serving pregnant women in need...with caring volunteers and the first crisis pregnancy shelter in the LCMS!

Each year we hold our largest fundraiser, LifeWalk, at a different LCMS congregation. This year LifeWalk will be at Lutheran Church of the Prince of Peace in Menomonee Falls, WI, and we would like to invite all of the English District to join us on Saturday, June 11, 2016 in Menomonee Falls.

If you're not in the area, don't worry! You can still participate by "Strolling With Us in Spirit" at your own location! Just go to our website and click the LifeWalk tab. There you can learn about the event, register, download a sponsor sheet, or click "Stroll With Us in Spirit" to learn more about holding a satellite LifeWalk in your area.

We hope you can join us in serving the Lord of Life together!

 

You can learn more about us at our website: www.aplaceofrefuge.org.

The Board of Directors of the English District has authorized that the title Doctor of Divinity be granted to an English District pastor at the June Professional Church Workers Conference.  The nominees will be submitted to the College of Circuit Visitors and Praesidium for selection of the pastor to be honored.

Please email the nomination form  to Bishop Jamison J. Hardy at [email protected].  In submitting a nominee, please indicate the reason that you feel the pastor nominated should be considered for this honor.

 

Deadline for nominations is Tuesday, May 10, 2016. 

May the Lord God bless all pastors who have served and continue to serve faithfully and fruitfully in the Lord's Vineyard.

Previous issues of the e-Newlsetter, Servant to Servant, are available on the Resources page of the English District website:

http://www.englishdistrict.org/resources/archives-servant-servant

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!