English District of
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
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Living Our Baptized Life in Christ
Galatians 2:20
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The congregation of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, Lititz, Pennsylvania recently gathered to dedicate their renewed sanctuary. On November 30 Bishop Jeffrey Miskus served as liturgist, Rev. Luke Zimmerman, district secretary, served as lector, and Rev. Christopher Seifferlein served as the preacher for the service of Evening Prayer.
Mount Calvary was formed in 1904 and moved to its present property in 1993. The sanctuary, built by Laborers for Christ, was meant to be temporary. A complete HVAC replacement was part of the project, funded by a loan from LCEF.
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The saints at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Cleveland, Ohio recently celebrated their 80th anniversary as a congregation with a service led by Rev. Robert McCanless and Bishop Jeffrey Miskus. The service was followed by a meal and fellowship. We celebrate with the members of Holy Cross and ask for God's continued blessing upon the congregation. | |
Assistant to the Bishop Visit | | |
Rev. J. Derek Mathers, Assistant to the Bishop and Mission Executive, helped deliver French language hymnals to the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. | |
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Call Received
The Rev. Robert M. Zagore has received a Divine Call to serve as Sole Pastor of Trinity, Willoughby, OH (Ohio District).
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2025 Convention – Deadline Reminder | | |
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Official nomination ballots for president and vice presidents will be mailed this week. (Due to the postal strike, Canadian congregations ONLY will receive their ballots by email.) Enclosed with the mailed ballots is an envelope addressed to Rev. Luke Zimmerman, secretary of the district, for returning your completed nomination ballots.
The deadline for returning nominations, overtures, congregation delegate forms, and circuit visitor election results is February 26, 2025. Please make a note of this deadline and plan your congregational voters meetings accordingly. These convention forms were emailed to all congregations in September. If you are unable to locate these forms, they are available on our website.
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Calling a Seminary Candidate/Requesting a Vicar | | |
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If your congregation is interested in extending a divine call to a seminary candidate, or plans to make application for a vicar, the call documents and vicarage applications must be received no later than Friday, January 31, 2025. Please add this topic to your congregational voters meeting agenda for discussion in December. This will allow for the necessary paperwork to be completed in a timely manner. Calling congregations must access the Call Documents for Ordained Ministers and the Vicarage Application using a web address/URL. Please contact Kathy Stanis, Administrative Assistant, at 248-476-0039 or by email at kstanis@englishdistrict.org for the login information.
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District Evangelism Leadership | | |
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"As You Go"
By Rev. Brian Pratt, Chair
District Evangelism Team
As we approach the celebration of our Lord’s birth, we naturally focus on what God has done FOR US. Our Father in heaven LOVES US so much that He sent His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life! News this good should NOT be kept to ourselves but proclaimed to any and all people within earshot! The Good News of our salvation is meant to be told boldly to all who would hear it. We are called as pastors and church leaders to encourage and equip our members to extend this Good News to their circles of family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. This Christmas, let us ALL respond to this Gospel as the shepherds (early evangelists) did:
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for ALL the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” … And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth PEACE among those with whom He is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. … And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. Luke 2:8-20
Wishing you God’s blessings this Christmas season as you go and proclaim the Good News!
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English District Endowment Fund | | |
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Our sincere thanks for your service to our Lord and your continued, generous giving. We are grateful for your partnership with the English District in bringing the Word to those who need to hear it, alongside the hope and opportunity only found in the Gospel.
Please prayerfully consider partnering with us in ministry so that the English District can continue supporting those on the front lines of ministry. Through your ongoing generosity, we continue to share God’s message of love in sending Jesus, not to condemn but to save those who need to hear His message. We minister to those in need by clothing them, fitting them for His presence, and filling them with His Spirit in baptism. Every day, we witness the blessings of planting new missions, supporting church workers, and providing resources to existing ministries across the United States, Canada, and worldwide.
Every gift matters. Whatever God leads you to give will be a great blessing as we all work together to plant new missions and schools and to provide resources to existing ministries and church workers across the United States, Canada, and around the world.
GIVE NOW
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7
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An update from All Saints Lutheran Church and Student Center.
We find ourselves so incredibly proud of the students who represent us on their campuses. New visitors to our congregation have been mostly a direct result of our college students being bold enough to bring their friends to the Divine Service. This is not only encouraging to the pastor but to all the members of the congregation who enjoy seeing new faces and reaching out with the love of Christ. Pastor Deal meets with the students as best as he can to answer their questions and engage them in often difficult questions facing them. He deals with morality, ethics, sexuality, vocation, faith, and most often as simple as “how to read the Bible.”
Everyone seems to find themselves excited about the prospects here for the growth of not only the congregation but also our witness to students at both Slippery Rock University (SRU) and Grove City College (GCC). In the coming month, we hope to take possession of our “new to us” 12-passenger van. This is going to provide us with a greater ability to pick up students and organize outings with a means to build fellowship along the way.
We continue to give God thanks for the love and support of the English District. Over the years the unwavering commitment to the campus ministry at All Saints has impacted the lives of many students. Now it seems that we are turning over a new and exciting chapter in the life of this congregation. We are excited to continue to share the journey that we are on.
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The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) has received a $250,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support efforts to help member congregations develop effective ministry for youth. The new program, “Practicing Healthy Youth Ministry” will help build intentional relationships with youth ministry practitioners and LCMS districts and congregations to share research, strategies, and resources for a relationship-based approach to youth ministry.
The Rev. Dr. Mark Kiessling, director of LCMS Youth Ministry, said, “We are thankful to God that LCMS congregations intentionally care for young people in their churches and schools. This focus fits well with Lilly Endowment work to support healthy congregations and the passing of the faith to the next generation."
Read the full press release here.
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District daily prayers for January 2025 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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Contact John Hoover, LCEF Vice President, by email or phone 314-276-3370 for more information. | |
Lutheran Federal Credit Union | | |
For more information, please contact our Operations Department at 314-394-2790 | |
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Our Savior, Hartland, MI
The Life Team of Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church is co-sponsoring "An Evening for Life" with Seth Gruber, Right to Life of Michigan President, Amber Roseboom, Rev. Paul Clark, Rev. Dr. Christopher I. Thoma, and other renowned speakers highlighting the lifesaving mission and strategic messaging of the pro-life movement in Michigan in this new era. Click here for more information and to register.
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Peace, Windsor, ON
Peace Lutheran Church recently hosted its first benefit concert for its Food Bank. The duo of opera singer Amelia Daigle and Spanish guitarist Daniel Turner performed, along with a handful of organ pieces by Peace organist Michael Pretli. A local youth violin trio played during intermission. Over $3000 was raised to keep the Food Bank shelves stocked.
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West Portal, San Francisco, CA
The congregation of West Portal Lutheran Church recently welcomed into membership Mila, Audrey, and Kieran through the waters of baptism. We pray for God's continued guidance upon all of them as they journey in their life of faith.
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Peace, Palm Desert, CA
November is a month of Thanksgiving for all the blessings God has given us. During November, congregation members of Peace Lutheran Church of the Desert joined its L.W.M.L. effort to collect funds to bless students currently studying at Concordia University Irvine, in the Cross-Cultural Ministry Center. The money will be used for gift cards for some deserving students studying to become pastors.
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Ministry Focus Debt Reduction Grants | | |
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Current rostered church workers of Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod are eligible for MinistryFOCUS loan repayment assistance program (LRAP) grants.
MinistryFOCUS recognizes that individuals often assume educational loans in order to serve the Lord and that, for some, such loans often distract from or even undermine their very purpose. The LRAP was established so that these servants of the Lord can focus more on ministry and less on money. Through the partnership of LCEF, Lilly Foundation, and the English District, three grants are available to English District church workers.
Click here for more information and to apply. Applications must be submitted online no later than 11:59 p.m. Central Time on December 31, 2024.
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International Lutheran Council | | |
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Employment Opportunity
The International Lutheran Council (ILC) is seeking a Mission Advocate to help advance the strategic goals of the ILC. While not a requirement, this position is open to rostered individuals—ordained or commissioned—depending on the candidate's qualifications. To view the position description, click here.
For more information, email Rev. Dr. K. Detlev Schulz, ILC General Secretary.
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Did you know you can search for LCMS churches, schools, and even church workers through the LCMS Locator? Take a minute to ensure that your information on the Locator is correct. Misspelled site information, transposed phone numbers, and even having ".org" when it should be ".com" following your website address can make a difference for visitors or prospective members, so check today. | |
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Thanks for spreading the word!
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Please share the unique ministries of your school or congregation with the rest of the English District. Send pictures and stories for consideration to llinthicum@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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