English District of
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
|
|
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. |
|
Bishop Jamison Hardy was blessed to attend Pastor Bob Brueggeman's installation at Prince of Peace in Mesquite, NV.
|
|
Rev. Thomas G. Van der Bloemen, Emeritus, was called to his eternal rest on Monday, August 3, 2020. Survived by his wife, Myrtle Kuntz Van der Bloemen; son Thomas (Elsie); daughter, Carol Reyes (Bill); son Robert (Lisa); daughter, Christine Garcia; nine grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren. A viewing will be held at Ascension Lutheran Church in Wichita, KS on Friday, August 7, 2020 from 4-6 PM.
We pray the Lord’s blessings and comfort on the entire Van der Bloemen family.
|
|
Greetings! Employer Elections for 2021 benefits officially kicked off Aug. 3 – if you haven’t visited the Employer Election Tool yet, check it out! They have made improvements to help create an easy-to-understand election experience for you. Read more here.
|
|
Mission Grant Application |
|
|
The mission grant application deadline is Monday, August 10th. To apply for an English District mission grant, please fill out the application and return to Rev. Derek Mathers.
|
|
Supporting Clergy Families - Spouses DATE SET |
|
|
We are pleased to share that a Zoom webinar with Dr. Beverly Yahnke is arranged for Wednesday, August 19th at 11 EDT. ZOOM invitations will be sent to those who have provided contact information. If you are the spouse of an English District pastor, please send your email address to Holly Scheer. Holly is a confidential contact who works with our District office as an Administrative Assistant to Rev. Mathers.
Pastors and their wives are accustomed to giving sacrificially of their time, love and energy.
The days of Covid restrictions have been particularly challenging for parish and parsonage alike. This webinar will offer an opportunity for women to explore the thoughts, habits and choices which can influence well-being. The presentation will invite healthy reflection about family, self-care and resilience during these stressful days and will offer preemptive and palliative tools/resources that women can use with confidence, as well as insights that they can share with others.
We are very grateful to Dr. Beverly Yahnke for her participation in this webinar. Dr. Yahnke is a psychologist serving DOXOLOGY as the Executive Director for Christian Counsel. From 2010-2015 she served as the Chair and Professor of Psychology at Concordia University Wisconsin. Previously, Dr. Yahnke spent over 25 years in private practice serving church workers and their families in the clinical group she founded in Milwaukee. Dr. Yahnke has written numerous articles about psychology, education and faith, and is a frequently an invited speaker for clergy and educator conferences. She serves as an elected member of Concordia Theological Seminary’s Board of Regents.
|
|
Professional Church Workers Conference |
|
|
The Professional Church Workers Conference (PCWC) will be held October 5-7, 2020 in Akron, Ohio:
Fairlawn Lutheran Church
3415 W. Market Street, Fairlawn, OH 44333
Lodging: Holiday Inn – Akron West
4073 Medina Road, Akron, OH 44333
Find more information and a link to register on our website.
Mark your calendars now and complete the registration by August 30.
|
|
How can you engage your members, getting them involved in the ministry of the church? Check out this LCEF Ministry Moment video called "Engage Your People #1, Creative Gatherings".
If you are interested in moving your ministry forward with ideas like these, please contact David Thiele, English District LCEF Vice President, by email or phone 517-980-2857. LCEF is here to support you and your congregation.
|
|
For more information contact the English District Gift Planning Counselor Ron Grimm by phone (412)-584-7039 or email.
|
|
Livestreamed/Recorded Services |
|
|
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.
|
|
Ministerial Health Commission |
|
|
Hello, and prayers and blessings to you that you are safe and well in this time of lock downs, isolation, and uncertainty. In these unprecedented times we desperately need our pastors to share the Good News and support us in strengthening our faith. We also need the wisdom and experience of health professionals to share clear, concise guidelines for us to follow.
We know that we all have had times of worry, doubt, and, yes, even fear. However, as Christians, we all have the joy and peace knowing that our Lord is with us, and He will strengthen us with all that we need. Our future is not known to us; but, praise God, we know that HE knows! We ask God to protect us; yet, we must do all that we can to grow in our faith, follow good health practices, and promote patience as we ask for His mercy and accept His plan for our future.
We live in a broken world full of all kinds of sin, and we are now experiencing the sin of the coronavirus pandemic. Folks, just as the coronavirus is alive and well and we must use all of our resources to combat this evil, the devil is also alive and well and we MUST use the power of our Lord and Savior Jesus to combat Satan. Just as we may not get a second chance to fight the coronavirus if infected, we may also miss the chance to know, go, and share the Good News of Jesus to our world.
Blessings,
Parish Nurse Sue Neff, on behalf of the MHC
If you have questions or concerns, please contact:
Assistant to the Bishop and Mission Executive
1-800-755-9335 x 311 or 248.476.0039 x 311
416-320-6366 (Canadian cell)
|
|
Your prayer concerns are important to the English District. When you submit a prayer request, with your permission, it will be posted in this weekly eNewsletter. The Bible's promise is true: "If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us" (1 John 5:14).
Please pray for Rev. Rob Rogers for recovery from surgery.
Please pray for Pastor Joe Holls as he recovers from a cardiac procedure.
|
|
Naumann Update
The Naumanns are serving God in Latin America. Read their update here.
|
|
The 2019 - 2020 LCMS School report is available on LuthEd.org.
The full Supreme Court ruling on the support of religious scholarships and tax credits is here.
Please keep our school and school faculties in your prayers as they work to plan to restart classes in the fall. With so much changing day-to-day, it is a difficult task. Many families are still undecided and uncertain about enrolling their children, which can create unsettling times for our school leaders. Thanks be to God that we have outstanding leadership in our English District schools, who fully rely on the grace of God to guide them through the hills and valleys of Christian education.
|
|
 |
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!
|
|
|
|
Please share your congregation's or school's unique ministries with the rest of the District. Send pictures and stories for consideration to Holly Scheer by Wednesday, 12:00 pm 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.
|
|
|
|
If you'd like to share our emails, please forward
using your email's forwarding option.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
