PSD School Ministries
Connections
February 10, 2021
“I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.” Ephesians 4:1-7

One of the things that disrupts ministry from flourishing is a lack of unity. In verse three, Paul urges that we “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace”. Putting these words into action, it means talking things out with another when you would rather avoid the conversation. It means compromise when you would rather have your way. It means praying together and coming to a mutual understanding and respect for others' perspectives.

God produced this unity through the reconciling death of Christ. It is, therefore, the weighty responsibility of us, as Christians, to keep that unity from being disturbed! This is a prayer I pray daily for our schools, our congregations, our pastors and our educators.

Lord God, we come to you with our failings and frailties. We confess that we have not always “kept the unity” by our words and actions. Forgive us for the sake of your Son, Jesus, who reconciled us so that we can be “Ambassadors of Reconciliation” to those around us. Bind us together, Lord, through your Word! In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Spotlight on Our Schools
Please join us in praying and thanking God for the following schools this week:

Little Lambs Childcare and Preschool, Boulder City, NV
Mountain View Lutheran School and Preschool, Las Vegas, NV
Redeemer Lutheran School and Preschool, Las Vegas, NV
Below are photos from Trinity Christian School and Preschool,
Norwalk, CA (from last week's list):
Below are photos from Little Lambs Childcare & Preschool,
Boulder City, NV:
Kinder class at their Distance Learning Center
Miss Donna making frozen yogurt with her 3s
A happy group of 3s, 4s and 5s
Below are photos from Mountain View Lutheran School and Preschool, Las Vegas, NV:
5th grade artists working on their tree project
1st graders doing partner work during English/Language Arts
3rd graders small group study in Math
Pastor Brad and the Caterpillar/Butterfly class for chapel time
The Honeybee Class going on a bear hunt
The Mountain View Preschool Staff recently celebrated their recognition of becoming a Nevada Silver State 4 STAR
Around the PSD
Red Hill Lutheran School in Tustin, CA, is celebrating two award winners! Principal, Dr. Paul Marquardt, has been selected as a Parenting OC Top Leader of 2021! Additionally, Red Hill STEM teacher, Mrs. Sara Bridgman, was awarded Top 25 OC Teacher. Click here and here to read more about Paul and Sara. Congratulations!
A Message from PSD President Gibson
Below is a message from PSD President Rev. Dr. Mike Gibson:

I rejoice with you and give thanks to God for the news that the Supreme Court of the United States lifted California’s ban on indoor worship. While the 25% capacity limitation and singing ban remains in place, congregations can once again gather for worship in person. Here are links to two of the many articles that explain the decision.
 
 
 
I want to express my thanks for the way that all our PSD congregations and schools are living out their freedom in Christ, during this difficult COVID season, with love for one another and respect for those in authority.
 
Please be sure of my prayers as you:
  • Work with your leaders to figure out what this means for your congregation and context, and consider carefully how to gather indoors in the safest manner possible.
  • Provide love and patience without judgment for individuals and families who are not ready to return to in-person worship.
  • Stream or post your worship services for the many who are choosing to participate remotely rather than in-person.
  • Follow your local county guidelines regarding occupancy limitations, distancing, safe communion distribution practices, and mask-wearing to ensure the health and safety of all.
  • Show caution and careful discernment, remembering that in many cases, as the Holy Spirit teaches us through the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians and Galatians, what is permissible is not always beneficial.
  • Continue to aggressively engage your community with the Gospel.
 
Thank you for praying for the congregations and schools in all three states of the Pacific Southwest District, as we proclaim together our never-failing hope in Christ and patiently find our way forward to the other side of COVID.
Stats @ a Glance
All administrators should have received an email from Rachel yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon regarding the 2021 Stats @ a Glance. Thank you for your great response already! As of this morning, 10 preschools, six elementary schools, and three high schools have already completed their Stats @ a Glance! Thank you!

This statistical information specific to the PSD is extremely important! Rachel frequently uses this information when talking or communicating with people about the importance of Lutheran education.

The links to complete your statistical information are below. The deadline is March 1. Thank you so much for your attention to this important task! 

Hearts for Jesus Mission Project Ideas
Teachers and Administrators, how are you making this year’s Hearts for Jesus (H4J) unified mission project and collection real and relevant to your students? We had a few ideas we would like to share for your consideration:

  • Have a class coin collection challenge – put a collection container in each classroom and challenge the students to a free dress pass or donuts for the class that donates the most.
  • One of our schools has the students write their names on a heart each time they bring in an offering for the H4J project. They display these hearts on an wall in the church with a highlight of what this year’s project is. The students love to see their names on the wall and how the hearts continue to grow. 
  • Utilize the LeadaChild newsletters and resources and focus on a country a week. As you talk about the Lutheran school in that country (Ghana, Sierra Leone, Panama, etc.) remind them they are bringing chapel offerings that week for that specific school and their students. 
  • Use the bulletin inserts and let the students decorate a jar or box they can take home and add coins and bills to. Send those same bulletin inserts home so they can share the stories of LeadaChild with their families.
  • For older students – use the word search and ask them to fundraise with family and friends a certain amount for each country they can find in the word search. They can share other resource handouts with those who choose to donate to tell the LeadaChild story.
  • Sponsor an “a-thon” and all donations toward books read, laps run, hours danced, songs sung, etc. go into your H4J offering for this year.
  • Teachers – you can support the teachers in LeadaChild schools, too! Could you donate a dollar per year of service to this fund? Could you leave a collection jar in the teacher work room for a month and have teachers drop in coins and bills? Could you contact Lisa Hellyer at LeadaChild to set up a Zoom with one of the LeadaChild leaders to share their program as part of a staff in-service day and take up a collection?
 
We encourage you to support this project this year. We know with remote chapel and remote learning that gathering these collections can be more difficult this year. We challenge you to find a way to make it fun and relevant for your students and staff. Have a great idea? Share it with us and we will share it with our other schools!

Also, thank you to Abiding Savior Lutheran School in Lake Forest, CA, and Yuma Lutheran School in Yuma, AZ, for sharing some Hearts for Jesus photos with us! You can see the photo album here!
Zoom Workshop for Administrators
Administrators - Set aside an hour and a half for a Zoom Workshop with Licensed Professional Counselor, Karen Merritt, from St. Paul’s Lutheran School, Ft. Worth, TX. The workshop will be held on Wednesday, March 3, from 10:00-11:30 a.m. (PST).

Session Summary
Intentional Care During Tense Times -
During tense times we must make intentional adjustments to how we work with our staff, students, and families in order to support and attend to the overall social, emotional, spiritual, and educational health of each person. Join us as we learn about practical applications for administrators to implement, monitor, and encourage Social Emotional Learning within their staff, students, and their families. Additionally, we will talk about the importance of self-care to mitigate the stress of these difficult times.

This will be an extremely valuable session in your leadership role at your school! Click here to register and for more information!
Call Document Revision
 Dear Administrators,
 
The Commissioned Minister Call Document has been revised for 2021. The new version is 4.9.2 and is the only version to be used from this point forward. Please share this information with anyone at your school or church who will be preparing Commissioned Call Documents in the future. The sign-in and password remain unchanged. Contact Ellen Pratt if you have any questions at [email protected] or 949-854-3232 ext. 224. 

Please note: Version 4.9.2 went into effect on January 1, 2021. We are only reminding you of what was announced in January - this is not another new update.
Next Admissions Directors Zoom Meeting
Our next Admissions Director Zoom meeting will be on Tuesday, February 16, beginning at 1:30 pm (PST). Our topic will be Facebook For Success. We all know Facebook, but do we really KNOW Facebook? Dax Hamman, partner at FIRESIDE (meetfireside.com) was behind the scenes in marketing technology as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram launched their ad platforms. Dax will reveal what’s happening behind the scenes to give you a clearer picture of how to make Facebook advertising work for your admissions process. If you are not currently included in our network of Admissions Directors and would like to be included for this specific meeting, please email [email protected] by Monday morning, February 15.
LCMS Youth Gathering - PSD Update
The next LCMS Youth Gathering will be July 9-13, 2022,
in Houston, TX. The 2022 Gathering theme is “In All Things” centered around Colossians 1:15-20. 
 
UPCOMING LCMS YOUTH GATHERING DATES:
  • VOLUNTEER APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN – Gathering Ambassador/Team Lead, Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) Squad Leader, (Closes March 15, 2021) and Team Flex Applications (Closes April 2022) Available Now! Visit lcmsgathering.com/volunteer for more information and to apply.
  • July 2021 – Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) and YAV Team Captain Applications Open
  • Fall 2021 – Gathering Registration Opens
 
Ms. Laura Bredehoft, DCE at St. Paul’s, San Diego, has been selected as our District Coordinator. She has happily agreed to serve! If your church has never been to an LCMS Youth Gathering, Laura would love to connect with you! Please send her an email or call her so you can chat about connecting your youth to this amazing opportunity to spend time together in God’s Word, worship, service, and fellowship with a community of God’s people coming together to learn more about Jesus Christ, the Christian faith, and their Lutheran identity.
 
Please do not hesitate to contact Laura with any questions you have regarding the Gathering. Email her at [email protected] or call (858)272-6363 ext.122. You can also find more information about the 2022 LCMS Youth Gathering at lcmsgathering.com.
 
Please note: The LCMS Youth Ministry office is in continual conversations with the City of Houston, government officials and Synod leadership monitoring the developments of COVID-19. The LCMS Youth Gathering team is currently proceeding with planning toward a 2022 Youth Gathering. Gathering planners will work together to make decisions with the highest priority of safety and care of Gathering participants.
Letter from LCMS President Harrison
"In recent weeks, I have received a number of inquiries from concerned members of the Synod about the COVID-19 vaccines, as they seek to maintain their support for the sanctity of life and for religious freedom. These questions have come not in the interests of politicizing the matter, but out of sincere Christian moral convictions." Read Full Letter
India in Crisis" Emergency Relief
The Covid-19 pandemic has escalated into a humanitarian crisis in India impacting the poorest of the poor. Many of our ministry partners in India are already responding - and they are pleading for help. A gift of $40 will feed a family of 4 for 4 weeks. Will you help them? Donate Now
Prayer Requests
  • Jade Perez-Gutierrez, a preschooler at Zion, Anaheim, CA, completed his chemo, is in remission and will return to preschool next week. He got to ring the bell on Friday! All glory to God.
  • A prayer from Little Lambs Childcare & Preschool in Boulder City, NV: We have a prayer of praise as we are back to full capacity and have a wait list. The Christ Lutheran Distance Learning Center is doing well. We moved to a smaller and less costly facility. March 1st our students will start a hybrid program going to school half the week. We are blessed to be able to serve 78 families (110 students) since the shutdown through our Little Lambs and Distance Learning Center ministries. God has provided so many opportunities to serve our community and tell people about Him. 

Schools we are praying for the week of February 14:
Loving Savior Lutheran School and Preschool, Chino Hills, CA
St. Paul’s Lutheran School and Preschool, San Diego, CA

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 Tuesday of each week.
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 
Ext. 223 [email protected]