English District of
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
|
|
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. |
|
Called to Glory – Emily Kathryn Rawlings, Commissioned Minister-Emeritus August 26, 1951 to May 12, 2021
Mrs. Emily Kathryn Rawlings, Sahuarita, AZ was called to glory on Wednesday, May 12, 2021. A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 29, 2021 at 11:00 AM at the Lutheran Church of the Risen Savior in Green Valley, AZ. Emily is survived by her husband, James; sons, Thomas, Robert, and Joseph; and daughter, Nicole. Please keep the Rawlings family in your prayers.
“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord!”
|
|
Calls Received
The Rev. Dr. Klaus W. Raab (Iowa West District) has received a call to serve as Sole Pastor of Redeemer, North Tonawanda, NY.
The Rev. Dr. John W. Fiene (Emeritus) has received a call to serve as sole pastor of University Lutheran Chapel, Boulder, CO (Rocky Mountain District).
|
|
Pentecost - A “GALA” of the Spirit |
|
|
You’ve heard of Christmas in July. The Hallmark movie channel has made popular Christmas movies in June. But have you heard of Thanksgiving in June? The Jewish feast of Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), was primarily a celebration of thanksgiving for the firstfruits of the wheat harvest. It was a time to pause in the midst of the wheat harvest to give thanks to God as the Source of every and all blessings. We are blessed to celebrate the New Testament Feast of Pentecost this Sunday as we celebrate God’s work through the gift of His Holy Spirit.
A GALA is defined as a “festive occasion.” The THY STRONG WORD VIRTUAL GALA on June 13, 2021 is an online “festive gathering” of God’s people on the occasion of thanksgiving (in June) recognizing the work of ministry and mission in and amongst our District congregations and people assisted with gifts from our District Endowment Fund. The GALA is indeed “thanksgiving in June” as we will gather together to hear beautiful music, inspiring speakers, award presentations, participate in an online auction and rejoice in the opportunity to further mission and ministry into the future through donations to the Endowment Fund. The Festival of Pentecost and the upcoming GALA go hand in hand as a celebration of mission and ministry in the Church. Read more about the connection in this article written by Pastor Diener from the English District Evangelization Team. EvangelizationTeam@englishdistrict.org
|
|
English District Virtual Gala |
|
|
Thoughts on Starting a Campus Ministry |
|
|
Jesus commanded, “As you are going, make disciples of all nations.” There are few places where you can reach “all nations” in one setting as in the university setting.
Do you wonder if there might be an opportunity to start a Lutheran ministry to a college campus near your congregation or in your community? Are you wondering how to start?
Pastor Brad Urlaub (Lead Pastor at St. Mark Lutheran, Janesville, WI) has written an article that shares possible answers to these questions. He writes, “There are many things to consider. In this article, you will read the brutal truth of what it takes to start a campus ministry, I will share how God worked through this process to start a campus ministry at Penn State University.”
We are thankful that Pastor Urlaub has given us permission to share his article in the English District. The English District values and actively supports Campus Mission and Ministry.
|
|
Pentecost is Sunday, May 23 |
|
|
Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord
Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord,
With all Your graces now outpoured
On each believer’s mind and heart;
Your fervent love to them impart.
Lord, by the brightness of Your light
In holy faith Your Church unite;
From ev’ry land and ev’ry tongue
This to Your praise, O Lord, our God, be sung: Alleluia, alleluia!
Come, holy Light, guide divine,
Now cause the Word of life to shine.
Teach us to know our God aright
And call Him Father with delight.
From ev’ry error keep us free;
Let none but Christ our master be
That we in living faith abide,
In Him, our Lord, with all our might confide. Alleluia, alleluia!
Come, holy Fire, comfort true,
Grant us the will Your work to do
And in Your service to abide;
Let trials turn us not aside.
Lord, by Your pow’r prepare each heart,
And to our weakness strength impart
That bravely here we may contend,
Through life and death to You, our Lord, ascend. Alleluia, alleluia!
Text: © 1941 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110004467
|
|
1-1-1 Focus on Campus Ministry |
|
|
Our English District identified recipients of 1-1-1 (A Dollar for Mission) for 2020-2021 are the campus ministries of our District. We want members of our District congregations, those who bring a (1) dollar per (1) person per (1) Sunday, to have a clear picture of how these gifts are being used to directly support the mission of our District. These gifts come together to fund important ministries across the District, like Martin Luther Chapel at Michigan State University, $1 at a time.
Read more about the campus ministry of Martin Luther Chapel and how they connect with students and faculty during this time of COVID-19 pandemic.
|
|
English District Financial Aid |
|
|
English District Financial Aid information is available on the English District
website. Please read the material carefully and note that the deadline for submission is June 1, 2021.
|
|
The Bible's promise is true: "If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us" (1 John 5:14).
Prayers of strength and comfort for Kathy Stanis and her family as her mother, Marjorie, went home to heaven last week.
Please pray for Rev. Dr. Timothy Yeadon, New England District President. He has been hospitalized, struggling with health issues.
District daily prayers for June 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.
|
|
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.
|
|
Church Secretary Position Available |
|
|
Angelica Lutheran Church, Allen Park is looking for a Church Secretary
Part-time: 10 – 15 hours (Monday-Thursday, 9am-Noon)
Supervisor: Pastor and Church Council
Qualifications : Administrative experience, Microsoft Excel, Communication skills, Microsoft Office, Proofreading, High school diploma or GED
For full Job Description, please contact the church at the email above.
|
|
Ascension, Tucson, AZ
Ascension Lutheran Church welcomed five new members through the Rite of Confirmation. Shown here with Rev. Thomas Braun.
|
|
Trinity, Villa Park, IL
The youth at Trinity Lutheran Church made beautiful cards for Pastor Robert Rogers to deliver to shut ins on his visits.
|
|
Holy Spirit, Elk Grove Village, IL
Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit's ministry, Packages for Patriots, shared a photo and thank you note from their latest shipment.
Dear Ms. Kathi Mode, members of Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit, and donors and volunteers of Packages4Patriots:
I am a Lutheran (LCMS) Chaplain with 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit based out of Camp Lejeune, NC which embarked on USS IWO JIMA (LHD 7) for the deployment this year. We’ve received your two packages that you sent.
Thank you very much! I waited no time but to opened the packages and had my assistant distribute the contents of them to Marines and Sailors that I minister to. Blessings to you.
Very respectfully and Semper Fi,
Pon Chanthaphon, LCDR, CHC, USN
MEU Chaplain
You can read more about Packages for Patriots here.
|
|
Shepherd King Preschool, West Bloomfield, MI
Dinosaur Week started off great! The children enjoyed painting with dinosaurs, sorting dinosaur eggs and creating their own dinosaur drawings.
|
|
 |
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 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.
|
|
|
|
If you'd like to share our emails, please forward
using your email's forwarding option.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
