Tag Archive for: South Atlantic

The first Bible you ever meet

Do you remember your first Bible? Do you know where your first Bible is? Mine is an old study Bible that some relatives gifted to me at my confirmation. Throughout the years, the margins have accumulated helpful notes and comments, different dates of when I visited that same text, and other scribbles that have made this Bible mine. Itā€™s practically tethered to me and has logged thousands of miles crisscrossing different cities, states, and continents.

Have you ever thought that you might be the first Bible that someone meets? Not that you are the Way, Truth, or Life of Scripture, but that you might be the first look at what a justified, grace-filled Christian life looks like in the world? Why would that matter at all?

You may have seen some of the latest articles that tell us that more Americans arenā€™t going to church like they did even five years ago. Church shopping rates are down, but there are more people who are turning away because of what their churches in the past had done. They also feel happy and content to do what they are doing now. Whatā€™s more surprising is that more people are completely unexposed to what the gospel message actually is.

Itā€™s a real concern in my community. Trinity, Fla., is a place that was conceived under the idea that you could be ā€œborn, work, and dieā€ all in one place. As Iā€™ve learned, chatted, and had coffee with some of the people that live in our community, there is a growing resentment that ā€œthe people inside the church donā€™t act like Jesus would.ā€ To put a number on it: Trinity currently sees 71.6 percent of its community inactive in any faith community, up 10 percent in just five years. Or to put it another way: About three out of the ten people you see in your grocery aisle this coming weekend are connected to religion in some way. The other seven are unattached to the means of grace and the sacraments.

Something will fill that void. The spiritual needs today arenā€™t different than at any point in human history. There will always be a real need for relationships, forgiveness, justice, comfort, purpose, and salvation. Humanity needs to hear it. Godā€™s given us the message to speak to it.

As a home missionary in the United States, this excites me. We have a real opportunity to show Christian love to people who have no idea what it looks like. We are Christā€™s ambassadors, as though he is making an appeal through us!

With more people unexposed to what the gospel message is, we may have to be more proactive about going and showing what a redeemed life looks like rather than asking someone to come and see. One helpful pastor I know said, ā€œWhere is the most unlikely place you will find an unchurched person? Inside of a church.ā€

We often lament that this is a darkening and dimming world. That just means we need some lights to guide our way. That can happen through prayers for our worker training programs and for your pastors, but also for your brothers and sisters who are sitting in the seats of church along with you, that they may be bold in their witness of the gospel and unashamed of its message. Include yourself in that prayer too.

Because to someone youā€™ve never met or someone you know extremely well, you might be the first look of what living out the Scriptures actually is. So what are they reading?

Written by Rev. Ben Bitter, home missionary at Peace Lutheran Church in Trinity, Fla.





Little wins

ā€œTime!ā€ I called out. I glanced at my phone. It was 8:11 a.m. on a dark and grey January morning in Parrish, Fla. I smiled because we had just shattered our missionā€™s record for how quickly we wheeled all the tables out of the cafeteria and into the hallways at Parrish Charter Academy. They say, ā€œmany hands make light work,ā€ and that was proven true by eleven energetic Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary students who traveled all the way to Florida to help our mission achieve small but significant wins on the way to even bigger ones.

From there, the seminarians set up for Sunday worshipā€”placing chairs in neat rows, arranging the altar, setting up the speakers, rolling out the coffee cart, and preparing for our Mornings with Mommy program. Once the church setup was complete, they went outside to pick up trash around the campus. Just as they were finishing up, a familiar maintenance truck pulled in with a trailer attached.

A few weeks earlier, I had asked the schoolā€™s maintenance man, Kelvin, if there were any projects our church could help with around campus. He thought for a moment, glancing at the basketball courts, soccer fields, and playground. Then his eyes landed on a sad pile of rolled-up turf. Hurricane Miltonā€™s winds had ruined the turf around one of the playgrounds, and new turf had been installed in its place. The old turf still sat there, waiting to be removed.

ā€œWe can help with that,ā€ I had told him confidentlyā€”unaware of the muddy mess the recent rain would create or that Floridaā€™s infamous fire ants lay hidden beneath the turf.

That Saturday morning, the seminarians wrestled with the turf, mud clinging to their shoes and fire ants testing their patience. Meanwhile, inside, we welcomed families to our Mornings with Mommy session. By the time the seminarians finished, they were covered in mud and dotted with ant bites, yet still somehow eager to help with more.

After lunch, they helped us run a small sports camp for the community, where kids played football and basketball, leaving with Risen Savior water bottles and happy exhaustion. By the end of the day, we had connected with 17 familiesā€” families who, earlier, had likely never heard of our church.

One of the students asked me later how I thought the day went. I told him I was thrilled! As a brand-new church, itā€™s hard to measure success in the typical ways. For us, a win can mean simply meeting more people and letting them know weā€™re here. It can mean building relationships with families or showing Parrish Charter Academy that weā€™re not just tenants but partners, ready to serve and make a positive impact.

Of course, our ultimate goal is to see eternal winsā€”baptisms, confessions of faith, and a growing, thriving church. But those blessings often begin with smaller steps: a friendly conversation, a helpful hand, or an invitation to join us. Each of these little wins matters because they reflect Godā€™s love in action, planting seeds that he can grow in his perfect time.

Written by Rev. Benjamin Balge, home missionary at Risen Savior in Parrish, Fla.





Home mission milestones – fall 2023

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 churchā€™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 ā€œportable churchā€ 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 Rockā€™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 Graceā€™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 TheMissionā€™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.

 

 

Home mission milestones – Winter 2022/2023

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.