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On April 3–4, WELS Board for Home Missions approved 11 new missions and enhancements for the synodwide 100 Missions in 10 Years initiative. Learn more about each of the five new missions and six enhancements at wels100in10.net.
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Arlington, located 25 miles northwest of Memphis, is on the brink of rapid growth with Ford Motor Company set to build a new plant for electric truck production. Since 2022, the South Atlantic District Mission Board has been working with a dedicated group of 60 members and Pastor Jim Turriff from Gloria Dei, Memphis, who plan to relocate and establish a fresh start in Arlington under a new name.
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Jarrell is a rapidly growing town located 44 miles north of Austin in northern Williamson County. The county has seen its population surge from 426,000 in 2010 to 671,000 in 2022, with continued growth expected. For the past three years, Pastor Don Patterson has been working with a core group of 11, which began holding weekly worship in October 2024. The group has identified 90 prospects, many of whom they connected with by volunteering in the Jarrell Bible Community Food Pantry. The plan is to rent space for eight years before securing land and constructing a permanent church home.
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Erie, located 30 miles north of Denver, has experienced a 55 percent population increase from 2010 to 2020, with continued growth expected. The Colorado District Mission Board began exploring this area in 2022. A core group of 10 adults has been gathering for fellowship and Bible study while attending local festivals to share its plans for a new church. So far, 25 people have expressed interest in learning more about the mission efforts.
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The center of Madison is expected to grow by 200,000 in future years, with many residents seeking an urban lifestyle. A core group of 14 adults, familiar with the area, has been working together since 2022—meeting regularly for Bible study and ministry planning—and has also secured a rental space for worship and community activities. Twenty prospects have expressed a strong interest in learning more about this new mission. A new mission plant in the center of urban Madison would allow WELS to reach an entirely new demographic.
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Located on the eastern edge of Phoenix, San Tan Valley is experiencing rapid growth with no signs of slowing down. Since 2022, the Arizona-California District Mission Board has been working with Heritage in Gilbert, Ariz., to plant a new mission in the area. A core group of 26 adults has been gathering regularly for Bible study and community events, building connections and momentum. In October 2024, they began holding regular worship services and have already identified 127 prospects interested in learning more about the new church.
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WELS has launched a new world mission effort in Australia. With a large focus on the country’s growing immigrant communities, Missionaries Matthew Doebler and Peter Janke and their families have relocated to Brisbane, Queensland, to plant the seeds of the gospel in a region that has been described as largely post-Christian. Read more about the work beginning in Australia in the Together e-newsletter.
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Home Missionary Jacob Ungemach was called to start a new home mission in Cincinnati, Ohio. This type of assignment comes with mixed feelings of both excitement and intimidation for him and his wife, Grace. As we plant 100 missions in 10 years, the Church Planter Network offers critical training, resources, and support to new home missionaries as they learn what it takes to start a new mission.
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Hear more from the Ungemachs in the February WELS Connection as they share the knowledge and blessings that have come from the Church Planter Network.
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It has been 14 years since Hmong church leaders in Vietnam invited WELS to train their pastors in the truth of the gospel, and 7 years since the communist government in Vietnam invited WELS to build a theological education center in the capital city of Hanoi.
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From the very beginning, we knew that the Lord had opened a door to reach the more than two million Hmong people who live in Vietnam and the surrounding countries. We also knew that this door could close at any time.
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Read more from World Missions Administrator Larry Schlomer about the progress that has been made in training students in God's Word despite red tape that has delayed use of the building.
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Registration is open for Taste of Missions, a celebration of gospel outreach and the commissioning of new home and world missionaries held on Sat., June 14, 2025! Join us in person at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wis., as we give attendees a “taste of missions” no matter where you might be around the world. The event begins with a special worship service, where we’ll joyfully send these missionaries to share Christ’s love around the globe. Following the service, enjoy ethnic cuisine from mission fields, connect with fellow attendees, and hear firsthand accounts from missionaries about their work.
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The worship service is free and open to all. Registration is $15 per person for those who wish to receive food tickets. Children 13 and under attend for free. If you can’t attend in person, tune into the livestream and join us virtually. Sign up today at tasteofmissions.com/register!
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We have a goal to raise $20,000 to support WELS mission work at home and abroad as part of the Taste of Missions event this year, and we need your help. We have identified two specific projects you can support—musical assistance grants at home mission congregations and theological education workshops for Nuer Sudanese in Ethiopia—OR you can support the general Taste of Missions fund that will be split evenly between Home and World Missions at the end of June. No matter what you choose to support, you can help us reach our $20,000 Taste of Missions offering goal and make a difference in home and world mission fields!
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Congratulations to the 3rd grade class at Trinity-St. Luke’s in Watertown, Wis., and the 7th grade class at First Lutheran School in La Crosse, Wis., for winning the Taste of Missions School Challenge! These two classes will each receive a Taste of Missions party complete with lunch from a local ethnic restaurant, T-shirts, tickets to Taste of Missions on June 14, a Zoom call with a missionary, and more.
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A big thank you to everyone who participated! We received submissions from 21 different grade schools across the U.S. Be sure to check out photos from the challenge below.
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If you didn’t get a chance to participate—or want to use the materials again—the School Challenge activities are still available at tasteofmissions.com/schools. They’re great for classrooms, Sunday school, or vacation Bible school.
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Elise Gross, a missionary on the One Latin America Team, describes her ministry serving women in Latin America. Learn how God is using Gross and her students to spread his Word.
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In January 2025, three different groups of students from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (WLS), Mequon, Wis., went on trips as part of a special partnership with WELS Home Missions. These trips were an opportunity to help mission churches connect with more people, strengthen their presence in their communities, and develop clear ministry plans. At the same time, the trips gave WLS students a chance to learn what it takes to start a new church, work with and understand different communities, and grow their confidence in sharing the gospel. By mixing classroom lessons with hands-on experience, the students got to see what mission work is really like and build skills they’ll use when they become pastors.
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The WELS Commission on Inter-Church Relations (CICR) has the responsibility of overseeing our synod’s relationships with other Lutheran church bodies in the United States and around the world, including communicating with church bodies that are seeking fellowship with WELS.
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Read more about the discussions happening between WELS representatives and the Africa Mission Evangelism Church (AMEC) of Tanzania as our synod plans to declare fellowship with them at this summer's synod convention.
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Rev. C.J. Fury gives an update from new mission start Living Stone Lutheran Church in Conway, Ark. He shares updates just eight months following his commissioning at Taste of Missions. He shares what it has been like to work with a core group, select a church name, find a worship facility, and begin Bible information classes.
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Rev. Lucas Bitter, home missionary at Intown Lutheran Church in Atlanta, Ga., shares an update from the South Atlantic region. Through the support of WELS Home Missions and by God's grace, they found and purchased land near their current rental property to begin building a brand-new church. Later this year, they hope to be breaking ground and building a worship space where they can continue to share the gospel with those in their community.
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Missionary Mark Zondag shares an update on the Asia-Oceania Team's work. Based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, he supports local congregations in reaching the lost. He continues collaborating with the Confederation of Lutheran Churches in Thailand to expand gospel outreach.
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Missionary Jake Vilhauer shares an update from his first few months as a world missionary on the One Africa Team. He spent time in both France and Cameroon learning the French language with plans to use the language for outreach in French-speaking African countries. The Vilhauers have returned to Zambia to settle into their home and begin work with the rest of the One Africa Team.
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Students from multiple college campus ministries took Mission Journeys trips during their spring break to help support home mission churches with hands-on service projects including painting, property beautification, outreach and canvassing, and event setup. Campus ministries from Concordia University, the University of Wisconsin-Stout, Whitewater, and Madison were among a few who participated.
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Learn more about Mission Journeys opportunities and how you and your congregation can get involved at wels.net/missionjourneys.
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Support WELS Missions
Thank you for supporting WELS mission work through your prayers, congregational offerings, and special offerings made directly to WELS. If you'd like to support WELS mission work, visit
community.wels.net.
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Missions Blogs
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Read inspiring stories from Home and World Missions while also staying up-to-date on the most recent Missions news. Subscribe to receive them in your inbox every week!
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WELS Missions Resources
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Get the latest resources and materials from WELS Home and World Missions at
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Contact us
We'd like to hear from you! Contact us for assistance or additional information regarding WELS Missions or simply visit wels.net/missions.
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