Tag Archive for: Together07092024

LWMS meets in South Dakota for annual convention

“We are here tonight, and we are here this weekend to remember and to rejoice again that God too has a long-range building plan. And that includes me and you and every single person that our ministries might touch.”

Rev. Jonathan Schroeder from Sharpsburg, Ga., set the tone for the 61st annual convention of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society (LWMS) in Sioux Falls, S.D., with those words from his sermon in the convention’s opening service.

More than 1,000 people gathered for the opening service. Among them was Paula Pease from Maitland, Fla. Attending her first convention, Pease noted, “The opening service was just phenomenal. Hearing a thousand people singing was just very—I’m going to say it—inspiring.”

This year’s convention theme was “Being Built into a Spiritual House.” Attendees learned about the expanding outreach by One Europe and Native Christians Network mission teams.

Conifer Berg presented information on his work as a missionary to the United Kingdom. He explained the importance of attending the convention—his first: “Our church is a group of maybe 70 people, and they feel really alone. So, I think for them to know that there are 1,000 people in this room who believe the same things they do, it’s huge! It’s like we’re not doing this ministry alone. It really is everything to have that support.”

“The convention,” Berg said, “is such a warm event. It’s like a big hug.”

In addition to world missionaries, home missionaries also shared experiences on outreach in Brandon, S.D., and West Des Moines, Iowa.

Workshops included: The Impact of Indigenous Art and Music on Missions, Trends in Engaging Your Community, Navigating Changes with an Unchanging God, The Real Missionary Wives—A Panel of Current and Former Missionary Wives, and a special Zoom presentation: The Lord Is With You, Mighty Warrior from a missionary in Boston, Mass.

Jacky Stoll from Oconto Falls, Wis., the current president of LWMS, marveled, “How amazing it is to hear from the missionaries in the field, engage with them and their families directly, and network with fellow believers from all over the United States and really the world!”

Convention highlights included the presentation of more than $100,000 to support WELS Home and World Missions projects and an opportunity to hear about the latest developments from WELS Home and World Missions administrators. In addition, the LWMS kids c.a.r.e. program received more than $43,000 in 2023-24 to support annual retreats for children of world missionaries who assimilate back to American culture.

For Mary Watson of Tucson, Ariz., the convention did more than inform her about missionaries who serve where she cannot go in person. She remarked, “What impressed me was just how many missions there are and how many of them just start with a single person connected with another single person, and—maybe that’s what I need to learn more about—making connections with other people in my everyday life. You just don’t know where that’s going to end up.”

The 62nd annual LWMS convention is scheduled to take place June 26-29, 2025, in Tulsa, Okla.

View additional photos:
LWMS 2024

The Word of the Lord grows—from Hong Kong to New Zealand

The South Asian Lutheran Evangelical Mission (SALEM) is a sister church body comprised of ten congregations located in Hong Kong. This week, five members of SALEM visited our synod’s headquarters in Waukesha, Wis. They had attended the Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society convention and now were visiting various WELS sites in Wisconsin.

What made this visit especially interesting was the report this group shared about a new mission effort in New Zealand. Since 2020, about two dozen members of SALEM moved from Hong Kong to New Zealand. With the help of SALEM, they formed a new mission congregation called SALEM New Zealand Lutheran Church. In the three years since, their group has grown to about 40 Chinese-speaking members. They joyfully described the blessings of their fellowship in this new land, and they were very excited to be sharing the gospel with other Chinese-speaking people there. SALEM will be continuing its support of SALEM New Zealand in the coming years.

The WELS Board for World Missions has provided some modest funding to support their effort. In addition, Missionary Matt Doebler, located in Thailand, will also be providing additional guidance and encouragement to this group.

This is a beautiful reminder that our sister church bodies around the world are not content to keep the gospel for themselves but are also dedicating time and resources to take the gospel to new places and new people.

To get a small glimpse of their faith and mission zeal, you can watch a brief video introducing you to these brothers and sisters in Christ.

Serving with you in Christ,
WELS President Mark Schroeder

 

Teens gather for 2024 WELS International Youth Rally

From June 25-28, WELS teens had the opportunity to worship together, learn and study God’s Word together, grow in faith and fellowship with one another, as well as enjoy recreation and entertainment at the 2024 WELS International Youth Rally. Around 2,200 teens and 600 adults convened at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo. This was the second largest rally ever, second only to the 2005 rally in Orlando, Fla.

The rally started Tues., June 25, with an opening worship service in the evening. Wednesday and Thursday were packed with keynote speakers, small group workshops, and excursions. After closing worship on Friday morning, it was time for everyone to head home.

Rev. Donn Dobberstein, director of discipleship, the area of ministry that holds the event, said, “Keynotes and breakouts were practical and relatable. To sum up what I heard from others regarding the two keynotes—the speakers, their stories, and the Scriptures on which their presentations were based connected with our heads and hearts. Most importantly, they pointed to and connected young hearts and heads with Christ.”

Rev. Dr. Phil Huebner, campus pastor at Wisconsin Lutheran High School, Milwaukee, Wis., along with a panel of high school students, presented the first keynote, titled You Are Not Alone! The teens who joined him shared their own journeys filled with mountains and valleys and how God, Christian friends, and family supported them.

“I was really looking forward to speaking to WELS teens because I know how much they are hurting and suffering in very challenging times, and I viewed it as an absolute privilege to be able to encourage them with the message that they are not alone,” says Huebner. “I hope that the teens clearly understood that, most importantly, they are not alone in what they are going through because Jesus is with them every step of the way. Secondly, in Christ we have a family of brothers and sisters, and there are many teens who are going through the same things they are. We can look for opportunities to encourage one another as we find strength in Christ and fellow Christians.”

Rev. Alex Groth, Beautiful Savior, Cincinnati, Ohio, presented the second keynote, titled Certainty from the Mountaintop. Groth says, “When I accepted the invitation, it struck me how important it would be to put a spotlight on God’s grace to this giant gathering of young people. Our culture is pulling them in a million directions, and most of those directions are dangerous. Having a chance to talk about Jesus and the means of grace felt like both a great privilege and a serious responsibility.”

He continues, “I pray that those who heard my presentation first understood the importance of clinging to the means of grace and, second, grasped the reality that our time on earth can be so short. We aren’t guaranteed a certain amount of time on this earth. Therefore, let’s focus on both hearing God’s Word for our own eternal benefit and sharing it with those who haven’t heard it yet.”

Throughout Tuesday and Wednesday, the attendees had a variety of small group workshops to choose from, with topics ranging from tips on how to study the Bible, apologetics, outreach through creating a community and relationships, and Christian vocation.

While in Fort Collins, attendees had the opportunity to enjoy optional recreational activities, including the popular whitewater rafting option, hiking, horseback riding, or the Fort Collins museum.

Mrs. Kris Snyder, event organizer, says, “The comment I hear over and over is how incredible it is to be with so many teens who face the same struggles but have the same hope in Jesus—that WELS teens from around North America get to be with so many other teens who all believe the same thing.” She adds, “Worship in that setting with 2,800 people is incredibly powerful. When do you get the chance to do that? When I heard the musicians, assembly, and choir all join to sing ‘Praise to the Lord, the Almighty’ at closing worship, it was overwhelming!”

View more photos from the event.