 |
|
Love your neighbor as yourself
|
|
Servant to Servant 5-26-17
|
|
|
Assistant to the Bishop's Visit
|
|
The Rev. J. Derek Mathers had the great honour of worshipping with The Rev.
Fred Gerlach and God's people of Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ewing Township, New Jersey on Sunday, May 21, 2017.
|
|
|
Ordination and Installation
|
|
The Rev.
J .Derek Mathers
ordained and installed Robert Q. Bruggeman as the pastor of Martin Luther Chapel, Pennsauken NJ on Sunday, May 21, 2017. Later that week, the students gave Pastor Bob a warm welcome after the weekly Chapel service.
|
|
|
Calls Accepted
Candidate Shawn Davis has accepted the call to serve as Missional Pastor of St. Michael, Fort Wayne, IN.
Candidate Victor Manuel de la Rosa has acceptedthe call to serve as SMP Assistant Pastor of Chapel of the Cross, Mission Hills, CA.
The Rev. Kevin Klein from St. John, Pembroke, ON, Canada accepted the call to serve as the Special Assistant to the Bishop/President of the English District for Deployed Church Relations.
Call Received
The Rev. Jeffrey N. Webb from Ponte Verda, FL has received a call to serve Living Faith Lutheran Church, Marine City, MI.
|
|
Click
here to read the Board Bulletins from the May 2017 English District Board of Directors meeting.
|
|
|
The English District office will be closed on Monday, May 29, 2017 in observance of Memorial Day.
|
|
|
|
|
Does your church need repair? Whether it's a leaky roof, broken down bathroom or a poorly-ventilated chapel, your church may need critical repairs before it's too late. The LCEF Church Improvement Program is designed to help churches fund critical church repairs and upgrades.
Lutheran Church Extension Fund and TCG Services have partnered to help you assess your church's improvement and repair needs. A local technician, contracted by TCG, will visit your church to conduct an independent facility audit and provide a deferred-maintenance checklist and assessment, including exterior and interior photos.
For a limited time, your church can receive a free assessment!
Contact David Thiele at (517)980-2857 to receive further details on the Church Improvement Program and free assessment offered by LCEF.
Offer expires Monday, May 29, 2017.
|
|
#LoveThyNeighbor
Grocery give-a-ways
The ServeLocal Team from Epic Church, Shelby Township, MI, was blessed to have a break in the rain while they gave groceries to neighbors.
|
|
"Come and Rest" area
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Mesquite, NV, recently hosted a booth at their local "Mesquite Days" celebration, which included a nice carnival, lots of food booths, and many informational booths. This was the first adventure of this kind for Prince of Peace. It was considered a success and they plan to take part again next year.
The church offered a "Come and Rest" area, with chairs and bottled water available for those wanting to get out of the hot desert sun and wind for a time. Also available were writing pens with the church's information, "Cross in my pocket" packets, and a brochure for those interested.
|
|
|
|
| The Rev. Travis Lauterbach |
|
|
|
| The Rev. Travis Lauterbach, Al Schadendorf, Ron Schwing, and Lynn Lahd |
|
|
|
Creative fellowship
Approximately four times a year, the Desert Arc Ministry at Peace Lutheran, Palm Desert, CA, invites the Desert Arc people (neighbors to the church) to come hear the Gospel, sing songs of praise, make a craft and share in a treat. Their goal is to love these people with gifts, treats and, of course, the Gospel. The patrons of Desert Arc are blessed, their assistants are blessed, and the church is blessed.
|
|
Homebound and seniors' service
Chapel of the Cross, St. Louis, MO, hosted their semi-annual luncheon and worship service for senior citizens and those who are homebound. Seventy people attended, and transportation was provided for those who needed a ride to the church. All were treated to a meal featuring ham, baked potatoes, vegetables and dessert.
|
|
 |
|
|
Hope, Hastings, MN |
In our churches
Congratulations, confirmands!
God's blessings to these students, their families and congregations as they celebrate their confirmation.
|
|
|
|
| Holy Cross, Cleveland, OH |
|
|
|
| West Portal, San Francisco, CA |
|
|
|
In our schools
Award-winning teachers
Congratulations to JohnMichael Jurica and his wife, Katrina, who each won a CLEF Dream award. CLEF stands for Chicagoland Lutheran Education Foundation. It's a non-profit that raises money for Lutheran schools in Chicago. The awards were given to teachers who submitted an application with a unique idea for the classroom.
JohnMichael's dream is to add dance to the everyday arts curriculum, and Katrina's dream is to add Ukulele instruction. Both dreams were funded through the CLEF Award. JohnMichael and Katrina serve the students and families of Grace English Lutheran School, Chicago, IL. Congratulations to these fine teachers for their vision to keep our inner city schools of Chicago excellent.
|
|
Free to fly
PreK 4 students at Martin Luther Christian School, Pennsauken, NJ, released the butterflies that they had nurtured. They said a prayer and asked Jesus to protect the butterflies in the school's garden!
|
|
Award-winning students
The Hales Corners Lutheran Middle School Knowledge Bowl team took home the Championship at the annual Knowledge Bowl competition! The competition quizzes students in the areas of math, science, English, music, literature, history, religion, and more. Congratulations and well done! To God be the glory!
|
|
Congratulations to the Spelling Bee first and second place winners from Martin Luther Christian School, Pennsauken, NJ. Special thanks to all the contestants who worked really hard. Being a finalist is an accomplishment!
|
|
Congratulations to the Mid-4th Quarter eSpark winners at Bethesda Academy, Chicago, IL.
|
|
|
|
In our District
Resources
Lutheran Spirituality Retreat
Pastors and Laypeople are invited to attend a Lutheran Spirituality Retreat, September 8-9, 2017 featuring renowned author Rev. Dr. John W. Kleinig, Pastor Emeritus of Luther College, Adelaide, SA, Australia. Cost is $75/person. For information, contact Rev. Bert Greenway at (419) 793-1394. Click here for a flyer.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
LCMS Rural & Small Town Mission
article, "
Teaching the Faith: Sunday School"
is featured in this month's newsletter. Click here to read the May Issue.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
Increase giving in your church - webinar
Scripture doesn't shy away from conversations about money, but church leaders often do. Join us June 6, 2017 for the webinar, "11 Steps to Increase Giving in Your Church ... Starting this Weekend," with Jennifer Perrow. Learn simple, effective ways to create a culture of increasing generosity in your church, including joyfully engaging givers. We'll discuss transforming your offering into a time of celebration, effectively talking about stewardship, creative ways to thank givers, why a major gifts strategy makes sense for churches, how to keep offering steady during the summer and more. If you can't attend live, you may still register for the webinar and receive a recording. Learn more, meet Jennifer, and register
here.
|
|
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 synodically 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.
|
|
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, 3:00 pm ET.
We want to see how YOUR congregation or school is "loving your neighbor as yourself."
|
|
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!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
