PSD School Ministries
Connections
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One of the many things I miss right now is people…family far away, friends near and far, and community! I miss community! I miss being with people and being with my office mates each day. I miss going to worship in my church sanctuary. I miss seeing you and your students in action at your school.
You too? Do you miss community? We are never meant to live life alone. In the garden of Eden, God created a helpmate for Adam. We need to connect with other people through meaningful relationships. Christ distributes courage through the community; he dissipates doubts through fellowship. “He never deposits all knowledge in one person but distributes pieces of the jigsaw puzzle to many. When you interlock your understanding with mine, and we share our discoveries, when we mix, mingle, confess and pray, Christ speaks.” (Max Lucado)
That imagery is akin to our Connected in Christ logo – the puzzle pieces that fit together to build up the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-16)
Even in these difficult and challenging times, find ways to build community within your community! Just today, one of our administrators called me. I saw the name come up on my cell phone and I immediately thought, “Oh no! Something is wrong!” I answered with some manner of trepidation, and she stated that she just called to check in with me to see how I was doing, and to let me know that she is praying for me.
Let’s stay connected to each other as fellow Christian educators. Pray for each other. Send a note or card of encouragement. Stay connected to your students and families through a phone call, Zoom or note in the mail. We need each other!
“And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as He has commanded us.” 1 John 3:23 (Suggested reading for today: 1 John 3-5.)
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Welcome, New Administrators to the PSD! |
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We welcome these new administrators into the Pacific Southwest District:
Early Childhood Directors
Robin Davila – Lamb of God, Las Vegas, NV
Hunter Donahoo – Christ the Cornerstone, San Diego, CA
Krista Edge – St. Mark, Phoenix, AZ
Elvia Ibanez – Sonshine House, Temple City, CA
Kim Kopecky (Interim) – Mt. Calvary, Lake Arrowhead, CA
Elena Luellen – Ramona Lutheran, Ramona, CA
Lindsay Malloy – Redeemer by the Sea, Carlsbad, CA
Bre Manata – Grace, Escondido, CA
Margie Travis – Mt. Olive, Poway, CA
Principals
Scott Ferguson – Christ, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Elizabeth Lyles – Zion, Anaheim, CA
Brenda Nguyen – Hope, Glendora, CA
Mary Scott (Executive Director) – Orange Lutheran HS, Orange, CA
David Wittig – Lamb of God, Las Vegas, NV
Please let us know if we missed anyone. God's richest blessings to these new leaders in the PSD!
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Congratulations to Mountain View Lutheran School, Las Vegas, NV, for their successful initial WASC/NLSA accreditation visit! Mountain View is the first school in Las Vegas to be WASC accredited!
It is always wonderful to see schools in the Pacific Southwest District striving for excellence in their educational programs and ministry to our Lord. To God be the glory!
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PSD School Directory Update |
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The School Ministries listing of district schools has been updated and posted on our website. Please look at the listing for your school and advise us of any corrections or additions that need to be made. We strive to keep this listing current but need to hear from you for the most up-to-date information. Click here and scroll to the bottom of the page to find the school directory listings. Please contact Ellen Pratt at [email protected] or 949-854-3232 ext. 224 to report corrections or changes. Thank you!
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Thank you to all the generous supporters of Hearts for Jesus this year. Contributions reached a total of $26,609.92, which will provide funds for 1,108 students to attend Children’s Bible Clubs, sponsored by Mission India, where children will hear the message of God’s love for them, and learn of Jesus as their Savior. Our Hearts for Jesus campaign qualifies for a matching gifts available by a Mission India donor, so the number of children doubles to 2,216! God is good in the midst of this COVID crisis!
We are pleased to announce that our 2020-2021 Hearts for Jesus unified district mission project is LeadaChild. LeadaChild is a Recognized Service Organization (RSO) of the LCMS and promotes the beliefs and practices outlined by their confession of faith. It is a non-profit charity and a charter member of the Association of Lutheran Mission Agencies (ALMA). LeadaChild supports project sites in five world regions - Central America, Middle East, West Africa, Asia, and South America. Their vision is that all children have a hope and future in Jesus Christ. Click here for their website!
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PSD Teachers - We Want Your Feedback! |
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PSD teachers, we want to hear from you! We are working on some updates to our School Ministries app and we would like to hear how you feel the app could be more useful for you. How could we use this tool to better resource you as a classroom teacher? Please email your thoughts and ideas to [email protected]. Thank you in advance! |
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August Devotion on Website |
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Our August devotion is now linked on our website. It is written by Michelle Hines, teacher at Faith Lutheran Middle School & High School in Las Vegas, NV, and titled These are the Days of Our Lives, but it's No Soap Opera. Click here to read it! Thank you, Michelle, for reminding us that God is in control! |
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Four webinars for schools from LCEF:
From the LCMS: Finding hope in God’s Word
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many hardships: fear, guilt, financial strain, anger, exhaustion. But those in the church know where to look in the face of the world’s brokenness: to God’s Word and promises. To this end, the LCMS Office of National Mission is preparing a series of Bible studies particularly suited to facing the challenges of COVID-19. These studies present God’s testimony about issues such as stress and anxiety, depression, financial struggles, decision-making, dealing with conflict and criticism, and compassion fatigue and burnout. Download the Bible studies to use with your church leaders, congregation, groups or for individual study. Also, check back as new studies will be added frequently. To find more resources related to the pandemic, visit the ever-expanding Making Disciples for Life Internet Resource Center at makingdisciples.lcms.org.
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Click here to read Why Some Nations Are Figuring Out How to Open Schools by Dr. Tim Elmore.
New Book from Dr. Elmore: The Pandemic Population: Eight Strategies to Help Generation Z Rediscover Hope After Coronavirus. Pre-Order Now.
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Please join us each day at noon for a time of prayer on behalf of PSD congregations and schools. Simply set your phone alarm for noon and take a moment to unite your hearts with many others across our District.
Join us in praying: Pour out, O God, the power of your Spirit upon our congregations and schools as we proclaim together the message and hope of Christ.
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The Pacific Southwest District
2020 All Workers Conference is ON - as a Live-Stream Event!
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Since we cannot be confident that COVID realities will allow us to gather 1,300 people safely into a ballroom in Palm Desert on November 22-24, we have made the decision to not meet at a single location. Many of you are familiar with the Willow Creek Leadership Summit which is broadcast live from one location to viewing locations across the country. It is our desire to offer the All Workers Conference (AWC) in the same way. We pray that groups of pastors, educators, DCEs, music directors, and more will, by November, be able to safely gather at “watch locations” throughout the District, providing participants with the opportunity to engage around content and to enjoy the fellowship of others. Larger church and schools staffs may want to just stay at home and become their own watch-location, inviting others in their area to join them. Our planning team is working hard to put this new design together. We are contracting with a firm that has a long history of producing conferences of this nature so that we can ensure that the AWC is done in an excellent way. The AWC team is thrilled to confirm that our speaker team is on board: Dr. John Townsend, Dr. Tim Elmore, Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing, Mr. Prashan De Visser from Sri Lanka, and Ashley and Chris Paavola. Watch for more information, registration materials, and watch-locations in your area. Please join us in praying for this new All Workers Conference format, for the team that is working hard and fast to make this course correction, and for the blessings that all of us will experience together. Watch for more information to come soon! |
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The district staff and board of directors have established a new part-time, 20 hour-per-month position titled DCE Liaison. Please obtain the position description and application HERE. Applications should be sent to the Pacific Southwest District, attention Rachel Klitzing or can be emailed at [email protected]. The deadline for submission is August 10, 2020.
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Seats for this coming year’s TEC21 cohorts have been filling up all summer long. In some locations there is still room and time to join before the first workshop takes place in September!
The experience of rolling out emergency remote learning plans last school year reminded TEC21 facilitators of two very important things very quickly:
1. Our teachers need to be competent and confident in using technology to enrich their instruction.
2. Our teachers need a network of others to learn and grow from that is outside of their own buildings.
TEC21 is an investment in your school, teachers and students. Consider joining our monthly workshops, designed to prepare and equip teachers to effectively integrate technology into the shifting landscape of today's classroom. Your District Education Executive would love to see every school take full advantage of this professional development opportunity!
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Hunt Transport Services, Inc. Corporate Giving Program: J.B. Hunt makes charitable contributions to nonprofit organizations involved with K-12 education (schools – public, parochial and private) and youth. Support is given primarily in areas of company operations. Deadline: December 1. More Information
Annie's Grants for Gardens: Showing future generations how sustainable food is grown changes their lives. Supports food education and makes healthy gardens accessible to hundreds of students across the country. Connecting kids to gardens helps them to start thinking more holistically about their food, their communities, and the planet. Grant cycle opens July 2020. Deadline: November 2020. More Information
Computers for Learning: The Computers for Learning (CFL) program evolved as a guide for implementing Executive Order 12999, Educational Technology: Ensuring Opportunity for all Children in the Next Century. The executive order encourages agencies, to the extent permitted by law, to transfer excess computers and related peripheral equipment directly to schools and some educational nonprofit organizations. The CFL program specifically matches the computer needs of schools and educational nonprofit organizations with excess equipment in Federal agencies. The CFL program’s ambitious goal is to make modern computer technology an integral part of every classroom so that every child has the opportunity to be educated to his or her full potential. More Information
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Each week, prayers of thanksgiving and prayers for teachers, administrators, support staff, pastors, students, and families of the Lutheran schools, early childhood centers, and churches of the Pacific Southwest District are listed. To include names on the list, please send information to [email protected] by noon on Wednesday of each week. This week we pray for:
- the family of Rev. Dr. Ray Halm. Ray, a former Concordia University Irvine President, died yesterday. We rejoice that he is now with Jesus but we mourn with his family. We pray for peace and comfort for the Halm family.
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Diane Gihring. Diane, a teacher at Orange Lutheran High School, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. We pray for peace for Diane and her family, as well as wisdom for her doctors.
- wisdom and discernment surrounding all the decisions and planning for the upcoming school year.
- the power of the Spirit to root out the seen and unseen sins of ignorance, intolerance, hatred, and racism in our world and in the Church. We pray that we will celebrate God’s unique creation in each person, race, and culture, knowing that we are more complete as people when we stand together. Lord, bring hope and healing to our cities, states, nation, and world.
- COVID-19 -- for infection rates to slow and cease; that those who have been infected will heal quickly; that healthcare staff and first responders will be sustained as they carry this very heavy burden; that our churches, schools and preschools would be sustained and reliant on our loving God and His guidance; for courage and peace for our pastors, lay leaders, church and school administrators, faculties, and all church and school workers who are making difficult decisions and creating innovative solutions for continuing to reach people for the sake of the Gospel; for our federal, state and local leaders to seek God's will as they make important decisions and take actions against this disease; for God to bring many, many people to faith through this situation, and that His Church would be more effective than ever in sharing the Gospel with the lost and loving our neighbors.
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School Ministries, Pacific Southwest District-LCMS
1540 Concordia Drive East, Irvine, CA 92612
Phone 949-854-3232 | Fax 949-854-8140
Rachel Klitzing, Executive Director of School Ministries
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