Spiritual and mental health support

With Americans told to stay home—away from church, school, and in some cases work—in an anxiety-inducing time, WELS ministries are creating and making available resources to help. Here are a few that we found. If your ministry, school, or congregation is offering spiritual or Christian educational resources that can be used by individuals and families, let us know! We’ll continue to add to this list; check back often!

Christian Family Solutions
Christian Family Solutions has been “healing and helping people in need through the ministry of Jesus Christ” since 1965. This mission remains their focus during the COVID-19 situation. They are committed to serving communities with help, healing, and hope.

COVID-19 has certainly changed life as we know it, and Christian Family Solutions continues to provide counseling services and mental health treatment for those in need. They are equipped and ready to serve. All counseling clinic visits have shifted to appointments via secure video counseling, a service they have been offering for nearly 12 years.

The increased opportunity to connect virtually means that WELS pastors and ministry staff can still refer people through the Member Assistance Program. Members can still connect to their counselor, and students can continue treatment outside of school.

Recognizing that finances may be a concern, Christian Family Solutions is removing that barrier by working with insurance companies, who are eliminating copays and taking special measures during this national public health emergency. Anyone who needs counseling should contact the intake staff at Christian Family Solutions on their website by clicking on “REQUEST APPOINTMENT.”

On their website you will also find resources, including videos, blogs, and pamphlets for churches and schools to distribute to their families. These Christ-centered materials are designed to instill calm and increase resilience during this challenging time.

Though the future is uncertain, we remain steadfast in our Savior. It is important to be purveyors of calm in this suddenly chaotic world. Christian Family Solutions is equipped to serve “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14), confident that COVID-19 will bring an abundance of opportunity to share hope in Christ with individuals, families, churches, and communities.

Martin Luther College
Martin Luther College will continue livestreaming daily chapel services Monday through Friday at 10:30 a.m. (central). Campus Pastor John Boeder says, “Whether you’re in California or Alaska or Georgia or Green Bay or New Ulm, by the miracle of modern technology we can gather to sing and worship and listen and pray. Chapel will be a welcome break in a day of distance learning. It will bring us together in Christ and strengthen us for serving him.”

Luther Preparatory School
Luther Preparatory School, Watertown, Wis., is live streaming its morning chapel services Monday through Friday at 9 a.m. (central). Students are doing online learning during the closing.

The Lutheran Home Association
The Lutheran Home Association (TLHA) has devotional resources for adults as well as young children. Read Christian life devotions. Parents are welcome to receive a collection of simple Bible stories for teaching children. Just e-mail [email protected] for more information. “We are privileged to serve God’s people during this time of uncertainty,” says Rev. Joel Gaertner, TLHA vice president of ministry.

Time of Grace
Time of Grace has videos, devotions, a blog, and more to help keep Christian’s focused on Christ. Time of Grace started posting devotions for families with grade-school aged children on its Grace Talks Facebook group. Rev. Mike Novotny wrote a series of 11 devotions related to the coronavirus. They were just posted on YouVersion as a Bible study plan and Time of Grace will be publishing them starting this Sunday as Daily Grace Moments devotions. In addition, Rev. Jeremy Mattek is recording a video each weekday evening that will be distributed on Time of Grace’s Facebook page, Facebook group, and on Time of Grace Instagram. These three to five minute videos give some biblical encouragement at the end of the day.

Koine Worship Media
Koine Worship Media, which produces various forms of media to be used in worship, is temporarily lifting restrictions on using videos during a livestream or prepared recording of a service. Read more from their Facebook page.

One Minute Bible Bits
Professor Stephen Geiger, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, posted a series of 52 short videos on various topics from the Bible and doctrine.

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, Menomonee Falls, Wis.
Pilgrim is posting daily video devotions, including a kid’s devotion, to its Facebook page.

First Steps, Oconomowoc, Wis.
First Steps, the child care ministry of St. Matthew’s, Oconomowoc, Wis., is posting Bible Time and education videos to its Facebook page.

Bread for Beggars online festival
Bread for Beggars is featuring WELS musicians nightly live on Facebook.

5toThrive
Dr. Rhoda Wolle, dean of student success and associate professor of education at Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee, Wis., produces a blog and podcast series called 5toThrive. A recent podcast titled “Resources for Learning from Home” can help families and educators while kids are home from school.

Livestreamed services from WELS Churches
If you’re looking for worship-from-home opportunities, view a listing of WELS churches that live stream services.

Worship radio broadcasts
You can search the WELS Yearbook online for congregations that offer a radio broadcast of their services. Search for churches in your area and select “Church (with worship broadcast).”