Bishop Jamison J. Hardy was in Chicago, Illinois on January 8-9, 2017 and was the guest preacher at Faith, Arlington Heights, IL where The Rev. Thomas J. Sanders is the pastor. He also visited Trinity, Villa Park, IL and Faith, Chicago, IL and had the pleasure of attending a meeting with the Chicago Circuits before heading home
 

The Rev. Young Chol "Issac" Choi from Oakville, ON, Canada, has received a call to serve as an Associate Pastor at The Church of St. Mark, Mississauga, ON, Canada.

 

 

In our schools

 

Champions

The girls' basketball team from Hales Corners Lutheran School, Hales Corners, WI, are Tournament champions! Congratulations!

Cheers

Students at Redeemer Lutheran Church and School, Oakmont, PA, cheered on the Steelers on Friday, January 6, 2017 during Black 'n Gold Day. Apparently, it helped secure a victory!

#LoveThyNeighbor

Keeping the Faith

The Rev. Eric Andræ, First Trinity, Pittsburgh, PA, was featured on the LCMS "Lutherans Engage" website. Click here to read about his campus ministry and how he helps students keep the faith.

  In our churches

 

Send-off

A tearful farewell as the congregation at Hope, Hastings, MN, said "goodbye" to Pastor Josh and Leah Bernau, and their family. A sincere "thank you" for all they have done over the past 8.5 years, and wishing them the very best at their new congregation. God's richest blessings!

Baptism!

Abraham Raj Bhosley joined in the family of God through the Holy Baptism. Asian Indian Ministry, Bethesda Lutheran Church, Chicago, IL.

Around the Synod

 

Free Resources

Do you have a Japanese friend you'd like to share the Gospel with? The Lutheran Heritage Foundation has a new, free resource that can help: a pocket-sized edition of Luther's Small Catechism, translated into the Japanese language. To order your copy, email info@LHFmissions.org  or call LHF at (800) 554-0723. LHF has translated good Lutheran books into more than 90 languages. To search their database of free resources, go to www.LHFmissions.org/publications

The kit of downloadable resources is expected to be available this month on the Synod's Reformation-anniversary website at http://lutheranreformation.org/resources/.

The resources may be customized to include the congregation's name and contact information.

The resource kit will include:

Breaking Bread Together

By Augusta R. Mennell

What is it about sharing a meal that brings us closer together in fellowship? Today's guest blogger shares her experience in serving and sharing Campus Ministry meals, and how it opens the door to sharing the Gospel.

All Saints Fellowship serves homemade meals to Slippery Rock University (SRU) students once a month during the school year. This homemade Korean meal attracts many students who openly voice their approval of this delicious food, and clearly have a good time because almost every student experiences laughing and talking with other students in a stress-free environment.

As many as 70 students usually attend one of these events out of a total international enrollment at SRU of 100.  Now, as successful as these monthly meals are, I have still had to consider the question: are the meals worthwhile? Are they really a useful tool for sharing the Christian faith with the students who come from many religions or from none? Do the meals make a difference? I can confidently say that yes, they do. Christmas Day proved it!

Read more

Augusta R. Mennell is the Campus Ministry Director at All Saints Lutheran Church and Student Center in Slippery Rock, PA. If you have a mission or ministry story you'd like to share, please submit for consideration via email to Lynne at lcobb@englishdistrict.org.

 

We encourage you to use the prayer list for your daily personal, congregational, school, classroom, staff, and circuit prayers to the Lord, our God. The Scriptures tell us to "pray without ceasing." Please feel free to use this list in your weekend service folders, on the congregational website or in newsletters.

 

February prayer list
 

The new full-length feature film "Martin Luther: The Idea that Changed the World" premieres February 15, 2017 in select locations around the country.

Funded by a grant from Thrivent Financial, this entertaining new film brings to life the dramatic moments that shaped Luther, and examines the universal questions he wrestled with, like "Who am I?" "What is my purpose?" and "How do I get right with God?"

Several LCMS Reformation scholars and historians, including Synod President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, were involved in the production.

Thanks to a special distribution arrangement, any LCMS congregation or organization can host a screening at a movie theater in their community. Screenings are encouraged as a way to reach out to the community in celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

There is no cost to your congregation or organization to set up a screening, and the process is simple. To learn more about this exciting opportunity, visit http://www.newluthermovie.com/lcms/.