Tag Archive for: home missions

From the very beginning

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How do WELS churches get started? How do we decide where they should go? This is not a secret nor is it a simple process. Through Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary’s 2023 Winterim course, 14 seminary students were able to experience firsthand the earlier steps in exploring potential churches in three communities outside of Austin, Texas. The students began the week by meeting with WELS Mission Counselor, Matt Vogt and the core group of WELS members in each of the three cities. The 14 students were divided into three teams, one for each city, and asked to research thoroughly and report how much potential each community had for growth in the coming years.

The communities of Leander, Jarrell, and Kyle/Buda, seem to display potential for a new WELS church. Mission Counselor Vogt and Professor Allen Sorum worked alongside the South-Central district mission board, local area pastors and home missionaries, and their district president to prepare for the week. The students were trained and tasked with conducting community and church leader interviews, doing some door-to-door canvassing, and interviewing other potential core group members. When asked about their favorite part of the experience, students shared many examples of how the Holy Spirit opened hearts to conversations about the gospel.

Once their research was complete, the 14 students were able to present the information they gathered with their team (pictured). Students, local pastors, and Home Mission representatives listened, reacted, and asked questions about each location. With these insights from the seminary students, the South Central District Mission Board will prioritize which location(s) to pursue first.

As for the 14 seminary students, they were able to gain real experience exploring a potential mission field and sharing their faith before they receive their divine calls. Many students expressed greater interest in serving as a church planter after the trip was over. One student noted, “It was eye opening to see the grand scope of what WELS Home Missions does and the support we give to our home missionaries. It makes mission work less scary.” These men are going to be a part of the first few Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary graduating classes to potentially receive assignments to new home mission churches approved as part of the 100 Missions in 10 Years initiative. WELS Home Missions is thankful for partners at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary that are training the next generation of church planters.

Next week, the Board for Home Missions will meet to carefully consider and prioritize each request submitted for a new home mission or enhancement. Stay tuned to hear where those first new home mission starts and enhancements will be located as we work towards our goal of starting 100 missions and enhancing 75 ministries in the next in 10 years. 

Learn more about our 100 missions in 10 years initiative at wels100in10.net .




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Right place, right time

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“Missional Living” is a lifestyle in our mission church. It’s a constant reminder for the members of our congregation to live every day of their life as if it’s a mission trip and recognize where Jesus is already at work in our neighborhoods, workplaces, and schools. Our goal is to just wake up each morning and say, “Lord, what kind of mission trip are you going to take me on today to reach one more person for Jesus?”

One example of missional living happened recently in my dentist’s chair. I know, that’s not the place where you would normally think of “missional living,” but it was on this day.

I went in for a regular teeth cleaning and check-up. While I was getting settled into the chair, I asked the dental hygienist how things had been going in her life lately. She told me that although she had just got engaged, she was struggling with some incompatibility issues with her fiancé. I listened attentively to her while she worked on my teeth.

When there was a “break in the action” (in between rinses), I asked her how compatible she and her fiancé were spiritually. That question opened the floodgates, and she began telling me all about her past religious experiences and struggles with God and the Bible. I listened to talk about her struggles while she continued to work on my teeth and tried my best to answer her questions (again, in between rinses). I didn’t want to say anything that might upset her, since she was holding a sharp object in her hand. So, I did much more listening than talking.

After she was finished cleaning my teeth, I said, “You know, I’m a pastor, and I would be happy to meet with you sometime for coffee and help you with some of these problems that you and your fiancé are struggling with.” She replied, “I would like that. In fact, I’ve got a lot of other questions about God and religion that I’d like to ask you too.” I smiled and agreed.

As I was leaving, she said, “Thank you for listening to me and answering my questions. I’d like to come and visit your church sometime. Would that be ok?” I joyfully replied, “Absolutely! I think you will be blessed by it.”

God was certainly up to something in this young woman’s life that day, and I was exactly where he wanted me to be to join him on his mission. What a privilege it is to be used by God to accomplish his purpose in the lives of others. On that day, at that time, his purpose for me was to be in that dentist chair and make a connection with that young woman at a time when she needed it most. Let us continue to make those connections and remain in a mindset of “missional living.”

Written by Pastor Kevin Schultz, Home Missionary at The Vine Lutheran Church in Hayden, Idaho

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Together Video Update – February 28, 2023

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Home Missionary Rev. Joel Prange shares his experiences of being called to a new home mission in North Dakota – from gathering the core group in his living room to ways to get involved in the community.

 

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Christ in my neighbor

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Dear Friend,

I ran across this quote from a sermon Martin Luther preached in 1543: “The inn was full . . . There are many of you who think to yourselves: If only I had been there! How quick I would have been to help the baby! Why don’t you do it now? You have Christ in your neighbor. You ought to serve your neighbor, for what you do to your neighbor in need you do to the Lord Christ himself.”

Jesus once made a similar point: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). One of our prayers summarizes the thought this way: “In the hurting eyes of the lonely, in the pained eyes of the sick, and in the searching eyes of the lost, help us to see your face, O Jesus, and to serve others as we would serve you.”

We serve Jesus because he so lovingly served us by laying down his life to save us. We serve our neighbor to say thank you to Jesus for his incredible sacrifice. When we help a neighbor in need, it is the same as serving Jesus himself. What a lovely thought!

One way to serve Christ in your neighbor is by supporting WELS Christian Aid and Relief’s humanitarian aid projects. These help our home and world missionaries meet community needs and build relationships that lead to many opportunities to share the good news of Jesus.

One missionary, who oversees much of our humanitarian work in South Asia, has this to say about the importance of these efforts: “In the countries we serve the population is only one percent Christian. Christians are a persecuted minority. There are many stereotypes about Christians. When we show the love of Christ in acts of charity, people take notice. They begin to doubt the prejudices they have held against Christians. The door to their minds is opened. This creates an opportunity to share the gospel with them. It is impossible to describe the impact the unconditional love of Christ makes on the mind and heart of a Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist. The Holy Spirit uses the beautiful truth of the gospel to lead them into the kingdom of God. Despite severe persecution, we have explosive growth where we conduct these humanitarian aid projects.”

Your gifts have enabled similar humanitarian aid projects such as these:

  • School supplies and backpacks for underprivileged children in Colorado
  • Medical equipment and supplies in Africa and Asia
  • Drilling boreholes (wells) to supply clean water in Zambia
  • Technology and vocational training for the poor in Asia
  • Mosquito nets in areas where malaria is a danger
  • Warm clothes for widows and orphans
  • Food and other support for the poor in Africa, Asia, and Europe

Would you consider making a special offering today to fund humanitarian aid projects for the 2023-2024 fiscal year? In this way you will serve Jesus by serving your neighbor —all to the glory of God alone!

In Christ, our compassionate Savior,
Pastor Dan Sims
Director, WELS Christian Aid and Relief

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Prayer: Lord Jesus, you demonstrated compassion for us during your time on earth—resolving people’s physical problems while solving their much bigger spiritual problem. May we imitate you as we see the needs of hurting people around us and help them. We thank you for WELS Christian Aid and Relief’s coordination of disaster relief efforts and for moving so many people to give and volunteer in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian and other disasters. Use our love for others as a witness of your love for us and an opening to share the good news of your forgiveness and eternal life. Amen.

True love, God’s love

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As couples prepared to buy chocolate, candies, teddy bears, cards, and roses for each other on Valentine’s Day to express their love for each other, Faith Hmong in Alaska uses this time of the year to gather couples for an evening of food, relaxation, photos, and God’s Word on the message of true LOVE.

“This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us.” – 1 John 4:10a

The message that evening focused on Genesis 2:17, “They become one flesh.” This reminded couples that marriage doesn’t stop after the wedding ceremony, having their first child, or being able to accomplish some of their goals. Couples must be intentional with their marriage. They can’t just show love or affection towards each other once a year on Valentine’s Day; they must show love for each other and serve each other every day to continue to strengthen a marriage, which is built on the foundation of Christ. It was great opportunity for couples to gather together and experience an evening filled with God’s Word, great conversations, and time to reflect on each other.

Faith Hmong in Alaska uses this kind of event as an outreach opportunity to invite friends, family, and neighbors to the Faith Hmong community. We also have events for kids and parents to spend time together, such as a family paint night, which is planned for next month. Coming to worship services can be a little intimidating for some, but with events like these, believers and friends can come and relax and hear about their Lord. It’s a fun way for the church members to do outreach in the community.

We have been serving the Hmong community of Anchorage since 2009 and have established a beautiful relationship with our Anglo brothers and sisters at Faith Lutheran Church. Every Sunday, our doors are open early in the morning for an English service, followed by a Hispanic service preached by Pastor Chris Ewings and Pastor Nathan Wagenknecht. Then, we end our Sunday with a Hmong service starting at 3:00 p.m., followed by Hmong Sunday School. We designate the first Sunday of each month as a fellowship Sunday for the opportunity to invite friends, families, and neighbors to attend and enjoy some snacks and conversations.

Faith Hmong continues to focus its ministry on the Hmong community in Anchorage, and God continues to bless us. We look for opportunities to share what so many people in the world are still seeking – LOVE. A love the world cannot give, but rather true love that comes only from our Savior, Jesus.

Learn more about our ministry at faithhmongalaska.org.

Written by Pastor Pao Moua, Home Missionary at at Faith Hmong Lutheran Church in Anchorage, Alaska

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Five years post-merger

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Just over five years ago, the congregation I served in suburban St. Louis decided to close its Early Childhood Center, prompting a discussion about our future. We were exploring different options and along the way we brought another nearby church into the discussion. It became clear that we were headed for a merging of the two churches.

We sought the assistance of the Minnesota District Mission Board (DMB) to guide us in the right direction. After running a demographic study of our area and talking to our leaders, the district mission board agreed to take this merger on as a project. They helped us secure unsubsidized mission status, which, among other things, gained us access to a mission counselor who helped us through the process. He recommended books to read (Better Together by Jim Tomberlin and Warren Bird was the most helpful). After he made several visits to the area and sat in on some meetings, he gave our churches some advice as we finalized the plan.

One congregation. One site. Double the staff. Double the resources. Double the outreach effort. That was the plan.

This past fall we celebrated our fifth anniversary at our united church, Christ Alone.

Looking back, not everything went according to our plan. There were missteps and miscommunications, especially in the early going. Doubling the people led to disagreements, ranging anywhere from how the two church cultures would meld together to which of the two sets of paraments would adorn the one altar. Doubling the volunteer pool led many volunteers cutting their own involvement in half. New responsibilities were not clearly communicated, which led to the Great Paper Towel Shortage of Easter 2018. (Many casualties.)

Having the mission counselor as a sounding board was important. He kept reminding me that a church merger doesn’t work if it’s survival-driven. It must be mission-driven. Holding out the mission in front of members must remain the priority. It was our why. We did not only do this so that our institution would survive, but rather that Christ’s kingdom would thrive.

In the fall of 2017, Christ Alone consisted of roughly half the members coming from one church and half from the other church. Although we really think of ourselves as one congregation today, our members could be identified in thirds. One third from one church. One third from the other. And one third of the members are brand new to Christ Alone—some brand new to Christ—whom God brought to us over the past five years.

God knew what he was doing from the beginning. Though our hands were a little wet, we were still able to open our hymnal pages to Jesus Christ is Risen Today that first Easter together. Though there was a clash in cultures, Christ has brought about unity. Though it hasn’t all gone according to our plan, God is providing opportunities for us that were not previously possible.

While not every situation would be necessary for the district mission board to get involved, congregations who find themselves considering a merger may want to reach out to a member of their DMB. Doing so will certainly result in some sound wisdom, possibly a mission status designation, or, if the Lord wills, maybe even becoming one of those 75 mission enhancements that will accompany the 100 new mission churches over the course of the next ten years.

 

Written by Pastor Steve Waldschmidt, pastor at Christ Alone in Dardenne Prairie, MO, and Minnesota District Mission Board Chairman

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Perseverance in the mission field

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How many times have you heard this story…

Our church, Spirit of Life, hosted a Christmas for Kids, Easter for Kids, or Vacation Bible School and had a bunch of children from the community show up. . .but nobody came to church after the events. We do all these events and sure, the kids learn about Jesus, but families aren’t joining our church and it doesn’t add to our membership numbers. For a new home mission church, it can be quite demoralizing to put in a ton of work, prayer, and volunteer hours and never see any fruits of labor.

In the early years at our mission in Caledonia, Mich., we experienced this same scenario and saw little progress. We went to parades and handed out 1000+ invites, but no one showed up. At our Easter for Kids event, right before COVID began, we had more than 200 kids in attendance. None of them would be able to attend a worship service.

Though this routine was disheartening at times, you keep planning and trying different things. You keep trying because you know that God tells us to, “Go and make disciples.” You find comfort in knowing that his Word will not return to him empty. You don’t know when the Spirit will allow faith to take root and grow.

Spirit of Life has grown over the years through personal evangelism efforts more than anything else, so I was never too excited for the bigger “outreach events.” But I know they present those opportunities for personal evangelism. So when we started working on a second site in Hastings, Mich., we thought, “Let’s try having a Christmas for Kids. There are a lot of kids near our venue.”

Sure enough, the event started as I had suspected. It was more work and less attendance than I would have hoped for. And I started to think. . . “You know, I can invite people personally with better results and less effort than this!”

One family, the Slagel’s and their three children, came to our event. They participated and had a lot of fun with their children. But what encouraged me the most was seeing the Slagel family the next Sunday morning. They had made the drive up to our Caledonia location and arrived for church an hour before the service started. They stayed and chatted with our members and are now going to be a part of our new church site in Hastings.

This story acts as a reminder to my missionary self that God works faith and does big things through his Word. Even when I think the hard work didn’t pay off.

Keep sharing the Word in season, out of season, at events, and individually. There’s no exact science to this mission work thing. In the end, it’s the Holy Spirit opening people’s hearts when and how he chooses. Stay humble, God works.

Written by Rev. Allen Kirschbaum, home missionary at Spirit of Life in Caledonia, Mich.

 

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Pressing the reset button

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It was time to press the reset button.

A Lutheran church on the west side of Las Vegas in the area of Summerlin started back in 1990. After two building projects and quite a few years of numerical growth, the congregation fell on hard times. Families moved away, older members moved on to heaven, and the current pastor moved back East to serve another congregation. That’s when the local mission board stepped in.

Although there weren’t enough members left to support a full-time pastor any longer, the Arizona-California district mission board was convinced that the area was ripe for the harvest and the opportunities to share the gospel were too good to pass up. They worked with the congregation and submitted a request to the Board for Home Missions to “restart” the congregation.

The term “restart” simply means that the congregation needed to press the reset button. There was a small core group of Christians remaining from a well-established church, but the congregation could not go on functioning like it had in the past. It needed a facelift so to speak, a chance to start at the beginning and try it all over again.

The congregation in Summerlin went through a two-year vacancy from mid-2020 until mid-2022. During that time, the core group shrunk even smaller than it was before. In fact, the 20-25 members left began attending Shepherd of the Hills, a sister congregation in Las Vegas led by Pastor Tom Unke who was also the vacancy pastor at the time. The buildings in Summerlin sat empty and the future was questionable.

Now, as this near calendar year begins, there has already been plenty of progress in the right direction. A new pastor accepted the call to restart the church in late summer/early fall. The congregation’s name was changed to Foundation Lutheran Church. Already a website has been produced, social media pages have been constructed, and signs have been installed. The facilities are in the process of being updated, cleaned, fine-tuned, and painted. Most importantly though, contacts are being made, conversations are being had, and relationships are being formed with a number of individuals and families throughout the community, setting the stage for gospel opportunities to come.

For the time being, the core group of Christians is still attending Shepherd of the Hills. A grand reopening is planned for April 2023 when full-time worship services and Bible studies will resume in Summerlin. There is a lot of work still to be done leading up to that launch date, but it is an exciting time for Foundation. The reset button has been pushed. The congregation is financially backed by WELS Home Missions until it can stand on its own two feet again. And this small remnant of Christians is armed with the powerful Word of God as it looks to once again reach as many hearts and minds as possible with the gospel about our Savior.

Written by Rev. Matt Frey, home missionary at Foundation Lutheran Church in Summerlin, Nev.

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Home mission milestones – Winter 2022/2023

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Join with us in celebrating and praising God for the major church milestones that these home mission congregations experienced in Winter 2022/2023:

Grace Lutheran Church, Minot, N.D.

Grace Lutheran Church in Minot, N.D., dedicated their newly remodeled worship facility in a special Reformation service on October 30, 2022. Thanks be to God! They purchased an old Baptist church and remodeled it to fit their ministry needs with support from WELS Church Extension Fund (CEF).

 

View photos of their new church and other home mission activities in the Dakota-Montana district in the Flickr album.

Peace Lutheran Church, Trinity, Fla.

Home mission congregation Peace Lutheran Church in Trinity, Fla., dedicated their new church on November 20, 2022 (pictured above). Board for Home Missions chairman Rev. Mark Gabb preached for the service. They also hosted a Fall Festival and Open House for the community on November 12, 2022 (pictured), complete with free food and fun for the entire family. We thank God for this wonderful blessing as Peace looks forward to the next phase of their ministry in their new building!

View photos of their new church, their Fall Festival and Open House, and other home mission activities in the South Atlantic district in the Flickr album.

Please keep these home missions in your prayers as they continue to share the pure message of the gospel with more people in their communities. To stay connected with these and the other 134 home mission congregations scattered throughout the United States, Canada, and English-speaking West Indies, follow WELS Missions on Facebook at fb.com/WELSMissions.

 

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The Evangelical Lutheran light at Christmas

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“An evangelical? Lutheran? church? This I gotta check out…” Such was the thought process for Steve Yetter, when he received a new-mover mailer from the people of Mount Calvary in Redding, Calif. It was late 2020 when Steve moved from his home in Santa Cruz to be closer to family and that put him within Mount Calvary’s mailer radius. Steve had been part of evangelical churches before, but he wasn’t sure how evangelical and Lutheran went together. He stopped by our church on a Saturday, got a tour, and came back the next day for worship. Steve’s experience is a good example of how that “Evangelical Lutheran” comes shining through in Word and Sacrament. Steve continued to worship, took instruction classes, and joined the congregation. The Lord’s light was shining.

Steve Yetter and Pastor Schaefer

Now, Steve occasionally plays guitar for worship, sings in the adult choir, and attends Bible class regularly. After being in various churches throughout his life, the gospel-centered nature of Mount Calvary congregation is refreshing for Steve—that’s the true meaning of “evangelical.” It’s all about Jesus and his free salvation. “I got the love from the front and when I was in the pew, that love comes from the Light,” Steve said. The Lutheran emphasis on the Holy Spirit’s work through the means of grace has also been different from Steve’s past experience. “Other churches talk about being in the Word, but here we’re saturated with it.”

Christmas is commonly considered the season of light. Evangelical Lutherans get to share that light, so that sinners repent and believe the good news. This Christmas, that Evangelical Lutheran light was shining at two locations. Steve is part of a Core Group reaching out at a second campus in Anderson, Calif. Earlier this year Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church of Anderson voted to unite their ministry with Mount Calvary’s. It wasn’t an easy decision, but we now have two campuses and one joint congregation. Thankfully, we’re getting support and direction from our District Mission Board and working on growing together to share the light of Christ. It’s all new for us, and this Christmas we were able to experience the blessing of the Evangelical Lutheran light. The congregation at both locations welcomed over 40 visitors who came because of online advertising, personal invitations, and mailers—something Steve knows a little about. The adult choir sang on Christmas Day at both locations—something Steve got to be part of too. “It’s about getting the light out to more and more people,” Steve says. “I’m happy to be part of it.” We’re happy to be little lights, who know the one true Light. As Jesus said, “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12).

Written by Rev. Benjamin Schaefer, home missionary at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Redding, Calif.

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Merry Christmas from WELS Missions!

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As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth, it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55: 10-11

What gifts will you get this Christmas? What gifts will you give? This time of year, we tend to focus on so many earthly things, but we know these things do not last. The truth of forgiveness in Jesus IS what lasts. He came down from heaven and lived a perfect life to give us the only thing we need: eternal life in heaven with him. This gift is ours. For free. There is no greater gift.

We here in Home, World, and Joint Missions are humbled to serve God and his family of believers. It is truly a privilege to share the message of God’s greatest gift to all believers, Jesus Christ, with all people. It is through people like YOU that God enables this work to continue. Thank you! Through the work of the Holy Spirit, we see the miracle of faith sprouting up all over the United States and world. May we all strive to plant seeds of faith and share God’s Word, because he promises it will not return empty. The Word goes out and always achieves God’s purpose.

Merry Christmas from your brothers and sisters in Christ serving WELS Home, World, and Joint Missions!

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More than we ask or imagine

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“Pastor, we would like to meet with you to baptize our daughter.” That was the message that was left on our church answering machine 22 years ago. I was the first pastor of a brand-new mission church called Faith Lutheran Church in Radcliff, Ky., next to Ft. Knox army base.

Jared was the dad who left that message. He and his wife Cady brought their daughter, Madison, to church to be baptized. I took Jared and Cady through adult instruction classes. Jared had grown up Lutheran in another synod. Cady never really went to church growing up. In her words, I was her first real pastor.

Being in the military, Jared and Cady and their three daughters have moved 15 times around the United States in the past 22 years. Wherever they have moved, they have found the closest Wisconsin Synod church. There were times a church wasn’t close, and they had to drive an hour one way for worship. When they were stationed at West Point, where Jared was teaching as a Colonel, they invited cadets to their home where they set up a makeshift altar and worship space in their living room. They used materials provided by WELS Military Services for worship.

In May, I attended my first graduation service at Martin Luther College – our college for training for the public ministry. 22 years after I poured water over her head and spoke God’s Word into her ears and heart, I watched Madison walk the stage to receive her teaching degree.

Who could have imagined that all this could result from an answering machine message? A family that became a blessing to our mission church – and numerous other mission churches – a family committed to God’s Word, and another servant of the Lord trained at Martin Luther College. God will do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine.

The Lord of the Church has blessed me with the experience of a home missionary so that I am now serving as a District Mission Board chairman. Now I am working with the people, pastors, and churches of our southeastern Wisconsin district to start new mission congregations and support those that have already been started.

As people, pastors, and churches, let us continue to pray for our established churches, our fledgling churches, and those new churches we wish to start. Together we pray and trust that God will use our combined gifts to bring that family to church. That child to the baptismal font. To leave that message on the church answering machine. Then years and decades later, we will see that God has done and will continue to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine.

“Now to him, who is able, according to the power that is at work within us, to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20, 21).

Written by Rev. Michael Zarling, Southeastern Wisconsin District Mission Board Chairman.

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Happy Thanksgiving from WELS Missions!

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Sometimes it takes a bad situation to bring out the best in us.

Medical advances are taken for granted until someone in your family desperately needs help. Peace and prosperity aren’t seen as gifts until a country is plunged into war. A roof over our heads is not given a second thought until a hurricane rips it off. Food on our plates is expected, but that expectation can melt away in an instant where drought or famine hit hard. When help arrives in a desperate situation, thanksgiving can shine. Doctors, soldiers, emergency crews, and aid workers can fill pages with accounts of people filled with gratitude when help arrives.

Help in a bad situation can bring out the best in us. This is why thanksgiving should never be far from our lips. We were all in the most desperate of circumstances. Born into a sinful world and determined from birth to rebel against our Creator, we were in the most horrible situation imaginable. We deserved to be separated from our Maker for eternity. But God intervened. He sent his Son and saved us. He redeemed the entire world from sin by his death on the cross. He proved his success, and ours, by his resurrection from the dead. It is no wonder that the Apostle Paul encourages all believers to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

We in the WELS Missions office have the great honor of seeing God’s amazing grace reach the far corners of the world. Aid for families touched by diseases, wars, disasters, and famine are always welcomed with expressions of thanks and joy from our Christian family around the world. That thanksgiving is raised to the highest heights as we rejoice with them in the greatest gifts of all: the gifts of God’s eternal grace, mercy, and peace. Thank you for helping us bring the life-giving gospel to the world. Enjoy this short video that shares how God blessed that work in 2022.

Join with us this Thanksgiving to rejoice at what God has done for us all. Rejoice that many are helped when life in this vale of tears gets tough. Shout praises to God for the blessing of being able to share this good news with the world.

From all of us in WELS Missions, we thank God for you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

WELS Home, World, and Joint Missions

 




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Blessings and answered prayers

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431 days. That is the number of days between my first day living in Waco, Tex. (July 7, 2021) and our launch service at Christ Our Refuge (September 11, 2022). 431 days of planning led to a major milestone in the life of our local congregation. While we always viewed our launch service as a starting line and not a finish line, it is still good to reflect on blessings and answered prayers from God. I’d like to share three specific examples from our launch service with you.

Visitors
We had everything set up and ready to go on the morning of our launch service. We were just waiting for people to show up. One member said, “I just pray we have some visitors show up this morning.” God answered her prayer. I was standing outside greeting people when our first visitors arrived. It was a young couple with two little girls. One of the first things the mom said to me was that she had never been baptized, but she wanted to be. She went on to say that they wanted to have their two little girls baptized as well. It’s as if God was telling me, “Look, I’m going to bless the work that is being done here.” In all, we had 15 prospect visitors join us for our launch service.

Worship Facility
Our core group met in a number of different places during the 431 days that led up to our launch service. We met at on the outdoor patio of a pizza place, in member’s homes, and in a smoke-filled VFW Hall to name a few. We spent a lot of time searching for a space where we could hold worship services. The VFW Hall, a school gym, and an event space were a few of the options. Ultimately, God blessed us with a 6,000 square foot building which we were able to lease full-time and make our own. It is such a blessing to have a permanent location in the community and a place to come together and worship our God!

Music
Our initial core group (12 adults and 5 kids) did not contain a lot of musical ability. We prayed a lot for a solution to our lack of music. Enter Lilia. Lilia is a WELS member who just started her freshman year at Baylor. Our launch service had beautiful music thanks to Lilia using her gifts to glorify her God!

A launch service is something to celebrate, and we certainly thank God for all the ways he blessed us in the 431 days leading up to it. However, it is just the starting line. Please continue to pray for the ministry at Christ Our Refuge as we seek to share Jesus with the lost in our community.

Written by Rev. Andrew Westra, home missionary at Christ Our Refuge in Waco, Tex.

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The glory is God’s – New beginnings in San Antonio, Tex.

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Our grand opening service began months before September with a planning meeting. Our core group (a small group of dedicated individuals that do the work of starting a church) met at pastor’s house to plan the details of a service that we planned the year before. With our goal for worship set, we were able to focus on our mission. The “West Campus” is the second site of Our Savior Lutheran Church in San Antonio, Tex. We are dedicated to finding family, serving our community, and growing in God’s Word. We wanted to make our grand opening service all three.

  • We want to be a place where anyone can find family. The core group had time before our grand opening to plan events and build relationships. We were finding family and giving personal invitations. We had time to plan a service that hosted guests and created conversation. Our approach was simple: food (breakfast tacos and local cookies) and children’s activities.
  • We want to be a church that serves community. Instead of guessing, we took our time before our grand opening to learn about our community. We held community events and engaged with the people we want to serve.
  • We are a church that grows in God’s Word. We held many “preview” services so that our grand opening would go smoothly. As a mobile church it takes a lot of practice to set up and take down an entire worship service. Our hospitality team worked hard to make sure we greeted all our guests in a professional and meaningful way. Our music group put in countless hours of practice so that we sounded great. Our children’s ministry established itself quickly to be ready for the big day.

As a multi-site church we not only invited our community, but we also invited the entire central campus. We wanted everyone to be a part of our first service.

Finally, on September 11, 2022, we held our grand opening service. Thanks to the planning, attention to detail, and by God’s grace, we were ready on time. But we were not ready for what came next. Our core group made it early. Guests from the central campus came pouring in; the support was overwhelming. Prospects and friends brought their families. Guests were coming for the first time because they got our community flier.

As the service was starting, our emergency chair volunteer was hard at work setting up more and more rows of chairs. God blessed us with a grand opening that was larger than the core group imagined. It was a humbling moment.

But the greatest thing that happened that day wasn’t anything that we did. The greatest thing was that we held a service that focused everyone’s attention on the promises of God in word and song. God used us to publicly proclaim his name to people, old and new. The glory is God’s.

I’m going to guess that not many home mission congregations write blogs about the second service they hold. It’s not planned out as much. But the truth is, the best part of any grand opening service happens the next Sunday too. And God willing, every Sunday after that.

Written by Rev. Micah Koelpin, home missionary at Our Savior Lutheran Church in San Antonio, Tex.

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Home Missions highlights

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It’s been a busy fall for WELS Home Missions.

  • On Sept. 11, three home mission congregations in Texas—Christ Our Refuge, Waco/Hewitt; Our Savior, West San Antonio; and Amazing Grace, Amarillo—launched their first public worship services. Learn more about these services in Forward in Christ’s November article, “Home missions launch first worship services.”
  • On Sept. 15 and 16, the Board for Home Missions met at the WELS Center for Mission and Ministry in Waukesha, Wis. The Board for Home Missions is made up of the district mission board chairman and one lay volunteer from each of the 14 home mission districts. This fall, board members spent time going through the requirements for any new home mission or enhancement requests the districts are preparing for the full board’s spring meeting. The Board for Home Missions is anticipating requests for about 30 new mission starts and 17 enhancements in the spring.
  • On Oct. 2, Cross of Christ, North Nampa, Idaho, dedicated its new church building. The North Nampa location is a second-site ministry of Cross of Christ, Boise, Idaho.
  • On Oct. 10 and 11, the South Central District held its annual missionaries conference. In addition to 40 missionaries and district mission board members, this year’s conference was also attended by three Michigan Lutheran Seminary students who were participating in the high school’s Taste of Ministry experience.
  • On Oct. 16, Zion, Lodi, Wis., launched its first public worship service. Zion is a second-site ministry of Leeds, Wis. Also on Oct. 16, Bethlehem, Richland Center, Wis. (pictured above), dedicated its ministry facility, which houses an intergenerational ministry center and an early childhood center.

“As WELS Home Missions prepares for the official launch of its 100 missions in 10 years initiative in 2023, it’s exciting to see all the ministry that God is already blessing,” says Mr. Sean Young, senior director of WELS Missions Operations. “We’re committed to aggressively reaching lost souls throughout North America with the gospel—today and in the years to come.”

For more information about WELS Home Missions, visit wels.net/homemissions.

 

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What matters most

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“What can I do for that Christian student when they are away at school?” It’s a question with which parents, pastors, and congregations certainly wrestle. And there are many answers, but can I suggest a starting point based upon experience?

The WELS Campus Ministry at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh was in a tough spot. The 2019-20 school year began with a pastoral vacancy before COVID came and shut ministry down completely through the 2020-21 school year. When a new pastor arrived and began looking at the 2021-22 school year, there were some daunting realities: a building that looked abandoned, no core group, no established relationships, and continued restrictions for on-campus student interaction.

Where to start? Missions always depend upon people, and for the coming school year, finding a core group would be the focus. It would determine whether this ministry could move forward. But how would this group be found? Going door-to-door in a dorm or setting up shop in a student union are not advisable for a middle-aged pastor. Ultimately, it was an online database that would determine if this would work – what else could be used to reach students and determine if there was interest?

Armed with a Google Voice account, the text messages began to fly. . . a hope and prayer that a college student would respond to a text message from a complete stranger and then agree to meet for an open house. And while there were plenty of text messages that received no response, there were many thankful for the invitation. There were others that said they would come. And still others who said they knew fellow WELS members and would invite them too.

The first open house welcomed 19 students! When they were asked what they desired campus ministry to be, the overwhelming response was Bible study. An opportunity to gather and be fed by the Word of God. In fact, it was the only response. As so for each week during the 2021-22 school year, a time to gather for Bible study was offered. And the students came. . . with one big caveat: most needed a personal invitation through text message. When the week got busy or assumptions were made and personal texts didn’t go out, our numbers plummeted. It was a tangible reminder that relationships and personal invitations matter most.

And that takes this conversation back to that database, and with that I repeat an often made request. The online campus ministry student database depends upon home churches and pastors, area Lutheran high schools, parents, and students to provide information crucial for campus pastors to do their work. If you have a connection to a college student, please reach out to the local campus pastor and make sure they have the information (and even better, an introduction) they need to connect with that student. It’s where it all starts, and when you are thinking about what you can do for that student, it’s awesome to think about where it might lead!

The format for Bible study each week was simple: we started by sharing moments from the week that struck them as Christians, then we would study the Word, and finally there was an opportunity to ask any tough “apologetics” questions that were on their mind. Faith was strengthened and relationships were built. There were also numerous times during the year when students invited and brought others (WELS and non-WELS friends).

The majority of that core group is back again for the 2022-23 school year and as they gather this year, they are the ones who are asking what’s next. They want to start to work on the building that needs work both inside and out. They are organizing get-togethers at the house to enjoy fellowship and fun. They are doing together what the Bible tells us will result when Christians form their relationships around the Word of God!

Written by Rev. Thomas Voss, WELS Campus Ministry pastor at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

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The response to free

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Sermon illustrations are not always easy to come by. Sometimes you rack your brain for a story, a life-experience, something from a book that you’ve read, but nothing comes to mind. But, other times, you experience something that you just know will be a great sermon illustration someday.

We recently had one of those experiences at Sure Foundation. Each year in Brandon, S.D., there are city-wide garage sales that are widely popular. In each neighborhood, you can see numerous sales going on. People will come from Brandon, Sioux Falls, and even further away just to see what they can find.

As a church, we decided to get in on this event, but not as a fundraiser. We decided to collect things from the members of the congregation to give away to the community. But here was the catch. We weren’t advertising it as free. People would come hoping to find a deal at a garage sale, only to find out that everything was free.

Nearly every member family of the congregation participated by giving their stuff. We even had prospects, neighbors, and people from the community contributing stuff for the sale. Just like that, three big garage stalls were packed with stuff.

Throughout the eight hour event, we gave away almost all of the stuff! Those who attended were shocked to find out that everything was free. It was in that moment of shock that each person received a card from a smiling volunteer that said, “Just like salvation in Jesus is free, so are these. Enjoy this gift from your friends at Sure Foundation.”

What an easy way to share the love of Christ! But we haven’t gotten to the sermon illustration yet. Prior to the event, we instructed our volunteers to insist that everything was free. We figured that some would want to contribute something for what they had taken. So, our volunteers did just that. They insisted that everything was free, but people were so thankful, that they responded in thanks. Sometimes that thanks was obvious by the expression on their faces. But other times, people showed their thanks by giving. They gave and they gave and we put it in a box designated to go to a school district fund to buy lunch tickets, snow pants, and boots for those who can’t afford it.

The response was remarkable. Just shy of 300 people showed up to this event and we raised $1,000 for the school district fund from a FREE event! And there’s the sermon illustration. What’s the response to free? What’s the response to grace? The response to grace is a thankful heart. And our volunteers witnessed example after example of thankfulness overflowing into giving.

What an amazing blessing! It was an event that blessed the community with free things, it was an event that blessed us with an opportunity to share the gospel, and it was an event that blessed and encouraged our volunteers. Oh, and it was an event that blessed me with a great sermon illustration.

Written by Rev. Craig Wilke, home missionary at Sure Foundation Lutheran Church in Brandon, S.D.

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Unexpected booms

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We heard that Dickinson, N.D., was booming. A town of 17,000 has grown to around 25,000 permanent residents over ten years. And that doesn’t include some of the oil field workers and their families, which could increase the estimated population to 35,000 depending on the season. My wife and I were expecting that type of “booming” when we nervously arrived to start a new home mission church in North Dakota. We were expecting the housing market to be booming, making finding a house difficult. Thankfully we were able to sign a lease and begin renting a 100-year-old home. The landlord was nice enough to let us paint the place while we waited for our furniture and clothes to finally arrive. There’s plenty to explore. . . new businesses are springing up everywhere, Dickinson is revitalizing its downtown, young families are moving into the peaceful neighborhoods, and church bells ring around town on Sunday morning. The harvest is plentiful in this booming town in the middle of the wide-open grasslands of North Dakota!

All of that booming was expected. The unexpected booms came after the moving truck arrived. Our furniture and clothes had been in the house for only five days when a huge thunderstorm sprang up. The lightning, flashing in the nighttime prairie sky, is truly a sight to behold. We were admiring those magnificent flashes when suddenly the whole window turned white, immediately followed by the loudest boom we had ever heard. A boom so loud that it almost sent my 8-month pregnant wife into labor. We both stood there, stunned as the house went dark. Looking out the back window and seeing the tree shrapnel strewn about our yard, it became apparent that the tree in our backyard had been struck by lightning. Thankfully the power came back on, but the lightning strike had damaged many things. The following two weeks were filled with daily visits by various repairmen, our landlord, tree trimmers, family, and friends. The house was booming with people, and making so many new connections was wonderful. God blessed us with some valuable conversations and connections. Through that lightning strike, some repairmen became mission prospects.

We were preparing the house to host many people after my installation, and several things still needed to be fixed. We were able to host the installation service at the local Veterans Pavilion, which was booming with people. Over 90 people from other WELS congregations came out to show support for the new mission in Dickinson. God blessed us with overwhelming encouragement from the many people who came to the installation. We were able to host the pastors and their families at our house afterward, even with the air conditioner being on the fritz from the lightning strike. After the sewer backed up twice and flooded our basement, everything in the house seemed to have settled down from the booming events of the past month. We were able to start visiting the homes of all the members of the core group. Driving back from one of those visits, another lightning storm sprung up in the beautiful badlands of North Dakota. Then suddenly, another lightning strike hit the ground within 10 feet of our car. Dirt flew up everywhere, and the boom sounded like a gunshot. We were told that Dickinson was booming, but this was not what we expected. All my wife and I could do was laugh. We laughed about it and all that had happened to us since we arrived the rest of the car ride home.

Suddenly the idea of starting a new mission in the booming town of Dickinson, N.D., seemed less scary. We knew we had God on our side, who could work out the expected and the unexpected booms for our good. We have a God who has the power to calm any storm, and that is the God that Amazing Grace Lutheran Church gets to share with the people of Dickinson, N.D. God be praised!

Written by Rev. Joel Prange, home missionary at Amazing Grace Lutheran Church in Dickinson, N.D.

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Family ties

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Santo Tomás Lutheran Church is a congregation that serves the Hispanic community in Phoenix, Ariz. It is “family ties” that have brought many people to walk through the doors of our church. This personal invitation from one family member to another to hear the good news that Jesus is their Savior continues to be an integral part of our ministry. “La familia es todo” (Family is everything), was the quote I remember one of our church members sharing with me. What this member was really stating was how important those ties are; as witnessed in the case of Irma and her relatives.

It was 2011 when I first met German (Hehr-mahn) and his family. It was German’s sister, Irma, who introduced them to me. At the time, he and his wife Dallana (Dah-yah-nuh) had three young girls who were not baptized. They were not church going people even though they both grew up in Catholic families. Irma, a member of our church, invited them to accompany her one Sunday so they could hear and understand better what we preach and teach. At first, they did not show much interest as the weeks and months went by. I decided to call them again to see how they were doing. They told me they wanted to baptize their three young daughters. We met at church along with the padrinos (godparents) to discuss how God blesses us through his wonderful sacrament of baptism. On December 24 of that same year, during a special afternoon service, we baptized their three daughters.

German and his family continued to visit our church as their Christian family ties began to grow with fellow believers from Santo Tomás. In 2021 we decided to restart our new youth Catechism classes. I visited German and Dallana to invite them to enroll their daughters in class; they accepted. German also extended an invitation to his sister Mariela to encourage her and daughter to also begin classes. For over a year, Mariela, German and Dallana sat together learning about God’s love while at the same time their children were taking Catechism classes and learning about their Savior.

This journey of faith for German, Dallana and Mariela, all members of the same family, began with a simple invitation from a relative. It was Irma who understood their spiritual need, and more importantly, that family ties have deeper meaning when it involves God’s grace offered freely through faith in Jesus their Savior.

On August 28, 2022, German, Dallana and Mariela were received as communicant members of Santo Tomás. God is good! In October of this year, their four children will also be confirmed along with nine other students from the Catechism class of 2022.

Irma never expected that her personal invitation to her brother German and his family ten years ago would lead to seven relatives being brought into Santo Tomás’ family to grow with fellow brothers and sisters in their saving faith. In the end it really comes down to the fact that by God’s grace, “La familia en Cristo es todo,” (the family in Christ is everything).

Written by Rev. Tom Zimdars, home missionary at Santo Tomás Lutheran Church in Phoenix, Ariz.

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Reaching souls with 100 new home missions

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“Go.” It begins with that one word from our Savior as he sends us to carry out the mission he has given us. He wants us to go to our families, to our friends and co-workers, to our communities, and, in fact, to all the world.

But going is not enough. It’s what he gives us to take along when we go that is at the heart of that mission. He sends us to go with a message—a lifechanging and soul-saving message—of a Savior who came to this world to rescue people from guilt, despair, and eternal death. “Go . . . and preach the gospel!” (Mark 16:15).

At our synod’s convention in 2021, delegates heard about an ambitious proposal to further the spread of the saving gospel. Rev. Mark Gabb, chairman of the WELS Board for Home Missions, outlined a plan to establish 100 new home missions and enhance 75 existing ministries in 10 years. It was a breathtakingly ambitious idea, but it was one that the delegates of the convention endorsed without hesitation. Since that convention, the Board for Home Missions has been working to develop plans and strategies for accomplishing that goal—a goal we know can only be reached with the blessing of our gracious God.

Through the collective efforts of WELS and all our congregations, members, and affiliated ministries, we want to aggressively reach lost souls. Here’s how you can help:

Pray: This is no small thing. Pray that the Lord of the church would provide workers. Pray for our WELS Home Missions leaders, our home missionaries, and our worker training schools as they recruit and train future missionaries. Pray that the Lord provides us with the financial support needed to do the work.

Get Involved: Talk with your district mission board to see what you or your congregation might do to get involved in this synodwide church planting effort. Encourage young men and women in your church to consider full-time ministry. Ask your pastor to keep our synod’s work in your congregational prayers and provide updates on a regular basis.

Give: You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was rich, yet he became poor so that through his poverty we might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). God’s generosity has resulted in the riches of forgiveness, peace, joy, and hope. Let that move you to give generously to your local congregation, to your synod through your church, and to this initiative.

The 100 Missions in 10 Years effort is not about numbers and statistics. Rather, it is simply a concerted effort to boldly take the gospel to people in new locations throughout the country. And when the gospel is preached and proclaimed, the Holy Spirit works in his way and in his time to build his church. Learn more at wels100in10.net.

Serving him,
WELS President Mark Schroeder

 

See how home missions can impact souls

 

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Together Video Update – September 13, 2022

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Foundation, Folsom, Calif., is a WELS home mission that was determined to gather for worship, leading members to embrace “worship without walls.” Hear from Home Missionary David Koelpin about how this ministry began and how it’s developing.

 

 

 

 

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His plans are best

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This past May I graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and was assigned to a mission restart at Calvary in Canyon Country, Calif. That was a surprise! I thought for sure I was staying in the Midwest. I assumed that I was the only student in my class who indicated that cold weather and snow don’t bother me at all. I figured I would be assigned accordingly. But the Lord knows best, and his plans were better.

I received a call to a place that is far removed from snow and freezing temperatures, and it is wonderful! I made the 2,000-mile trek from my home in Wisconsin to California, where I fell in love with my new home almost as soon as I moved in. The beauty of southern California is vast, and there is endless opportunity to enjoy God’s creation here.

Even better though, are the people at Calvary, the greater Santa Clarita area, and California in general. In my two months at Calvary, I have met numerous people who want to help and offer their advice and guidance as I make the transition from the Midwest to the Southwest. I have found people at Calvary and in Canyon Country who are truly warm, welcoming, and caring. Canyon Country already feels like home!

It has been somewhat challenging for me, a brand-new pastor, to navigate church life, Home Missions, and my district mission board. I’d be lying if I told you I’ve got this all down. But God blesses his workers and puts many individuals in their lives to offer assistance. Members of our core group at Calvary are always asking what they might do to help or who they can contact to find answers. The district mission board, mission counselors, Home Missions office, and pastors in my district have also proven to be a valuable resource to orient me to mission work and navigate various boards in our synod. These people are truly blessings from God and have helped me adapt to my new setting.

Our efforts at Calvary these last few months have been blessed and made to prosper by our God. Our core group continues to meet around God’s Word and Sacraments so that we might be strengthened and encouraged for our work in Christ’s Kingdom. We continue to grow in our faith, plan for our future, and are even finding opportunities to share the love of Jesus with our friends, neighbors, and community. God be praised for his many blessings the last few months!

Written by Rev. Barton Cox, home missionary at Calvary Lutheran Church in Canyon County, Calif.

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Backpacks and Burgers in Kalispell, Montana

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July 23, 2022. 10:00 a.m. The grill is heating up. Everything is ready to go for Backpacks and Burgers in Kalispell, Mont. People start walking past our pavilion in the park, and the core group kicks into gear. “Good morning! We’re North Valley Lutheran Church, and we’re here trying to show some love for our community. We’ve got backpacks. We’ve got burgers. We have face painting and crafts. Come on in and take a look around!” We’ve come a long way to get to this pavilion in the park.

Our work in northwestern Montana really began over ten years ago. A group of WELS members who had moved to Kalispell reached out to the pastor at Living Savior in Missoula. Missoula is 100 miles away from Kalispell, but out here in Montana, that’s the closest WELS church they could find. From that point on, the pastor from Missoula would drive up once a month to lead a worship service with Holy Communion.

Kalispell has changed a lot in the last ten years. The secret of Montana’s natural beauty has gotten out, and people are moving in. The latest United States census identified Kalispell as the fastest growing “micropolitan” area in the country. The city council is constantly approving new housing developments. Old hotels are being torn down and replaced with apartment complexes. In all of this, God has given us an opportunity!

Over the last couple years, the core group has intensified its efforts. The group meets for weekly worship in a hotel conference room. They also meet online for midweek Bible Study. I drive up two Sundays a month with one overnight stay so that I can spend Monday connecting with prospects. There have been challenges. When the next closest WELS church is 100 miles away, it can feel isolating. But God’s blessing has been immense. Last summer, we welcomed volunteers from four different congregations across the state of Montana for a weekend of canvassing. This summer, a dozen teens came from the Twin Cities to help advertise for Backpacks and Burgers. And it was an absolute joy to see the results that God brought about!

At our pavilion in the park, we gave away 40 backpacks and 80 burgers. We had a chance to welcome all kinds of different people. Fifteen new families expressed interest in learning more about our church. These families are not only from Kalispell, but also from nearby Whitefish and Columbia Falls. Some are new residents to Montana. Others have been here their whole lives, but have never been connected to a church. Still others have been attending big mega-churches, but are looking for a place where they won’t be overlooked – a place where they will be served with God’s Word. What a privilege we have to introduce these people to their Savior!

Way out here in Montana, we are so thankful for the prayers and the support of our brothers and sisters across the country. We are thankful for our partnership in the gospel. As our synod begins its ambitious goal of 100 Missions in 10 Years, we are praying that Kalispell, Mont., will be part of it. Next time you’re planning a vacation to Glacier National Park, make sure you keep Sunday afternoon open. We’ll be so happy to see you.

Written by Rev. Noah Willitz, pastor at Living Savior in Missoula, Mont.

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WELS Missions – 2022 Impact Report

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Therefore go and make disciples of all nations. . .

Matthew 28:19

God is blessing the efforts of WELS Home, World, and Joint Missions in amazing ways! Your prayers and gifts are making a difference in communities across the U.S. and around the world; we are grateful for your generosity.

Here are some ways your gifts are being used to share the good news of the gospel.

HOME MISSIONS

  • Five new churches were approved in Windsor, Colo.; Wichita, Kans.; Canton, Ga.; Conroe, Tex; and Lodi, Wis. Home Missions also approved enhancements or unsubsidized mission status at seven other locations. Learn more at wels.net/newstart.
  • Campus Ministry provides over 30 campus ministries with financial support and assists hundreds of other congregations in their campus ministry outreach.
  • Plans and preparations are being made to plant 100 new home mission churches and enhance 75 existing ministries from 2023-2033. Learn more at wels.net/100in10.

WORLD MISSIONS

  • Two missionaries are beginning ministry in London this year.
  • Over 500 worldwide gospel ministers are proclaiming the Good News, and more than 90 additional men have graduated from worker training programs this year alone.
  • Building of the theological education center in Vietnam has begun.
  • Plans are being made to welcome a synod in Uganda and an international synod in Latin America into WELS fellowship at the 2023 Synod Convention.
  • Nine new missionary positions have been approved.

JOINT MISSIONS

  • The Pastoral Studies Institute (PSI) is working with One Teams around the world and providing theological training to immigrants in the U.S. for service to their people groups.
  • Mission Journeys provides opportunities for volunteer trips to WELS mission fields at home and abroad.

Praise God for his mercy and grace and thank YOU for your prayers and support! There is always more work to do, and we are grateful for your continued partnership. Pray for God’s blessing on his Church. Share God’s grace and forgiveness with others you meet. Ask God to give us strength to serve others with love.

Learn more at wels.net/missions and like us on Facebook at fb.com/WELSMissions

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Impactful relationships

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Depending on how you count, Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs make up about 10-20% of the population of the Greater Toronto area. That’s almost two million people! That percentage is even higher in Mississauga, which has a particularly high population of Muslims. As you can imagine, they are a very difficult population to reach with the good news of Jesus. They don’t respond to typical evangelism programs, law/gospel presentations, etc. They are conditioned to be polite but skeptical of Christians, expecting them to “just try to convert them.”

That is because, much like many Christians in the West, our affluent and entertainment-saturated culture has caused many austere believers in Islam or Hinduism to soften their beliefs into simply “cultural” faith. That means they don’t believe much of what their religions teach, but they also don’t want to convert to Christianity because to them Christianity is a culture, not a religion. Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean believing in Jesus as much as it means to stop being Saudi, Iranian, Pakistani, Indian, etc., and become Western/Canadian. Therefore, we cannot bring them to Jesus with simple presentations of the gospel. They see that as close to racism against their culture. Our only chance is long-term relationship investment.

That’s what is happening with Priyanka. Her name is changed, and she isn’t pictured to hide her identity. She is an immigrant from Bangladesh whose husband cheated on her, left her, but because of their culture and religious background, still “owns” her in a sense. Her fear of him is why her identity is hidden. And yet, despite all that, her culture makes it very hard for her to accept that Christianity may have something to offer her.

My wife has been regularly meeting her to take her to the doctor, have her over to make Biryani (a Bangladeshi staple) together, take her grocery shopping, or just keep her company. She is naturally resistant to Christianity, but after almost two years of meeting with her, she agreed to receive a Bible in Bangla, her native tongue, and has come to our house once for a Bible study. She is not a Christian yet, but this is the kind of long-term work that allows people from these cultures and religions to even listen to the gospel.

Missionary Caleb Schultz and his wife Johannah

But this is not limited to people of Middle Eastern or South Asian background. This is becoming more and more true of the non-immigrant population as well. Those who grew up in a Christian culture are also increasingly seeing the church as a social/culture club where people try to get you to behave differently. This has moved our congregation to a model of relationally expensive outreach. Investing in people over time, not to convert them, but just because Jesus loves them. That means expecting that it will take years in some cases for people to know Jesus. But in the end, those people will know a Jesus who didn’t just give them a set of beliefs or culture, but brought them into his life through his body, the Church.

You can do this too. Many white people are intimidated to engage immigrant populations (I was too!), but they really ought not to be. Invite them over for dinner. Ask them about their culture or homeland. Be the type of person they want to call first when something goes wrong in their life, because inevitably something will, and you will have an answer (Jesus!) that is far better than any other.

Pray for this woman and us as we try to reach the many people groups of our city.

Written by Rev. Caleb Schultz, home missionary at, Cross of Life, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

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Home mission milestones – Summer 2022

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Home mission congregations celebrate a variety of milestones as they grow and develop into self-supporting congregations. We celebrate with them and praise God for growing his church!

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Philippians 4:4

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, Fayetteville, N.C.

On June 4, home mission congregation Beautiful Savior in Fayetteville, N.C., was finally able to hold an open house for their community after dedicating their new worship facility in August 2021. The weekend was filled with food, games, a bounce house, and worship on Sunday.

We thank God for the 80-plus individuals who attended and the opportunities for many more to be reached with the gospel through the mission work being done at Beautiful Savior.

 

The Shore Lutheran Church, Parrish, Fla.

Another home mission congregation has officially opened its doors to the community for public worship! The Shore in Parrish, Fla., held their first public worship service on June 5 at a rented golf clubhouse.

We thank the Lord for this new gospel outpost, and we pray that the Holy Spirit continues to touch hearts through the Word that they proclaim into their community!

 

Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Candelas, Colo.

On June 27, Shepherd of the Valley closed on a five acre piece of land where they will build their church building. WELS Church Extention fund provided the loan and a matching land grant totaling $610,000. We thank God for this exciting next step as Shepherd of the Valley continues to reach out into their community with the gospel.

 

 

 

Please keep these home missions in your prayers as they continue to share the pure message of the gospel with more people in their communities. To stay connected with these and the other 141 home mission congregations scattered throughout the United States, Canada, and English-speaking West Indies, follow WELS Missions on Facebook at fb.com/WELSMissions.

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The story of open and closed doors

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The circumstances change, but the gospel will not be chained. Join us in praising God for open doors. Join us in pleading for an open door for his message of salvation to our English speaking community, our Hmong brothers and sisters, and our new Hispanic mission.

And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ.

Colossians 4:3

An open door for the message of Christ . . .

Was it on the hearts of the St. John German community as they built their first church in 1871? Maybe that is why they built a church that seated 1800 people. We can imagine the prayers of desperation when their church building was condemned in 1961, when they had to decide how to move forward as a congregation on the corner of Hope and Margaret.

Did they hold their children close and pray when they opened a Lutheran Elementary School in which those children would bask in the beauty of the gospel? When a partnership was formed with Immanuel Hmong, were prayers of joy offered? Prayers for more open doors? And when the Hmong community mourned the loss of its pastor, there must have been prayers about the door.

God provided a new pastor from within the group, and there were prayers of thanksgiving about the door. Did they throw themselves on trust and pray that a door would open for the message when they had to close their school doors in 2017? When they entered into a three year vacancy, did they pray for open doors?

Through three vacancy pastors they praised God for holding open those doors. Covid literally closed the doors. Covid figuratively closed doors. Did they pray for the doors to reopen?

A humble servant came asking for a corner in which to meet with Spanish-speaking families she met through New Life Pregnancy Center. She needed a couple of classrooms where she could proclaim the mystery of Christ. Did they pray for open doors even as they unlocked the empty school’s doors?

The community center next-door asked to rent rooms through which members of the surrounding community would walk. They wanted to help with physical and emotional needs. They needed keys to the door. And St. John prayed that doors would open for the gospel.

A community garden is planted behind the church. A place to connect with the neighborhood without the need of a door. And another open door. Standing before the next open door and . . . a new awareness of how the community is changing.

A visit from our synod’s Hispanic Outreach Consultant, Rev. Tim Flunker. Demographics and interviews. Encouragement from the District President. A new ministry plan. An application for support from WELS Home Missions. A call list of bilingual pastors. Approval. A six week call deliberation. A road trip across the country. And a new pastor behind those parsonage doors. A hot installation afternoon. A tiny breeze through the open church doors. The fervent prayer for more open doors. A call to you, brothers and sisters in Christ. A plea to you, partners in the Lord’s vineyard. We ask of you, who already stand inside the Church . . .

Pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ.

Actually, since Christ has opened the door for bold prayers, ask that God would open not doors but floodgates; that many may find peace and salvation through the mystery of Christ as they walk through our doors on the corner of Margaret and Hope.

Written by Jennifer Otto, wife of Rev. Timothy Otto who recently was installed as bi-lingual pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in St. Paul, Minn.

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NEW Long-Term Volunteer Opportunities

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Jesus gave the Great Commission to the Church saying, “go and make disciples of all nations.” Christians throughout the millennia chose different ways and methods to carry out our Savior’s command. Starting in Acts, churches saw the need to send missionaries to reach people with the gospel. In WELS, members partnered together to start churches throughout the United States and to send missionaries to many parts of the globe. WELS Home Missions, seeing the great need for the gospel, continues to plant new churches in hopes of the Holy Spirit reaching more souls for God’s Kingdom.

WELS Mission Journeys, under the leadership of WELS Home Missions, is starting a pilot program to give more individuals the opportunity to share their faith through a long-term volunteer opportunity. Mission Journeys wants to place mission-oriented individuals in strategic locations to assist in forming and developing quality core groups, the building blocks in starting new home missions. A core group is the local group that does the work of meeting, praying, outreach, planning, and evangelism.

We’re looking for individuals that love Jesus and can communicate that love with other people. They’ll need patience, flexibility, and a spirit of adventure. This would be a tent ministry, where the individual would have a job outside of the ministry to support themselves. This could include remote work, a local job, or some combination. Mission Journeys, as a part of this pilot project, will work with the individual for possible financial assistance in moving or other expenses.

Current opportunities include:

  • Bentonville, Arkansas: Bentonville is the home of Walmart, a corporation investing heavily in the community to provide a higher quality of life. The economy is booming for jobs in all job markets. The core group consists of four families.
  • Idaho Falls, Idaho: Idaho Falls is located on the western side of Teton National Park. Idaho Falls is a fast-growing area and a hub for the surrounding area. The core group consists of three families.

WELS Home Missions provides each location with a proven plan on starting. Each location has a home mission counselor to assist in planning and coordinating ministry ideas. The core groups also worship with a pastor twice a month. This pilot program is designed to give an individual with a heart for missions the opportunity to work on the ground floor of a mission start.

For additional information, please contact Mission Journeys Coordinator, Shannon Bohme, at shannon.bohme@wels.net or 651-324-4218.

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Faces of Faith – Merle

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I was walking our dog through the neighborhood, and out walked this nice man with a cross in his hand and a smile on his face. It was the first time I met Merle. I knew I didn’t want it to be my last as I returned home with my new gift: a handmade wooden cross. After 92 years, Merle still didn’t have anyone to share in learning about what our Savior does for us. Because of our new home mission, we can keep sharing our God-given faith of our eternal life to come. It’s the same reason Merle continues building wooden crosses in his garage. Together, we let our lights shine. You never know how God is going to use us to connect others to his life-saving word, just as he did for Merle.

From Hans Thomford, home missionary at Amazing Grace Lutheran Church in Amarillo, Tex.

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