Called To Support

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Northwestern Publishing House

Northwestern Publishing House (NPH) provides Christ-centered, biblically sound resources to the people of WELS and beyond. NPH publishes Forward in Christ and Meditations: Daily Devotional, elementary and Sunday school curricula, Bible studies, worship materials, music, and faith-strengthening books for laypeople. In 2021, NPH released more than 39 Christian resources in print and digital formats, including:

  • Christian Worship: God Gives His Gospel Gifts, the final volume in the People’s Bible Teachings series;
  • 364 Days of Devotion: A Devotional Book, a follow up to the popular
    364 Days of Thanksgiving;
  • The Story of God’s Love, an abridged Evangelical Heritage Version Bible;
  • An Evangelical Heritage Version Study Bible;
  • A Theology of the Cross audiobook narrated by sainted Prof. Daniel Deutschlander;
  • Here We Stand Bible study for the anniversary of Luther’s stand at the
    Diet of Worms;
  • 10 Lies About God Bible study, which confronts common misconceptions about who God is; and
  • 11 music offerings for organ, piano, choirs, and vocal solos, 7 of which draw from new hymns in the 2021 Christian Worship: Hymnal.

In addition, NPH released the majority of the new Christian Worship hymnal suite volumes. NPH will release Christian Worship: Service Builder in late 2021 or early 2022 followed by additional Christian Worship resources. Complimentary copies of the hymnal and psalter were sent to all WELS churches in September 2021. 

Visit nph.net or call 800-662-6022 to learn more about the ministry of NPH.

 

WELS Benefit Plans

The WELS Benefit Plans Office (BPO) serves WELS and Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) workers and organizations through administration of the WELS Voluntary Employees’ Beneficiary Association (VEBA) Health Plan, the WELS Pension Plan, and the WELS Shepherd Plan.

The WELS VEBA Health Plan provides benefits for church and school workers in accordance with God’s Word while remaining compliant with the federal health care reform law. The plan provides comprehensive, nationwide coverage. More than 80 percent of WELS workers and calling bodies participate in WELS VEBA.

Delegates of the 2021 synod convention voted to change WELS’ Pension Plan to a defined contribution plan for future worker retirement benefits. The Pension Plan was frozen on December 31, 2021, which means that no new benefits can be earned under the Pension Plan. Beginning January 1, 2022, eligible workers are being provided with contributions to be used for retirement benefits through a defined contribution plan that is administered through the WELS Shepherd Plan, which is the name of WELS’ retirement savings plan for synod workers. 

“There are three main advantages to the change,” notes Mr. Joshua Peterman, director of WELS Benefit Plans. “First, workers will receive meaningful contributions for retirement benefits. Then, workers will have more flexibility to provide for their retirement income needs and to share savings with their survivors. Finally, sponsoring organization costs will remain more stable over time.”

Coverage and benefits provided through WELS Benefit Plans are uniform throughout all 50 states. This supports the WELS ministry and call process because worker call decisions are not influenced by health insurance and retirement benefit decisions. 

Visit welsbpo.net for more information.

 

WELS Church Extension Fund

WELS Church Extension Fund, Inc. (WELS CEF), provides financing through loans and grants to mission congregations so they can acquire land and ministry facilities to be used for gospel outreach in coordination with WELS Home Missions. WELS CEF also provides loans to self-supporting WELS congregations and schools for land and facility projects. The money to carry out WELS CEF’s mission comes from investments and gifts from WELS members, congregations, and affiliated organizations.

In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, $15.4 million of new loans and $1.98 million of new grants were approved to mission and mission-minded self-supporting congregations. In addition, WELS CEF provided grants of $1.06 million and $.6 million to the Board for Home Missions from its annual endowment distribution and its newly created annual unrestricted net asset grant program. WELS CEF ended fiscal year 2021 with assets of $229.1 million and net assets of $117.5 million. Three thousand fifty-one WELS members invested more than $106.9 million. The loan portfolio held $184 million in 205 loans to congregations and affiliates.

For more information, visit wels.net/cef.

Pictured: Young members of Grace, Sahuarita, Ariz., watch in excitement as their new church undergoes the construction process. WELS Church Extension Fund provided more than $500,000 in home missions grants to Grace, along with a low-interest loan for the remainder of the cost of the land and construction of its new church.

 

WELS Foundation

WELS Foundation currently administers more than 1,200 donor-directed planned gifts that support gospel ministry throughout WELS. What an impact on God’s kingdom!

That impact was felt through the distributions to ministry that WELS Foundation was privileged to make in fiscal year 2021. Those distributions included $6.7 million to WELS national ministries, $5.2 million to WELS congregations, and $1.8 million to WELS-affiliated ministries.

This past July, WELS Foundation distributed $1 million to ministry through several synod endowments. In addition, WELS Foundation manages endowments set up by individuals, congregations, and other WELS ministries. In total, WELS Foundation distributed $3.5 million to gospel work from more than 350 endowments this past year. 

To learn about leaving a legacy gift to share the gospel with the next generation, visit wels.net/foundation.

 

WELS Investment Funds

God poured out his blessings on WELS Investment Funds in fiscal year 2021. One of those blessings was the annual investment returns of last year: 25.19 percent for the WELS Balanced Fund and 32.27 percent for the WELS Endowment Fund. These returns had a tremendous impact on the ministries that invest through WELS Investment Funds.

By pooling investment resources through WELS Investment Funds, congregations can take advantage of lower cost, institutionally priced investment alternatives that would not otherwise be available. As more congregations and WELS-affiliated ministries invest in WELS Investment Funds, the cost-reduction benefits increase. As of September 30, 2021, WELS Investment Funds managed $300 million in assets.

For the second year in a row, the WELS Endowment Fund’s net investment return placed in the 90th percentile in a comprehensive annual study of private and community foundations.

To learn why more than 230 WELS ministries have chosen to invest with WELS Investment Funds, visit wels.net/welsfunds.

 

Financial Services

Financial Services provides accounting and financial services that support and serve WELS ministries. 

“WELS is financially strong as God has continued to bless us with the financial gifts needed to maintain existing ministry levels and to develop a well-balanced ministry financial plan for the next biennium,” notes Mr. Kyle Egan, WELS’ chief financial officer. 

Synod convention delegates passed the Synodical Council’s proposed ministry financial plan in July 2021. The development of the ministry financial plan is a collaborative process involving the areas of ministry, ministerial education schools, synod leadership, and the Synodical Council.

Congregation Mission Offerings (CMO) are critical to WELS’ financial position as these offerings fund nearly three-quarters of WELS’ operating budget. WELS finished fiscal year 2021 (year ended June 30, 2021) with CMO of $22.6 million, which was $1.2 million higher than the previous year and the first time CMO exceeded $22.0 million. In November 2021, the synod learned that its Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan was forgiven. Northwestern Publishing House and the four ministerial education schools had previously received forgiveness of their PPP loans. 

Another critical component to WELS’ ability to maintain ministries are strong reserves, including the Financial Stabilization Fund. This fund holds all undesignated non-CMO funding sources (gifts, grants bequests, investment income, and other support) for a minimum of one year before being transferred to the operating fund. The financial position of the Financial Stabilization Fund allowed the Synodical Council to approve the transfer of certain reserves from the Financial Stabilization Fund into a new Ministry Opportunity Fund, which will provide a consistent source of funding for unfunded ministry opportunities. The Ministry Opportunity Fund will initially provide a total of $3.0 million in distributions over the next four years to WELS Home Missions in support of its 100 new missions in 10 years initiative.

 

Congregational Services

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Pictured above is Rev. Jonathan Scharf facilitating an Everyone Outreach workshop at Abiding Word, Houston, Texas.

WELS Congregational Services exists to serve congregations and schools and their leaders by providing resources, training, and personal assistance so that they may carry out gospel ministry in the most faithful way on the local level. Congregational Services consists of six commissions—Congregational Counseling, Discipleship, Evangelism, Lutheran Schools, Worship, and Special Ministries. These commissions give focused attention to specific areas of congregational life. 

Congregational Services shares its resources at welscongregationalservices.net, which was created to serve as a clearinghouse for its materials. It includes training videos, leaders’ guides, Bible studies, ready-made graphics, and more covering a wide variety of topics.  

 

Analyzing WELS Statistics

For about seven decades, at the end of each year, WELS has asked congregations to supply church statistics. Generally, over 95 percent of congregations do just that. A compliance rate that high yields very reliable and significant data. That data has been published each year in the WELS Statistical Report—over a hundred pages of numbers: membership, worship attendance, ministrations, and more.  

In 2021, WELS Congregational Services published a statistical summary report that analyzes the data from 2020 and previous years. It translates those hundreds of pages of numbers into information that can be used by congregations and the synod as we plan how to best steward the resources God provides as we seek to do all we can with the gospel. 

Find the WELS 2020 statistical summary at welscongregationalservices.net/stat-summary-2020.

 

Everyone Outreach

WELS Commission on Evangelism is now offering Everyone Outreach workshops to congregations that want to build a culture of outreach so that every ministry and every member is thinking about and participating in outreach. The workshop and extended program include group activities, thought-provoking discussions, and a process to keep outreach in focus and track engagement. WELS Commission on Evangelism trained 21 facilitators to help lead these workshops in 2021. 

 

 

Equip Women to Teach the Word

Equip Women to Teach the Word provides online training to Christian women, enabling them to teach the Word of God in home and congregational settings. Resources include five online lessons with accompanying videos to build a biblical foundation and provide step-by-step instruction that replaces fear with confidence to serve. 

“Equip Women to Teach the Word is for the woman who wants to be well prepared, improve her teaching, and stand firm on the Word of God despite the influences of the world around her,” says Mrs. Dawn Schulz, a member of WELS Women’s Ministry, which was commissioned to develop the resource. It stresses the important partnership between pastor and laypeople as they work together to carry out their church’s ministry. Find it at welscongregationalservices.net/equip-women-to-teach.

 

 

A God-Lived Life

WELS Commission on Discipleship released a new stewardship challenge titled “A God-Lived Life.” As Rev. Donn Dobberstein, director of the commission, explains, “ ‘A God-Lived Life’ is about more than stewardship. It’s a whole-life challenge to God’s people to live the life to which he has called them. The hope is that being challenged in specific ways will urge Christians to put into practice a closer walk with God and a life of love toward others. That’s a God-lived life.”

This four-part stewardship program focuses on the aspects of a God-lived life—a life of being a disciple, a life lived for others, a life of hospitality, and a life lived shrewdly. It is available at welscongregationalservices.net. 

 

 

 

 

 

One by One

“In my former life [as a detective], there were times if someone did not step up to lead, people could get hurt or die. The same is true for you—and for all of us—as Christians. Someone you have not met yet is counting on you to step up and lead—to lead them to Christ so they will live. Your church doesn’t have to grow by a thousand. It can grow one by one.” So begins Rev. David Rosenau’s article in the February 2021 issue of Forward in Christ. 

Rosenau (pictured left) created a Bible study with the title “One by one” for WELS Commission on Evangelism. To see the Bible study, visit welscongregationalservices.net. To read the full Forward in Christ article, visit forwardinchrist.net. 

 

 

July 2021 WELS Connection

 

Did you know?

WELS Congregational Services is hosting a second WELS National Conference on Lutheran Leadership from January 16–18, 2023, in Chicago, Ill. For more information, visit lutheranleadership.com.

 

Finding spiritual support while in the military

Paul Wolfgramm (pictured), a 35-year-old Marine Corps Reserve veteran with deployment experience, understands the importance of the work of WELS Military Services—even though he admits he didn’t know about the resources offered by WELS during his own service. “It’s a time when your faith can be unraveled or it’s a time when your faith can really be strengthened and you can grow in your relationship with your Savior,” he says. “To be able to reach people who are in such a critical junction in their lives with God’s Word and sacraments is really special.” 

As a laymember of WELS Military Services Committee, Wolfgramm now works to make sure other WELS members in the military know where they can find that spiritual support. The best place to start is at wels.net/refer. “You can sign up yourself or you can refer someone else who is actively serving,” explains Wolfgramm. 

In addition to receiving military-specific spiritual resources, service men and women who fill out the referral form will be put in contact with the nearest military contact pastor and potentially other WELS members in their area. WELS currently has 120 military contact pastors serving congregations near military installations and military service men and women on base. 

Learn more at wels.net/military. 

 

Together video update – May 25, 2021

 

WELS schools by the numbers

  • 2,922 WELS teachers
  • 423 schools
  • More than 44,900 WELS students (infant through high school seniors)
  • 68% of WELS schools had enrollment growth during the 2021-2022 year

For more school statistics, visit cls.welsrc.net/2021-stats.

 

National Hymnal Week introduces hymnal 

WELS Commission on Worship introduced its first WELS National Hymnal Week in September 2021 to provide an opportunity for WELS members to think about the blessings of worship as well as get a sneak peek at what the new Christian Worship hymnal has to offer. 

The week involved a worship service that was based on the new lectionary readings of the day and included hymns and music from the new hymnal, a hymn sing, video presentations on new hymnal resources as well as on broader worship topics, and a pre-recorded concert. These resources are available at welscongregationalservices.net/hymnal-introduction-resources. 

To learn more about Christian Worship: Hymnal, visit christianworship.com. 

 

WELS National Hymnal Week Hymn Sing

 

WELS Prison Ministry

WELS Prison Ministry administers an extensive ministry-by-mail program. During the pandemic, demand for the Bible study books provided by WELS Prison Ministry soared. A small staff utilizes the services of hundreds of volunteers to manage the ministry-by-mail program, which has reached more than 70,000 inmates. Eighty-three percent of the Bible study course books that are distributed through WELS Prison Ministry produce a response from an inmate. Volunteers prepare regular mailings, correct Bible correspondence tests, and serve as pen pals to inmates. 

 

 

The Foundation

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“We rightly look at the opportunity to gather around Word and sacrament as the highlight of the week,” says Rev. Jonathan Hein, coordinator of WELS Congregational Services. “Ultimately, the gathering of the saints is the foundation of a congregation’s ministry. It is where the sheep are fed. It is where the universal priesthood gets the encouragement to be light and salt to a dark and dying world.”

With that idea in mind, WELS Congregational Services created The Foundation, an effort to build upon the importance of public worship both on Sunday morning and throughout the week. Congregational Services now provides worship, evangelism, discipleship, and school resources for every week of the year. All the resources are catalogued at welscongregationalservices.net and are available for free. 

Pictured is the Advent theme carried out in all The Foundation resources for Advent 2021. 

 

Support Services

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Pictured above: WELS Christian Aid and Relief provided smokeless stoves in South Asia

Christian Aid and Relief

WELS Christian Aid and Relief approved $470,882 for humanitarian aid projects in WELS mission fields throughout the United States and worldwide for fiscal year 2021–22. 

Rev. Daniel Sims, director of WELS Christian Aid and Relief, says, “When our missionaries can assist people in this way, it also helps to build trust and leads to many opportunities to then share the life-changing news of the gospel.”

The humanitarian aid granted through WELS Christian Aid and Relief takes many forms, including providing smokeless stoves to safely heat homes in South Asia (pictured above), medical clinics, assistance for legal immigrants, vocational training, and backpacks and school supplies for underprivileged kids.

WELS Christian Aid and Relief also offers disaster relief, which takes the form of monetary aid and volunteer efforts. In December 2021, a crew of volunteers replaced roofs from two homes in New Orleans, La., that were damaged by Hurricane Ida. 

“I can’t thank God enough for the support and prayers for Crown of Life that poured in after the storm,” says Rev. Jonathan Kehl, pastor at Crown of Life. “The immediate support was so encouraging, as well as the long-term commitments to aiding our congregation and area in recovery. We were excited to see the crew of Christian Aid and Relief volunteers, who generously gave their time and vacations to show up in New Orleans.”

In 2021, WELS Christian Aid and Relief also offered a grant program to help congregations offer pandemic relief to their communities. 

For more information, visit wels.net/relief.

 

WELS Ministry of Christian Giving

WELS Christian giving counselors serve God’s people with the good news of Jesus and help them offer gifts for Christ’s work in their congregations, local ministries, and WELS areas of ministry. There is no charge for their confidential service. Christian giving counselor contacts are made through in-person and phone/Zoom meetings. By God’s grace and to his glory, over the past 14 years our Christian giving counselors have helped WELS members offer $93 million in immediate gifts and $419 million in deferred expectancies. We thank Jesus for his gift of generosity! Pictured is Rev. Michael Hatzung, a WELS Christian giving counselor since 2005.

To learn more or request help with a gift to your church, synod, or WELS-affiliated ministry, visit wels.net/christian-giving or call 800-827-5482.

 

WELS Technology

The WELS Technology team seeks to help the spread of the gospel with technology tools the Lord continues to make available in the 21st century. WELS Technology supports the synod’s gospel work by providing a capable and secure technical infrastructure, building and supporting applications used by synod workers and volunteers, facilitating digital communications, assisting congregations and called workers to better make use of technology, and coordinating technology initiatives that cannot be done at smaller organizational levels. 

 

WELS Communication Services

WELS Communication Services coordinates the various WELS communication platforms so they have a recognizable look and feel and layers communications across those platforms. Some of those platforms include wels.net, WELS’ official website; “Together,” a bi-weekly e-newsletter and a bi-weekly video update; Forward in Christ, WELS’ official monthly magazine; WELS Connection, a monthly video highlighting how Congregation Mission Offerings are used; and WELS’ social media sites. As new programs are developed or new communications created, WELS Communication Services helps establish the design, offers input on the content, and helps areas of ministry develop a communication strategy for the new ministry tool.

 

 

World Missions

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Pictured above: Members of WELS’ One Africa Team with a delegation from the Lutheran Church of Cameroon

Representatives of WELS’ One Africa Team met with a delegation of pastors and laymen from the Lutheran Church of Cameroon in Douala, Cameroon, on October 23, 2021. The group discussed the partnership in the ministry that these groups share, the future of the Lutheran Church of Cameroon seminary, ministry training opportunities, and other ministry topics. At the conclusion of the meetings, Rev. Matthias Abumbi, Lutheran Church of Cameroon president, presented gifts of peace to the WELS missionaries. The gifts were cultural items from the Bakossi Tribe—a bag (Ebam), a cap (Mbute), and a cup (Mbwinde). When Abumbi placed the caps on their heads, the bags on their shoulders, and the cups in their hands, he announced and explained that these gifts speak the powerful message—there is peace between us as brothers. The gifts expressed what the six-day meeting revealed—the tremendous and valuable gift of peace. Pictured with representatives from the Lutheran Church of Cameroon are (from left) Missionary John Holtz, Missionary Dan Kroll, Mr. Stefan Felgenhauer, and Missionary Howard Mohlke.

The Lutheran Church of Cameroon includes 31 congregations that are served by 8 national pastors, 3 evangelists, and 4 certified assistants. To learn more, visit wels.net/cameroon.

 

WELS World Missions conducts and encourages gospel outreach in 44 foreign countries and is exploring outreach opportunities in 20 additional countries. World Missions brings the light of God’s Word through evangelism efforts, church planting, training national workers for ministry, and providing religious materials in foreign languages through Multi-Language Productions. Forty-one world missionaries partner with more than 400 national pastors to conduct outreach
and train more than 380 students for service in Christ’s kingdom. 

World Missions supports mission work: 

  • on the Apache reservations in Arizona, where the gospel is being shared in eight churches, one preaching station, and two Lutheran elementary schools;  
  • in Africa, where missionaries and national church partners from six existing countries are exploring mission work in ten additional African countries; 
  • in Asia, where the newly formed Asia One Team is coordinating resources and partnering with sister synods to reach out with
    the gospel to Buddhist, Catholic, Hindu, and Muslim individuals
    in nine different countries;
  • in East Asia, where missionaries are coaching and mentoring 45 mission group leaders in spite of tightening security, and Asia Lutheran Seminary is reaching hundreds of new students through new online classes; 
  • in Latin America, where the Academia Cristo online training
    tool is walking more than 360 people through self-led classes, and missionaries have identified more than 25 men in 11
    different countries as potential church planters;
  • in Europe, where national churches are partnering with WELS missionaries and the Pastoral Studies Institute to train the next generation of church leaders; and
  • through Multi-Language Productions, which has produced confessional Christian content in more than 56 languages and
    on a variety of platforms.

 

Mexico City, Mexico

Arturo and Maricruz Navarrete learned about God’s grace through Academia Cristo and were confirmed as Lutherans in September 2021. The couple sold their living room furniture and purchased chairs, tables, and a coffee maker so they can host a new church group in their home in Mexico City, Mexico. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nong Khai, Thailand 

Missionary Tom Chaleunsouk baptized six people in March 2021 in Nong Khai, Thailand. Since 2020, Chiang Mai, Thailand, has served as a home base for the Asia One Team, which coordinates WELS mission efforts in South Asia and the Asia-Pacific Rim.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CAMM Celebrates Anniversary

WELS’ Central Africa Medical Mission (CAMM) celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2021. CAMM provides health care through clinics in Malawi and Zambia, serving more than 70,000 patients per year. Pictured is a young patient with an ear infection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New synod in Latin America

In October 2021, representatives from WELS and WELS’ sister churches throughout Latin America met in Medellín, Colombia, to form a new synod—Iglesia Cristo WELS Internacional. Founding members come from churches in Bolivia, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Venezuela. As part of a synod, these churches now carry out mission work together, train pastors together, and support each other with prayers and fellowship. Pictured is Rev. Larry Schlomer, administrator of WELS World Missions, installing the officers of the new synod. 

Synod membership is expected to swell in the future as new groups gathered through Academia Cristo training efforts complete a two-year confessional process called Ruta Cristo (Christ path). Academia Cristo launched in 2015. It is a multi-faceted effort of the WELS Latin America mission team to make disciples by sharing the message of God’s grace through its website, mobile app, and social media; to identify and train potential leaders; and to encourage those leaders to make disciples who plant churches. Since Academia Cristo’s launch, 47 students from 12 countries have become confessional Lutherans—41 in 2021 alone. Most of them have gathered and now lead groups of believers.

To learn more, visit wels.net/latinamerica.

 

Did you know?

The WELS world mission field on the Apache reservations in Arizona serves more than 3,600 baptized members through 5 missionaries, 2 national pastors, and 1 national evangelist. 

 

April 2021 WELS Connection

 

Home Missions

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Pictured above: Christ Our Savior, Collinsville, Ill.

The Board for Home Missions approved financial support for home mission churches in five new locations in 2021, including:

  • Waco, Texas: The Heart of Texas mission core group has been meeting regularly since March 2020. This mission is being supported by Trinity in nearby Temple, Texas.
  • Durham, N.C.: Gethsemane, the WELS congregation in Raleigh, N.C., is launching a second site in nearby Durham. The gospel is especially needed in this area, as studies show that 75 percent of people in the area do not know their Savior.
  • Parrish, Fla.: This new mission plant is being started and supported by Risen Savior in Lakewood Ranch, a previous home mission church that recently became self-supporting. Ascension in Sarasota is also supporting this new mission site, which is reaching out with the gospel to a community that is 85 percent unchurched.
  • Dickinson, N.D.: A committed core group has been meeting regularly for livestreamed worship and monthly gatherings since 2012, served by pastors from Redeemer, Mandan, N.D., and Our Saviour’s, Bismarck, N.D. Those two congregations as well as Salem, Circle, Mont., will be supporting this new mission start named Amazing Grace. 
  • Collinsville, Ill.: Christ Our Savior, Collinsville, Ill., has served as a preaching station of Martin Luther, St. Louis, Mo., since 2002. Home Missions is now providing funding to Christ Our Savior to call its own pastor. The group pictured (right) took an evangelism and outreach training course from Praise and Proclaim Ministries in October 2021 and is looking forward to reaching out to its community with its new pastor.  

In 2021, Home Missions approved financial support for four existing ministries, including King of Kings, Willoughby, Ohio; Christ the Rock, Hutto, Texas; Ascension, Crossville, Tenn.; and Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nev. Home Missions also approved unsubsidized mission status for Redeemer, Fallbrook, Calif.; St. John’s on the Hillside, Milwaukee, Wis.; and Good Shepherd, Beloit, Wis. Home Missions provides assistance to unsubsidized mission congregations through its district missions boards, mission counselors, synodical support staff, and special project funds, but does not provide direct financial support.

From One Generation to Another

Rev. Paul Bourman presents a children’s devotion at Hope, Tigard, Ore. Hope is one of the 132 congregations that Home Missions supported in 2021.

 

 

 

 

 

Intown Lutheran, Atlanta, Ga.

On October 17, 2021, Rev. Lucas Bitter, pastor at Intown Lutheran, Atlanta, Ga., baptized Lauren Glenney. Bitter began reaching out to those in the heart of the city in 2017. This home mission has created deep roots in its community through local service projects and fellowship events. Members let their lights shine as they interact with their neighbors. 

 

 

 

Mission Connections

Salvador, a Spanish-speaker who lives in Denver, Colo., began studying virtually with Academia Cristo and then sought a local congregation that would teach the same things as Academia Cristo. He found Christ Lutheran Church/Iglesia Luterano Cristo, WELS’ home mission in Denver, which offers Spanish worship services. Salvador’s children were recently baptized (pictured with Rev. Paul Biedenbender), the family attends church regularly, and Salvador is training to become a leader in the congregation.

 

 

Campus Ministry

Campus ministry students in Milwaukee, Wis., volunteered at the WELS Bargain Center, which supports its ministry, in September 2021. Home Missions provided funding to 25 campus ministries in 2021. A full-time campus ministry mission counselor, Rev. Dan Lindner, is now serving all WELS campus ministries. 

 

 

 

 

Did you know?

In July 2021, the synod in convention approved a WELS Home Missions initiative to plant 100 new home mission churches and enhance 75 existing ministries from 2023–2033. 

 

November 2021 WELS Connection

 

 

Joint Missions

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WELS Missions commissioned five new missionaries during the closing service of Taste of Missions in July 2021. Pictured from left: Rev. Mark Zondag, world missionary on the Asia One Team; Rev. Lucas Callies, home missionary at Good Shepherd, North Liberty, Iowa; Rev. Isaac Hayes, home missionary at St. John’s on the Hillside, Milwaukee, Wis.; Rev. Timothy Walsh, home missionary at Grace of God, Dix Hills, N.Y.; and Rev. Andrew Westra, home missionary at a new mission start in Waco, Texas. 

In 2021, Taste of Missions provided an online missions experience for WELS members around the world. The 2022 event is scheduled to take place both online and in person at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, Wis., on June 11.
For more information, visit tasteofmissions.com.

 

Mission Journeys

In November 2021, a WELS Mission Journeys team from St. Matthew’s, Oconomowoc, Wis., traveled to Hope in the Heights, a WELS home mission congregation in Houston, Texas. The team assisted Hope with its outreach efforts. 

 

 

 

 

New members confirmed

Rev. Ger Lor confirmed 11 new members at Grace Hmong Lutheran, Kansas City, Kan., in January 2021. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taste of Missions commissioning and Q&A

 

 

Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary

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Pictured above: Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary class of 2021

On May 21, 2021, 28 men graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (WLS), Mequon, Wis., and began their pastoral ministries. 

WLS prepares men for pastoral ministry by providing them with spiritual, theological, and professional training. Students attend classes for two years, serve as full-time vicars during their third year, and then attend classes and write a thesis in their fourth year. Throughout their time at the seminary, students receive opportunities to serve in a variety of ministries and to experience other cultures to help prepare them for their future calls. 

The seminary also provides pastors with opportunities for continued growth in all their callings through the Grow in Grace Institute. Grow in Grace offers continuing education courses, a mentoring initiative for new graduates, a clearinghouse of resources for pastors, and an annual retreat for pastors who are celebrating milestones in their ministries. 

The Pastoral Studies Institute, a partnership between WLS and WELS Missions, guides and assists non-traditional students through their pre-seminary and seminary training so they can become pastors. This includes second-career students as well as cross-cultural students. 

For more information, visit wisluthsem.org. 

 

To carry out its purpose, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary has established the following objectives:

  • to lead theological students and pastors in a reverent study of the inspired and inerrant Word of God so that they are able to understand and apply its Christ-centered message of law and gospel;
  • to encourage theological students and pastors to grow in their personal faith through daily contact with the means of grace;
  • to teach all the areas of the theological curriculum in a thorough and scholarly fashion, in full harmony with the Holy Scriptures and in conscious agreement with the Lutheran Confessions;
  • to train theological students and pastors in the skills required for ministry in an ever-changing world;
  • to instill in theological students and pastors the kinds of attitudes that will assist them as they carry out their ministry in the contemporary world, e.g., confessional in stance, evangelical in approach, mission-minded in spirit, culturally sensitive, appropriately flexible, and zealous both to nurture and to equip the saints.

Pictured: Prof. Robert Wendland teaches church history and homiletics.

 

International Experience

Each seminary student spends an internship year as a “vicar,” learning and serving under experienced pastors and mission-minded congregations. At the seminary’s vicar assignment service on May 19, 2021, Zach Satorius (left) was called to serve in Medellín, Colombia, under Rev. Henry Herrera (right) of the Colombian Lutheran Church. It has been 12 years since a Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary vicar was placed in Latin America. Satorius arrived in Medellín in August 2021 and will return to Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary for his final year of study in August 2022. 

 

Pastoral Studies Institute

The Pastoral Studies Institute (PSI) guides and assists spiritual leaders around the world through preseminary and seminary training. Team members spend much of their time visiting and teaching PSI students. Occasionally, a PSI student visits the seminary campus. Pictured is Prof. Jonathan Bare, director of the Pastoral Studies Institute, with a student who visited the seminary in fall of 2021.

 

Did you know?

Since the school began in 1863, more than 3,500 men have graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. Photos of the students from each graduating class as well as the faculty members from that school year line the hallways and hang in classrooms.  

Martin Luther College

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Martin Luther College (MLC), New Ulm, Minn., is committed to training a corps of Christian witnesses who are qualified to meet the ministry needs of WELS and who are competent to proclaim the Word of God faithfully and in accord with the Lutheran Confessions and The Book of Concord. In fall 2021, 714 students were enrolled as undergraduates. 

To meet the current ministry needs of WELS, Martin Luther College: 

  • prepares men for pastoral training at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary;
  • prepares men and women for service as teachers and staff ministers in the synod’s churches, schools, and other institutions;
  • prepares men and women for other church ministries, both full- and part-time, responding to the needs of WELS;
  • prepares international students for ministry in partnership with WELS mission fields; and
  • provides programs of continuing education that meet the ministerial needs of WELS.

For more information, visit mlc-wels.edu.

International Education Week

In November 2021, Martin Luther College’s Cultural Engagement Center sponsored activities for International Education Week to help students learn more about the international students on campus and the opportunities that are available for them to serve in other countries. During the 2021–22 school year, 12 international students are attending Martin Luther College from 7 countries. Pictured are some of those students during an international and third culture student panel offered to the student body. 

Megan Kassuelke, MLC’s director of cultural engagement, notes, “What our students learn at MLC impacts the entire synod. We need culturally competent people in our classrooms and churches who show Jesus’ love by making sure that everyone in their care feels seen, heard, and valued.”

 

 

Commencement 2021

On May 15, 2021, 158 students graduated from Martin Luther College, including 94 from the teacher track, 33 from the preseminary program, and 1 from the staff ministry track. Teachers and staff ministers were also assigned to their first calls that day. 

 

 

 

 

 

Student Teaching

Luke Schultz began his day as a student teacher by listening to memory treasures in his fourth- through eighth-grade classroom at Immanuel, Hutchinson, Minn. Each Martin Luther College student completes a student teaching assignment in a Lutheran school and a public school. 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you know?

Martin Luther College offers three graduate degrees for teachers and staff ministers—Master of Arts in Theological Studies for teachers and staff ministers, Master of Science in Education, and Master of Science in Educational Administration. 

 

October 2021 WELS Connection

 

Preparatory Schools

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Pictured above: Six Michigan Lutheran Seminary students participated in this Project Titus trip to help with a science-themed vacation Bible school at Messiah, Johns Creek, Ga.

Luther Preparatory School, Watertown, Wis., and Michigan Lutheran Seminary, Saginaw, Mich., prepare high school students for future service as pastors, teachers, and staff ministers. For the 2021–22 school year, Luther Preparatory School has 425 students and Michigan Lutheran Seminary has 182 students. 

Both schools offer “Taste of Ministry” opportunities for students, which include shadowing called workers to learn more about their work. Students also are given firsthand gospel ministry experiences on campus and during mission trips. 

For more information, visit lps.wels.net or mlsem.org. 

Abram Steinbrenner and Benjamin Felgenhauer shadowed Rev. Jordan Ertl, pastor at St. John’s, Baraboo, Wis., for Luther Preparatory School’s Taste of Ministry.

 

 

 

 

Ethan Buege and Isaiah Schlomer volunteered for this Project Timothy mission trip to Divine Savior, West Palm Beach, Fla., through Luther Preparatory School. 

 

 

 

 

Megan Beardslee, a senior at Michigan Lutheran Seminary, visited St. Paul’s, Saginaw, Mich., for Taste of Ministry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Called To Support

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Northwestern Publishing House

Northwestern Publishing House (NPH) provides Christ-centered, biblically sound resources to the people of WELS and beyond. NPH publishes Forward in Christ and Meditations: Daily Devotional, elementary and Sunday school curricula, Bible studies, worship materials, music, and faith-strengthening books for WELS members. In 2020, NPH released more than 25 Christian resources in print and digital formats, including:

  • Whatever Is True, A Christian View of Anxiety;
  • Your Life Has Meaning;
  • a vacation Bible school course, plus a “staycation” version for families at home;
  • Hymns for Life, the first year of a new three-year hymnology course for Lutheran elementary schools;
  • In God’s Orchard and Full Accessories of God, Bible studies for women by women;
  • Civil Government, designed for small group study;
  • 5-Minute Bible Studies for Teens and 5-Minute Bible Studies for Families; and
  • 13 music offerings for organ, piano, choirs, and vocal solos.

NPH quickly responded to support churches and WELS members during the pandemic. NPH offered wellness supplies, resources for immediate digital download, and Faith Care Packages for those unable to attend church in person. Additionally, NPH introduced At-Home Christ-Light Sunday School with trained teachers presenting lessons via video (pictured above). The program is reaching children unable to attend traditional, in-person Sunday school.

Among other projects, NPH continues work on the new Christian Worship hymnal and its expansive suite of resources with an anticipated release in 2021.

Visit nph.net or call 800-662-6022 to learn more about the ministry of NPH.

WELS Benefit Plans

The WELS Benefit Plans Office (BPO) serves WELS and Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) workers and organizations through administration of the WELS Voluntary Employees’ Beneficiary Association (VEBA) Health Plan, the WELS Pension Plan, and the WELS Shepherd Plan.

The WELS VEBA Health Plan provides benefits for church and school workers in accordance with God’s Word while remaining compliant with the federal health care reform law. The plan provides comprehensive, nationwide coverage. More than 80 percent of WELS workers and calling bodies participate in WELS VEBA.

The WELS Pension Plan provides WELS workers with a valuable source of guaranteed income during retirement.

The WELS Shepherd Plan provides workers the opportunity to save and invest a portion of their earnings to provide income during their retirement years.

One important advantage of participating in WELS Benefit Plans is that the coverage and benefits provided are uniform throughout all 50 states. This supports the WELS ministry and call process because worker call decisions are not influenced by health insurance and retirement benefit decisions.

Visit welsbpo.net for more information.

 

WELS Foundation

WELS Foundation exists to help God’s people support gospel ministry through WELS. WELS Foundation currently administers more than 1,200 donor-directed planned gifts, including endowment funds, donor advised funds, and gifts that provide income payments to the donor and/or their family members and loved ones. These planned gifts, generally established with the assistance of a WELS Christian giving counselor or other WELS mission advancement representative, benefit WELS congregations, schools, missions, and other affiliated ministries.

In fiscal year 2020, WELS Foundation was privileged to distribute $5.88 million in donor-directed gifts to various WELS ministries. This included $2.54 million to WELS Missions and Ministry Support, $1.92 million to WELS ministerial education schools, $88,000 to WELS Church Extension Fund, $810,000 to WELS congregations, and $522,000 to WELS-affiliated ministries and area Lutheran high schools.
Visit wels.net/foundation for more information.

 

WELS Church Extension Fund

Members of Christ the Rock, Hutto, Texas, wrote their favorite Bible passages on the building’s beams before the drywall went up. WELS Church Extension Fund provided more than $600,000 in home missions grants to Christ the Rock, along with a low-interest loan for the remainder of the cost of the land and construction of its new church.

WELS Church Extension Fund, Inc., (WELS CEF) provides financing through loans and grants to mission congregations so they can acquire land and ministry facilities to be used for gospel outreach in coordination with WELS Home Missions. WELS CEF also provides loans to self-supporting WELS congregations and schools for land and facility projects. The money to carry out WELS CEF’s mission comes from investments and gifts from WELS members, congregations, and affiliated organizations.

In fiscal year 2019–20, $24.2 million of new loans and $2.9 million of new grants were approved to mission and mission-minded self-supporting congregations. In addition, WELS CEF provided a grant of $1.06 million to the Board for Home Missions from its annual endowment distribution. WELS CEF ended fiscal year 2020 with assets of $211.2 million and net assets of $106.3 million. More than 3,100 WELS members invested $99.0 million. The loan portfolio held $182.8 million in 209 loans to congregations and affiliates.

For more information, visit wels.net/cef.

WELS Investment Funds

WELS Investment Funds is a self-supporting subsidiary of WELS. Its mission is to provide cost-effective, professionally managed investment portfolios exclusively for WELS-affiliated ministries. By pooling investment resources through WELS Investment Funds, congregations can take advantage of lower cost, institutionally priced investment alternatives that would not otherwise be available. As more congregations and WELS-affiliated ministries invest in WELS Investment Funds, the cost-reduction benefits increase. It’s another way we can help support each other.

As of September 30, 2020, WELS Investment Funds manages $251 million in assets, which includes $61 million for 216 congregations and affiliated ministries.

Visit wels.net/welsfunds for more information.

Financial Services

In July 2020, Kyle Egan started as WELS’ new chief financial officer (CFO) following the retirement of Todd Poppe, who served as WELS’ CFO for the past 16 years.

Financial Services provides accounting and financial services that support and serve WELS ministries. WELS has continued to be blessed with a solid financial position that allows the synod to maintain existing ministries and to branch out into new initiatives. However, 2020 has provided various challenges and changes that required the Financial Services team to be nimble in a time of uncertainty.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought forward many unforeseen impacts including working from home, the canceling of many large gatherings and in-person meetings, WELS schools transitioning to virtual learning, WELS congregations transitioning to virtual worship services, and abnormal fluctuations within Congregation Mission Offerings (CMO) in the spring and early summer of 2020. CMO is critical to WELS’ financial position as it funds nearly three-quarters of WELS’ operating budget and decreased on average more than 11 percent from the end of March through May 2020. Thankfully, the Lord provided assistance during these months through various relief efforts that WELS was able to participate in, including the Paycheck Protection Program. CMO has since improved but is being watched closely in conjunction with the levels of WELS’ various reserves as they generally are utilized more in periods of flat or declining CMO.

In fall 2020, the collaborative process of developing the synod’s ministry financial plan (budget) for the next two years began among the areas of ministry, ministerial education schools, synod leadership, and the Synodical Council. The plan will be finalized at the 2021 synod convention in July.

Support Services

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Christian Aid and Relief

Rev. Dan Sims became the first full-time director of WELS Christian Aid and Relief in July 2020. Sims (left) is pictured here with a couple that was helped by Christian Aid and Relief in August after strong storms blew through Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Having a pastor serve full time in this position will allow more time to develop an intensive program—including a printed training manual and video materials—to prepare and train congregations and their leaders in disaster response before a disaster hits. Another goal is to establish and equip disaster relief coordinators in each district to assess and oversee local disaster response.

But Sims wants to do more than just respond to disasters; he wants to create a compassionate spirit in WELS congregations to help those who are suffering in their communities. He says that not only does that follow Christ’s command to “do good to all people” (Galatians 6:10), but also “if [the neighborhood residents] can see WELS congregations and people as caring and active in helping with physical needs, then we gain more opportunities to talk with them about their spiritual needs and their Savior.”

For more information, visit wels.net/relief.

 

WELS Communication Services

WELS Communication Services helped coordinate synod resources to keep WELS congregations, schools, and members informed on how COVID-19 was affecting ministries and resources to help them adapt during the pandemic. All the information was featured on wels.net under the title “As we face COVID-19.”

Forward in Christ, WELS’ official monthly magazine, launched its redesigned magazine in January 2020. Taking into account answers and comments from the reader survey that Forward in Christ conducted in 2019, the magazine now includes new columns, old favorites, and a fresh design, all presented to help 21st-century Christians grow in their faith. Forward in Christ also debuted a new website as well as Facebook and Instagram pages. For more information, visit forwardinchrist.net.

 

WELS Ministry of Christian Giving

WELS Ministry of Christian Giving serves on behalf of the Conference of Presidents to encourage every WELS member to “excel in the grace of giving” through Christ. During the COVID-19 pandemic the Ministry of Christian Giving has continued assisting members with their Christian giving goals via phone meetings, web conferencing, and in-person visits.

WELS Ministry of Christian Giving has been involved with Martin Luther College’s “Equipping Christian Witnesses” campaign to recruit more called workers, increase tuition assistance, and build needed facilities so that WELS will have more called workers to meet growing worldwide ministry opportunities. Just over $5 million in gifts, pledges, and commitments had been received as of late 2020.

To request free, confidential assistance with a gift to your church, synod, or WELS-affiliated ministry, visit wels.net/Christian-giving or call 800-827-5482.

 

Technology

In 2020, WELS Technology helped pastors, teachers, and synod workers at the Center for Mission and Ministry adjust their work during the pandemic. WELS Technology helped lead the conversation on topics such as livestreaming and video conferencing options and how technology can help advance ministry, especially during a time when large groups of Christians can’t meet in person. Pictured is Timothy Walsh presenting a Facebook Live devotion in spring 2020 when he served as a vicar at Grace, Falls Church, Va.

 

 

Congregational Services

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Pictured above:
WELS Commission on Lutheran Schools has been working with teachers and other school leaders to help navigate the quickly-changing landscape of education during COVID-19. WELS schools are still committed to providing a strong Christian education for their students. New schools are even continuing to open. Pictured are teachers from Divine Savior Academy–Santa Rita Ranch, Liberty Hill, Texas, on the first day of this new school in August 2020.

Website offers resources and training modules

WELS Congregational Services offers resources and training modules for congregations at welscongregationalservices.net. This year, new resources include:

  • Congregational Evangelism Kit: Video-based training for congregational evangelism leaders to ensure that a congregation has a solid foundation to reach the lost in its community.
  • Youth ministry made simple: Video and print resources that offer straightforward tips for starting an effective yet simple youth ministry.
  • C20—The greatest gift: This Christmas outreach program provides materials for congregations to invite neighbors to Christmas Eve services.
  • Acoustics and audio for worship: Learn what factors need to be considered when creating a worship environment that enhances the spoken word and allows for dynamic singing as well as takes into consideration those who need hearing assistance.
  • COVID-19—For such a time as this: Articles and resources to assist pastors and congregations as they serve their members and communities during the pandemic. A follow-up resource titled “Resuming worship in a pandemic” was also shared.

 

Military Services

The Christian Service Members’ Handbook was developed by WELS Special Ministries, the Lutheran Military Support Group, and Northwestern Publishing House to help those in the military stay strong in their faith in places where a pastor or fellow believer might not be available. The book is divided into five sections—prayer, meditations and devotions, Scriptures, hymns, and the Small Catechism. Military members can receive this book—and other spiritual resources—for free by filling out a referral form at wels.net/refer.

 

Online faith-building resources grow

In 2020, WELS Discipleship began offering a variety of new resources to help members grow in their faith.

  • Family devotions: Offered three times per week, these devotions coincide with the previous Sunday’s Bible readings. In addition to Scripture, each devotion includes a set of questions for different age groups, a prayer, and hymn verses that can be sung or spoken. They are available at wels.net/family-devotions.
  • Marriage moments: This new series of videos explores one marriage thought per week as well as a question or exercise “for further thought”—all in two minutes or less. For more information or to subscribe, visit welscongregationalservices.net/marriage-moments.
  • Youth Bible study—Focused living in Christ: Rev. Joel Russow has written a new four-part Bible study for teens based on Colossians 3:12-15 that includes video lessons. Find the study at wels.net/youth-ministry.

New hymnal resources introduced

A new website, christianworship.com, was launched in January 2020 to share details about the new Christian Worship hymnal. The site highlights features of the upcoming hymnal as well as the suite of resources that will accompany it. Perhaps the most eagerly anticipated new resource is Christian Worship: Service Builder, a powerful software tool that will save worship planners and staff members considerable time as they design worship services. Visit christianworship.com to watch videos and learn more about the new hymnal and the many new resources that will complement it.

 

Did you know?

Daily devotions continue to be delivered to the e-mail inboxes of more than 11,000 people each weekday. Thousands more read the devotions on wels.net or via the WELS Facebook page.

 

Joint Missions

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Pictured above: Taste and See
Taste and See, a first-of-its-kind online event co-hosted by the Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society and WELS Missions, launched in summer 2020 to allow all WELS members to experience WELS Missions. This event included live worship services, question and answer panels, devotions, presentations, video updates from home and world missionaries, cooking tutorials, and more. Visit welstasteandsee.com to see all that was offered.

Outreach to Muslims

Haris (name changed due to the sensitive nature of his work), originally from a Muslim nation in South Asia, lives in the Midwest and is enrolled in the Pastoral Studies Institute. He writes: 

When the coronavirus started, I was thinking . . . how can we reach out to the large Muslim population in our community to show the love of Christ? I was talking to my friend, and he said, “I know of WELS churches that are making face masks! They will make masks for you to share with the Muslims.” So we started distributing food to our Muslim neighborhood along with the face masks. People in the community donated groceries and money to buy food. We delivered food and masks on more than 20 different occasions. People drove up in their cars, and we put the groceries in their vehicles. We also dropped off food on people’s porches. Counting only the early drive-thrus, we helped 504 families and assisted 64 families who had a family member with coronavirus. Everyone knows I am a Christian, and they know this help comes because of the love of Jesus for all people.

 

The Global South Sudanese Committee met in February 2020 at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary to discuss South Sudanese ministry occurring in North America and in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya. Pictured is the committee worshiping together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

World Missions

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Pictured above: Training the next generation
Eight men from the Lutheran Church of Central Africa–Zambia and the Lutheran Church of Central Africa–Malawi completed their six years of theological training and received their vicar assignments from the Lutheran Seminary in Lusaka, Zambia, on May 29, 2020.

WELS World Missions conducts and encourages gospel outreach in 40 foreign countries and is exploring outreach opportunities in 17 additional countries. World Missions brings the light of God’s Word through evangelism efforts, church planting, training national workers for ministry, and providing religious materials in foreign languages through Multi-Language Productions. Thirty-nine world missionaries partner with more than 400 national pastors to conduct outreach and train more than 380 students for service in Christ’s kingdom.

World Missions supports mission work:

  • on the Apache reservations in Arizona, where the gospel is being shared in eight churches, one preaching station, and two Lutheran elementary schools;
  • in Africa, where missionaries and national church partners from six existing countries are exploring mission work in nine additional African countries;
  • in Asia, where the newly formed Asia One Team is coordinating resources and partnering with sister synods to reach out with the gospel to Buddhist, Catholic, Hindu, and Muslim individuals in nine different countries;
  • in East Asia, where missionaries are coaching and mentoring 45 mission group leaders in spite of tightening security, and Asia Lutheran Seminary is reaching hundreds of new students through new online classes;
  • in Latin America, where the Academia Cristo online training tool is walking more than 345 people through self-led classes, and missionaries have identified more than 25 men in 11 different countries as potential church planters;
  • in Europe, where national churches are partnering with WELS missionaries and the Pastoral Studies Institute to train the next generation of church leaders;
  • through Multi-Language Productions, which has produced confessional Christian content in more than 56 languages and on a variety of platforms.

Our mission in Pakistan has 28 house churches, 25 Sunday schools, 14 non-formal schools, and 1 all-day Christian school and high school with 400 students—all in a Muslim country that is hostile to Christians.

 

 

 

 

 

The Latin America missions team is partnering with Pastor Henry, a missionary from our sister synod in Medellín, Colombia, to help others start churches in Colombia and Venezuela.

 

 

 

 

 

WELS representatives were not able to make their planned training visits to Vietnam in 2020 because of COVID-19, and the building of a theological center in Hanoi has been delayed. Therefore the WELS Vietnam planning group provided phones and internet connectivity to all Hmong Fellowship Church leaders to participate in online training. In November 2020, 57 leaders tuned in for the first week of instruction via Zoom. These leaders take what they learn in these lessons and share it with their rural congregations and villages.

 

Connecting with Christians around the world

WELS Multi-Language Productions produces confessional Christian content in more than 56 languages. The majority of its products are evangelism and Bible study materials in the form of video, music, podcasts, and print. Multi-Language Productions has recently introduced a new online Bible-based training platform called TELL (Think, Evaluate, Learn, and Lead) to bring the gospel to English-speakers around the world. TELL students are encouraged to complete online self-led courses, participate in deeper studies with a live online instructor, and then lead a local group in Bible study or worship. Rev. Dan Laitinen is serving as a TELL missionary, helping to coordinate this mission work.

Samuel (pictured) is a TELL student from Guinea, Africa. “My greatest desire is to be well-equipped for mission work,” says Samuel. Like thousands of others, Samuel found TELL on Facebook. He then downloaded the TELL app and completed all the self-learning courses. Now Samuel is meeting twice a week in a video classroom with a TELL instructor and other students.

“I used to believe in a gospel that was preaching prosperity and miracles mostly,” Samuel says, “but I discovered this misleads believers. It focuses on earthly things and makes us forget heavenly things. Now I’m mission-minded.”

 

Home Missions

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Ten families from Our Savior, San Antonio, Texas, make up the committed core group at a new mission in West San Antonio, which began worshiping together in March 2020 (pictured above). This home mission congregation held three in-person services at an elementary school with an average of 40 people in attendance before the pandemic hit.

“My heart goes out to our young mission churches because they lost some momentum in reaching out to people who had shown interest in learning more about their Savior,” says Rev. Wayne Uhlhorn, home mission counselor. “But our missionaries are resourceful and persistent and found ways to stay connected to them and reach out in creative ways with the gospel.”

In addition to the West San Antonio group, Hope, Houston, Texas, and Sure Foundation, Brandon, S.D., also launched services in 2020.

“Moved by the love of our Savior, Home Missions knows that the Lord hasn’t directed us to just share the gospel when life is humming along but to share the gospel of Jesus Christ in difficult times as well,” says Rev. Keith Free, administrator of WELS Board for Home Missions.

“Regardless of the circumstances in this world, God’s people know what their Lord has directed them to do—tell more people about the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. We ask the Lord to bless us to do just that.”
To learn more, visit wels.net/homemissions.

New Home Missions approved in 2020

The Board for Home Missions approved three new missions in 2020, including:

Amarillo, Texas  (pictured): Located 130 miles from the nearest WELS church, a group of 15 WELS members form the core group reaching out in Amarillo, Texas. The WELS pastor from Lubbock, Texas, makes the two-hour drive to Amarillo twice a month to serve the members with God’s Word and his sacraments.

North Liberty, Iowa: North Liberty, Iowa, is a multi-site ministry with Good Shepherd in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A dedicated core group of 20 members began worshiping in July 2017 at the North Liberty Community Center. Home Missions funding will allow Good Shepherd to call a second pastor to help its outreach efforts.

West San Antonio, Texas: Ten families from Our Savior, San Antonio, Texas, make up the committed core group at this new mission, which began worshiping together in March 2020.

Strengthening faith and building relationships

WELS Campus Ministry celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2020. The WELS Campus Ministry Committee currently provides about 30 campus ministries with financial support and assists hundreds of other congregations in their campus ministry outreach. Pictured is the first campus ministry get-together of the 2020–21 school year at Purdue University coordinated by Lamb of God, Lafayette, Ind.

 

On Oct. 24, 2020, members from Carbon Valley, Firestone, Colo., came out to clean up their community, living out this mission congregation’s motto, “Connecting Christ . . . Creating Community.”

 

 

 

 

Twenty-five people from Cross of Christ, Boise/North Nampa, Idaho, packed and delivered almost 90 sets of groceries donated by more than a dozen other people to neighbors in their community—along with a message of care and hope. As this multi-site congregation noted, “This is one simple way to serve our community and let them know that not only do we care about them, more importantly, Jesus cares about them.”

 

Encouraging spiritual transformations

Sure Foundation, the new mission in Brandon, S.D., partnered with a local gym in a program called “The 21-Day Transformation.” Rev. Craig Wilke (pictured), home missionary at Sure Foundation, explains: “The gym puts people through workouts with a personal trainer and gives them diet plans to follow for 21 days. It is a well-thought-out program with accomplished leaders. Sure Foundation was added to the program as the spiritual component for the event. It was an exciting opportunity to partner with a community member and to reach people with the Word. COVID-19 changed our plans, but it didn’t stop our ability to reach people. We recorded videos and put together devotional materials to help people grow in their spiritual lives. Participants learned how to read the Bible correctly and devotionally, and participants read through an entire book of the Bible while answering questions along the way. By God’s grace, Sure Foundation was able to get 32 new people involved in this program and many of our own members too. The 21-Day Transformation didn’t result in just physical transformations but spiritual ones as well.”

Did you know?

WELS Home Missions currently supports a total of 114 mission congregations across 35 states as well as Canada and the English-speaking Caribbean.

2020 Leadership Conference

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WELS Congregational Services hosted the first ever WELS National Conference on Lutheran Leadership in Chicago, Jan. 21–23, 2020. Approximately 800 people—including both called workers and lay members, representing about 350 WELS congregations—met to hear five plenary speakers and attend a selection of breakout sessions.

“The focus of the conference was that we want to do all we can with the gospel to serve Christ’s mission,” says Rev. Jonathan Hein, coordinator of WELS Congregational Services. “ ‘Doing all we can with the gospel’ requires leaders to focus on two things. First, we look at tactics. Is the way we are carrying out gospel ministry smart?”

He continues, “But underneath tactics is congregational culture. The group—the collective—needs to have the right thoughts, habits, and attitudes. That was what the plenaries were all about.”

Attendees were treated to a preview of the new hymnal, set to be released by Advent 2021. Maintaining the name Christian Worship, the new hymnal comprises a suite of resources, including a stand-alone psalter, musical arrangements for various instrumentation, and a service folder builder. Conference worship services and devotions used liturgical and hymn arrangements from the new hymnal.

The conference planning committee is exploring options for a second WELS National Conference on Lutheran Leadership, likely sometime in 2022. Learn more and watch videos of select presentations at lutheranleadership.com.

Preparatory Schools

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Pictured above:
Elijah Ha volunteered at St. Paul, Saginaw, Mich., as part of his Taste of Ministry experience at Michigan Lutheran Seminary.

Luther Preparatory School, Watertown, Wis., and Michigan Lutheran Seminary, Saginaw, Mich., prepare high school students for future service as pastors, teachers, and staff ministers. For the 2020–21 school year, Luther Preparatory School has 401 students and Michigan Lutheran Seminary has 184 students.

Both schools offer “Taste of Ministry” opportunities for students, which include shadowing called workers to learn more about their work. Students also are given firsthand gospel ministry experiences on campus and during mission trips.
For more information, visit lps.wels.net or mlsem.org.

Luther Preparatory School senior Gabriel Bickelhaupt gave evening chapel in March 2020. Senior males are given this opportunity to work with a dean to prepare a message from God’s Word for the student body.

 

 

 

 

Kaitlin Butler volunteered  to serve Trinity, Castries, St. Lucia, in December 2019, as part of a Project Timothy trip as a student at Luther Preparatory School.

 

 

 

 

Michigan Lutheran Seminary students went Christmas caroling in December 2019. The school is currently made up of students from 13 states and 4 different countries.

 

 

 

 

Michigan Lutheran Seminary Fast Facts 2019

  • 70 MLS alumni at Martin Luther College
  • 20 MLS alumni at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary

Luther Preparatory School Fast Facts 2019

  • 215 LPS alumni at Martin Luther College
  • 43 LPS alumni at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary

 

Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary

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Pictured above: Teaching during a pandemic
The seminary has adjusted its teaching during the pandemic as necessary. Here President Earle Treptow teaches a class outdoors in the seminary’s newly renovated courtyard in fall 2020. In spring 2020, the seminary held its graduation and call day online. Twenty-five graduates received diplomas for successfully completing their seminary studies and received calls into the ministry.

In fall 2020, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (WLS), Mequon, Wis., began the school year with 134 students. WLS prepares men to begin pastoral ministry by providing them with spiritual, theological, and professional training. Students attend classes for two years, serve as full-time vicars during their third year, and then attend classes and write a thesis in their fourth year. Throughout their time at the seminary, students receive opportunities to serve in a variety of ministries and to experience other cultures to help prepare them for their future calls.

The seminary also provides pastors with opportunities for continued growth in all their callings through its institute, Grow in Grace. Grow in Grace offers continuing education courses, a mentoring initiative for new graduates, a clearinghouse of resources for pastors, and an annual retreat for pastors who are celebrating milestones in their ministries.

The Pastoral Studies Institute, a partnership between WLS and WELS Missions, guides and assists non-traditional students through their pre-seminary and seminary training so they can become pastors. This includes second-career students as well as cross-cultural students.
For more information, visit wisluthsem.org.

 

Winterim

Many seminary students participate in Winterim, a two-week session in between the first and second semesters that gives students an opportunity to study in areas of personal interest not normally part of the curriculum. Pictured is John Jordan, who worked on an outreach project at Living Faith, Midlothian, Texas, in January 2020. Jordan and 16 fellow students participated in street evangelism, interviewing, and data gathering, as well as worked on a strategic planning process that showed different ways to begin or enhance a congregation’s outreach. Part of the students’ work was to assemble and distribute almost 3,000 reusable totes for a local food drive and then collect the donations several days later.

“Winterim provides a nice change of pace for both students and faculty,” says Rev. Earle Treptow, president of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. “Students who go on a mission trip—and almost every student will during their time at the seminary—gain invaluable experience in engaging the community. Those who participate come back with an increased commitment to preparing themselves for service as pastors.”

Dialogue Education Conference

Eighteen participants spreading God’s Word on five continents attended a Dialogue Education Conference hosted by the Pastoral Studies Institute. In partnership with WELS Missions, the Pastoral Studies Institute of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary guides and assists spiritual leaders around the globe through their pre-seminary and seminary training.

 

Mission and Ministry 2020

Each winter Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary hosts an event titled Mission and Ministry for its students. During Mission and Ministry, students learn about the various ministries that exist throughout WELS for them to participate in and take advantage of as they need them. Ministries bring displays and information for students, and speakers from Home and World Missions as well as Congregational Services lead sessions on topics pertinent to them in their future ministries.

Did you know?

The seminary’s library has more than 58,000 books, and almost all of them are theological.

Martin Luther College

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MLC President Rev. Richard Gurgel

Martin Luther College (MLC), New Ulm, Minn., is celebrating its 25th anniversary during the 2020–21 school year. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has changed some of the practical ways that MLC’s students learn, the college is still committed to training a corps of Christian witnesses who are qualified to meet the ministry needs of WELS and who are competent to proclaim the Word of God faithfully and in accord with the Lutheran Confessions in the Book of Concord. In fall 2020, 714 undergraduates were participating in this training, which took place both on campus and virtually.

To meet the current ministry needs of WELS, Martin Luther College:

  • prepares men for pastoral training at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary;
  • prepares men and women for service as teachers and staff ministers in the synod’s churches, schools, and other institutions;
  • prepares men and women for other church ministries, both full- and part-time, responding to the needs of WELS;
  • prepares international students for ministry in partnership with WELS mission fields; and
  • provides programs of continuing education that meet the ministerial needs of WELS.

For more information, visit mlc-wels.edu.

Equipping Christian Witnesses

Student Joey Behm shares details about the college’s comprehensive campaign known as “Equipping Christian Witnesses” with members of Sola Fide, Lawrenceville, Ga., during the 2020 spring choir tour. The three pillars of the campaign are shown below. For more information, visit mlc-wels.edu/mlc-campaign.

 

 

 

 

Jordan Massiah

Chapel livestream

Junior and senior men who were scheduled to preach for evening chapel in MLC’s Chapel of the Christ in spring 2020 preached from home after the school had to close its in-person instruction. These students sent their chapel videos to MLC for livestreaming and sharing on social media—potentially reaching more people than they would have in the campus chapel. Jordan Massiah (pictured), a member of Hope, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was one such student. Massiah notes, “The comfort I had in knowing that God’s Word works, no matter the circumstances, took away the nerves. It turned into a beautiful passion, which was to make my devotion simple enough to relate to people, but also advanced enough so that people wouldn’t lose interest. That’s something I’ll take with me into my future ministry.”

 

Lynn Jungen

Continuing Education

During the 2020–21 school year, 919 students are enrolled in Martin Luther College’s continuing education program. One hundred forty-six of those are pursuing graduate degrees in theological studies, educational administration, or education. Pictured is Lynn Jungen, who graduated in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree from Doctor Martin Luther College and in 2020 with a master’s degree from Martin Luther College. Jungen serves as an early childhood director in Manitowoc, Wis.

 

Did you know?

The Conference of Presidents issued 150 assignments on call day in May 2020. It was the first time the call service was held virtually. MLC’s spring graduation service was also streamed online rather than being held in person. The college sent graduates celebratory packages with their graduation essentials, including their diplomas and gowns.

 

Academia Cristo

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A new Spanish-language website, Academia Cristo (Christ Academy), was launched in 2015. The goal of Academia Cristo is to use videos and audio Bible studies to reach out to non-Christians as well as to train Latin American church members how to share their faith.

In its first three months, videos on academiacristo.com were viewed more than 80,000 times and downloaded more than 30,000 times. Because of social media’s popularity in Latin America, the mission team created a Facebook page to promote Academia Cristo, and more than 10,000 people per day are interacting with the Facebook page. On average, 35 people are receiving live online training from missionaries and national pastors every week.

Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary

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On May 24, 2019, 26 men graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (WLS), Mequon, Wis. WLS prepares men to begin pastoral ministry by providing them with spiritual, theological, and professional training. Students attend classes for two years, serve as full-time vicars during their third year, and then attend classes and write a thesis in their fourth year. Throughout their time at the seminary, students receive opportunities to serve in a variety of ministries and to experience other cultures to help prepare them for their future calls.

The seminary also provides pastors with opportunities for continued growth in all their callings through its institute, Grow in Grace. Grow in Grace offers continuing education courses, a mentoring initiative for new graduates, a clearinghouse of resources for pastors, and an annual retreat for pastors who are celebrating milestones in their ministries.

The Pastoral Studies Institute, a partnership between WLS and WELS Joint Missions, guides and assists non-traditional students through their pre-seminary and seminary training so they can become pastors. This includes second-career students as well as cross-cultural students.

For more information, visit wls.wels.net.

New seminary president

Prof. Earle Treptow (pictured) was installed as the new president of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary on Aug. 26, 2019. “President Treptow brings a wealth of solid Lutheran parish experience to the work,” says Rev. Paul Prange, administrator of WELS Board for Ministerial Education. “His ability to see both small details and the big picture is remarkable, and his keen insight allows him to preach and teach the gospel in ways that should positively influence both students and colleagues.”

Prof. Paul Wendland, the seminary’s former president, transitioned back into a full-time teaching role on the seminary’s faculty. “Teaching is my first love,” says Wendland, “It’s what energizes me.”

When asked about his responsibilities as seminary president, Treptow notes, “I think of the president as having the responsibility of keeping the main thing the main thing. The seminary’s main thing is having pastors train men to be pastors. Clearly there are academic requirements in the program—men who will serve as pastors need to know the Scriptures and how to apply the Word to people in preaching, teaching, and counseling. But there is more to being a pastor than mastering a set of facts and skills; it’s about knowing himself as a beggar in desperate need of God’s grace, who revels in the Lord’s goodness and wants to bring others to the one who takes away all shame and fear and guilt.”

Second-generation Hmong student

Samuel Lor is in his first year at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. His father, Rev. Bounkeo Lor, graduated from the seminary’s Pastoral Studies Institute and currently serves as coordinator of Hmong Asia Ministry. Bounkeo believes that Sam will be able to reach the second generation of Hmong Americans, many of whom are not attending worship. Sam says, “I want to share my appreciation for faith alone, Scripture alone, and grace alone. As a people, we are rebuilding our traditions. A Christian identity and our WELS heritage will help that rebuilding.”

Spanish Immersion Trip

Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary offers educational opportunities outside the classroom during its Winterim semester. In January 2019 this group visited Colombia for the annual SPICE trip—Spanish Immersion Cultural Experience. The trip has a dual purpose—improve Spanish language skills and provide students real-life experience with another culture.

Archaeology tour

Prof. Thomas Kock of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary organized an archaeology tour of Israel that took place June 1-12, 2019. Twenty people—including four seminary students—participated in the tour, which included an archaeological dig a few miles north of Jericho. “Ultimately, there’s just nothing like being there to help a person to ‘get’ certain things,” says Kock. “Students gain a far better understanding of the geography and culture of the land of Israel, which can help them to gain a more clear, full understanding of some of the events recorded in the Bible. Additionally, they get the opportunity to discover in a real way both the blessings that archaeology can bring to the Bible student and its limitations.”

Did you know?

On March 18, 2019, Evan Arrowsmith became the first-ever inductee into the WLS-MLC chapter of Eta Beta Rho, an honor society that recognizes excellence in Hebrew and is operated by the National Association of Professors of Hebrew. Prof. Kenneth Cherney presented Arrowsmith, a junior, with the award in chapel.

Martin Luther College

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Martin Luther College’s mission is to train a corps of Christian witnesses who are qualified to meet the ministry needs of WELS and who are competent to proclaim the Word of God faithfully and in accord with the Lutheran Confessions and the Book of Concord. In fall 2019, 731 undergraduates were participating in this training.

To meet the current ministry needs of WELS, Martin Luther College:

prepares men for pastoral training at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary;

prepares men and women for service as teachers and staff
ministers in the synod’s churches, schools, and other institutions;

prepares men and women for other church ministries, both full-and part-time, responding to the needs of WELS;

prepares international students for ministry in partnership with WELS mission fields; and

provides programs of continuing education that meet the
ministerial needs of WELS.

For more information, visit mlc-wels.edu.

“Equipping Christian Witnesses”

With support from the WELS Conference of Presidents, Martin Luther College launched a two-year capital campaign to celebrate the 2020 silver anniversary of the college. The campaign’s title, “Equipping Christian Witnesses,” reflects not only the mission of MLC—to train a corps of Christian witnesses to meet WELS ministry needs—but also the three pillars of the campaign (pictured left). For more information, visit mlc-wels.edu/mlc-campaign.

Daylight mission trip

This team from Martin Luther College traveled to St. Paul, Beverly Hills, Fla., through the college’s Daylight mission trip program. The team helped the congregation move classrooms, paint hallways, and run a soccer camp for children ages 4 to 14. Nathan Lemke (pictured far left) notes, “Part of the camp was a time for devotion where we got to tell 90 children each day about Jesus and how he is our goalie from the devil. Over half of the campers were not part of the congregation, and many of them did not know about the gift that we have through Christ! It is a great blessing to go throughout the U.S. and help churches through the Daylight program.”

Serving those with special needs

In December 2019, Martin Luther College students hosted a Christmas event for Jesus Cares, a ministry that reaches out to individuals with special needs.

Student Elizabeth Schoeneck (pictured) admits that working with individuals with special needs can be intimidating at first. But after volunteering for the first time, she’s never turned back. “Jesus Cares provides a safe place to learn, practice, and grow skills for working with the special needs community,” Elizabeth says.

“Nothing beats the joy found in the students’ faces as they listen to the story of Christ,” adds fellow student Chris Robbert (pictured, right).

Martin Luther College now offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs for those who want to focus their education on teaching those with special needs.

A portion reprinted from MLC’s KnightWatch Weekly

Did you know?

One hundred seventy-six people graduated from Martin Luther College, New Ulm, Minn., on May 18. One hundred one were in the teacher track, and two were in the staff ministry track. Forty-five completed the preseminary program, and two received seminary certification. Twenty-six received master’s degrees.

Preparatory Schools

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Featured photo: A group of five students from Michigan Lutheran Seminary traveled to Camp Shiloh in Pittsburg, Texas, to serve as camp leaders. Forty students participated in Project Titus mission projects in 2019. Pictured: Elizabeth Waldo, who is now attending Martin Luther College.

Michigan Lutheran Seminary (MLS), Saginaw, Mich., and Luther Preparatory School (LPS), Watertown, Wis., prepare high school students for future service as pastors, teachers, and staff ministers. For the 2019–20 school year, Michigan Lutheran Seminary has 196 students and Luther Preparatory School has 402 students.

Both schools offer “Taste of Ministry” opportunities for students, which include shadowing called workers to learn more about their work. Students also are given firsthand gospel ministry experiences on campus and during mission trips.

For more information, visit mlsem.org or lps.wels.net.

Michigan Lutheran Seminary Fast Facts 2019

  • 70 MLS alumni at Martin Luther College
  • 20 MLS alumni at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary

Luther Preparatory School Fast Facts 2019

  • 215 LPS alumni at Martin Luther College
  • 43 LPS alumni at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary

 

Students from Luther Preparatory School volunteered for a Bible camp at Trinity, St. Lucia, West Indies, as part of the school’s Project Timothy program. Fifty-six students participated in a Project Timothy mission trip in 2019. Pictured: Annika Schroeder, who is now attending Martin Luther College.

Hope, Texas

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WELS Home Missions authorized funding for one new mission in 2019—Hope, Houston, Texas. A dedicated group of core members from other WELS churches around Houston are starting this mission in an urban neighborhood that is seeing a resurgence in popularity as people are looking to be closer to the city center. Rev. Andrew Nemmers, a 2019 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, was assigned to serve as Hope’s home missionary. Pictured are some members of Hope’s core group as well as a group from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary who helped the new mission in January 2019.

Did you know?

WELS Home Missions supports 18 cross-cultural missions. Either the mission is serving a certain people group such as Hispanics, Vietnamese, or Hmong, or there is a multi-ethnic membership. Ten of those 18 are Hispanic ministries, reaching out with the gospel to the largest ministry people group in the United States.

Shepherd of the Valley, Candelas, Colo.

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Shepherd of the Valley, Candelas, Colo., held its official launch service on Oct. 6, 2019. Rev. Jeremy Belter, home missionary for Shepherd of the Valley, reports: “Every seat was filled. We counted 140 people in attendance and nearly 70 first-time guests! I was also privileged to baptize three little children that day from the same family. That family is currently taking class for membership. We have contact info from 10 families for follow up and lots of positive conversations. Several people commented, ‘We’re looking for a church with a more traditional structure and solid sermon from the Bible. We want a church that is true to the Bible.’ . . . To say that God is good is an understatement. He did more than we asked or imagined as he always does. The launch team is excited to continue working as missionaries, inviting and welcoming people to hear the message of Christ crucified!”

Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada

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Qiang Wang (pictured standing reading) is a recent graduate of the Pastoral Studies Institute. “My happiest thing,” says Wang, “is to share the gospel with others.” The Conference of Presidents has called him to be a missionary to the Chinese population of Coquitlam, a growing suburb of Vancouver. City planners believe 30,000 more Chinese people will move to Coquitlam in the next decade, and the city is already underserved for Chinese churches. Wang’s outreach in Coquitlam is a mission partnership between WELS Joint Missions; WELS Canada; and Saviour of the Nations, Vancouver.

Mission Journeys

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WELS Mission Journeys offers WELS members the opportunity to engage in Christian service to WELS mission fields at home and abroad through church- or school-based volunteer trips. Pre-trip training led by a congregational team leader equips volunteers to have significant impact during their trip. While volunteering, the learning and sharing of outreach ideas allows teams to explore how they can use their God-given abilities to lead an outreach event upon their return home. Pictured is a teen group from St. Martin, Watertown, S.D., that volunteered to canvass and help lead a summer Bible camp for Living Hope, Chattanooga, Tenn. Interested in going on a WELS mission journey?
Visit wels.net/missionjourneys to learn more.

Christ, Denver, Colo.

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His body language spoke loud and clear. Arms crossed. Slouched down. A toothpick pursed between his lips as he stared at the floor. Avoiding any sort of conversation. Refusing a bulletin. He didn’t want to be there, but his girlfriend had convinced him to join her in church that morning.

Then he came back the next week, this time looking up a couple of times during the sermon. The next week, he followed along in the bulletin. The week after that, he left the toothpick in the car. A few months later, he asked about classes where he could learn more about the Bible and ask some questions that have been on his mind.

Fast forward to mid-November 2019. His brother is on life support, making it hard to finish up his classes for church membership. He asks his other two brothers if it would be okay for him to invite the pastor to stop in at the hospital for a visit and prayer. It takes a week of convincing, but they finally give in. Their body language was speaking loud and clear. They didn’t really see the need or want this Spanish-speaking white guy in their brother’s hospital room. It seemed like they were paying more attention to their phones than to this stranger in the room. The conversation was short, and God’s Word was shared.

On the way home, I got a message: “Thanks. They’d like you to come again soon.”

“For the word of God is alive and active” (Hebrews 4:12).

Written by Rev. Paul Biedenbender, home missionary at Christ, Denver

Campus Ministry

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The WELS campus ministry at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point had a great turnout for its first Bible study of the 2019–20 school year. WELS Campus Ministry, a ministry of WELS Home Missions, provides resources, support, and encouragement to WELS congregations that serve college students in the United States and Canada. These congregations are vital in connecting college students with fellow Christians, strengthening their faith with the gospel message, and encouraging them to share that faith with other college students. To learn more, visit wels.net/campus-ministry.