Tag Archive for: Taste of Missions

Moments with Missionaries – Timothy Bourman

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Rev. Tim Bourman shares an update from Sure Foundation Lutheran Church in Queens, N.Y. This year marks a big milestone for the congregation as it celebrates 25 years of mission work in New York. We ask that God bless them as they celebrate this milestone in October 2025 and continue to share the saving news of the gospel with a the wide range of nations, tribes, people, and languages. Hear more from Missionary Bourman about Sure Foundation, and save the date for this year’s Taste of Missions on June 14, 2025, at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wis.

P.S. – Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to watch even more videos from our missionaries in the upcoming weeks!

Taste of Missions 2025: Celebrating the gospel, sending new missionaries

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On Sat., June 14, WELS members are invited to gather at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, Wis., for Taste of Missions 2025ā€”a day to celebrate the spread of the gospel and the people called to share it.

At the center of the event is the 11:00 a.m. commissioning worship service, where five new missionaries will be formally sent out to serve in home and world mission fields. Itā€™s a powerful hour of praise and purpose that sets the tone for the entire day.

ā€œThis service is the highlight of the event,ā€ says Rev. Mark Gabb, administrator for WELS Home Missions. ā€œItā€™s a moment for all of us to gather, give thanks, and ask for Godā€™s blessing as these new missionaries begin their work.ā€

The men being commissioned at Taste of Missions this year are:

  • Mr. James Brandt, Asia-Oceania Team leader, Chiang Mai, Thailand
  • Rev. Jacob Borgwardt, Crossroads, Chicago, Ill.
  • Rev. Jacob Bitter, Pan de Vida, Garden Grove, Calif.
  • Rev. Ethan Schultz, Lamb of God, Williston, N.D.
  • Rev. Phillip Valdez, Abiding Savior, Killeen, Texas

After the service, attendees can enjoy ethnic cuisine from food trucks, live music from Latin American trio Elemencia, and fellowship with missionaries and mission supporters. Displays and activities for all agesā€”including a mission passport for kids and a high school poster contestā€”make this event an engaging experience for the whole family.

Afternoon presentations offer insights into mission fields around the world, including updates from Home and World Missions leaders and ā€œMoments with Missionariesā€ sessions. A live Q&A with the newly commissioned missionaries gives attendees the opportunity to hear directly from those stepping into new fields of service.

The entire event, including the commissioning service and afternoon presentations, will be livestreamed for those unable to attend in person.

General registration is $15 per person and includes food tickets. Children 13 and under attend for free. The worship service itself is free and open to all, with no registration required to attend.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to support mission work through the Taste of Missions offering. Two special projects this year include musical assistance grants for home mission congregations and theological education workshops for Nuer Sudanese leaders in Ethiopia. WELS Missions hopes to raise $20,000 in support of these efforts.

ā€œTaste of Missions is a time to celebrate what God is doing through his church,ā€ says Rev. Larry Schlomer, administrator for WELS World Missions. ā€œItā€™s a reminder that we are united in this workā€”and that each of us has a role to play in reaching the world with the gospel.ā€

Join the celebration. Send off the missionaries. Be part of the mission.

Visit tasteofmissions.com for full event details, to register, or to access the livestream.

 

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Moments with Missionaries – Erik Landwehr

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Missionary Erik Landwehr shares and update from Peridot Lutheran School on the San Carlos Reservation. Rev. Landwehr shares some goals the Native American mission team has for the mission field and the work being done to train Native American leaders through the Apache Christian Training School (ACTS) program. Hear more from Missionary Landwehr and save the date for this year’s Taste of Missions on June 14, 2025, at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wis.

P.S. – Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to watch even more videos from our missionaries in the upcoming weeks!

Moments with Missionaries – Mike Hartman

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Missionary Mike Hartman shares and update from the mission in London! London’s international population brings together a diverse range of religious beliefs and cultural backgrounds. Rev. Mike Hartman shares how his ministry is reaching communities across England and beyond, and and save the date for this year’s Taste of Missions on June 14, 2025 at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary.

P.S. – Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to watch even more videos from our missionaries in the upcoming weeks!

Moments with Missionaries – Craig Wilke

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Rev. Craig Wilke, home missionary at Sure Foundation Lutheran Church in Brandon, S.D., shares an update from their new worship facility. Through the support of WELS Home Missions and WELS Church Extension Fund, they have been in the progress of building a new church, which is just about complete. Hear more from Rev. Craig Wilke as he share more about the their new worship space and the ongoing work spreading the gospel in Brandon, S.D. and save the date for this year’s Taste of Missions on June 14, 2025 at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary.

P.S. – Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to watch even more videos from our missionaries in the upcoming weeks!

Moments with Missionaries – Lucas Bitter

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Rev. Lucas Bitter, home missionary at Intown Lutheran Church in Atlanta, Ga., shares an update from the South Atlantic region. Through the support of WELS Home Missions and by God’s grace, they found and purchased land near their current rental property to begin building a brand new church. Later this year, they hope to break ground and begin building a worship space where they can continue to share the gospel with those in their community. Hear more from Rev. Lucas Bitter about the work being done in Atlanta, Ga., and save the date for this year’s Taste of Missions on June 14, 2025 at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary.

P.S. – Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to watch even more videos from our missionaries in the upcoming weeks!

Moments with Missionaries – Mark Zondag

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Missionary Mark Zondag shares an update on the Asia Oceania Team’s work. Based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, he supports local congregations in reaching the lost. He continues collaborating with the Confederation of Lutheran Churches in Thailand to expand gospel outreach. Hear more from Missionary Zondag as he shares upcoming plans to continue their mission of sharing the good news with those in Thailand, and save the date for this year’s Taste of Missions on June 14, 2025 at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary.

P.S. – Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to watch even more videos from our missionaries in the upcoming weeks!

Moments with Missionaries – Jake Vilhauer

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Missionary Jake Vilhauer shares an update from his first few months as a world missionary on the One Africa Team. He spent time in both France and Cameroon learning the French language with plans to use the language for outreach in french-speaking African countries. The Vilhauers will return to Zambia soon to settle into their home and begin work with the rest of the One Africa Team. Hear more about the work in Africa from Missionary Jake Vilhauer, and save the date for this yearā€™s Taste of Missions on June 14, 2025 at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary.

P.S. – Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to watch even more videos from our missionaries in the upcoming weeks!

Moments with Missionaries – C.J. Fury

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Rev. C.J. Fury gives an update from new mission start, Living Stone Lutheran Church in Conway, Ark. He shares updates just eight months following his commissioning at Taste of Missions. He shares what it has been like to work with a core group, select a church name, find a worship facility, and begin Bible information classes. Hear more from Rev. C.J. Fury about the work being done in Conway, Ark., and save the date for this yearā€™s Taste of Missions on June 14, 2025 at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary.

P.S. – Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to watch even more videos from our missionaries in the upcoming weeks!

Moments with Missionaries – Caleb King

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Rev. Caleb King shares an update of the work being done at Divine Savior Church in Celina, Tex.. The church launch public worship in September 2024. Along with continuing weekly worship, they have a kid’s ministry, confirmation, and membership classes. Learn more about the work of Divine Savior Church at divinesaviorchurch.com/dscncc and about WELS Home Missions at wels.net/homemissions. Save the date for our Taste of Missions event on June 14, 2025, in Mequon, Wis.

P.S. – Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to watch even more videos from our missionaries in the upcoming weeks!

Moments with Missionaries – Matt Behmer

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Missionary Matt Behmer shares an update of the work being done by the One Latin America Team. The team works with a ministry called Academia Cristo that connects with people online and trains them in God’s Word. Additional training and in-person visits are conducted by the team guiding the students towards the Church Planting Level, where the student is leading their own group. Learn more about the work of the One Latin America Team at wels.net/latinamerica and save the date for our Taste of Missions event on June 14, 2025, in Mequon, Wis.

P.S. – Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to watch even more videos from our missionaries in the upcoming weeks!

Join us at Taste of Missions on June 15

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Taste of Missions is less than two weeks away! Join us on Sat., June 15, at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wis., for a fun day of food, fellowship, and learning about WELS mission work. The event kicks off with a special worship service at 11 a.m. (Central) when we will commission nine new home and world missionaries:

  • Nathan Wagenknechtā€”Native Christians Network missionary
  • Peter Jankeā€”Missionary to Australia
  • Jake Vilhauerā€”One Africa Team missionary
  • Matthias Borgwardtā€”Peridot-Our Saviorā€™s Lutheran School, San Carlos Apache Reservation, Ariz.
  • Ben Bitterā€”Peace, Trinity, Fla.
  • Clayton Furyā€”New mission start: Conway, Ark.
  • Tristan Pankowā€”Living Shepherd, Laramie, Wyo.
  • Eli Steinbrennerā€”Good Shepherd, Plymouth, Wis.
  • Jacob Ungemachā€”New mission start: Cincinnati/Oakley, Ohio

All WELS members are invited to attend the commissioning worship service whether you register for the event or not! Doors open at 10 a.m. It will also be livestreamed at tasteofmissions.com/commissioning-service-2024.

By registering for the entire event, attendees will receive tasting tickets to three ethnic food trucks. Mingle with home and world missionaries and enjoy live music by a Latin American trio under the large outdoor tent. A kidsā€™ activity station will feature a bounce house, passport scavenger hunt, mission-themed activity booklets, and more. Enjoy Home and World Missions headlines, Moments with Missionaries presentations, and a Q&A with the newly commissioned missionaries during the afternoon presentations from 2-4:15 p.m. Thereā€™s something for the entire family to enjoy! Find all the details at tasteofmissions.com/event-details.

Canā€™t be there in person? Register as a virtual attendee to watch the events via livestream, view new on-demand video updates from other home and world missionaries, and try one of the new recipes posted on the website on June 15.

Registration is $15 per person, with children 13 and under attending for free. Or attend virtually for free! Learn more and register at tasteofmissions.com today.

 

 

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Taste of Missions starts July 11

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Taste of Missions starts this Sunday, July 11, and runs through July 17! Get to know our synodā€™s home and world missionaries and get a closer look at their mission work through short video updates, activities and recipes for the entire family, daily devotions, and multiple live events during which WELS members can come together online and interact with missionaries. Make sure to register for this free event at tasteofmissions.com!

Hereā€™s everything you need to know about Taste of Missions:

Join us for these live events

  • Sunday, July 11, 1 p.m. CT: Event kick-off and introduction from WELS Home and World Missions administrators
  • Tuesday, July 13, 7 p.m. CT: World Missions Q&A webinar (registration required)
  • Thursday, July 15, 7 p.m. CT: Home Missions Q&A webinar (registration required)
  • Saturday, July 17, 6 p.m. CT: Closing worship service, featuring the commissioning of five new missionaries immediately followed by a Q&A with new missionaries

Access the live events.

Watch on-demand video updates from missionaries

Enjoy daily video devotions from WELS Home, World, and Joint Missions representatives, and use the personal reflection questions provided as you consider how to be a missionary in your own backyard.

Get to know some of your synodā€™s 123 home missionaries and 44 world missionaries that are dedicated to sharing the gospel message around the globe in short Moments with Missionaries video updates.

Check out the on-demand videos.

Have fun with the entire family

Have you ever made Dal Bhat from Nepal? Tasted Pen Patat from Haiti? Savored Doro Wot from Ethiopia? Try your hand at making one or more of the ethnic recipes shared by missionary families and national church partners.

You can also get the entire family involved in learning about mission work through coloring pages, word searches, and more. By completing a Taste of Missions scavenger hunt (coming soon!), kids can be entered to win a Taste of Missions t-shirt, and weā€™ll mail all who participate a Taste of Missions sticker.

Join the activities.

Help us reach our offering goal

WELS mission work is happening in new communities in the United States and around the world every day. WELS Missions appreciates your prayers, special gifts, and congregational offerings. There is always a need to help the hurting, and together with Godā€™s blessing, we can do more.

As part of this yearā€™s Taste of Missions event, it is our goal to collect $25,000 in offerings to support future mission work. A generous group of sponsors has pledged to match every dollar up to $10,000! A gift of $100 will translate to $200 for ministry tomorrow, doubling your impact. This Taste of Missions offering will be divided evenly between Home and World Missions on July 31. Learn more about this special offering and how you can support it at tasteofmissions.com/give.

We are excited to join you as we connect with brothers and sisters in Christ from around the globe and learn how we can all play an important part in the gospel outreach occurring through our synod!

 

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