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Love your neighbor as yourself
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Servant to Servant 12-8-17
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Serving our communities
St. Luke's, Toronto, ON, Canada, "Feed Toronto," was on the move making their usual bag lunches to distribute among people in need downtown. But for the holidays, they kicked it up a notch. Over 70 gift bags were created, holding winter coats, scarves, and mittens, all to be handed out with a hot meal. Well done, good and faithful servants!
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Serving our service members
Students at Faith of Jacob's Well, Ft. Wayne, IN, created 140 cards, which are part of 12,000 cards going to Qatar, the largest Army base in the Middle East, to bless the men and women in uniform while they are away from home during the holiday season.
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Serving our military
Packages for Patriots, Holy Spirit, Elk Grove Village, IL, recently received this note from Kuwait:
"On behalf of the soldiers and civilians here in Kuwait we would like to say THANK YOU for your support! We can feel the love from America here in the Middle East. Here is a picture of me leaving the mail room with a car full of boxes on my way to share the love with other soldiers. Once again THANK YOU!!!!!"
SSG S. Dixson, US Army, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait
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Serving our Marines
Students at Hales Corners Lutheran School, Hales Corners, WI, collected nearly 35 pounds of beef jerky to send to the Marines deployed on the USS San Diego. Students also made Christmas cards to send along with the treats.
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Remember to keep all of our troops and their families in your prayers this Christmas season. May God bless them and keep them safe.
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Serving the elderly
First Lutheran, El Cajon, CA, has been very busy! Recently, they held their annual senior luncheon with wonderful food, fellowship and preschoolers singing for the attendees. In November, they hosted a Thanksgiving feast at the church's International Fellowship Center. They also hosted a Trunk or Treat in October for their neighbors.
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Serving up fellowship
Members of Ascension of Christ, Beverly Hills, MI, served an early Thanksgiving dinner to residents at the Oxford Towers, a residence for senior citizens.
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Serving up cheer
December 3 was a fun afternoon as members of Hope, Hastings, MN, went caroling around town to bring Christmas cheer to shoppers, shut-ins, and seniors.
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Serving up smiles
The wind was blowing, their cheeks were glowing, but God's love was flowing! Epic Church, Shelby Township, MI, shared some Christmas cheer by caroling with friends.
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Convention nomination ballots
By now, all congregations should have received in the mail their official nomination ballots for District President and Vice Presidents. These ballots are to be returned to Rev. Luke Zimmerman, District Secretary, in the envelope provided.
The nominations deadline is February 19, 2018. Please prayerfully consider pastors who may serve well in those offices. If your ballot is lost or misplaced, contact Pastor Zimmerman for a new ballot.
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Annual Giving
Please prayerfully consider joining us in ministry, so that the English District - LCMS can continue its work in spreading the message of Christ. We have established the English District Endowment Fund, which is designed to support current and new missions and ministries, church worker and seminary students, and campus ministries in the areas where our congregations live and witness. Every gift matters. Whatever God leads you to give will be a great blessing as we all work together to plant new missions and schools and provide resources to existing ministries and church workers across the United States and Canada and around the world.
Click
here for our giving page. Thank you!
For our Canadian friends: To receive a tax receipt, please make your cheque payable to your congregation and designate the gift for the English District Endowment Fund. Your congregation will forward your gift to the English District and provide you with a receipt for income tax purposes.
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January Prayer List
We encourage you to use the District prayer list for your daily
prayers. Please feel free to publish this list in your service folders, on the congregational website and in newsletters.
January Prayer List
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In our churches
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Welcome!
Martin Luther Chapel, East Lansing, MI, welcomed two new members on Sunday, December 3.
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Congratulations!
There were three winners at the Beautiful Savior, Lee's Summit, MO Chili Cook-Off: 1st Place Americana - Lynn Smith; 1st Place White Chili - Cody Barrier; and 1st Place Hot & Spicy Chili - Chris Davis. The event was held to support the BLAZE High School Student Ministry.
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Getting ready!
The hand chime choir at Hope, Hastings, MN, has been diligently rehearsing for special music that they will share at upcoming mid-week and Sunday morning services.
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Ascension of Christ, Beverly Hills, MI,
hosted a "Breakfast in Bethlehem" on December 2 with a live nativity and a delicious breakfast.
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St. Luke's, Toronto, ON, Canada,
celebrated the first Sunday of Advent with the whole congregation telling the story of the birth of Jesus Christ; everyone had a role. The congregation gathered after the service to share a Christmas lunch together.
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Trinity, Erie, PA,
enjoyed the message of hope delivered by Sunday school students.
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Ninety-seven years and going strong!
Congratulations and God's blessings to Grace English School, Chicago, IL. They are celebrating 97 years of God's grace upon Grace!
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Creative storytelling
Preschoolers at Faith of Jacob's Well, Ft. Wayne, IN, loved Mrs. Buhr's Nativity Story Stones. What a neat way to let the students tell the birth of Christ.
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Assistant to Bishop Travels to Pennsylvania
Rev. J. Derek Mathers, Assistant to the Bishop and Mission Executive, visited the English District campus ministry at All Saints, Slippery Rock, PA. He's pictured here with Augusta Mennell, Campus Ministry Director, and Pastor Larry Loree!
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Additionally, he was able to see first hand the mission and ministry at First Trinity Lutheran Church in Pittsburgh, PA. Both Rev. Dr. Douglas Spittel and Rev. Eric Andrae, Associate Pastor for Campus Ministry, spoke freely about their passion for strengthening God's people and sharing His Word with those yet to know Him through Word and Sacrament ministry.
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Rev. Mathers also stopped at Redeemer Lutheran School, Verona, PA. He toured the school and visited with Gail Holzer, English District School Ministry Executive and principal of Redeemer.
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Calling a Seminary Candidate
Is your congregation interested in requesting a candidate from the seminary to fill a vacancy? If so, please contact Administrative Assistant Kathy Stanis at 248-476-0039 ext. 320 or email her at [email protected] to receive information needed to request a candidate and how to obtain call documents online. Deadline to make a request and submit call documents to the English District office is February 1, 2018.
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Perfect Christmas Gift for a Child!
Give the gift of a Young Investors (Y.I.) Club StewardAccount this year and give kids a way to learn to save while also learning valuable stewardship concepts.
Y.I. Club features:
- Minimum of $25 to open the account.
- Premium interest rate of 3.5% on balances up to $1,000.
- Interest compounded and paid monthly.
- Older children can earn up to $25 a year for good grades.
- Empowering ministries in Kingdom work.
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The Young Investors (Y.I.) Club makes saving money fun while teaching children to give thanks for God's blessings.
For more information on the Y.I. Club, call 1-800-843-5233 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.
LCEF StewardAccount access features provided through UMB Bank n.a. The Demand/Dedicated Certificate and StewardAccount are not available to investors in South Carolina.
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Christmas shopping!
Are you one of the millions of online shoppers? If so, you can help the English District when you shop online this year. Remember to #StartWithaSmile! Why? Because Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price to the English District of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. Bookmark the link
https://smile.amazon.com/ch/38-1675740
and support the missions and ministry of the English District every time you shop.
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Previous issues of the Servant to Servant eNewlsetter are available on 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. Forward the newsletter to members of your church 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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Please share your congregation's or school's unique ministries with the rest of the District. Send pictures and stories for consideration to
Lynne Cobb by Wednesday, 3:00 pm ET.
We want to see how YOUR congregation or school is "loving your neighbor as yourself."
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