Endowment news, online concerts, and seasonal devotions

WELS Endowment Fund finishes in 90^th percentile of Commonfund Study

WELS Foundation is pleased to report that in the recently released Council on Foundations—Commonfund Study of Investment of Endowments for Private and Community Foundations®, the WELS Endowment Fund’s 2019 net investment return of 22.39% placed in the 90th percentile of the 265 foundations that participated in the study.

The better the investment returns for the WELS Endowment Fund, the more the fund earns. And the more it earns, the bigger the distribution checks will be to our ministries that have an endowment fund through WELS Foundation—and those distributions help fund gospel work. In fiscal year 2020, WELS Foundation distributed over $2.9 million to WELS ministries through the WELS Endowment Fund. We praise God for his blessings!

To set up an endowment fund or to learn more about how an endowment fund can support your ministry for years to come, visit wels.net/foundation.

Christmas concerts at WLS and LPS

Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, Wis., will be presenting “Christmas at the Seminary,” a choral concert, on Sun., Dec. 13. The concert will be livestreamed at 3 p.m. at livestream.com/WLSLive.

Luther Preparatory School, Watertown, Wis., will be livestreaming its Christmas concert on Sun., Dec. 13 at 3 p.m. at livestream.com/lps/concerts2021.

Women’s Ministry December devotions

The new December devotion series from WELS Women’s Ministry is designed to help you stay refreshed in the Word and focused on Christ. Written by your sisters in Christ, these daily devotions will bring you biblical encouragement and insights. Sign up to receive these devotions in your e-mail, and feel free to forward and share them with others everywhere. Built on Scripture, these devotions will give different perspectives of Christmas from many different women in the account of Christ’s birth. Stop for just a moment to receive the peace and strength that only God’s Word can bring.

Advent devotions from Martin Luther College

The Jesse Tree is Martin Luther College’s newest Advent devotion book. Similar to an Advent calendar, the booklet contains 25 devotions accompanied by 25 ornaments you can hang on your Christmas tree or on a “Jesse tree” of your own making.

The ornaments have been designed by WELS artist Peter Schaewe, and they are available in full color and in black-line images ready to be colored by you or your children.

This new booklet retells the Old Testament stories leading to the birth of our Savior, Jesus, who was a descendant of King David and David’s father, Jesse: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.”

Download PDF or read online