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Love your neighbor as yourself
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SERVANT to SERVANT 8-26-16
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Bishop Jamison J. Hardy had the pleasure of traveling to Arizona to visit Faith in Tucson and Family of Christ in Phoenix. His first stop was on Friday, August 19, 2016 where he spent the day with members of Faith and their pastor, The Rev. Karl W. Koch. A worship service was held in the afternoon. Rev. Koch said, "It was a Spirit-led day!" The bishop then traveled to Phoenix and spent Saturday and Sunday, August 20-21, 2016 with members of Family of Christ and their pastor, The Rev. David M. Burge. Bishop Hardy delivered the sermon before traveling back home.
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| The Rev. Karl W. Koch, Bishop Jamison J. Hardy, and The Rev. Dr. Vernon L. Schindler |
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| Bishop Jamison J. Hardy and The Rev. David M. Burge |
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THE STATE OF THE DISTRICT
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Written by: The Rev. Rob Rogers, Midwest Vice-President
Trinity Lutheran Church of Villa Park, IL is 103 years old and was born into the English District in 1913. I have served Trinity, for twelve years (having served 14 years in other districts) and I cannot express how excited I am about being part of the English District right now! I was appointed Midwest Vice-President in the summer of 2014 when Pastor Nate Schwartz accepted a call to another district. Now I am serving my first full term as your 4th Vice-President, having been elected at the convention in 2015. Boy, did I come into leadership in this district at just the right time!
There is a vibrancy in the English District that is palpable. The Board of Directors meets at the congregations of the English District. As I visit congregations from coast to coast, I see all of the normal frustrations every Christian congregation seems to face. There are never enough people in the pew or dollars in the plate. But I also see congregations taking their mission seriously and pushing forward in exciting ways to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Every congregation I visit has something new they are doing to reach the unchurched, dechurched and disenfranchised. When I was growing up, we did the same thing week after week, year after year and the attitude was, "if someone wants to be a Lutheran, he knows where to find us." Now, in every congregation I visit, I hear the same thing: "there are people who don't know Jesus and people who are disconnected from Jesus in our neighborhoods, and we have to find a way to reach them!"
As we prepare to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, it is a perfect time to be part of the Missouri Synod and the English District! We are relevant, we are powerful and we are joyful in the proclamation of the world's best news. This is the time for the Missouri Synod to rise up from the vast sea of mediocrity in which dwells so much of American Christianity and claim our birthright as the church of the Augsburg Confessions.
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Click
here to read the Board Bulletins from the August 2016 Board of Directors meeting.
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Call Returned
The Rev. Caleb M. Adams from St. Lorenz, Frankenmuth, MI has returned the call to serve St. Michael, Ft. Wayne, IN.
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CHURCH AND SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
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Love your neighbor
Supporting our troops at home
Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church, Mechanicsburg, PA, hosted their first Veteran Resource Fair on Saturday, June 25, 2016. Approximately 25 veterans and their families (including a 4-month old baby) attended the event.
Seven service providers had tables at the event; four veterans in crisis received immediate assistance from the service providers and three combat veterans signed up for supplementary counseling services to help with combat-related problems.
Thanks to the YWCA of Harrisburg-Veterans Program Office, Volunteers of America, New Hope Ministries, American Red Cross Veterans Services, Transition Assistance Advisors, VA Readjustment Counseling Services (for combat veterans), and Pennsylvania Department of Veterans Affairs, a number of veterans not only received help but learned what is available to them. And a thank you also to the Operation Barnabas Committee for prep and cleanup work and to the youth group who prepared and served lunch.
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Supporting our troops when deployed
More packages are being sent to service members overseas from Packages 4 Patriots, a ministry of the Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit in Elk Grove Village, IL. Thirty boxes were packed for a total of over 500 pounds!
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#VBS2016
Peace Lutheran Church in O'Fallon, MO, hosted VBS with snacks, Bible stories, outdoor fun and more. No wonder there were lots of smiles!
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Become equipped to be God's messenger
Mission University, a Lutheran Laymen's League Workshop, will be hosted by St. Michael Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, IN on Sunday, September 25, 2016 from noon to 3 p.m. At MISSION U, the focus is equipping you, God's chosen ambassador, to carry His message of hope and salvation into a world urgently in need of good news. Cost is $10.00 if you register in advance (payable at the door) and $15.00 the day of the event. For more information and to register, click
here
. You may also call 260-432-2033 or send an email to
[email protected].
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Conference to address religious liberty, culture issues
Dinesh D'Souza, author and filmmaker, will be a guest presenter at Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hartland, MI on Saturday, October 1, 2016. When it comes to religious liberty issues, as the world and culture continue to press more and more upon the Christian community, many pastors and churches exist in uncertainty. It is with these concerns in mind that Lutheran pastors, lay leaders, and concerned church members are being invited to attend the upcoming conference entitled "The Body of Christ and the Public Square." Along with Dinesh D'Souza, the roster of speakers includes Michigan Senator Patrick Colbeck, Former Federal Judge-Professor William Wagner of the Great Lakes Justice Center, and Reverend Christopher I. Thoma of Our Savior Lutheran Church and School. It promises to be a worthwhile event. There is a minimal $15.00 (non-refundable) registration fee. Space is limited. For more information or to register, please click here
or call 248-887-4300.
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Screen Time, Learning Time
"Screen time" for kids can be beneficial depending on the content. The LCEF Young Investors (Y.I.) Club website helps reinforce lessons of sharing and saving while letting them have some fun! (You can join in on the fun as well!) Click on the button below for age-appropriate interactive games, crafts, videos and devotions for toddlers, tweens and teens.
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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 seek 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 first and last 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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