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Love your neighbor as yourself
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Servant to Servant 3-24-17
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Bishop Jamison J. Hardy traveled to California, March 17-19, 2017, and visited three congregations.
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West Portal, San Francisco, CA
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The bishop gives thanks to The Rev. Curtis A. Binz for faithfully serving the congregation of West Portal, San Francisco during its vacancy.
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Wonderful morning service at Messiah in Danville, CA with the Rev. Peter Ledic and Vicar Stefan Gramenz on Sunday, March 19, 2017.
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New Life Chinese, San Francisco, CA
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The Rev. Charles A. Fox and members of New Life Chinese, San Fransisco gave Bishop Hardy a warm welcome. On Friday, March 17, 2017, the bishop spent an enjoyable evening with the youth group of the church.
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Professional Church Workers Conference
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Church and school activities
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The Rev. Michael Frese |
In our churches
Confirmation Retreat
Confirmamds from Peace, McMurray, PA attended a Confirmation Retreat at Concordia Theological Seminary, March 17-19, 2017. The theme was
The Lord's Supper: Where Heaven and Earth Converge. The Rev. Michael Frese, Redeemer, Ft. Wayne, IN, led the youth in four, one-hour sessions where he explained the biblical context of Christ's institution of Holy Communion, explored the liturgical setting in which the Church celebrates the Eucharist and he offered insight from the Large Catechism, the Lutheran Confessions and select quotations from the Church fathers as to how we participate in this meal worthily and for our eternal salvation.
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Rite of Confirmation
Eleven youth were confirmed at Prince of Peace in Medina, OH on Sund
ay, March 19, 2017.
Front row: Kimberly Blake, Heather Lessick, Erin Venus, Molly Leporis, Brenna Holiday, Olivia Maschke.
Back row: Sam Seevers, Terry Leu (Teacher), Joey Camera, The Rev. Daniel R. Haberkost, Matthew Vacarchuk, Jack Van Boxel, Eric Nixon (Teacher), Tyler Gummo
Not pictured: Emily Gangel
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Congratulations!
Congratulations and God's richest blessings to Pastor Michael A. Morehouse, Catalina, Tucson, AZ, who successfully completed his Doctor of Ministry defense on March 22, 2017.
He can now add Doctor
to his name.
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Care packages
The women of Redeemer, Sarnia, ON want the church's college students to know they are not forgotten once they go off to school. Three times this school year the Women of Redeemer Sharing Helping in Prayer (WORSHIP) have sent care packages to the college and university students of their congregation to encourage them and show them their love and concern while they are away from their church family.
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The members of Peace, McMurray, PA package and ship iC.A.R.E.kits (College Aid Response Effort) to their members who are away at school. Fifteen college students receive these care packages. The congregation began this program nearly nine years ago and send iC.A.R.E.kits twice a year.
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1 Peter 5:7
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Helping the Homebound
At Chapel of the Cross (COTC) in St. Louis, MO, in addition to taking Communion to approximately 75 homebound members each month, they also have a special Communion service and lunch that they hold twice a year, before Thanksgiving and Easter. Family, friends or volunteers from COTC bring them in for these special services and fellowship times.
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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
Kathy Stanis.
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In our District
Servant Retreats
All English District Youth! We are looking forward to seeing you this summer at one of two events: Medina, OH, July 13-16, 2017 or Lincoln, NE, July 20-23, 2017. We will have the opportunity to worship, serve, study and hang out together! Click here to register online.
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Sarah George, Fairlawn, Fairlawn, OH
Team One, Community Builders
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Lutheran Youth Fellowship
This past weekend I had the privilege to go to St. Louis, along with three English District youth, to a Lutheran Youth Fellowship (LYF) Conference. The theme of the Conference was "Faith in Times of Transition." The conference was run by five youth ages 17-19 with minimal adult help. It was wonderful to see the young future leaders of our churches growing in their faith and encouraging and teaching their peers to dig deeper into the real Christian issues of our day. I took one youth from my church along to this conference and I could see her faith deepen and her perspective about the church grow and change throughout the weekend. The youth were also able to form strong bonds with Christian brothers and sisters from all across the country. As a pastor, I was very impressed with the content of the lessons and the orientation of worship. It was focused on Christ and His gifts. The lessons covered Christ as our foundation particularly in times where many other things in our lives are unstable. This conference was a strong reminder to me that young Christians don't want to run from the hard questions, but want to learn what God and His Word have to say about them. I strongly encourage you, if your church has the opportunity, to send one of your youth to this conference. The Word of God is living and active in the LYF.
In Christ,
Pastor Adam Thompson
English District attendees were:
The Rev. Adam Thompson, Fairlawn, Fairlawn, OH
Sarah George, Fairlawn, Fairlawn, OH
Noah Hardy, Peace, McMurray, PA
Megan Uderian, St. Luke, North York, ON, Canada
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Leadership Training Resources
The following teen leadership training resources from previous Lutheran Youth Fellowship events are available for use in conducting events in your congregation:
- Teens Reaching Teens in the Digital Age
- Teens Stand Strong
- Teen Bridge Building
- Teen Leadership Training
- Teen Reaching Teens
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News from our International Workers
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We are very thankful for all of your prayers and support!
Rev. Ted & Rebecca Krey, Esther, Matthias, Natalia & Evangeline
Serving the Lord in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Newsletter
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Supporting church workers is a priority for the English District LCMS, and we continue to work to increase the amount of funding available for students to pursue a ministry career. The first time you apply for aid, there are two forms to complete: the
District Financial Aid Application and the
Financial Aid Information Form.
Grants are given to applicants enrolled in synodical-approved church work programs (pastor, teacher, DCE, DCO, deaconess, etc.). Grants are not given to interns, vicars, or graduate students. There is a separate
Colloquy Financial Aid Application for colloquy students.
Please read the
Financial Aid Instructions before completing the forms. The deadline for submission of English District financial aid applications is June 1, 2017.
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Available for free is a portable altar that folds, along with a finished piece of wood that sits on top, and a matching lectern. Also available are a variety of altar cloths (2 purple lectern cloths and a three-piece white altar and 2 lectern cloths). If interested, please call Ruth Nusbaum at 330-857-3665 to make arrangements for shipping/pick-up. Located in Ohio.
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Thoughts from a Seminary Student on a Rural Immersion
During an unseasonably warm week in November, a group of four other students and I from the LCMS' Fort Wayne seminary, along with beloved professor, Dr. Timothy Quill, had the opportunity to visit Western Missouri for several days to get a taste of rural life. Having been raised in various cities around the country, we students had much to learn about parish ministry in small towns and rural areas.
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Lower Health Claims Generate Reward for Ministries
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Health Care Done Right is working. Healthy behaviors, health management, health stewardship and health coverage are making a difference.
We've seen claims experience improve in the Concordia Health Plan (CHP), which has made funds available that we will share back with the ministries in the CHP. In addition, many employers are making a positive difference by engaging with the CPS Wellness program and encouraging worker participation.
Employers who paid any contribution into the CHP in 2016 will receive a Health Stewardship Reward. These are ministry dollars that can be reinvested in our churches, schools and other ministries. If workers contributed to the cost of their health care in 2016, this reward should be shared with them proportionally to their contributions. Qualifying ministries should watch for a reward check.
At Concordia Plan Services, we appreciate the trust that ministries place in us to be good stewards of the funds entrusted to our care. We take this responsibility seriously, managing the Concordia Health Plan with a high degree of excellence and compassion, focusing on delivering solutions aligned with our Lutheran faith and commitment to care for one another.
Thank you to those ministries that have participated in the CPS Wellness program and encouraged workers to be engaged in their own personal health and wellness.
To learn more about the Health Stewardship Reward, visit
ConcordiaPlans.org/stewardship.
Health Care Flyer
Wellness Tools/Resource Flyer
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Previous issues of the eNewlsetter, Servant to Servant, 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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