More than we ask or imagine
“Pastor, we would like to meet with you to baptize our daughter.” That was the message that was left on our church answering machine 22 years ago. I was the […]
About Mara Rugen
This author has not written his bio yet.
But we are proud to say that Mara Rugen contributed 131 entries already.
Entries by Mara Rugen
A rich welcome
/in Apache Reservations, Missions Blog, WELS Blogs, World MissionsDear Heavenly Father, The hymns have been sung, the Scripture has been read, and the sermon has been preached. The hands have been laid, the verses spoken, the blessing pronounced, […]
Blessings and answered prayers
/in Home Missions, Missions Blog, WELS Blogs431 days. That is the number of days between my first day living in Waco, Tex. (July 7, 2021) and our launch service at Christ Our Refuge (September 11, 2022). […]
The glory is God’s – New beginnings in San Antonio, Tex.
/in Home Missions, Missions Blog, WELS BlogsOur grand opening service began months before September with a planning meeting. Our core group (a small group of dedicated individuals that do the work of starting a church) met […]
Fellowship in Latvia
/in Europe, Missions Blog, WELS Blogs, World MissionsWhat does “fellowship” look like? The Europe mission team is working to strengthen ties between WELS and a dozen confessional Lutheran churches of Europe. These churches believe the same things […]
Sharing their stories
/in Home Missions, Missions Blog, WELS BlogsHow did you become a Christian? When did it happen? Were there other people who helped you to know Christ? A few weeks ago, I had the privilege to visit […]
What matters most
/in Home Missions, Missions Blog, WELS Blogs“What can I do for that Christian student when they are away at school?” It’s a question with which parents, pastors, and congregations certainly wrestle. And there are many answers, […]
The response to free
/in Home Missions, Missions Blog, WELS BlogsSermon illustrations are not always easy to come by. Sometimes you rack your brain for a story, a life-experience, something from a book that you’ve read, but nothing comes to […]
Family ties
/in Faces of Faith, Home Missions, Missions Blog, WELS BlogsSanto Tomás Lutheran Church is a congregation that serves the Hispanic community in Phoenix, Ariz. It is “family ties” that have brought many people to walk through the doors of […]
“One Faith, One Family.” – Hmong National Conference 2022
/in Joint Missions, Missions Blog, WELS BlogsWhat would lead people to pack into three vehicles at 11:30 p.m. and drive through the night from Kansas City to Wisconsin or catch the 2:00 a.m. red eye flight […]
What does starting a Lutheran seminary look like?
/in Latin America, Missions Blog, WELS Blogs, World MissionsWalking through the central streets of Medellín, Colombia, is sensory overload. Smell the oil from the fried empanadas. Traffic everywhere. Whiny motorcycles. Carts selling some of the most beautiful fruit […]
His plans are best
/in Home Missions, Missions Blog, WELS BlogsThis past May I graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and was assigned to a mission restart at Calvary in Canyon Country, Calif. That was a surprise! I thought for sure […]
Backpacks and Burgers in Kalispell, Montana
/in Missions Blog, WELS Blogs, World MissionsJuly 23, 2022. 10:00 a.m. The grill is heating up. Everything is ready to go for Backpacks and Burgers in Kalispell, Mont. People start walking past our pavilion in the […]
Summer is time for growing
/in Missions Blog, WELS Blogs, World MissionsWhat could you possibly call 60 people frantically (even raucously) scampering around trying to find an only child and a green-eyed vegetarian? Well, a business meeting, of course. At least, […]
God’s Word lost . . . and found!
/in Missions Blog, WELS Blogs, World MissionsImagine not having the Word of God. This is true for many people in the world. One people group in the northern part of a South Asian country has wanted […]
Unity and peace
/in East Asia, Missions Blog, WELS Blogs, World MissionsThe Winter Olympics, you may remember, took place this past February. One highlight of the Olympics is always the opening ceremony. Nearly a hundred nations stream into the stadium waving […]
Impactful relationships
/in Home Missions, Missions Blog, WELS BlogsDepending on how you count, Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs make up about 10-20% of the population of the Greater Toronto area. That’s almost two million people! That percentage is even […]
Home mission milestones – Summer 2022
/in Missions Update news, NewsletterHome mission congregations celebrate a variety of milestones as they grow and develop into self-supporting congregations. We celebrate with them and praise God for growing his church! Rejoice in the […]
Back to square A (Albania)
/in Europe, Missions Blog, WELS Blogs, World MissionsLuke and I moved to Russia in 1997 right after he finished seminary. We arrived in Novosibirsk with next to nothing. . . no cultural knowledge, language skills, children, ministry […]
The story of open and closed doors
/in Home Missions, Missions Blog, WELS BlogsThe circumstances change, but the gospel will not be chained. Join us in praising God for open doors. Join us in pleading for an open door for his message of […]
Faces of Faith – Contreras Family
/in Faces of FaithSalvador Contreras has always been a student of God’s Word with lots of questions. In his research online, he came across the app Academia Cristo, which is an online Bible […]
Faces of Faith – Crispin
/in Faces of FaithCrispin Chikonka has been working as the Psychosocial Counselor at the Lutheran Mission Rural Health Centre in Mwembezhi, Zambia. As a Lutheran Church of Central Africa (LCCA) member, he leads […]
Faces of Faith – Anya and Sonya
/in Faces of Faith“I always knew there was a God, but I didn’t know Him.” Anya is typical of many who grew up in the Soviet Union. Her parents were “believers” who didn’t […]
Faces of Faith – Dylan
/in Faces of FaithMy name is Dylan Munro. I am from East London, South Africa. I had followed many religions, but at one point I had taken an interest in a Buddhist sect. […]
Faces of Faith – Lolly
/in Faces of FaithErmon “Lolly” Stover was in a dark place. Battling addictions and alcoholism, he felt spiritually dead. The day came when he couldn’t handle it anymore. Remembering the encouragement to “take […]
Faces of Faith – Merle
/in Faces of FaithI was walking our dog through the neighborhood, and out walked this nice man with a cross in his hand and a smile on his face. It was the first […]
Faces of Faith – Semson Lor
/in Faces of FaithI remember being in high school 10 years ago and people would ask me if I wanted to become a pastor, just like my father (Daniel Lor – Trinity Hmong, […]
Faces of Faith – Abdullah
/in Faces of FaithAbdullah and his mother were kicked out of their home and village when they converted from Islam to Christianity. And yet every day they set aside a handful of rice […]
Faces of Faith – Peter
/in Faces of FaithPeter Hollins was raised in a religious household and regularly attended an Episcopal Church with his mother. However, he fell away during high school and later found himself to be […]
Faces of Faith – Kimberly
/in Faces of FaithRedeemer Lutheran Church’s Campus Ministry has played such a crucial role in the growth of my faith during my time at the University of Michigan. When entering college, I did […]
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