English District of
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
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Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. |
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On Sunday, August 1, 2021, Bishop Jamison Hardy visited with Rev. Robert Q. Bruggeman and the members of Prince of Peace, Mesquite, NV. |
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The Rev. Larry K. Loree, Jr. has received and accepted a call to serve as Associate Pastor of Ascension of Christ, Beverly Hills, MI.
The Rev. Kurt R. Cockran has accepted the call to serve as Associate Pastor of Risen Savior, Basehor, KS (Kansas District).
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Pittelko Memorial Service |
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The Divine Service celebrating the gracious gift of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and thanking the Lord for the lives of faith, ministry and eternal life of Bishop Emeritus Roger D. and Mrs. Beverly A. Pittelko will be held on Sunday, August 15, 2021. The location is the last parish Dr. Pittelko served as assistant-to-the pastor, Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Villa Park, IL at 2:00 PM. All are invited to attend and pastors are requested to vest and participate in the processional and recessional of the service. White stoles and albs or cassock and surplice are appropriate vestiture. If you have questions, contact Pastor Rob Rogers at 630-834-3440 or email Pastor@TrinityVP.com.
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Please 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.
- They can subscribe by clicking on the "Sign up for our emails" link at the bottom.
Thanks for spreading the word!
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Also, please share your congregation's or school's unique ministries with the rest of the District. Send pictures and stories for consideration to jmcgarr@englishdistrict.org by Wednesday at 12:00 Noon ET. We want to see how YOUR congregation or school is showing the love of God to those in your community and around the world.
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WOULD JESUS WIN YOUR GOLD MEDAL?
It’s difficult not to have some thoughts or opinions about the Olympics since there is 24/7 coverage of the games in Tokyo. Leading up to the Olympics, the debate was all about COVID and whether the games should even happen with the pandemic outbreak in Japan. The coverage then went to the high expectations of the American athletes and their pursuit of excellence (i.e. gold medals). But since Simone Biles removed herself from competition (Congratulations, Simone, on your courageous routine on the balance beam winning the bronze medal.), the news has quickly pivoted to the mental health of the athletes. In the midst of these Tokyo Olympics, the focus is now on who has met gold medal expectations or even who has not medaled as expected. It appears as though Americans have been spoiled by previous successes and now defines the individual athletes and teams solely by what hangs around their neck - the gold medal or bust.
This begs the question. based on the reading from John 6:35-51, would Jesus win your gold medal? Where do you set the gold medal bar for excellence when it comes to your relationship with God - receiving what you want from God or trusting God to give you what is best? What do you nurture the most - your physical, emotional or mental health or your spiritual health? Do you define life as “having all that the world has to give” or “what only God gives”? The Olympic conversation gives us a great transition to talk to the world around us in terms of what defines the individual/team and what is the goal of our lives. You are encouraged to read this entire story for your own spiritual health and the well-being of those around you in need of what Jesus alone gives.
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To Love Your Neighbor, You Must Know Your Neighbor |
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If you are looking for new ways to reach out to your community with the message of the Gospel, get to know the people in your community.
MissionInsite is a cloud-based technology platform designed specifically for church, faith-based and nonprofit leaders and is available to all English District congregations free of charge. It is an easy-to-use, geo-demographic mapping interface. There is no software or hardware for you to download, and no specialized training is required. It can be deployed to as many users within the congregation as needed.
For more information or to register go to missioninsite.com. Contact Peggy Oke at the district office for the agency account ID number when registering. |
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Concordia Plans Retirement Webinars |
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Concordia Plans recorded their pre-retirement webinars, and they are now available for you to watch at your convenience.
Session one – Retirement Readiness
This session covers:
- Social and emotional impacts of retirement.
- How to tell if you are financially on track.
- Figuring out your retirement costs and needs.
- Planning for health care and long-term care needs.
Session two - Retirement Income
This session covers:
- Social Security basics.
- Concordia Retirement Plans (CRP & CRSP).
- Taxes in retirement.
- Decumulation: RMDs, distributions, etc.
- Leaving a legacy.
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Philadelphia Circuit Family Retreat |
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The second Saints Monica & Augustine Family Retreat will be held at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, 308 Petersburg Rd in Lititz, Pennsylvania on August 12, 2021, from 10 AM-3 PM (continental breakfast and registration starts at 9:30 AM). This free event, sponsored and organized by the Philadelphia Circuit of the English District, is for the whole family and includes games, music, worship, lunch, and art activity. All ages are welcome! For more details or to register, please contact pastorcms@mclclititz.org.
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Our current 1-1-1 designated mission recipients are the Campus Ministries of our English District. These ministries are:
- All Saints Lutheran Church, Slippery Rock, PA
- First Trinity Lutheran Church, Pittsburgh, PA
- Martin Luther Chapel, East Lansing, MI
- Philadelphia Lutheran Ministries, Philadelphia, PA
- University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
As of June 21, 2021, the District office has received just over $34,500 in 1-1-1 gifts which will be used to support these Campus Missions. There is less than one month remaining in this current 1-1-1 cycle as it ends on August 31, 2021.
We have heard that many 1-1-1 congregations have continued to gather gifts of 1 dollar per Sunday Per Member. We celebrate that COVID-19 has not hindered the mission heart of God’s people and our motto continues to hold true: “There is power and strength in many giving a little.”
We ask those congregations that have not yet forwarded these collected gifts to our District office to please do so soon.
The two missions that 1-1-1 will support for September 1, 2021 - August 31, 2022 are:
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Please click here for all the latest news on LWML in the Accent newsletter. |
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Is Campus Ministry Worth It? |
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I remember when I was a college student in 1958. I attended a school in central Michigan, which was four or five hours away from my family home. Going to college was a huge adventure for me. I worked for my room and board by living with a family and helping out with the housework. Sixty-three years later I can still recall my excitement and my fear.
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Connecting Students with Campus Ministry |
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This fall, millions of students will make their way to the college or university of their choice. Moving to college is both an exciting and scary time, full of challenges and opportunities for students to grow as God’s people. This year is unique in that both first- and second-year students will likely be on campus for the FIRST time, as many colleges and universities held classes virtually last year.
LCMS campus ministries are strategically located at many colleges and universities for the express purpose of serving these students while they are in school. Campus ministries give students the opportunity to grow in faith and integrate what they are learning in the classroom with the faith they learned at their home congregations. The goal is that at the end of their college career, these students will go out into the world ready to be a blessing to God’s Kingdom as they pursue their chosen vocation.
LCMS campus ministries need your help to identify and connect with these students. Please take the time this summer to connect each of your college students with a campus ministry or local congregation in the community where they are studying. Call or email the campus pastor and give them your student’s contact information, so that the campus ministry can reach out to them yet this summer before they even arrive on campus. You can find a list of campus ministries here.
You can also help your students by giving them the information about your partner congregations and campus ministries. Encourage them to go visit and get involved.
If you have questions about campus ministry, or want to start a ministry to college students in your area, please contact any of the members of our English District Campus Ministry Task Force:
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The Bible's promise is true: "If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us" (1 John 5:14).
District daily prayers for August are located on our website.
Your prayer concerns are important to the English District. If you have a prayer request you would like shared in this newsletter, email the District office.
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For more information, contact the English District Gift Planning Counselor Ron Grimm by phone (412)-584-7039 or email.
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What Does LCEF Do? Watch This Video and Find Out!
Have you ever asked the question, “What is Lutheran Church Extension Fund?” If you have asked this question, a unique answer is provided in a new video recently shared by Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF). The video is only about two minutes long and does a great job of illustrating how LCEF helps build ministry with the help of investors—people just like you. You're invited to take a look at https://vimeo.com/554476063. The video was also posted on LCEF’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds. If you are a social media user, be sure to connect with LCEF on:
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Office Administrator/Bookkeeper Position |
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Ascension of Christ, Beverly Hills is seeking qualified applicants to fill the role of office manager/bookkeeper for the church/child care office. This is a full-time position with benefits and a pay range of $19-$21 / hour. To submit a resume or for more information please send an email to info@ascensionofchrist.org.
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Grace, Wyoming, MI
Grace Lutheran Church celebrated Rev. John Diener's 9 years of service on July 18, 2021 with a special worship service and brunch. Rev. Zachary Marklevitz led the worship service, and Rev. Diener gave the benediction (pictured below-left). Pastor Diener is also pictured with his wife Marcia below his portrait that hangs in the church.
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Fairlawn, Fairlawn, OH
Fairlawn Lutheran Church welcomed 17 new members in July.
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Hales Corners, Hales Corners, WI
Hales Corners Lutheran Church welcomed six new families during their online, new member orientation. God's family continues to grow!
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We are pleased to announce that four of our English District schools have been accredited through the National Lutheran Schools Accreditation (NLSA) process. In St. Louis last week, the National Accreditation Commission approved these schools for Accreditation!
- Redeemer Lutheran School – Verona, PA
- Hales Corners Lutheran School – Hales Corners, WI
- St. John’s Lutheran School – Hannibal, MO
- Fairlawn Lutheran School – Akron, OH
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Fairlawn, Fairlawn, OH
Katie Bungard, Fairlawn Lutheran Preschool Director, shows off the new addition to the preschool area.
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Livestreamed/Recorded Services |
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We encourage everyone to take advantage of alternative opportunities to hear God’s word and to be blessed by the Divine Service. We have compiled a list of opportunities on the English District website that is continually updated.
If your congregation is recording or live streaming and is not included on this list, please email us at info@englishdistrict.org and let us know how people can access it.
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