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Love your neighbor as yourself
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SERVANT to SERVANT 7-15-16
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LCMS 66th NATIONAL CONVENTION
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| The Lutherans land in Milwaukee. We're here to conduct church business and enjoy your brats, cheese & finest beverages!
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| This full page ad appeared in the Sunday, July 10th Milwaukee newspaper. |
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Click on the links below to read the news and view photos from the LCMS 66th National Convention.
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| Bishop Jamison J. Hardy, Synod President Matthew C. Harrison and Dr. Wendy Hardy |
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| Bishop Jamison J. Hardy is reunited with his vicarage supervisor, The Rev. Richard A. Townes, Jr. |
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ASSISTANT TO THE BISHOP'S VISITS
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The Rev. J. Derek Mathers and The Rev. Joshua P. Bernau |
HOPE, HASTINGS MN
The Rev. J. Derek Mathers had a wonderful meeting with The Rev. Joshua P. Bernau of Hope Lutheran Church in Hastings, MN. Rev. Mathers found it exciting to hear about the desire of God's people in this congregation to personally connect with their community. Rev. Mathers asks that you pray with him that God will guide them and open many doors into the lives of those around them.
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A cross outside of Messiah, Forest Lake, MN |
MESSIAH, FOREST LAKE, MN
The Rev. J. Derek Mathers completely enjoyed attending the Thursday, July 7th morning Law and Gospel study led by The Rev. Greg Musolf at Messiah Lutheran Church in Forest Lake, MN. The discussion was insightful and challenging. Seeing and identifying the opportunities God has provided to share His love with their neighbors is high on their list of priorities. Pray that God will grant both strength and boldness to this congregation of God's people.
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FAIRLAWN, FAIRLAWN, OH
Sunday, July 10, 2016 was a great day at Fairlawn Lutheran Church in Fairlawn, OH. There was so much happening to celebrate! The Rev. J. Derek Mathers, Assistant to the Bishop and Mission Executive was there to preach in the morning and then to install The Rev. Adam Thompson as Associate Pastor in the afternoon.
Many thanks to the congregation and to The Rev. James A. Gau, Senior Pastor, for a wonderful visit!
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| The Rev. Adam Thompson, The Rev. J. Derek Mathers and The Rev, James A. Gau |
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| Front Row: The Rev. Charles D. Lenter, The Rev. James A. Gau, The Rev. Adam Thompson, The Rev. J. Derek Mathers Middle Row: The Rev. Adam J. Steinbrenner, The Rev. Dr. William Mart Thompson, The Rev. Troy R. Neujahr Back Row: The Rev. Mark Hanchett, The Rev. Dr. Christian F. Just, The Rev. Robert L. Fitzpatrick, The Rev. Ryan D. Beffrey Installation The Rev. J. Derek Mathers installs The Rev. Adam Thompson as the Associate Pastor of Fairlawn Lutheran Church, Fairlawn, OH. |
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The Rev. J. Derek Mathers, The Rev. Larry L. Leuthaeuser and The Rev. James A. Gau |
C
elebrating 50 years of ministry
The Rev. Larry L. Leuthaeuser celebrated his fiftieth anniversary in the office of Public Ministry on Sunday, July 10, 2016. The Rev. J. Derek Mathers and The Rev. James A. Gau were on hand to recognize this milestone in Rev. Leuthaeuser's life.
Commissioning
The Rev. James A. Gau commissioned the youth and adults from Fairlawn Lutheran Church who will be attending the LCMS National Youth Gathering in New Orleans, LA, July 16-20, 2016.
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Held every three years since 1980, the LCMS National Youth Gathering provides thousands of youth and adults the opportunity to come together as a community of God's people to learn more about Jesus Christ, the Christian faith and their Lutheran identity.
During the five days of the Gathering, youth will spend time together in God's Word, worship, service, and fellowship with others from across the synod.
A PDF download of the daily event schedule for the 2016 Gathering is available.
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'Participating' in the LCMS National Youth Gathering from afar
This is the largest gathering of LCMS youth and adults. While many will be there, not everyone can attend. Click
here
for some ways to participate in the Gathering from afar.
Social media
As participants prepare for the opening Mass Event, on Saturday, July 16, 2016, we invite the church at large to share posts of prayer, support, and encouragement for all those attending in person.
Your messages will be a blessing to all who view them through the social streams that evening. As Gathering participants enter the Super Dome, your messages will appear on the ribbon boards around the Dome. This is one way our local communities can show their love and support to those attending the event.
Let's send messages of hope, love, and encouragement into our social streams to wrap the entire Gathering in prayer.
Sample Tweets
- To all those at #NYG2016: We love you & we're praying for you. Tweet this
- I love you all & I'll be praying for you this week. #thisisMYchurch #NYG2016 Tweet this
- Praying that God guides the hearts & minds of this year's #NYG2016 participants. #thisisMYchurch Tweet this
- Dear God, please work in the hearts of all those attending #NYG2016. #thisisMYchurch Tweet this
- 25k people at #NYG2016, I'm praying for all of them this week! #thisisMYchurch Tweet this
Sample Facebook Post
Dear Heavenly Father, please watch over the participants of the 2016 LCMS Youth Gathering. May your Holy Spirit be at work through the Bible studies, presentations, mass events, and worship service. Protect #NYG2016 this week and may it be a moment in the lives of these youth and adults that focuses their minds on You and reminds them of the love You have already so graciously showered upon them through the death and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. #NYG2016 #thisisMYchurch
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Download Gathering App
The Gathering App is available for download in your iTunes or Google Play Store. Use the app to create your own schedule, bookmark your favorite speakers, play the Gathering Game and stay connected with the happenings at #NYG2016.
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Thanks for supporting the young people in your congregation and community!
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CHURCH AND SCHOOL ACTIVITES
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Walcamp, Kingston, IL |
From our schools
Outdoor Camp Fun!
Back in May, students from Grace English Lutheran School in Chicago, IL, spent a day at Walcamp, a Lutheran owned and operated camp in Kingston, IL.
The students were able to attend for the day due to a grant through CLEF (Chicagoland Lutheran Educational Foundation) from the Christopher Foundation. For many of the ten students in grades five through eight, this was the first time they had been in a rural area. There were students who were a little uncertain about this field trip. During their time there they experienced the wonder of our LORD's mighty creation. They also were able to experience canoeing, archery, hiking, and fishing.
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| Love Your Neighbor
Erie Sproutz is an urban garden hosted by Trinity Lutheran Church in Erie, PA. The garden will utilize the "Square Foot Garden" (SFG) approach, which produces higher yield with fewer resources. The goal is to connect the community to resources to become self-sufficient regarding healthy food choices and personal well-being. A wonderful way to reach out and "love your neighbor."
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Epiphany Lutheran Church, Northfield, OH, hosts an annual Mother's Day Diaper and Wipes Collection for Akron Pregnancy Services. This year, 1,306 diapers were collected, along with 1,656 baby wipes. Additionally, eleven pairs of colorful baby booties were donated. Akron Pregnancy Services counts on support of the community and churches in order to "embrace women with unplanned pregnancies in a caring environment." They also provide material and spiritual resources for clients to become independent of government assistance and they encourage godly character and moral integrity. A compassionate way to "love your neighbor."
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Call Accepted
The Rev. Todd A. Seaver from
Holy Ghost, Monroe MI has accepted the call to serve as the Associate Pastor for All Saints, Slippery Rock, PA.
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DOLLARS & SENSE CHURCH AUDIT
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Congregations both large and small face the serious task of managing their funds. The members work unselfishly to share His Word in the local community. In order to do this most effectively, each church must make daily decisions as to how to best manage its finances. Many congregations have in their constitution the requirement of an "audit" of their financial records on a periodic basis. Often times, this can be difficult to accomplish due to a lack of availability of the proper level of expertise.
Bishop Jamison J. Hardy has been contacted by many congregations and, thus,
the English District would like to offer an objective and confidential solution.
Paul J. Stanis is a baptized child of God. What he has been doing to support his family since 1976 is to work as a CPA (currently on inactive status). He is experienced in accounting, tax and finance in a wide range of industries. More specifically, he worked as the Treasurer of Peace Lutheran Church in McMurray, PA for three years and had previously held the positions of Provisional Council President, Head Elder, Deacon and Stewardship Chairman.
The English District would like you to consider using Paul to meet your need for this financial review. The only monetary responsibility to the congregation would be for his travel expenses (transportation, lodging and food). This will not require an extended amount of time on site and he would be willing to help defray the cost by staying at a member's home and enjoying Lutheran potluck meals.
The long range goal would be for you to engage Paul every few years, per your constitution.
If you would be interested in exploring this opportunity to strengthen your congregation's foundation, please feel free to contact Bishop Hardy for a personal reference. Since this is currently in the developmental stage, please sign up through the District President's office (248.476.0039) by November 30, 2016. This will give the District Board of Directors an idea of whether to make this a regular tool for your use
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It's hard to believe that we are finally here in Colombo, Sri Lanka after so much waiting and that so much has happened in the last month. Suffice it to say that the last six weeks have been among the busiest of our lives. It's impossible to tell you about everything that has happened, but you can read a summary in our
June/July Newsletter.
Pastors and secretaries, if you would, please print out some copies for your members and notice boards.
Thank you for all of your prayers and support, which got us here and which will continue to sustain us in the future!
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Edward Naumann
Theological Educator, South Asia
[email protected]
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Hello from Southeast Asia, dear partners in service! It's been an eventful few weeks in the Ferry household, and it's certainly not been quiet.
We are grateful for the many prayers we are confident have been ascending on our behalf during the month of June. We have been blessed in many ways, some of which you can read about by downloading our
latest newsletter
for yourself.
There's also a special announcement in this month's issue, so make sure you don't miss it... the news will have joyful repercussions for the rest of the calendar year! (How's that for a teaser?)
Thank you for your continued thoughts, prayers, and support. We are so glad to be able to be this part of the team, the part which lives and works overseas to do the work we've been called to do. And that wouldn't be possible without you.
Peace and grace to you in Christ Jesus, dear partners.
Yours in His Name,
The Ferry Family
Charles, Cheryl, Caleb, Caitlin, Carissa, Cassandra, and Chloe
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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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