Tag Archive for: Northern Wisconsin District

Reaching the unreached souls in northern Wisconsin

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For Ann, Robert, Jennifer, Linda, Dave, Sue, Tom, Chris, Lisa, Dan, Andy, Nancy, Emily, Carol, Paul, Nick, Jace, Jon, Justin, Megan, Cheryl, Josh, Kathy, Gary, James, Kyle, Sophia, and Alice…

Why do we need another church in Wisconsin? What’s your church going to be like? How are you going to decide on a name? These are all legitimate questions. And I think I finally have a good answer: For Ann, Robert, Jennifer, Linda, Dave, Sue, and so on and so forth . . .

I just arrived at the new location the Lord has now placed me to share his Word – Kronenwetter, Wis. (think southeast Wausau, Wis. – east of Hwy 51, south of I 29, north of Hwy 153). For the first two weeks after the installation service on Sept. 15, I was welcomed into the homes of each family of our core group. We had a short devotion, got to know each other a little bit, and started sharing some initial gospel ministry thoughts of how to reach out to the unchurched in our target area.

I was also asked to conduct a couple of mission festivals in the area. During the sermon on Isaiah 6, I encouraged the congregations to work through the “Friends Who Need Jesus” diagram. It’s a common diagram that has been around for quite a long time, but every time I work through it, I think about another soul in my sphere of influence who doesn’t know about Jesus. And others were experiencing the same thing! (You should take 90 seconds and try it too!) In fact, several people gave me the contact information of their unchurched friend, relative, acquaintance, or neighbor who is living in our target area.

So I thought that would be a good way to start our first official meeting on Sept. 29. The group that gathered worked through the diagram. It didn’t take much effort ,and we filled the board with names! But they aren’t just names, are they? Those letters on the board indicate that there are dear souls in our area who need Jesus! And how can they believe in the one about whom they have not heard?

So right from the start, we were reminded why we need another church in Wisconsin and 99 other places as well. For Ann, Robert, Jennifer, Linda, Dave, Sue, Tom, Chris, Lisa, and Dan. We learned how we are going to pick a name and make all the decisions when it comes to starting this mission. For Andy, Nancy, Emily, Carol, Paul, Nick, Jace, Jon, and Justin. Because our synod is aggressively reaching lost souls, this will be another WELS congregation sharing God’s Word in its truth and purity for Megan, Cheryl, Josh, Kathy, Gary, and Lord-willing, many other souls who all need Jesus!

Written by Rev. Frederic Berger, home missionary at the new mission start in Kronenwetter, Wis.

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Tuning up before taking off

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What in the world is a mission enhancement? That was the first question on my mind after hearing about the details of my new call. Call Day at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary flew by in an instant, but that question stuck with me. I have heard of a new mission start . . . but an enhancement? That one was new.

Rev. Eli and Rachel Steinbrenner

When my wife, Rachel, and I got to our new home, it started to become more and more clear what it means to be a mission enhancement pastor. Unlike a new mission start, Good Shepherd already has a church building and a large core group of people. They even maintained regular worship throughout a long vacancy. The core group and I are eager to kickstart outreach efforts once again to take advantage of the gospel outreach opportunities the Lord is providing. As an enhancement, we have support from our District Mission Board, guidance from an experienced Mission Counselor, and some short-term financial support to help us get there.

In short, being a mission enhancement is all about tuning up before taking off. Because Good Shepherd has made so much progress earlier on, before the vacancy, many of the big projects to get a church going have already been checked off our list. Our goals over the next couple of months, and even years, are focused on updating how we do ministry, both for maintaining close-knit relationships and increasing fellowship as well as branching out and diving deep into outreach projects. But, before we hit the ground running, there are some preparations that need to be made beforehand.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have spent a lot of time getting to know the people whom I serve. I have had the opportunity to learn about the many gifts God has given them and the history that connects them to Good Shepherd and the community. On top of meeting my own people, I have been reaching out to our community’s leaders: other church’s pastors, local government, business owners, civil service personnel, etc. to get a better pulse as to what our community needs and how we can address those needs with our unique gifts and abilities.

In addition to doing information gathering, our District Mission Board is sending Rachel and I to a Church Planter Intensive specifically for mission enhancement pastors. The Church Planter Intensive is run by a group of home missionaries who have been in very similar situations as the one I am in. It is designed to help and instruct me on how I can use my gifts, the gifts of my people, and the information on my community to better serve my people and community. For a little under a week, Rachel and I will be learning from mission experts in Virginia and picking up a mentor along the way. The mentor will help give practical advice and encouragement as we “tune up” over the next two years.

This is all to say, mission work isn’t just outreach events and worship. There is a lot of learning and tuning that needs to be done before we can take off and make our ideas a reality. It has been a little overwhelming, but I am very thankful that there are so many people who support and encourage me throughout all of it. Praise be to God that there are thousands of people who pray for us and our ministry every day!

Written by Rev. Eli Steinbrenner, home missionary at Good Shepherd in Plymouth, Wisconsin.

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Home mission milestones – fall 2023

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WELS Home Missions has provided an update on a number of home mission congregations that experienced major milestones in fall 2023.

Christ the Rock Lutheran Church, Canton, Ga.

Christ the Rock in Canton, Ga., held its grand opening worship service on Nov. 12, 2023. God blessed the church’s outreach efforts with 60 in attendance, including 16 brand-new guests to Christ the Rock. Home Missionary Cale Mead and the core group set up and take down for worship at a local elementary school every Sunday using a “portable church” that can be stored in a trailer from week to week. A different home mission congregation, Living Hope in Chattanooga, Tenn., donated its old trailer to Christ the Rock after purchasing its own permanent facility.

View photos of Christ the Rock’s first public worship service and other home mission activities in the South Atlantic District in the Flickr album.

Amazing Grace Lutheran Church, Dickinson, N.D.

Amazing Grace, a home mission congregation in Dickinson, N.D., launched public worship on Oct. 15, 2023. It was blessed with 29 in attendance, 10 of whom were visitors invited by a family member or friend from Amazing Grace. Home Missionary Joel Prange serves this new mission church that was approved in 2021.

The following weekend, Oct. 22, Amazing Grace dedicated its new building space with members and pastors from area WELS congregations. Church members are currently worshiping in a rented ministry center in a new local market that they were able to customize to meet their ministry needs.

View photos of Amazing Grace’s new church and other home mission activities in the Dakota-Montana District in the Flickr album.

 

New Start, Marquette, Mich.

Rev. Joseph Lindloff was installed as the pastor for the new mission start in Marquette, Mich., on Oct. 8, 2023. This mission is one of the first new missions approved as part of the effort to start 100 missions in 10 years from 2023-2033. It had its first core group meeting on Nov. 5 with 24 individuals in attendance, including 5 prospects. The church prays to start a Bible information class in the new year.

View photos of the installation service and other home mission activities in the Northern Wisconsin District in the Flickr album.

 

TheMission – a Lutheran Church, Conroe, Tex.

TheMission, Conroe, Tex., launched its worship services on Aug. 6, 2023. Rev. Jeremy Mattek serves those at TheMission. They are currently worshiping in a rented funeral home on Sundays while working with a local architect to develop plans for a new sanctuary and site plan on land that they purchased.

View photos of TheMission’s launch service and other home mission activities in the South Central 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 145 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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Faces of Faith – Belniz

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How do you reach out cross-culturally when there is a language barrier? By seeing the barrier itself as an opportunity.

Jonatan Hernandez’ niece, Belniz, came to stay with family in an apartment complex in Appleton, Wis. The whole family is made up of immigrants from Guatemala. Belniz was set to start school in the middle of the year with hardly any knowledge of the English language. A neighbor, who happens to be a member of Eternal Love Lutheran Church in Appleton, wanted to help. She saw the language barrier as her opportunity. She drove Belniz to Bethel Lutheran Church in Menasha to talk to the Spanish-speaking pastors she was aware of but had never met. Two months later, when Jonatan and his family had just arrived from Guatemala themselves, she drove the whole group to Bethel’s Spanish service at noon on Sunday.

Jonatan and his family have no experience with Lutherans. Few of them speak any English at all. All of them are facing the daunting task of beginning a new life in a land that is utterly foreign to them. But because one lady was determined to be helpful and to leverage the language barrier as a meaningful ministry connection, Jonatan and his family have been welcomed to their new home by being brought before the Means of Grace in their heart language. Whatever comes of it, this is how outreach is supposed to work. Barriers are opportunities to show Christian love, which is universal.

From Ethan Cherney, home missionary at Bethel Lutheran Church in Menasha, Wis.

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