Tag Archive for: Together07212026

Endowment gifts open doors for gospel outreach

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This July, the Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society (LWMS) Legacy Endowment Fund and Rakow Endowment Fund provided approximately $20,000 to support the First Public Service Assistance project. Managed by WELS Foundation, the gift planning ministry of WELS, these endowment funds allow gifts made today to support ministry for generations to come. The funding helps new mission congregations reach their communities through direct mail, community outreach, follow-up, and other efforts that create a welcoming first impression and open the door to sharing Christ’s saving message.

“These dollars enable our missionaries to do things above and beyond what our budget allows for, and by doing this it helps them reach further into the community with the gospel,” says Mark Gabb, administrator of WELS Home Missions.

“At our first official service, this grant proved incredibly valuable in boosting conversations through a post-worship meal,” says Ross Chartrand, home missionary at Cornerstone, Bentonville, Ark. “It also enabled continued connections in the following weeks by providing quality follow-up gifts for our guests.” For some visitors, those first conversations become the beginning of a lasting connection to Christ and his church.

To learn more about how endowment gifts are helping bring the gospel to people who may otherwise never hear it, check out this video: Endowment Funds ā€“ WELS.

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WELS welcomes new director of communications

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Mr. Dan Nommensen, who had been serving as the synodā€™s director of communications, recently accepted a call to serve as a Christian giving counselor. His successor is Mrs. Carolyn Barsch. She began serving in her new position near the end of June.

Carolyn graduated in 2004 from Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee, Wis., with a bachelor of arts degree, specializing in graphic design. She also received a masterā€™s degree in strategic communications from Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich. Previously she worked in the Adult Discipleship office at the Synod Administration Building, Milwaukee; as a communication specialist at St. Marcus, Milwaukee; as director of communications at Wisconsin Lutheran High School, Milwaukee; and most recently as the creative services manager at the WELS Center for Mission and Ministry, Waukesha, Wis.

The duties of the director of communications include:

  • Advise the president, Conference of Presidents, and Synodical Council on communication opportunities and best practices.
  • Coordinate the development, consistency, and integrity of WELS communications across all platforms and ensure that all synodical communications accurately reflect the synodā€™s doctrines, values, and priorities.
  • Coordinate the creation, editing, and distribution of content for print, digital, video, and social media platforms, including Forward in Christ, WELS Connection, wels.net, Together and En Christo newsletters, Book of Reports and Memorials, Report to the Twelve Districts, and other key publications.
  • Serve as a spokesperson for WELS in dealing with the media.
  • Work with the president to prepare and distribute press releases.
  • Work with the Crisis Management Team, ensuring preparedness and response to sensitive issues.
  • Oversee the monitoring of WELS mentions on social media.
  • Support and advise communications strategies for special initiatives.
  • Collaborate to establish communication goals and messaging strategies for special events.

Carolyn is looking forward to her new role. ā€œI am humbled and honored to step into the role of director of communications at WELS Center for Mission and Ministry. I originally accepted the position of creative services manager for WELS Communication Services, but I kept seeing Godā€™s hand guiding me to consider the director role. I’m exactly where he meant me to be.”

We pray for Godā€™s blessings as she begins to serve.

Serving with you in Christ,

WELS President Mark Schroeder

 

 

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Synod leaders analyzing 2025 statistics

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The 2025 WELS Statistical Summary and Analysis is now available.

Annually, WELS churches self-report on membership, ministrations, and finances to help synod leaders measure WELSā€™ health as a church body. The report examines worship attendance, Bible study participation, congregational size, district data, and more. Because 2025 is a benchmark year, divisible by 5, the report looks more deeply at long-term patterns. It examines trends over 5, 10, 25, and even 50 years. That broader view highlights not only what has happened but also what has been slowly developing over time, providing valuable information as synod leaders plan for the future.

ā€œThat is why statistics can be useful,ā€ comments Rev. Jon Hein, director of WELS Commission on Congregational Counseling. ā€œThey do not define the church. Christ does. But statistics can help us see where the Lord is blessing us, where our assumptions need correction, and where our work needs renewed attention.ā€

Hein offers details and insights into the 2025 statistics in an article in the August issue of Forward in Christ. Visit forwardinchrist.net/2025-stats to learn more. Future communications about key findings and trends will be available at wels.net/stats.

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LWMS 2026 convention highlights

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More than 1,300 people gathered at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison, Wis., on June 25, for the opening worship service of the 63rd Annual Lutheran Womenā€™s Mission Society (LWMS) Convention. Michael Ewart, pastor at St. Peter-The CORE Campus, Appleton, Wis., used the convention theme, ā€œCast out your nets,ā€ to encourage worshipers to ā€œCast out your nets in your personal mission field, supporting those who go out in our place.ā€

Nine hundred seventy registered convention attendees learned about expanding outreach efforts in Kronenwetter, Wis., and Folsom, Calif., as well as world mission work in Africa and ministry among Native American communities.

Jean Lynch, a member of St. Peterā€™s, Eldorado, Wis., was attending her first LWMS convention. She remarked that ā€œEverybody says the conventions are wonderful, and I wanted to experience that.ā€

Convention speakers presented workshops on ā€œResurrection: Hope for a Church Starting Over,ā€ ā€œShining Christā€™s Light Across Borders,ā€ ā€œCultivating a Mission Atmosphere in Your Congregation,ā€ ā€œIn the Lionsā€™ Denā€”The Joy of Ministering to College Students,ā€ and ā€œA Bridge to the Gospelā€”Christ-centered Healthcare in Rural Kenya.ā€

One highlight was the presentation of nearly $106,000 to support WELS home and world mission projects. WELS Home and World Missions administrators shared updates on current and future mission work. Attendees also had opportunities to visit with missionaries and browse and purchase mission-related books and crafts.

This yearā€™s convention was at least the 20th convention that Shirley Derke, a member of Emanuel First, Lansing, Mich., has attended. She is the tour and transportation chair for next yearā€™s convention. Derke shared, ā€œWhat I love most about coming to conventions is hearing from people that are actually out in the field talking to the unchurched. It overwhelms me.ā€

And while LWMS is a womenā€™s organization, many men register and attend the convention each year. John Hall, a member of St. Paul, Brownsville, Wis., was attending his fourth convention. He says there is something for everyone. ā€œWe see things that work for other congregations and that gives us some ideas for evangelism.ā€

The 64th Annual LWMS Convention will be held in Lansing, Mich., June 24-27, 2027, hosted by the Mid-Michigan and Lighthouse Circuits. The theme of the convention will be ā€œSend Out Your Light and Your Truth.ā€

View photos of the event here: LWMS 2026 | Flickr

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