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Love your neighbor as yourself
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Servant to Servant 3-9-18
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On Sunday, March 4, 2018, Bishop Jamison Hardy had a wonderful time visiting with The Rev. Luke Zimmerman and the members of Calvary, Mechanicsburg, PA.
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Bishop Jamison Hardy and The Rev. Thomas Engler, Prince of Peace, Menomonee, Falls, WI, visited Hong Kong March 5-9, 2018. They spent their first day with The Rev. Dr. Allan Yung, President of Hong Kong Lutheran Synod, and members of Hong Kong International School. This is a great school with a wonderful new building.
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Making a difference
In conjunction with Bishop Jamison Hardy and Rev. Thomas Engler's visit, Prince of Peace, Menomonee Falls, WI, sent its first mission group to Hong Kong. A few days after arriving, they gathered and made Easter baskets to share the message of Christ.
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Candidates for District President Announced
During the 2018 District Convention, delegates will elect the President of the District. Each congregation of the District had opportunity to nominate ordained ministers from the Synod roster to serve in this office. The nominating process started in September 2017 and ended on February 19, 2018.
The slate of candidates for District President is limited to the five individuals who receive the highest number of nominations and consent to stand for election. No floor nominations are permitted for this office.
Eight individuals received nominations to serve as District President; two gave consent to stand for election. Therefore, the two candidates for District President are
- Rev. Dr. Jamison J. Hardy
- Rev. Robert A. Rogers
Respectfully submitted,
Rev. Luke Zimmerman, District Secretary
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Rev. Dr. Jamison J. Hardy
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Permission to Publish
A friendly reminder...
As the world of social media grows, we need to be diligent in protecting the privacy of others, especially our youth and children. In an effort to mitigate the potential problems of sharing photos of minors in newsletters, on websites and through social media, the English District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) is requesting that our schools, churches and youth groups implement a "Permission to Publish" policy, if they haven't already.
Most of our schools have this policy in place, and are careful not to share photos of children without written permission from parents. The English District LCMS would also like to extend that courtesy to the parents of our churches' children and youth groups. If your church needs copies for Sunday school students and/or youth group members, please visit our website (link below). We suggest you keep a copy for your records.
Additionally, the English District LCMS has a compliance form for church leaders to complete. Upon completion, please return the compliance form to the English District office. This will ensure that the photos the district office receives are available to share in either print or social media formats.
Copies of these forms can be found on our website by clicking
here.
For questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Sally Naglich, Business Administrator
or Lynne Cobb, Communications Coordinator
.
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#LoveThyNeighbor
Feeding the hungry
Students from Hales Corners Lutheran School, Hales Corners, WI, helped feed the hungry. The students from 7th grade SALT (Student Activities Leadership Team) delivered over 1700 pounds of peanut butter and jelly to Feeding America. Students in 6-8th grades participated in the PB&J drive to help get food to those in need.
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Caring for strangers
Students from Martin Luther Chapel, East Lansing, MI, have two teams spending Spring Break in El Paso and Rockport, TX. They are building a house in Juarez, Mexico, for a family who doesn't have one and helping people in the coastal bend area of Texas recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey.
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Meeting a family's needs
King of Glory, Sylvania, OH, has come to the aid of a family of Christian immigrants from Syria. The family, who lives by the church, fled their homeland when Muslim authorities decided they were "no longer acceptable neighbors". The family's home and business in Syria were confiscated. The church is assisting the family with their utility bills for the year. They are also visiting with the family to help them develop their language skills.
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Thank you!
On behalf of the English District, we'd like to say, Thank you!" to Carol and Bud Leu, Prince of Peace, Medina, OH, who lovingly designed and made this quilted banner. It will be displayed at our District Convention in June. This work of art currently graces the English District offices. If you are in the area, stop by and see it.
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Barron, Giovanna and The Rev. Jonathan Kerr
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Baptisms!
Barron Ungson and Giovanna Fong were baptized on Saturday, February 10, 2018, at West Portal, San Francisco, CA.
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In our schools
Congratulations, Rams!
Redeemer Lutheran School (RLS), Verona, PA, took some time after chapel to recognize the accomplishments of the Middle School Robotics team and the Middle School Boys Basketball team. Congratulations to both!
The RLS Robotics Team won the Excellence award at the VEX IQ competition. Two of the team members also won third place in the NXT IEE car race. The whole team will be competing in the Pennsylvania State VEX IQ competition. Redeemer's team is ranked 303 in the world (thousands of teams)!
The Middle School Boys Basketball team is the South West Christian Athletic Conference (SWCAC) regular season champions and also the champions of the SWCAC playoffs. They are headed to the LBAA National Lutheran Basketball Tournament in Indiana, on March 22, 2018.
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Dr. Suess' Birthday
From hats to "Green Eggs and Ham," students in several schools celebrated the love of reading and the birthday of Dr. Seuss with fun events.
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Students wearing Dr. Seuss hats at Bethesda International Academy, Chicago, IL.
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Students at Grace English, Chicago, IL, pose in their Seuss-inspired hats.
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Preschoolers at Faith Preschool of Jacob's Well, Ft. Wayne, IN, ate a more kid-friendly version of "Green Eggs and Ham." The treats were made from green pudding and a vanilla wafer.
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Preschoolers at Shepherd King, West Bloomfield, MI, wore silly socks while reading "The Foot Book."
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"If I ran a zoo... oh the things you'll see!!!" at Martin Luther Christian School, Pennsauken, NJ.
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"Green Eggs and Ham" were on the menu at Martin Luther Christian School, Pennsauken, NJ.
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Little artists
Students at Concordia Little Lambs Preschool, Berwyn, IL, learned about the letter "B" and made bubble wrap prints. They are looking forward to displaying their paintings at an art show in May.
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Reading fun
Preschoolers at Abounding Love, Lee's Summit, MO, practice "How to Catch a Leprechaun" with slippery water beads.
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Saturday night youth group
The youth group at West Portal, San Francisco, CA, had a great time at Boba Night. The groups worked together to create the tallest towers made out of spaghetti and gummi candy, having a lot of fun in the process.
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School tour
The Rev. David Thiele toured the new school building at Hales Corners, Hales Corners, WI. His tour guides were The Rev. Keith Speaks, Albert Amling and Brian Olson. The project is scheduled to be completed two to three months early.
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IMPORTANT!
In early January LCMS Rosters and Statistics mailed each congregation instructions, along with a
congregation ID and password, to use in completing the 2017 statistics report online. Please be sure this letter gets to the person in your congregation who is responsible for completing this report.
Please return as soon as possible!
If you have not received this letter yet or have questions, please email
[email protected] or call the LCMS Church Information Center at 888-843-5267.
This statistical information will be used to calculate congregational assessments for the 2018 District Convention. It also assists a wide variety of ministry efforts at the national level, as well as fulfilling the expectation of membership set forth in Bylaw 1.3.4.
Thank you for providing this information as soon as possible!
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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
We are looking for youth to attend our English District 56th Convention this summer as youth delegates.
Our English District 2018 Convention is meeting at Concordia University, Ann Arbor, MI from June 19-21, 2018. This is a wonderful opportunity to select, encourage and support a high school youth to serve as one of your circuit's youth delegates. Travel, lodging and meals are covered for the youth delegates, so cost should not be an issue.
All high school aged youth (ages 14-18) are invited to apply to attend. Students will be exposed to a district convention but they will be serving the greater Ann Arbor area, spending time getting to know the other youth from the English District, participating in fun activities in and around Ann Arbor, and developing a group devotion to share Thursday morning at convention.
We are able to accommodate two youth per visitation circuit so this is a first come, first accepted basis.
Click here to find additional information from DCE Jim Bretthauer and a sign-up form for your youth delegate. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact
DCE Jim Bretthauer at [email protected].
Please send in your form as soon as possible as registration information will be sent in early March.
Many thanks for your support of our youth and our English District.
Sincerely yours in the name of Jesus,
DCE Jim Bretthauer,
Youth Delegate Leader
Rev. J. Derek Mathers,
Assistant to the Bishop/Mission Executive
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English District Daily Prayer List - April
We encourage you to use the District prayer list for your daily prayers, both personal and corporate. Please feel free to publish this list in your weekend service folders, on your congregational website and in your newsletters.
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Prayer Partners wanted!
Please sign up to be a Prayer Partner for the upcoming 56th English District, Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod Convention, to be held June 19-21, 2018 at Concordia University in Ann Arbor, MI. We are seeking prayers for all aspects of the convention: safe travel, the business of the English District, elections, activities, discussions, theological presentations, fellowship and to celebrate the English District's ministries and missions. Just choose a time slot and then lift the needs of our delegates, presenters, guests, staff, and convention in prayer. Choose as many time slots as you would like, and pray!
Click
here to sign up for a time slot. Thank you!
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Prayerfully Consider Campus Visit
March 14-17, 2018
This free of charge event allows men and women considering a vocation in church work to visit the campus of CTSFW to learn about these vocations. To learn more, click
here
or call (800)481-2155.
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2018-2019 English District Financial Aid
Dear Future Church Worker,
Below are links to important information about the 2018-2019 English District Financial Aid Applications. Please read the information carefully and note that the deadline for submission is Friday, June 1, 2018.
Please note that the
first time you apply for aid, there are two forms to complete. They are the Financial Aid Information Form and the District Financial Aid Application.
In subsequent years, you only need to complete the application unless your financial or personal situation has changed. Grants are not given to interns, vicars, or graduate students.
The following information and forms can be found on the English District
website:
Financial Aid Instructions
Financial Aid Information Form
District Financial Aid Application
Colloquy Financial Aid Application
In Christ,
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Save the date!
First, El Cajon, CA will be hosting a Lutheran Early Response Training (LERT) on Saturday, June 9, 2018 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. For information, or to register, please contact Sue Neff, RN, Parish Nurse at 619-444-7444.
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Concordia Center for the Family (CCF) Resource and Products Survey
Commissioned workers and lay volunteers, please take this short Family Life products and resources survey from the Concordia Center for the Family (CCF). CCF's goal is to find the "holes" that currently exist in family ministry resources. What have you been looking for but can't find? What do you use that you'd recommend to anyone in family ministry because it is THAT good?
We're hopeful that by your completion of the following 4-minute survey we can gather the information we need to help locate or produce the resources family ministry leaders everywhere need in order to reach families with the Gospel. After you take the survey, please share it with other workers and volunteers that you know. Thank you for your time! Link to the survey is
here.
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Every One His Witness™ kits available from CPH
The Every One His Witness core module kit is now available through Concordia Publishing House. The kit provides everything groups need to implement this evangelism program at their church, school, or organization.
What is Every One His Witness?
Every One His Witness
is a Lutheran evangelism program that teaches you to witness to your friends, coworkers, and any other nonchurched people you may know. Using the LASSIE approach to witnessing (listen, ask, seek, share, invite, and encourage), you will learn how to naturally share the Good News of Jesus Christ through relational, contextual witnessing.
What does this mean? It means listening to those who are unsure about Christianity. It means asking questions that aren't accusatory. It means sharing the Good News about Jesus. Notice how there's no bashing, no judgment, and no forced imposition of beliefs. Instead, there's understanding, communication, and honesty between friends. And Every One His Witness teaches you how.
Each kit, which is designed for a group of 12, contains:
- Every One His Witness workbooks (12)
- DVD (1)
- LASSIE journals (12)
- Experience cards (6)
- Pens (12).
Click here
to order Every One His Witness kit.
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Interested in ministry?
Christ and Phoebe Academies are summer programs held at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN for high school students potentially interested in ministry or interested in theology. Their time here consists of confessional catechesis in classes taught by world-class professors, liturgical worship in beautiful Kramer chapel, and fun together as they build life-long friendships during activities and free time.
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Youth Workers Conference
The 2018 National Lutheran Youth Workers Conference (#National18) is scheduled for July 8-11 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, MN. The conference is geared toward youth workers, and there will also be a youth track following the 2018 Lutheran Youth Fellowship Teen Leadership Training. Questions? Contact Terry Leu at
[email protected].
For more information and to register online, click here.
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2018 National RSTM Conference
The 2018 National Rural & Small Town Mission Conference will be held November 8-10 in Kansas City, MO.
The conference will address blessings and challenges facing rural and small-town congregations today. Congregations will be encouraged in becoming healthy churches, eager to bear witness for Christ and able to show mercy to those in need in communities and develop a robust life together with fellow members. Registration will begin on Thursday, March 15, 2018. For information and to register, click here.
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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, 12:00 pm ET.
We want to see how YOUR congregation or school is "loving your neighbor as yourself."
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