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Love your neighbor as yourself
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Servant to Servant 11-17-17
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The English District office will be closed on Thursday, November 23, 2017 and Friday, November 24, 2017 in observance of Thanksgiving. There will be no Servant to Servant next Friday, November 24, 2017.
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Perfect Christmas Gift for a Child!
Give the gift of a Young Investors (Y.I.) Club StewardAccount this year and give kids a way to learn to save while also learning valuable stewardship concepts.
Y.I. Club features:
- Minimum of $25 to open the account.
- Premium interest rate of 3.5% on balances up to $1,000.
- Interest compounded and paid monthly.
- Older children can earn up to $25 a year for good grades.
- Empowering ministries in Kingdom work.
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The Young Investors (Y.I.) Club makes saving money fun while teaching children to give thanks for God's blessings.
For more information on the Y.I. Club, call 1-800-843-5233 or visit
lcef.org
.
LCEF is a nonprofit religious organization; therefore, LCEF investments are not FDIC-insured bank deposit accounts. This is not an offer to sell investments, nor a solicitation to buy. LCEF will offer and sell its securities only in states where authorized. The offer is made solely by LCEF's Offering Circular. Investors should carefully read the Offering Circular, which more fully describes associated risks.
LCEF StewardAccount access features provided through UMB Bank n.a. The Demand/Dedicated Certificate and StewardAccount are not available to investors in South Carolina.
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Reformation 500 Celebrations
in Our Churches
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Reformation celebration
St. John's, Pembroke, ON, Canada, hosted a 500th Anniversary Celebration of the Reformation on October 29, 2017 that included Christ, Petawawa; Grace, Pembroke; St. John's, Germanicus; Zion, Augsburg and St. Luke, Eganville.
The guest preacher was Dr. John Stephenson, a Luther/Reformation scholar, author and professor at Concordia Seminary in St. Catharines, ON. The worship service included a joint choir featuring voices from the Ottawa Valley Lutheran Churches and the bell choir from St. John's and Christ Lutheran Churches. A traditional German cuisine meal followed the celebration service.
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#LoveThyNeighbor
Feeding the hungry
Every Thursday night, September through May, Grace Community Meals (GCM) provides nourishment to people who are in need. The volunteers from Grace, Wyoming, MI, prepare and cook the fresh, homemade meals. GCM is in its seventh year, and they serve 40-60 people.
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A delicious way to support others
The Men's Club of St. Mark, Sheboygan, WI, held a Pancake Supper on November 5, 2017. Everyone enjoyed the pancakes and fellowship. Proceeds went to support the following organizations: Lutheran Hour Ministries; Salvation Army; Bethesda; Lutheran Malaria Initiative; Lutheran Bible Translators; Dial-A-Prayer; Safe Harbor;
Chaplaincy Ministry; English District for Dominican Republic; St. Mark's youth group; St. Mark's Lutheran Church; and Greater Love Faith Home.
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Honoring veterans
Veterans, friends and family gathered at Shepherd of the Coast (SOTC), Palm Coast, FL, for the 2nd annual Local Heroes to celebrate Veterans Day on Sunday, November 12, 2017. The guest speakers were Sheriff Rick Staly, Deputy Chief Jerry Forte and Chaplain Mark Schreiber, with The Rev. William Douthwaite officiating. SOTC's Operation Barnabas Ministry hosted the well-attended event that included a military-style field breakfast of chipped beef on toast.
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Caring for strangers
Second grade students at Redeemer, Oakmont, PA, filled boxes with goodies for Operation Christmas Child. They also wrote letters to the children, them all about God and His love for us.
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Packing food boxes
Thirty-one volunteers from Hope, Hastings, MN, packed meals at Feed My Starving Children. The multi-generational group had over a 70 year age span as they all worked to turn hunger into hope.
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In our churches
Worship and fellowship
The Rev. J. Derek Mathers, Assistant to the Bishop/Mission Executive, had the opportunity to worship with God's people at Gethsemane, Windsor, ON, Canada on Sunday, November 12, 2017. He had lunch with the church council and greeted members from the Sudanese service. Rev. Mathers is pictured with the church council and with The Rev. Jordan Simon and The Rev. Robert Voelker. Rev. Mathers shared, "It was an honour to share God's Word with them and hear how God is working among them."
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Congratulations!
Happy Anniversary to Redeemer, Lincoln, NE. The congregation celebrated its 100th anniversary on Sunday, November 12, 2017, with special worship officiated by The Rev. Dr. David Stechholz, Bishop Emeritus.
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Baptisms!
Ascension, Atlanta, GA, had the joy of seeing the births and rebirths of two new babies in their congregation over the last month. Baptized were Henry Ledford, son of Justin and Julie Ledford; and Titus Miller, son of Rev. Dave and Jeni Miller. Prayers of thanks were given to God for these two new baby boys, rejoicing in their safe arrival.
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Baptism!
Amara Marie was brought to the waters of baptism at Hope, Hastings, MN. May the joy and peace of the Lord reign in her heart!
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Consecration Sunday
Grace, Wyoming, MI, celebrated on Sunday, November 12, 2017 with Consecrated Stewards IV, featuring Christine Meaney, speaker; Grace Beginnings Preschool Teacher and Director, Maria Bertrand; and guest preacher, The Rev. David Thiele, English District LCEF Vice President. The special worship was followed by a celebration luncheon.
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Telling the story of His faithfulness
Have you heard of Visual Faith Ministry? Visual Faith ministries is the collaborative effort of on-line and "in-real-life" learning communities to enrich, encourage and enable the connections between visual and kinesthetic learning and storytelling. This is a layperson/people-driven ministry.
The Southwest Pennsylvania area started their "community" and Facebook Group last May. Bishop Hardy's wife, Wendy, and his
administrative assistant, Kathy Stanis, are the administrators and Visual Faith coaches of this group. There are now sixteen Visual Faith Facebook Groups in the USA and one in Israel.
On Saturday, November 11, 2017, the Southwest Pennsylvania community held their second Visual Faith Workshop at Peace, McMurray, PA. Men, women and children worked on a "make and take" project to help them personally tell the story of His faithfulness.
For information on Visual Faith Ministry, visit
www.visualfaithmin.org. You can find links to all of the Facebook Groups
here. Join one today!
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In our schools
Full house!
There was a full house for the annual concert by children of Fairlawn, Fairlawn, OH. Based on all of the smiling students, it must have been a wonderful concert.
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Good nutrition
Little ones learned about eating healthy, plus enjoyed yummy, nutritious snacks at Faith Preschool of Jacob's Well, Ft. Wayne, IN.
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Field trip fun
Students in grades 4-7 from Martin Luther Christian School, Pennsauken, NJ, learned about the world of banking on their recent field trip.
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Future leaders
High school students from Redeemer, Oakmont, PA attended the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League leadership summit at the Heinz History Center.
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More future leaders
Thirteen eighth-graders from Hales Corners, Hales Corners, WI, had the opportunity to attend a leadership conference at Our Redeemer Lutheran School. Along with learning about leadership skills, students collaborated with kids from 11 different Milwaukee-area Lutheran schools.
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Learning through music
Open Arms Lutheran Child Development Center in Buckhead, GA (Lutheran Church of the Ascension, Atlanta) is showcasing the new music program taking place at the school. It's just another way that the school is working to love their littlest neighbors!
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In our District
Campus ministry
The Arizona South Circuit hosted Dr. Paul Grime of Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne, IN, November 10-11, 2017. On Friday night, Dr. Grime spoke at the LCMSU chapter at the University of Arizona on "A Gospel Kaleidoscope." Dr. Grime spent Saturday at Risen Savior, Green Valley, speaking on Dr. Luther's reform of the liturgy and hymnody as well as leading a workshop for church musicians. On Sunday afternoon, Dr. Grime led a hymn festival at Ascension in northwest Tucson.
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Building a solid foundation for the furtherance of the Gospel
We recently mailed our annual giving letter. Here is an appeal from Bishop Jamison Hardy from that letter:
"Please prayerfully consider joining us in ministry, so that the English District - LCMS can continue its work in spreading the message of Christ. We have established the English District Endowment Fund, which is designed to support current and new missions and ministries, church worker and seminary students, and campus ministries in the areas where our congregations live and witness...Every gift matters. Whatever God leads you to give will be a great blessing as we all work together to plant new missions and schools and provide resources to existing ministries and church workers across the United States and Canada and around the world."
Click
here for our giving page.
Thank you!
For our Canadian friends: To receive a tax receipt, please make your cheque payable to your congregation and designate the gift for the English District Endowment Fund. Your congregation will forward your gift to the English District and provide you with a receipt for income tax purposes.
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Watch your mailbox
In December,
congregations will receive their official nomination ballots for District President and Vice Presidents by mail. These ballots should be returned to Rev. Luke Zimmerman, District Secretary, in the envelope provided.
The nominations deadline is February 19, 2018. Please prayerfully consider pastors who may serve well in those offices.
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Meet our Missions - Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest
"A population that does not take care of the elderly and the young has no future, because it abuses both its memory and its promise." - Pope Francis
This month's edition of "Meet our Missions" introduces the Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest (LSSSW), one of the many ministries supported by the English District.
"I came so that you may have life and live it more abundantly." John 10:10
Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest was started in 1970 by a group of congregations in Arizona asking, "How can we care for one another?" Motivated by God's love for the world, today they serve over 60,000 people annually in Arizona; stabilizing lives during times of crisis, building self-reliant foundations where all people can fulfill their basic needs, and preserving dignity and respect for our most fragile populations that include older adults, people with developmental disabilities, refugees who are courageously rebuilding their lives and those who have encountered bumps in life and are seeking resources, hope and compassion.
If you have a mission or ministry story you'd like to share, please submit for consideration via email to Lynne at
[email protected].
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Christmas shopping!
Are you one of the millions of online shoppers? If so, you can help the English District when you shop online this year. Remember to #StartWithaSmile! Why? Because Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price to the English District of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. Bookmark the link
https://smile.amazon.com/ch/38-1675740
and support the missions and ministry of the English District every time you shop.
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March for Life
Save the date: Friday, January 19, 2018 is the date for March for Life. Click
here
for details on this annual pro-life event held in Washington, D.C.
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ELEA IGNITE
Administrator & Pastor Conference
Come to the ELEA IGNITE Administrator & Pastor Conference: Minneapolis, MN, February 28-March 3, 2018, and learn from peers and experts what you need to take your school or center to the next level.
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Previous issues of the Servant to Servant eNewlsetter 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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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."
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