Two new musical arrangements of Divine Service, Setting Five (Luther’s Divine Service) premiered at the 2017 Institute on Liturgy, Preaching, and Church Music held July 25-28 at Concordia University, Chicago, in River Forest, Ill.

LCMS Worship was honored to sponsor the introduction of these two festival settings of the chorale service.

The first is a festival setting of Divine Service, Setting Five for small choirs. It was graciously commissioned by William and Nancy Raabe and composed by Jacob Weber. The festival setting is available for purchase from Concordia Publishing House.

Order Luther’s Divine Service: A Festival Setting for Small Choirs

The second is a festival setting of Divine Service, Setting Five for larger choirs. It was graciously commissioned by Hans and Marie Springer and composed by Jonathan Kohrs. This festival setting is also available for purchase from CPH.

Order Luther’s Divine Service: A Festival Setting for Large Choirs

New settings timely for Reformation 2017

Either of these festival settings would be especially appropriate for a congregation or circuit to use in celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation.

The Weber setting was the Divine Service at the Institute on July 25, and the Kohrs setting was the Divine Service on July 28.

LCMS Worship prays these sturdy hymns of the faith may be treasured for years to come in our congregations and schools.

Listen to July 25 premiere Listen to July 28 premiere

History of Divine Service, Setting Five

Divine Service, Setting Five uses classic Lutheran chorales as the form for the ordinary, following in the path of Luther’s famous Deutsche Messe (German Mass) of 1526 and in keeping with many of the liturgies found in the church orders of the 16th and 17th centuries.

In 1856, the Synod published an agenda for the congregations here in America, based on the Saxon order known as Herzog Heinrich (first published in 1539-40) that made use of this tradition.

This was put into English in 1881 as Church Liturgy for Evangelical Lutheran Congregations of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession, Synod’s first liturgy for English-speaking congregations, predating the publication of the Common Service.

A form of this service was published as late as the Liturgy and Agenda, last reprinted in 1936 just prior to the publication of The Lutheran Hymnal.

Lutheran Book of Worship, Lutheran Worship, and Lutheran Service Book all honor this tradition in Lutheran liturgy with the inclusion of a service that features these classic chorales.

Online:

• From the President: Rejoicing to confess

From the editor

My third-grade teacher told my class there were no bad questions. And I believed her — right up until I dared to ask when we’d ever use multiplication in real life anyway. The earful I received in response taught me that there are, in fact, bad questions. (Or at least that I had really, really bad timing.)

Faith genuinely wants to understand — not math perhaps, but the Scriptures, our Savior and the Christian life. Flip through the following pages to discover some theologically hard but never (thankfully!) bad questions.

It’s my hope that some of your burning questions will be answered and, better still, that your faith will be stretched and molded in the comfort Christ alone gives. That is never bad! (And as it it turns out, multiplication tables aren’t so awful either.)

Adriane Heins, Managing Editor
The Lutheran Witness
adriane.heins@lcms.org

P.S. This is my last issue as editor of The Lutheran Witness, as I rejoice to care for my husband and children in our home more fully. It has been a privilege to serve in this capacity, and I am grateful to each author, reader and letter writer. Your determination and pluck in pursuing holy things is humbling. Next month, you’ll meet the new editor, Rachel Bomberger — a wife, mother, writer and editor. Rachel appreciates the power and beauty of the written word, but I know her to love God and His Word greater still.

by Matthew C. Harrison

There is a fabulous Greek word, homologeo, which means to “say the same thing.” In the New Testament it is often translated as “confession” and encompasses three important aspects of the Christian faith:

1. The confession of sins. “If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 JOHN 1:9).
2. The confession of the content of the faith. “Whoever confesses me before men, I will confess before my father in heaven” (MATT. 10:32). This means to confess Jesus to be the Son of God, Savior of the world.
3. The confession of praise. “I confess [usually translated as “praise”] you Father …” (MATT. 11:25).

All three shades of meaning belong together.

If the strong confession of sin is missing, there is no real understanding of our urgent need for a Savior. Luther said that if a “mere man” were in the scale over against our sins, and not the Divine-human Son of God, we’d be lost. That’s a strong confession of who Jesus is. If we indeed confess our sins, but have no idea of the divine remedy for our sins in the doctrine of Christ — in justification (ROM. 3–4), reconciliation (1 COR. 5:19), Holy Baptism (1 PETER 3:21), Holy Absolution (JOHN 20:21–23), the Lord’s Supper (1 COR. 11:23–26), etc. — then we’d be in bad shape, prone to look for human remedies for sin. And oh, what wretches we are, indeed, if the recognition of our sin, of who Christ is for us, and of all He’s done for us don’t cause us to well up in praise and thanksgiving and yes, joy! (PHIL. 4:4).

From the beginning, Christ called forth a confession. “You, who do you say that I am?” Jesus asked his disciples (MATT. 16:15). From the beginning, there were departures from God’s Word that required a confession of the true faith.

The “ecumenical creeds” — the Apostles’, Nicene and Athanasian creeds (and Luther at one point throws in the Te Deum for good measure as a confession as praise!) — were the Church’s response to any rejection of the Bible’s teaching.

At the time of the Lutheran Reformation, a clear confession was required again. Our Lutheran Book of Concord is that confession. Salvation, according to the Bible, is a free act of divine grace. Salvation was achieved by Christ’s cross and resurrection and is delivered by the Word of the Gospel and by the sacraments. Faith alone lays hold of the gift. Christ alone is the way to salvation. The Bible alone is the source of all divine truth.

As Lutherans, we assert that it does not suffice to say simply “my confession is the Bible.” There’s hardly a religion in the sphere of Christianity, or even the most esoteric and non-Christian religion (e.g., the Jehovah’s Witnesses who deny the divinity of Christ, the Trinity, etc.) who don’t claim to confess the Bible. They all claim to use the Bible! But we as Lutherans confess the Bible as it is rightly understood — that is, the Bible as its own interpreter. We use reason, logic and grammar as servants, not masters of the biblical text. The Lutheran Confessions rightly set forth the teaching of the Scriptures. The Bible is God’s Word and is normative for us. The Lutheran Confessions (known most popularly in Luther’s catechisms) are a secondary authority which derive their authority from the Scriptures. By requiring public allegiance to the Book of Concord, all our congregations, all our church workers and all our institutions together confess, “Yes, this Book of Concord is a true confession of the teachings of the Bible. Because this is so, these confessions are normative for us.”

Church historian Hermann Sasse loved to point out that those who de-emphasized or ignored our public confession in the Book of Concord soon gave up the authority of the Bible, too! The Lutheran Confessions are a great benefit in many ways. They focus us on the Gospel of Jesus. They teach us that the messages of the Law and the Gospel are always relevant. They free us from human attempts to obtain divine merit by directing us to Christ alone. They clearly condemn false teachings that have arisen in the Church. They instruct us that the Lutheran Church is the catholic church gone right. They teach us that there is salvation also outside the orthodox Lutheran Church, for there is salvation wherever Christ is known and believed. The Book of Concord teaches that Lutherans are conservative, and that we retain worship and ceremonies so long as they don’t contradict the Gospel. They also teach that there is great freedom in matters of worship, but that such matters should be in the service of the Gospel, with great care to avoid offense. The Lutheran Confessions teach that Christ came for all people, and that the Lutheran Church as the Church of pure Gospel of grace in Christ is therefore a church about mission until Jesus returns.

I like to think of the Book of Concord as a beautiful pasture with hills and valleys and streams. It provides an untold number of places to graze for teaching, edification, consolation, comfort, surety, direction for living in Christ and more. But the pasture has a fence. Within the pasture, I may graze freely. I may freely think and come to fresh understandings of the biblical texts and teaching of the Church. But I may not step outside the fence, lest I fall into false teaching which threatens the Gospel. And that strong fence is also a protection for the grazing sheep. No congregation, no institution, no church worker, and especially no pastor, should presume to live and work within the confines of the pasture, if they knowingly reject the biblical teachings of our Lutheran Confessions.

In recent years, CPH has sold well over 100,000 copies of Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions — A Readers Edition of the Book of Concord.

Get a copy if you don’t have one already! You’ll find a wealth of helpful material in addition to the various confessions of the Lutheran Church. And you’ll find that your comprehension of the depth of our need and the greatness of Christ and His gifts will deepen and broaden and embolden your joyous praise of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

— Pastor Harrison

The Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison is president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

By Cheryl Magness

RIVER FOREST, Ill. — “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it” (Hab. 2:2).

More than 350 church workers and laypeople gathered July 25-28 at Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, Ill., to take part in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s triennial Institute on Liturgy, Preaching and Church Music.

For four days they studied, prayed and sang God’s Word while pondering the conference theme, “The Just Live by Faith: Make This Plain in Sermon, Service, Song.”

The Rev. William Weedon, director of LCMS Worship, said the theme was chosen in conjunction with the 500th anniversary of the Reformation: “We thought right away of the seminal text for Luther’s joyous Gospel ‘aha!’ That led us right to Habakkuk and there it was, staring us in the face.”

Serving as bookends to the conference were two new arrangements of Divine Service, Setting Five, which uses chorales in place of the ordinary, or regular, canticles of the liturgy.

Jacob Weber, cantor at Emmanuel Lutheran Church and School in Dearborn, Mich., composed a version suitable for congregations with smaller musical resources, and Jonathan Kohrs, assistant professor of music at Concordia, Chicago, composed one for those with more extensive resources.

Both versions are available for purchase from Concordia Publishing House ($65 each, plus shipping).

Making it plain in sermon, service and song

The “make it plain” theme was prominent throughout the conference, particularly in the three plenary addresses. The Rev. David H. Petersen spoke about making it plain in the preaching; the Rev. William M. Cwirla about making it plain in the liturgy; and Kantor Kevin Hildebrand about making it plain in music. (The plenary presentations will be posted online by LCMS Worship in September.)

The Rev. Dr. Daniel L. Gard, president of Concordia, Chicago, provided daily Bible study on the book of Habakkuk, noting that Habakkuk himself was a preacher, liturgist and musician.

Also featured were over 50 presenters teaching on such varied topics as acoustics; catechesis; children in church; engaging youth in music ministry; singing the psalms; instruments in worship; strategies for organists, choir and handbell directors; day school chapel; chanting; and bilingual worship.

There were also reading sessions enabling participants to experience new musical resources for organ, voices and instruments.

Serious study, serious fun

Not only was there serious study at this year’s institute, but serious fun as well.

A high point of the week was a concert by The National Lutheran Choir under the direction of David Cherwien. The program, “Una Sancta,” was an uninterrupted musical meditation on the work of the Holy Spirit, with applause held until the very end.

Selections ranged from Palestrina, Luther, Schütz and Bach, to Widor, Hogan, Orbán and Arnesen, celebrating the Spirit as the One who calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies and sustains the Church. In an insert to the concert book, LCMS Worship expressed its gratitude to Dr. Robert H. Duesenberg for his contribution to making this event possible.

There were also lunchtime recitals by organists Samuel Eatherton and Dr. Tom Mueller; multiple opportunities for worship, including Matins, Evening Prayer and Corporate Confession and Absolution in addition to the opening and closing Divine Services; and nightly Gemutlichkeit (“good cheer”) receptions underwritten by Lutheran Church Extension Fund, the LCMS Foundation, the Lutheran Federal Credit Union and MorningStar Music Publisher.

On the conference’s final evening, participants celebrated the hymn writing of Martin Luther in a festival that included adult and children’s choirs, brass, percussion and, of course, organ. The assembly joined in singing many beloved Luther hymns, including “Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice”; “Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord”; “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”; and “Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands.”

In addition, a lute and recorder trio added a medieval flavor to the assembly’s singing of “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come” — all 15 stanzas!

‘Beating heart of the Gospel’

In his greeting to conference registrants, LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison described the event’s theme of justification as “the beating heart of the Gospel … that prompted an explosion of song and renewal in worship . . . [that] reverberates to this day.”

That same reverberation is what Weedon stated he most wanted participants to take home from the week, as he urged them to continually ask, “What do our sermons, our services, our music actually confess?”

According to the 2017 institute, the answer is plain: “Jesus Christ it is!”

Cheryl Magness (clmagness@gmail.com), a freelance editor for LCMS Communications, will join the staff Aug. 16 as staff writer and editor of Reporter Online.

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Worship Institute video interviews

Hosted by Peter Slayton of LCMS Communications

• “Myth busting! Martin Luther used bar tunes for his hymns” — With Kantor Kevin Hildebrand of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind. 
• “Keeping children in worship” — With Sam Eatherton, minister of music at Zion Lutheran Church and School, Dallas. 
• “Pastor, why don’t my kids come to church?” — With the Rev. Jason Braaten, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Tuscola, Ill. 
• “What is the role of music in the Divine Service?” — With Phillip Magness, cantor at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Broken Arrow, Okla. 
• “What Luther got wrong” — With the Rev. Heath Curtis, LCMS Stewardship coordinator and pastor of Trinity and Zion Lutheran Churches in Worden and Carpenter, Ill. 
• “Teaching kids to love hymns” — With Emily Woock, Redeemer Lutheran Church, Elmhurst, Ill. 
• “What is worship?” — With the Rev. William Weedon, director of LCMS Worship. 

View photo gallery

Posted August 7, 2017 / Updated August 8, 2017

By Jeni Miller

As part of its larger celebration of the Reformation’s 500-year anniversary, Concordia University Chicago in River Forest, Ill., will be unveiling a new exhibit starting Oct. 8 featuring rare first-edition books and Bibles from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.

The display, titled “Let the Books Tell the Story,” will include 35 items from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis; Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind.; Mundelein Seminary at the University of St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, Ill.; the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago; Wheaton College, Wheaton, Ill.; and the Newberry Library, Chicago.

Organized by theme, the display will chart the Reformation legacy and tell its story through the fields of theology, Scripture, education and the fine arts.

The collection will include several facsimile editions, but the real attraction will be the rare and authentic first editions of books, such as:

• the Gutenberg Bible (1455);
• Erasmus’ Greek New Testament (1519);
• Martin Luther’s seminal works of the 1520s;
• the Achtliederbuch, the first Lutheran congregational hymnal (1524);
• the Augsburg Confession (1531);
• the Biblia Del Oso, the first Bible printed in Spanish (1569);
• the Dresden edition of the Book of Concord (1580);
• the Geneva Bible (1599); and
• the “Bach Bible” or Calov Bible (1681).

“These incredible items will bring the Reformation history to life for those who come to view it,” said the Rev. Jeffrey Leininger, university pastor and dean of the chapel at Concordia University Chicago. “When these books were first printed, it was the dawn of the age of the printed book. It was all new. Now we find ourselves at the end of the printed book.

“This is the perfect time to tell the Reformation story through these books themselves,” Leininger said. “Who owned them? What did they write in them? Where were they printed? Who did they influence? Let the books tell the story.”

As this event was being conceived, the first item on the list that served as the lead piece for the collection was the Calov Bible, or “Bach Bible.” This 1681 edition contains composer J.S. Bach’s handwritten reflections, comments and insights on the Scriptures, providing an invaluable commentary on his personal faith and the Lutheran musical legacy that the Church also celebrates this year.

This exhibit, Leininger said, likely will be “the last time this priceless item will ever travel from its home in the archives of Concordia Seminary.”

In fact, he adds, all the displayed items — worth, in total, “several million” dollars — will be treated as the priceless treasures they are while on the Concordia, Chicago, campus.

“It’s perhaps a rare event that a collection like this — reflecting a collaboration between Protestant, Lutheran and even Catholic churches — would be made available to the public,” noted Leininger. “For that reason, there are security concerns to note in order to pull this off, including 24-hour video surveillance, locked and secured cases, environmental controls such as heat and humidity that have to be monitored, and even low lighting.”

While the exhibit will run through the month of October, the collection will be open to the public Oct. 28 and 30, with additional dates likely to be added. Private viewings also can be scheduled. More details are available at cuchicago.edu/reformation.

This exhibit is just one of several events Concordia, Chicago, has planned to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. On Saturday, Oct. 28, the campus will hold a special “Reformation 500 Celebration Day” event, and on Oct. 30, an unprecedented “Interdenominational Conversation” will feature a panel of Lutheran, Reformed and Catholic leaders discussing the Reformation and its impact today.

The rare-book-and-Bible display will be available for viewing during those two events.

“We believe these books have a story to tell,” added Leininger. “It is a story of God’s providence and grace in using Martin Luther to renew the Church and recover the Christian Gospel for the world. It is also a story of incalculable political, cultural and societal change well worth exploring and debating.

“Schools and scholars, congregations and families — all will find something meaningful and moving in viewing this display.”

Deaconess Jeni Miller (jenikaiser@aol.com) is a freelance writer and member of Lutheran Church of the Ascension in Atlanta.

Posted August 3, 2017

Since God desires the salvation of all people, and He alone can grant it, why doesn’t He? What do we believe with regard to people who are transgender? Will we be sad in heaven when we realize who isn’t there with us?

Even stalwart Christians have questions about the faith — big queries about salvation, death and life, Jesus Christ, ethics and the Scriptures.

What happens to unborn babies if they die? Why are there four Gospels? Are there pets in heaven?

The August issue of The Lutheran Witness will answer those concerns and more in brief, one-page articles, inviting further conversation and reflection among families, between pastor and parishioner, and in Bible class.

Visit cph.org/trylutheranwitness to receive this FAQ issue of the magazine and five others (six total) for only $6.99.

Posted August 3, 2017

By Paula Schlueter Ross (paula.ross@lcms.org)

FERGUSON, Mo. — Shoulder to shoulder under a huge tent, sitting on folding chairs and standing five deep in spots, some 400 people witnessed a symbolic — and even “historic” — event here July 26: the grand opening of the Ferguson Community Empowerment Center, a resource for hope and healing nearly three years after the violent protests that sparked a fresh look at racism nationwide.

The new, two-story facility — debt-free, thanks to corporate donations — stands on the grounds of the burned-out QuikTrip gas station that served as “ground zero” for authorities responding to weeks of unrest following the police shooting death of teenager Michael Brown Jr. on Aug. 9, 2014.

The center houses the work of four St. Louis-area partners determined to restore this beleaguered community: the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis Inc., The Salvation Army, the University of Missouri Extension and the Lutheran Hope Center—Ferguson. Together they will offer tutoring, counseling, job training/placement and help with food, clothing and housing.

Based there will be the Rev. Micah Glenn, a Mission Field: USA national missionary and director of the Lutheran Hope Center. With a common motto — “Sharing Hope. Sharing Jesus.” — Glenn and Hope Center volunteers will offer the love of Jesus along with literacy education, mentoring and other assistance.

Its “Readers to Leaders” program is expected to begin by early September with up to 30 students from kindergarten to third grade, and volunteers are needed.

As he mingled with the crowd before the two-hour program and ribbon-cutting ceremony, the tattooed Glenn, who grew up in Ferguson, said he “could have very easily been Mike Brown” when he was young, “just trying to find my way in life, struggling just to stay on the straight and narrow path.”

He credits “a lot of people really behind me, pushing me forward, supporting me, lifting me up, reminding me that I was precious and loved” — the same message he wants to share with the young people of Ferguson, something he considers a “really incredible” opportunity.

“I’m very humbled today, and I’m filled with so much joy and compassion and love,” he added. “It’s really a great moment.”

Turning tragedy into triumph

Glenn was among the two dozen or so grand-opening speakers representing Empowerment Center partners, local governments and corporate sponsors. Their comments included these:

• “May we fight with only love,” wearing uniforms of “holiness and mercy” (Lt. Col. Lonneal Richardson, Northern Divisional commander of The Salvation Army).
• The center aims to “turn tragedy into triumph” and “transform Ferguson’s future in a positive and powerful way” (Tony Grandison Jr., representing U.S. Congressman Lacy Clay).
• “Justice, equality, opportunity, empowerment” (Wesley Bell, Ferguson city councilman, describing what the center represents).
• “This is a powerful first step to address the challenges” (Marc H. Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League).
• “When we empower others … we open doors for all people to thrive” (George Brooks, president of U.S. Operations for United Parcel Service).
• “This facility is everything that we hoped it would be” (Michael P. McMillan, president and CEO of the St. Louis Urban League, noting that 75 percent of the project’s construction companies are African-American-owned).

‘A lot of people need help’

Kameron Fernandes, an 18-year-old from Ferguson, served as a volunteer at the grand opening. He has completed the Urban League’s “Save Our Sons” program — which helps young African-American men land jobs with livable wages and will be based at the Empowerment Center — and said such help is needed “to keep my people off the streets” because “a lot of us are not making it every day.”

Fernandes, who wants to see his peers succeed and plans to make use of the programs offered at the center, believes his fellow North County, St. Louis, residents also will take advantage of — and appreciate — the help because it’s “close to home” and “easy to access.”

Paula Collins, a Ferguson resident for 15 years, said the riots and vandalism that destroyed parts of her city three years ago could have happened anywhere.

Collins called the Empowerment Center’s mission of restoration “a fabulous thing” and believes its programs will have “a positive effect on the community.”

She said she is “really glad to see us, as a community, moving forward,” and she wants Ferguson “to regain the respect that it used to have, the sense of community that it used to have, and unity.”

Sixth-grader Damonte Williams, 11, put it this way: “This community needs stuff like this because a lot of people need help and it’s hard out here for people.”

‘Evidence’ of God’s plan

Instead of a “dream come true,” seeing the Empowerment Center completed is more like “prayers coming true,” observed the Rev. Nate Ruback, president of the Lutheran Hope Center board of directors and pastor of Grace Lutheran Chapel, located a couple of miles from Ferguson.

“In the midst of heartache and destruction, God still works out His plan. This is evidence of it,” said Ruback, one of several LCMS pastors who walked the streets of Ferguson, comforting people and helping with cleanup in the days and weeks following the riots.

There are no LCMS churches in Ferguson, but five nearby Synod congregations — Grace Chapel, Chapel of the Cross, Salem, Immanuel and Blessed Savior — founded the Lutheran Hope Center, with assistance from the LCMS Office of National Mission, Missouri District and Lutheran High School North.

Some of the high school’s students live in Ferguson or travel through the community to get to class, and Glenn, the Hope Center missionary, is a graduate of the school, notes Principal Tim Brackman.

Brackman said he hopes to “see our students providing tutoring services to children from the community” at the center and possibly doing “volunteer service in the area.” Lutheran North also could provide space for large meetings and activities, he said.

He described the center as “a unique example of how the Lutheran Church can step out into the community and provide support and offer strength.

“Rather than waiting for the community and its people to come to us, we are reaching out — not only opening the church doors, but going out through them to where the need is.”

Brackman added that it’s “really important” for people to know that “Ferguson is a great place to live and work — unlike the picture that was painted during 2014.”

Back then, when Lutheran pastors from the nearby congregations and the Synod’s International Center spent time in Ferguson, talking and praying with those they met, the Rev. Dr. Roosevelt Gray Jr., director of LCMS Black Ministry, was among them.

Gray recalled assuring the residents that God — and The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod — would not abandon them.

Now, with the Lutheran Hope Center a reality, the Synod has a permanent base for reaching out to hurting people — “to tell the Good News about Jesus” — every day, Gray noted.

The Urban League’s McMillan called the grand opening of the Empowerment Center “historic” and the Synod’s involvement “a fantastic thing.

“From the very beginning, the Lutheran Church played a key role in trying to bring about healing, positive change, making a difference,” McMillan told Reporter.

LCMS leaders, he said, “came to us and said, ‘We want to be in your facility. We want to co-own this with you. We want to be a part of moving this community forward.’ ”

Lutherans are “really bridging a gap,” he said, and he is “truly, truly grateful for their involvement.”

‘There from the beginning’

The Rev. Dr. Steven D. Schave, director of LCMS Church Planting and Urban & Inner-City Mission, acknowledges that “we were there from the beginning and now we can continue that.”

What started three years ago as a “ministry of presence” — just being there, as peacemakers offering Christ’s love and hope in the midst of turmoil, serving residents, business owners and police officers — is now a “flagship for us, in how we can work toward racial reconciliation, how we can be at the center of serving” in like communities nationwide, Schave says.

“All of the different pieces that had to come together for us to be in this position” — with Glenn, the only on-site pastor, serving as a liaison between residents and nearby LCMS congregations and schools — “it was obviously God’s hand.”

He is grateful that Lutherans have “stepped up” to make this ministry possible, he said, and noted that $70,000 from the 2016 LCMS convention’s National Offering went toward the establishment of the Lutheran Hope Center.

Admitting he is a parish pastor at heart, Schave said he appreciated the chance to get out on the streets of Ferguson to comfort and pray with people “at such a pivotal time in American history.”

Those experiences, along with being asked to coordinate the establishment of the Hope Center, have been “a blessing.”

For a predominantly white church body like the Missouri Synod to be “at the heart of racial reconciliation in America” is nothing short of “monumental,” he said, citing a Pew Research Center report on racial diversity in religious groups.

Schave recalled visiting the destroyed QuikTrip property before the Empowerment Center construction began and seeing a 2-foot tree growing out of the concrete rubble.

“If we plant this seed of mercy and love and telling the Good News of Jesus, and loving even our enemies, if we plant that seed, you can’t tell me that there’s any harder soil than Ferguson,” he said.

“And here’s what God does: He raised a tree up out of the middle of the concrete.”

Schave said he was struck by the symbolism.

“It’s not always comfortable, it’s not always easy, the soil is tough,” he said. “But we need missionaries at this time” in the U.S., the world’s third-largest mission field.

“This is our time to go and do this kind of mission work in Mission Field: USA.”

To learn more about The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s ministry in Ferguson, Mo., visit lcms.org/ferguson.

For more information about the Lutheran Hope Center—Ferguson (including information on volunteering and providing support), visit TheLutheranHopeCenter.org.

Posted August 2, 2017

(Rated: PG [Canada] and PG-13 [MPAA] for intense war experience and some language; directed by Christopher Nolan; stars Fionn Whitehead, Damien Bonnard, Aneurin Barnard, Barry Keoghan, Mark Rylance, Tom Glynn-Carney, Tom Hardy, Jack Lowden, Kenneth Branagh, James D’Arcy, Cillian Murphy and Michael Fox; run time: 106 min.)

A neatly told story, woven in sacrifice

By Ted Giese

Writer/director Christopher Nolan has done for the WWII evacuation of Dunkerque, France (code-named Operation Dynamo), what Steven Spielberg did for the Allied D-Day amphibious landing in Normandy, France (code-named Operation Neptune).

However, where Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan” (1998) left the French beach and the English Channel to tell a more conventional war-genre narrative, Nolan’s film stays on the beach and in the beleaguered English Channel, making “Dunkirk” a more neatly told story and, by order of magnitude, a more claustrophobic and relentlessly intense film.

Interestingly, Nolan does this without an “R” rating, making “Dunkirk” a much more accessible film for a wider audience.

“Dunkirk” details the English evacuation of its expeditionary force from continental Europe after an unexpected, aggressive and successful push of the Nazi German army and its nimble Panzer division’s repeated blitzkrieg pinned British and French ground troops against the English Channel on the sandy beaches of Dunkirk.

While Britain, France and New Zealand had declared war against Germany following the Nazi invasion of Poland on Sept. 3, 1939, not a lot happened in the first months of the war.

Then on May 10, 1940, the English and Allies deployed an expeditionary force, and by May 20 everything was falling apart as the force was routed and bottled up at Dunkirk.

In telling the story in “Dunkirk,” Nolan has crafted an extraordinarily intense and, at times, unnerving film about a military catastrophe, which against all odds was snatched out of the fires of total defeat.

Part of his strategy to keep viewers on the edge of their seats is the disorienting way in which the narrative develops.

While chronological, the film is not precisely linear — at least not in a conventional way.

Three separate, narrative threads weave together into a single, epic tapestry, but as they converge, each thread covers events that would have taken different lengths of time to chronologically unfold.

Essentially, it’s like this: Imagine three men arriving at an intersection — one walking, one on a bike and the other driving a car.

They each arrive at the same point, at the same moment, but it took longer for the man to walk there, less time for the man on the bike, and even less time for the man in the car.

Now intercut these three stories, and at first the impression is they are each happening simultaneously, particularly if their respective story is told in equal parts.

This is what viewers get with “Dunkirk”: a temporal disruption to the natural unfolding of time that heightens the tension and drama.

The three narrative threads Nolan takes up to tell the evacuation story are land, sea and air.

The story that begins on land, with 400,000-plus stranded ground troops, unfolds over a one-week time frame.

The sea-based story largely focuses on the conscripted small to midsized British personal and commercial boats deployed across the English Channel to ferry soldiers to larger ships or back to Britain directly.

This narrative thread unfolds over a one-day time frame. Meanwhile, the story that takes place in the air over the English Channel and the beaches of Dunkirk unfolds over a one-hour time frame.

Each narrative thread receives about the same screen time, yet they are intercut in such a way that it takes some time for the audience to understand just how everything is unfolding.

Like Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan,” Nolan’s central characters are fictional additions to the historic account.

The land narrative revolves around a clever and resourceful young British private named Tommy (Fionn Whitehead), who works determinedly to get off the beach and back to England while most soldiers await rescue patiently.

His efforts could best be summed up with the phrase “two steps forward, one step back.”

The drama from the land point of view comes from the tested patience of the ground forces as they have to wait while exposed to enemy air attacks.

Christian viewers may be reminded of the words of St. Peter about how “the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

The British expeditionary force is essentially being asked to trust that their rescue is coming, no matter how bleak the situation might look.

The narrative of their rescue by sea is centered on a small pleasure vessel captained by Mr. Dawson (Mark Rylance), his teenage son Peter (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Peter’s friend George (Barry Keoghan).

While some vessels were commandeered by the Royal Navy and manned by sailors, many others, like this fictional boat, were piloted by their owner/operators.

By sticking to the historical details, primarily the young age of most of the British expeditionary force soldiers, Nolan ends up highlighting a striking feature of this rescue.

The men who came to the aid of the soldiers by sea are mostly older, although there are some younger teenage boys.

The image of the fathers and grandfathers of Britain rescuing their sons is a moving element of the film and the kind of thing rarely witnessed in films today.

Told with little dialogue, Nolan’s “Dunkirk” still manages to emphasize the interactions, both positive and sometimes negative, between men under stress on the battlefield.

For the Christian viewer, what emerges is a meditation on the Fifth Commandment: You shall not murder. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need.

Apart from the Nazi Luftwaffe aircraft pilots, no German soldiers are visible — only the sporadic and opportunistic gunfire of an enemy army consistently situated outside the cinematographer’s frame is present.

This adds to the mounting suspense and makes “Dunkirk” less about the German attackers and more about the evacuation and rescue.

Although the film depicts intermittent acts of selfishness and/or the temptation to act selfishly out of self-preservation by some soldiers, overall the film is about rising to fulfill the Fifth Commandment — men, both military and civilian, risking their lives to save the lives of others.

For example, when Mr. Dawson, Peter and George rescue their first stranded solider (Cillian Murphy), he selfishly wants them to take him, and him alone, back to Britain.

Instead, they carefully distract and contain the belligerent soldier to rescue additional soldiers.

The rescue narrative from the air perspective also shows this high degree of willingness toward self-sacrifice.

Nolan eventually homes in on a single Royal Air Force Spitfire pilot, Farrier (Tom Hardy), who even when he could have turned back to England for mechanical reasons endeavors to “help and support [his neighbor] in every physical need” by continuing to engage the enemy.

In a spring and summer awash with big-budget superheroes and sci-fi, “Dunkirk” provides a unique and intense film-going experience.

Its commitment to detail and near-flawless execution make it one of the best war films made to date and puts it into contention for the upcoming awards season.

The freshness of Nolan’s narrative approach will keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

After leaving the theater, the three threads of the narrative start reorganizing in the mind and act like a memory — a memory that honors the hour in the air, the day at sea, and the week on land for all those involved at Dunkirk.

Even though the story is told primarily with fictional characters, Nolan manages to honor the real men (and some women nurses) caught up in the events of the WWII evacuation in a candid and cathartic way befitting of their sacrifices.

A word of warning: While the film is rated “PG” (Canada) and “PG-13” (MPAA), it can’t be stressed enough that this film is an intense experience, especially if viewed in IMAX.

People suffering with anxiety, claustrophobia, fears of water or drowning, and those who generally have a hard time with war films will want to think long and hard before attending Dunkirk.

The film will likely be far too challenging for small children and sensitive children entering their teenage years.

The Rev. Ted Giese (pastorted@sasktel.net) is lead pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; a contributor to the Canadian Lutheran, Reporter Online and KFUO.org; and movie reviewer for the “Issues, Etc.” radio program. Follow Pastor Giese on Twitter @RevTedGiese.

Posted August 2, 2017

IN MEMORIAM

Obituary information is provided by district offices to the Synod’s Office of Rosters and Statistics. Any questions about content should be referred, therefore, to the appropriate district office. — Ed.

 

ORDAINED

BAUER, DEAN M. REV., April 4, 1952, Berkeley, Calif., to March 27, 2017, Hot Springs, Ark.; son of John and Dorothea Bauer; graduated Ft. Wayne Seminary 1999. Served 1999-2009. Ministries/Parishes: Maysville, Augusta, Ky.; Angleton, Texas; Little Rock, Ark.  Retired 2009. Suvivors: Cindy Bauer; son: Dean; daughter: Candace Flores. Funeral and Interment: March 30, 2017, Hot Springs, Ark.

BOYSEN, ALBERT M. JR. REV., January 13, 1934, Houston, Texas, to March 25, 2017, Cordova, Tenn.; son of Albert Sr. and Minnie (Legde) Boysen; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1958. Served 1958-1998.  Ministries/Parishes: Paris, Clarksville, Sulphur Springs, Texas; Tullahoma, Memphis, Tenn.  Retired 1998.  Survivors: Patricia (Legowsky) Boysen; sons: Steven, Michael, Christopher.  Celebration of Life: March 27, 2017, Memphis, Tenn.

COLEMAN, ALAN RICHARD REV., October 22, 1955, Denver, Colo., to April 12, 2017, Belen, N.M.; son of Charles and Ethel (Boland) Coleman; graduated Ft. Wayne Seminary 1993. Served 1995-2017.  Ministry/Parish: Los Lunas, N.M.  Survivors: Beverly (Martin) Coleman; daughters: Jennifer, Kimberly.  Funeral: April 16, 2017, Los Lunas, N.M.; Interment: April 17, 2017, Belen, N.M.

DOBBERFUHL, GERHARD PAUL REV., November 17, 1920, Thiensville, Wis., to May 9, 2017, The Woodlands, Texas; son of Alvin and Louisa (Radue) Dobberfuhl; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1945. Served 1945-1985.  Ministries/Parishes: St. Charles, Mexico, Vandalia, Mo.; Arcadia, Beulah, Adrian, Detroit, Mich.  Retired 1985.  Preceded in death by his son Wayne.  Survivors: sons: Rev. Ned, Daniel; daughters: Rhoda, Quinta.  Funeral: May 13, 2017, The Woodlands, Texas; Interment: May 13, 2017, Magnolia, Texas.

ENGELBRECHT, LUTHER T. REV., September 13, 1928, Tacoma, Wash., to April 17, 2017, Seattle, Wash.; son of Rev. Harold and Hulda (Steege) Engelbrecht; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1953. Served 1954-1994.  Ministries/Parishes: India, Seattle, Wash.  Retired 1995.  Preceded in death by his wife Gladys (Handley) Engelbrecht.  Survivors: sons: Martin, Rev. Theodore, Carl; daughters: Lois, Claire, Susheela.  Memorial Service: April 30, 2017, Seattle, Wash.

FASZHOLZ, JOHN EDWARD REV., April 11, 1927, St. Louis, Mo., to March 25, 2017, St. Louis. Mo.; son of Richard and Mamie (Krenning) Faszholz; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1958. Served 1958-1990.  Ministries/Parishes: St. Louis, Mo.; Austin, Texas.  Retired 1990.  Survivors: Annette (Gaebler) Faszholz; sons: John Jr., Kurt, Peter; daughters: Julia Bertarelli, Paula Gregali, Sarah. Memorial Services: April, 27, 2017, Affton, Mo.; April 29, 2017, Belle, Mo.; May 2, 2017, Austin, Texas.

GARTNER, ALLEN ALBER REV., March 17, 1932, Detroit, Mich., to May 3, 2017, Grand Rapids, Mich.; son of William and Elizabeth (Daniel) Gartner; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1957. Served 1957-1994.  Ministries/Parishes: Independence Hill, Ind.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Princeton, N.J.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; English District Circuit Visitor 1994.  Retired 1994.  Survivors: Marilyn (Maul) Gartner; son: Jonathan; daughter: Karen.  Funeral: May 7, 2017, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Interment: May 8, 2017, Detroit, Mich.

GARVUE, DONALD RICHARD REV., July 2, 1935, Marshfield, Wis., to March 31, 2017, Springfield, Ill.; son of Ollie and Hilda (Parbs) Garvue; graduated Springfield Seminary 1964. Served 1964-2006.  Ministries/Parishes: Union City, Mich.; Plymouth, Chesterton, Ind.; Louisville, Ky.  Retired 2006.  Survivors: Faye (Berry) Garvue; sons: Eric, Donald.  Funeral and Interment: April 5, 2017, Springfield, Ill.

GIESE, BURTON FRANK REV., October 30, 1933, Utica, N.Y., to April 10, 2017, Mesa, Ariz.; son of Rev. Elmer and Marie (Baumann) Giese; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1959. Served 1959-2001.  Ministries/Parishes: Emerald, Connorsville, Sheboygan, Wis.; St. Paul, Minn.; Asheville, N.C.; El Toro, Calif.; Mesa, Coolidge, Ariz.  Survivors: sons: Steven, Michael; daughter: Tina.  Funeral: April 15, 2017, Gilbert, Ariz.

HAGEN, LEVINE K. REV., August 21, 1923, Lake Mills, Iowa, May 4, 2017, Rio Rancho, N.M.; son of Lewis and Mabel (Sondrol) Hagen; graduated Mankato Seminary 1948. Served 1956-1967, 1971-1989. Ministries/Parishes: Montrose, Gunnison, Broomfield, Colo.; Albuquerque, Los Lunas, N.M.  Retired 1989.  Preceded in death by his wife Grace (Natzke) Hagen. Survivors: sons: Lee, L. Kirk; daughters: Mary Preston, Kristi.  Funeral: June 6, 2017, Rio Rancho, N.M.

HAIGHT, ELMER REV., December 7, 1919, Seattle, Wash., to May 18, 2017, E. Wenatchee, Wash.; son of Elmer and Zetta (Dayley) Haight; graduated Springfield Seminary 1968. Served 1968-1984. Ministries/Parishes: Vernal, Roosevelt, Utah; Rangely, Colo.; Othello, Basin City, Wash.; Retired 1985. Survivors: Dorothy (Battermann) Haight; sons: Robert, Douglas; daughters: Terrisa Hibbet, Diane Eilmes.  Funeral: June 3, 2017, Wenatchee, Wash.

HASS, LEROY LEON REV., July 16, 1922, Manning, Iowa, to April 1, 2017, Milwaukee, Wis.; son of Leon and Amalia (Hansen) Hass; graduated Springfield Seminary 1946. Served 1947-1981, 1986-1990.  Ministries/Parishes: Hankow, China; Sapporo, Tokyo; Lincoln, Neb.; Milwaukee, Wis.  Retired 1990.  Preceded in death by his wife Ruth (Brink) Hass.  Survivors: son: David; daughters: Julie Feuerstein, Deborah, Christine.  Funeral: April 8, 2017, Milwaukee, Wis.; Interment: April 10, 2017, Milwaukee, Wis.

HOLDER, ROLAND E. REV., October 12, 1932, Detroit, Mich., to May 4, 2017, Dearborn, Mich.; colloquy 2001. Served 2001-2006. Ministries/Parishes: Rochester Hills, Mich.; Mission Hills, Calif.  Retired 2006. Preceded in death by his son Michael.  Survivor: daughter: Stephanie Daugherty.  Funeral: May 9, 2017, Allen Park, Mich.; Interment: May 9, 2017, Livonia, Mich.

HOLM, PETER REUBEN REV., August 22, 1940, Parkers Prairie, Minn.; to April 25, 2017, St. Cloud, Minn.; son of Reuben and Clara (Nelson) Holm; graduated Springfield Seminary 1976. Served 1976-2006.  Ministries/Parishes: Bayard, Neb.; Wells, Easton, Hutchison, Staples, St. Cloud, Minn.; Minnesota South Circuit Visitor 1988-1990; Minnesota North Circuit Visitor 1991-1997.  Retired 2006.  Survivors: Marlene (Lebakken) Holm; son: Eric; daughters: Carolyn Krueger, Nancy Gregg.  Funeral: May 1, 2017, St. Cloud, Minn.; Interment: May 1, 2017, Cedar Hills Township, Meeker County, Minn.

KLATT, EBERHARD GEORG FRIEDRICH, REV., November 6, 1935, Stettin, Germany, to April 28, 2017, Manitowoc, Wis.; son of George and Gertrude (Heinze) Klatt; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1960. Served 1960-2004.  Ministries/ Parishes: Wall, Creighton, S.D.; Hilbert, Merrill, Milwaukee, Wis.  Retired 2004.  Preceded in death by his wife Betty (Gnewuch) Klatt.  Survivors: sons: Rev. Alan, Jonathan; daughters: Lori Rische, Pamela Patten, Ruth Seabaugh.  Funeral: May 12, 2017, Brown Deer, Wis.; Interment: May 12, 2017, Lebanon, Wis.

KLAUSMEIER, ARNO M. REV., June 30, 1933, Milwaukee, Wis., to October 14, 2016, Milwaukee, Wis.; son of Martin and Ella (Neumann) Klausmeier; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1957. Served 1962-1992.  Ministries/Parishes: Ft. Wayne, Ind.; St. Louis, Mo.; Milwaukee, Wis.  Retired 1998.  Survivors: Barbara (Engler) Klausmeier; sons: Martin, Christopher. Cremation.

KUNZ, ROBERT E. REV., December 22, 1925, Dickenson, N.D., to April 28, 2017, Vancouver, Wash.; son of Chris and Alfhild (Siverts) Kunz; graduated Springfield Seminary 1952. Served 1952-2004.  Ministries/Parishes: Cottage Grove, Portland, Wilsonville, Ore.; Washougal, Vancouver, Wash.  Retired 2004.  Preceded in death by his wife Eunice (Grefe) Kunz.  Survivors: son: Paul; daughter: Nancy.  Celebration of Life: May 6, 2017, Vancouver, Wash.

MARTIN, WAYNE S. REV., June 22, 1937, Decatur, Ill., to April 6, 2017, Springfield, Ill.; son of W. Stanley and Elsie (Kurek) Martin; colloquy 1992. Served 1992-2000.  Ministries/Parishes: Joliet, Peoria, Ill.  Retired 2000.  Survivors: Barbara (Asmundson) Martin; son: Rev. Kevin; daughter: Julie Rayhill.  Funeral: April 12, 2017, Springfield, Ill.; Interment: April 12, 2017, Chatham, Ill.

REICH, RAYMOND DALE, REV., November 27, 1932, Hamilton County, Texas, to May 3, 2017, Uvalde, Texas; son of Gottlieb and Bertha (Nauert) Reich; graduated Springfield Seminary 1958. Served 1958-1997, 2000-2006.  Ministries/Parishes: Rockville, El Dorado Springs, Mo.; Hamilton, Gatesville, Bishop, New Braunfels, Uvalde, Texas.; Texas District Circuit Visitor 1971-1974, 1990-1997. Retired 2006. Preceded in death by his daughters, Diane and Karen. Survivors: sons: Philip, Jonathan; daughters: Janet Moerbe, Nancy Muecke.  Funeral and Interment: May 7, 2017, Uvalde, Texas.

RENGSTORF, ELTON J. REV., July 16, 1930, Marysville, Kan., to April 6, 2017, Buffalo, N.Y.; son of George and Laura (True) Rengstorf; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1956. Served 1956-1998.  Ministries/Parishes: Davao City, Cotobato, Manila, Philippines; Angola, Buffalo, Colden, N.Y.  Retired 1998.  Survivors: sons: Mark, Michael; daughters: Ruth Thielo, Laura Krug, Jean, Joyce.  Funeral: May 20, 2017, Lewiston, N.Y.

SCHMIDT, KARL W., REV., February 25, 1951, Ft. Wayne, Ind., to May 17, 2017, Arlington Heights, Ill.; son of Karl and Gertrude (Miller) Schmidt; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1978. Served 1978-2017. Ministries/Parishes: Detroit, Mich.; Chicago, Arlington Heights, Ill.  Survivors: Katherine (Puerschner) Schmidt; daughters: Meaghan, Alexandra, Katelyn.  Funeral: May 20, 2017, Arlington Heights, Ill.

SCHULTZ, MARTIN ARTHUR REV., March 9, 1962, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to May 24, 2017, Wood River, Ill.; son of Rev. Donald and Mary (Stephan) Schultz; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1988. Served 1988-2017.  Ministries/Parishes: Danville, Wood River, Ill.; Southern Illinois District Circuit Visitor 1994-2000.  Survivors: Ruth (Gartman) Schultz; sons: Rev. John, Rev. David, Jacob; daughter: Marie.  Funeral: May 30, 2017, Wood River, Ill.; Interment: May 30, 2017, Bethalto, Ill.

SMITH, HARRY DEQUINCEY REV., December 29, 1924, Milwaukee, Wis., to April 7, 2017, Signal Mountain, Tenn.; son of Harry and Louise (Ischer) Smith; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1948. Served 1950-1990.  Ministries/Parishes: Cochin, Kerala, India.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Knoxville, Tenn.  Retired 1990.  Survivors: Dorothy (Husmann) Smith; sons: Martin, Frederick, Eric; daughters: Carol, Karen, Marilyn.  Memorial Service: April 18, 2017, Chattanooga, Tenn.; Interment: April 11, 2017, Chattanooga, Tenn.

VANDER WERF, WILLIAM MARC REV., April 24, 1938, Cornwall on Hudson, N.Y., to April 22, 2017, Surprise, Ariz.; son of Barney and Trina vander Werf; colloquy 1981. Served 1981-2001.  Ministries/Parishes: Long Beach, Calif.; Wellston, Okla.; Las Vegas, Las Cruces, N.M.; Highlands Ranch, Colo.; Rocky Mountain District Circuit Visitor 1991-1994.  Retired 2002.  Funeral: May 3, 2017, Surprise, Ariz.; Interment: May 4, 2017, Greene, Iowa.

VOGT, GORDON HERMAN REV., December 15, 1932, St. Paul, Minn., to March 6, 2017, St. Paul, Minn.; son of Herman and Evelyn (Krueger) Vogt; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1959. Served 1959-2008.  Ministries/Parishes: St. Paul, Minneapolis, Minn.  Retired 2008. Funeral and Interment: March 10, 2017, St. Paul, Minn.

WILLIAMS, DANIEL RUAL REV., May 31, 1929, San Antonio, Texas, to May 15, 2017, Conroe, Texas; son of Robert and Minerva (Mondragon) Williams; colloquy 1994. Served 1994-1998, 2003-2004.  Ministries/Parishes: Yakima, Toppenish, Wash.; San Antonio, Texas.  Retired 2004.  Preceded in death by his wife Aurora (Aramendia) Williams.  Survivors: son: Daniel; daughters: Aurora Weller, Patricia Rowe, Felicia Clemens.  Memorial Service: June 3, 2017, San Antonio, Texas; Interment: June 3, 2017, Marion, Texas.

 

COMMISSIONED

BECKMANN, LUCINDA E. (BARTELS), November 28, 1920, Tobias, Neb., to January 11, 2017, Lincoln, Neb.; daughter of Fred and Martha Bartels; graduated Seward 1949. Served 1973-1983. School/Parish: Seward, Neb.  Retired 1983. Preceded in death by her husband Milton Beckmann.  Funeral and Interment: February 18, 2017, Lincoln, Neb.

DRESSLER, DERWIN JOHN, December 9,1957, Portland, Ore., to April 27, 2017, Tacoma, Wash.; son of Robert and Jorene (Hulse) Dressler; graduated Portland 1980. Served 1980-2016.  Schools/Ministries: Culver City, Calif.; Seattle, Tacoma, Wash. Survivors: Ardyce (Petersen) Dressler; sons: Timothy, Joel; daughters: Laura Sorgenfrei, Julia.  Celebration of Life: May 21, 2017, Sumner, Wash.: Interment: Tacoma, Wash.

DUNK, DELORIS ELAINE (PUFAHL), March 24, 1944, Horicon, Wis., to May 15, 2017, Bethel, Minn.; daughter of Oscar and Ardis Pufahl; graduated River Forest 1966. Served 1973-2009.  Schools/Ministries: Schaumburg, Ill.; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; St. Francis, Minn.  Retired 2009. Survivors: son: Jonathan; daughter: Stacey Hansen.  Funeral: May 24, 2017, St. Francis, Minn.; Interment: May 24, 2017, Oak Grove, Minn.

FITZPATRICK, DAVID M., February 28, 1947, to May 4, 2017, Baltimore, M.D.; graduated Seward 1973. Served 1973-1987, 1990-2001.  Schools/Ministries: Detroit, Mich.; Hicksville, N.Y.; Holyoke, Mass.; Overlea, Baltimore, Md.  Retired 2009. Preceded in death by his son Michael. Survivors: Janet (Sluder) Fitzpatrick; daughter: Sarah Chrzanowski. Funeral: May 8, 2017, Rosedale, Md.; Interment: May 8, 2017, Bel Air, Md.

LEBEAU, EDWARD W., June 1, 1942, San Diego, Calif., to March 28, 2017, Ft. Wayne, Ind.; son of Willard and Edna (Hanson) LeBeau; graduated Seward 1965. Served 1965-1969, 1971-2009.  Schools/Ministries: Detroit, Mich.; Ft. Wayne, Ind.  Retired 2009.  Survivors: Judy (Britt) LeBeau; sons: Edward, Eric; daughter: Rachel.  Funeral: April 3, 2017, Ft. Wayne, Ind.

RECK, THOMAS P., March 22, 1945, Ft. Wayne, Ind., to April 15, 2017, St. Louis, Mo.; son of Rodney and Marjorie (Prange) Reck; graduated River Forest 1967. Served 1967-2015.  Schools/Ministries: Melrose Park, Ill.; St. Louis. Mo.  Retired 2015.  Survivors: Laura (Wehrenberg) Reck.  Memorial Service: April 22, 2017, Kirkwood, Mo.

SOMMER, THOMAS C., June 9, 1948, Decatur, Ind., to May 24, 2017, Ft. Wayne, Ind.; son of Robert and Artina Sommer; graduated River Forest 1970. Served 1970-1974, 1997-2004.  Schools/Ministries: Hamlin, N.Y.; Ossian, Ind.  Retired 2004.  Preceded in death by his son Andrew and daughters Ruth and Leanna. Survivors: Wanda Sommer; daughters: MaryAnne, Elizabeth Rehwaldt.  Funeral and Interment: May 27, 2017, Ft. Wayne, Ind.

WAGNER, MONICA L., September 30, 1971, Vincennes, Ind., to March 25, 2017, Indianapolis, Ind.; daughter of Robert Wagner and Judy (Lane) Wilkes; graduated River Forest 1993. Served 1993-2017.  Schools/Ministries: Rochester, Minn.; Springfield, Ill.; Indianapolis, Ind. Funeral: April 4, 2017, Indianapolis, Ind.

WESTRICK, EARL J., November 3, 1931, Decatur, Ind., to March 19, 2017, Columbus, Ohio; son of Earl and Lorena Westrick; graduated River Forest 1955. Served 1955-1997. Schools/Ministries: Lafayette, Ft. Wayne, Ind.; Hong Kong.  Preceded in death by his wife Margaret (Liebmann) Westrick.  Celebration of Life: April 29, 2017, Columbus, Ind.

YARROLL, CHRISTINE HILDA, 1939, to April 29, 2017; graduated River Forest 1961. Served 1973-2004.  Schools/Ministries: Elmhurst, Wheaton, Ill.; Retired 2004.  Preceded in death by her husband Don Yarroll. Survivors: sons: Denver, Monte; daughter: Charisse DiMeo.  Memorial Service: May 6, 2017, Lisle, Ill.

 

 

ANNIVERSARIES

The Lutheran Witness welcomes notices 50 words or less from LCMS congre­gations about their upcoming “milestone” anniversaries. The deadline for re­ceipt of such notices is the 10th of the month two months prior to the publi­cation month (e.g., August 10 for the October issue). Send notices to notices@lcms.org. — Ed.

 

Bethany Lutheran Church, Wabasso, Minn., is celebrating its 100^th anniversary Sunday, August 20. The 10:00 a.m. worship service will be followed by dinner at the Wabasso Community Center. A special celebration service will be held at the church at 2:00 p.m. Rev. Dennis Brech will be the guest speaker. For additional information, email Pastor Dan Larsen at pastor@bethanywabasso.org.

 Bethel Lutheran Church, Bismarck, N.D. is celebrating its 50^th anniversary August 27. Worship service is at 10:30 a.m., with a catered lunch at noon and anniversary worship at 2:00 p.m., followed by an ice cream social. For more information, visit bethelbismarck.com or facebook.com/bethelbismarck.

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Renton, Wash., is celebrating its 75^th anniversary October 15, at the 10:00 a.m. service, with a catered meal to follow. To RSVP for the meal, call 425-255-9772 or email blessings@bethlehemlutheranrenton.org no later than September 17.

First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Grand Rapids, Mich., is celebrating its 100th anniversary, Sunday August 20, at 3:00 p.m. LCMS First Vice President Herb Mueller and Rev. Jeff Lee will be guest speakers. Catered meal will follow the service. Call 218-326-5453 for more information.

Grace Lutheran Church, Correll, Minn., is celebrating its 90^th anniversary on Sunday, August 6, at 10:00 a.m. Pastor Terry Finnern will be guest speaker. A catered meal will follow the service. To RSVP for the meal, contact Richard Ehrenberg by July 6 at 320-596-2159 or rehrenberg@fedteldirect.net.

 Grace Lutheran Church, Dodge Center, Minn., will be celebrating its 125^th anniversary on August 20. Services will be held at 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. with Rev. Dr. Carl Fickenscher of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, preaching. A noon meal will be catered. For more information, call 507-633-2253.

Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, Bristol, CT, will be celebrating its 125^th anniversary on August 27. Divine service is scheduled for 11:00 a.m., followed by a light lunch in the gym. All are invited to come and share this special day.

Messiah Lutheran Church, Missoula, Mont., is celebrating its 50^th anniversary August 27. Divine service at 9:00 a.m. will be followed by a picnic. Call 406-549-9222 or email messiahlutheran@bresnan.net.

Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, Antwerp, Ohio, is celebrating its 50^th anniversary September 17, with a rededication service at 10:15 a.m. and meal following service. Meal reservations can be made by email to keka9833@frontier.com or by calling 419-212-0389.

Our Savior Lutheran Church, Raleigh, N.C., is celebrating its 75^th anniversary September 9 and 10. A special anniversary service on Sunday afternoon will be followed by a reception at the church. Please contact the church office for more information at 939-832-8822.

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Tilden, NE, will celebrate its 125^th anniversary on August 6, with a service at 2:00 p.m. Rev. Wayne Braune will act as guest preacher. A catered meal will take place before the service at noon. To RSVP, please call 402-750-0482 or email reveden11@gmail.com by July 1.

 St. Peter “Bell” Lutheran Church, Waterville, Minn., is celebrating its 150^th anniversary August 5 and 6. Pastors Eckhoff, Fricke and Kaarre will lead divine service at 10:00 a.m. Sunday’s celebration will include catered dinner. Please RSVP by July 15 to russhopelzlee@juno.com. Former pastors’ families will be honored.

Trinity Lutheran Church, Rochester, Minn., will be celebrating its 150^th anniversary September 9 and 10. Rev. Dr. Dale Meyer, president of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, will preach at Sunday services, and a luncheon will follow the 10:30 a.m. service on Sunday. RSVP by calling 507-289-1531 or barb@trinitylutheranchurch.org.

Zion Lutheran Church, Grover, Colo., is celebrating its 100^th anniversary August 20. Divine service is at 10:00 a.m. with lunch at 12:00 p.m. and celebration service at 2:00 p.m. For more information, contact Mark Weisbrook at weisbrookfarm@hotmail.com or Evelyn Hoffman at wjh66elh@wigginstel.com.

LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison leads an informative tour of historic sites at the cradle of the Lutheran Reformation — Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Germany.

Learn more:

• LutheranReformation.org

Rev. Rocky Mease, Executive Chaplain, LCMS Kansas District

This presentation will provide parish nurses with an overview of spiritual assessments as well as some simple-to-use guidelines for holistic care.

Learn more

• LCMS Health Ministry

The August 2017 issue of Reaching Rural America for Christ highlights how using demographic data can help a congregation better understand its rural or small-town community.

This information provides a numeric backdrop of a community’s past, present and future, which a congregation can use to help plan service and outreach opportunities. Equipped with this information, congregations can better understand, serve and reach out to their community.

The newsletter also offers information about ongoing events and free monthly webinars.

Read August 2017 RSTM newsletter

Visit lcms.org/rstm to learn more about this ministry and the resources it provides. Also, mark your calendars and pray for the following upcoming events offered through RSTM:

• “Mission Insight: Getting the Most Out of Your Demographics” free webinar presented by Kurt Fuhr, vice-president of Lutheran Church Extension Fund — Thursday, Aug. 3, from 1 to 2 p.m. Central time. Visit lcms.org/rstm if you are interested in participating.
• “Disaster Relief Training” free webinar presented by Rev. Dr. Ross Johnson, director, LCMS Disaster Response — Thursday, Sept. 21, from 1 to 2 p.m. Central time. Visit lcms.org/rstm if you are interested in participating.
• 2017 National Rural & Small Town Mission Conference in Kansas City, Mo., at the Hilton Kansas City Airport – Thursday, Nov. 9, through Saturday, Nov. 11. Keynote speakers include the Rev. Todd Kollbaum, director, LCMS Rural & Small Town Mission; the Rev. Heath Trampe, senior pastor, Faith Lutheran Church, York, Neb.; Benjamin Winchester, senior research fellow, University of Minnesota Extension; and the Rev. Benjamin Meyer, pastor, Hope Lutheran Church, Sunbury, Ohio. More information and online registration can be found at lcms.org/rstm/conference.

Media Advisory

To schedule interviews and for individual high-resolution photos, please contact:

Roger Drinnon, Media Relations, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
314-996-1217 or roger.drinnon@lcms.org

Missouri Synod missionaries from across U.S. accept calls to serve abroad

ST. LOUIS — The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) has announced 10 missionaries accepting calls to serve in seven countries around the globe.

The Synod’s newest missionaries serve in Germany, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, Hong Kong, Peru, Spain and Uganda. All 10 attended a July 3-14 orientation at the LCMS International Center in St. Louis. These missionaries, their hometowns and countries of service are:

• Deaconess Kim Bueltmann of Springfield, Ill., Carl and Karen Cecil of Ashburn, Va., and Deidre Christiansen of Shorewood, Wis. – Germany;
• Nichelle Dykema of New Plymouth, Idaho – Peru;
• Natalie Howard of Port Washington, Wis. – Dominican Republic;
• Dr. Arthur Just Jr., of Fort Wayne, Ind. – Dominican Republic and Spain (also as needed in Mexico and Uruguay);
• Kevin Kong, San Francisco, Calif. – Hong Kong;
• Rachel Meyer, Milwaukee, Wis. – Uganda;
• Cindy Zirbel Wrucke of Beaver Dam, Wis. – Czech Republic

Bueltmann, the Cecils and Christiansen work with the Selbständige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche (Germany’s Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Church, an LCMS partner church), as it reaches out to Middle Eastern refugees who are fleeing to Germany due to war and unrest in their home countries.

“They’re seeking refuge in another country, and I get to tell them, ‘Hey, there’s an even greater refuge in Christ,’” says Bueltmann.

Just, a longtime professor at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, says he’s “very excited” about his call to serve part-time as a professor at a Lutheran seminary in the Dominican Republic and as a pastor, professor and missionary in Spain. At the same time, Just will continue in his position at Concordia Theological Seminary.

“Being asked to serve at the new seminary in the Dominican Republic, he says, “is a great honor and privilege and one of the most exciting ventures I have been a part of, along with helping to start a seminary in Siberia in 1996.”

Dykema will be based in Lima, Peru’s capital, as a short-term mission team coordinator and communication specialist for the Synod, supporting efforts to share the Christ’s mercy in the Latin America mission region.

Howard will be based in the Dominican Republic’s city of Santiago, supporting efforts to share Christ’s mercy in the Synod’s Latin America and Caribbean mission region as a Globally Engaged in Outreach business administrator.

“The LCMS actively engages with people of Latin America through church planting, training pastors and ministries including Good Shepherd Lutheran Home for people with disabilities in the Dominican Republic,” says Howard. “I am beyond blessed and excited to join this team.”

Kong serves as the Director of Christian Education (DCE) intern at Church of All Nations. In this role, he ministers to and shares the Gospel with the junior high and high school students who attend Hong Kong International School.

Meyer, who has taught primary students at Concordia Middle School in Taiwan for the past three years, will serve at least two years as a missionary in Uganda, East Africa, where she says “there is a need for teachers.”

“When God calls, then you listen, you follow, right? God calls us all to trust in Him, but to also share [His Word] with others.” Whether that’s in your own backyard or on the other side of the globe,” says Meyer.

Wrucke will become the Eurasia region’s director of communications for the Synod. In this role, she will develop communication strategies to support other missionaries in the region.

“With the fall of communism, people in Eurasia now have the freedom to learn about Christ and worship in cathedrals that sat empty for decades,” says Wrucke. “The flood of [Middle Eastern] refugees into Germany also presents unique opportunities to provide humanitarian care along with Word and Sacrament ministry.”

The LCMS has been involved in worldwide mission and outreach since 1851, when it established its first mission board. In 1894, the Synod sent its first overseas missionary, Rev. Theodore Naether and family, to India.

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In the July 2017 issue of StewardCAST, LCMS Stewardship Ministry discusses the connection between freedom and stewardship. God has in Christ set His children free from the burden of sin so they can be the faithful stewards of the freedom that is given in the Gospel.

The cost of this stewardship might be great, but it is what the Christian steward is called to do. As stewards of this freedom, we are to be faithful in our stewardship for the sake of the Lord and for our neighbor.

Download StewardCAST

Visit lcms.org/stewardship to learn more about LCMS’ Stewardship Ministry.

(Rated: PG [Canada] and PG-13 [MPAA] for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, thematic elements and some disturbing images; directed by Matt Reeves; stars Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn, Karin Konoval, Amiah Miller, Terry Notary, Ty Olsson, Michael Adamthwaite, Toby Kebbell, Gabriel Chavarria, Judy Greer, Sara Canning, Devyn Dalton and Aleks Paunovic; run time: 140 min.)

A powerful entry in the POTA franchise

By Ted Giese

“War for the Planet of the Apes” is the third installment in the 2011 “Planet of the Apes” franchise reboot. It picks up after “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” (2014), continuing the story of Caesar (Andy Serkis), the talking ape, and his quest for peace, family and freedom.

This time he squares off against a ruthless warlord, referred to as “the Colonel” (Woody Harrelson), who wants both Caesar and all the apes killed to prevent the spread of a debilitating virus believed to cause loss of speech and cognitive abilities in the dwindling human population.  

In this new take on the classic sci-fi film series, the reason for the rise of apes is human tampering with nature — not evolution, as was the case with the late 1960s and ’70s films.

The first reboot film, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011), introduced the Caesar character, whose intelligence and eventual ability to speak came from laboratory animal testing of a virus-based Alzheimer’s drug, ALZ 112. The drug was given to Caesar’s pregnant mother, who then passed the drug’s effects to her child.

Christian viewers will want to note the striking similarities between Caesar and Scripture’s Moses.

In the first film, Caesar is initially sentenced to death, rescued as a baby and raised in the lap of luxury while his fellow apes are imprisoned in laboratories and zoos. Discovering how his fellow apes live, he runs away from his adoptive family and, by the end of the film, leads the apes out of captivity into the wilderness to start their own community.

In the second film, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” Caesar is still the ape leader and is a kind of “law-giver” who presents three laws, or principles, by which the apes should live: 1) Ape not kill ape; 2) Apes together strong; and 3) Knowledge is power. He also deals with a rebellious ape, Koba (Toby Kebbell), who had previously been mistreated in a laboratory.

The Moses of Scripture was sentenced to death because of who his mother was, a Hebrew woman (Ex. 1:15-22). He was rescued from death, being drawn up out of the Nile River, and raised in the house of the Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

Then, seeing the plight of his true people, Moses ends up running away from his adoptive family (Ex. 2:1-15), and he eventually speaks for his people and leads them out of captivity, into the wilderness (Ex. 6-14), toward the Promised Land.

As their mediator, he gives the children of Israel the Ten Commandments from God (Ex. 20:1-17, Deut. 5:4-21) and has to deal with the rebellious Korah, the son of Izhar (Number 16).

See the similarities?

“War for the Planet of the Apes” maintains this analogy, and viewers heading into the new film will want to keep this in mind. For those who have already seen the film, it would be good to reflect on the rather obvious analogy director Matt Reeves and his writing partner, Mark Bomback, continue making.

There are more points of comparison between Moses and Caesar scattered throughout the new film, but pointing them all out would spoil the fun of finding them as they appear.

There are, however, a couple of other things to note. Greek letters are featured on human helmets, branded traitor/collaborator apes, and on buildings, trucks and other objects. Looking like an A and an upside-down U, they are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.

They are also the first letters of the Greek words Alpha and Omega, meaning “the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Jesus describes Himself in Rev. 1:8 and 22:13, using the words these letters represent.

In the film, the letters serve a dual purpose.

They are an initial hint, and then a constant reminder that these soldiers and their Colonel are in some way connected with Christianity. Ultimately a scene confirms this when a cross is repeatedly shown in the Colonel’s office during a pivotal scene.

Viewers are led to believe that the Colonel, while not a particularly virtuous Christian, is nonetheless a Christian.

The second purpose of these letters is more metaphorical. They indicate these humans and all humans who converge at the Colonel’s encampment are hanging in the balance: Will the events of the film mean a new beginning for them or will it be their end, or at least the end of things as they know them?

In addition, those Greek letters, also used in Christian art, figure prominently in the Book of Revelation, so their presence in the film has a kind of apocalyptic skew.

Viewers also may want to ponder what it means that the film’s villains are militant Christians and the protagonists are enslaved apes easily identifiable with the children of Israel from the Old Testament account of the Exodus — complete with their own Moses.    

Interestingly, the rebellious ape, Koba, from “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” makes several appearances in this film. Caesar is haunted by thoughts and dreams of him and is left asking himself if he is truly just like Koba or is he better than him? Does Caesar have a destructive desire for personal vengeance, like Koba, that could jeopardize everything he and the other apes have built as a community?

The wise orangutan, Maurice (Karin Konoval), makes an observation about Koba that sounds a lot like an admission of original sin when he says to Caesar, “Nobody can know the darkness that was inside of [Koba]. You couldn’t have known that.”

This comment comes earlier in the film, while Caesar still feels guilty about not understanding the depth of the darkness in Koba, a judgment that changes by the end of the film.

There is another moment with a traitor/collaborator ape, Red Donkey (Ty Olsson). Caesar asks him if there is anything left inside him worth being saved — the implication being that Red Donkey and other apes like him have given themselves over to the darkness and no longer fight against it, making them no longer apes. Their collaboration with the humans is evidence of this and a violation of the law, “Apes together strong.”   

All this leads to a more important question: Is this really a film about humans and apes? Or is it an extended portrait of what it means to be human? A cautionary tale, perhaps, about the dangers of losing humanity and the cost of holding on to it in the face of adversity?

As a genre, sci-fi is often the vehicle for talking about societal issues in an approachable, unassuming way. Think “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (1951) and its Cold War commentary, or “Children of Men” (2006), with its commentary on the wonder of childbirth and the necessity of procreation for the survival of humanity.

What, then, is going on in these new “Planet of the Apes” films?

If they are really movies about humans and apes, then the film has this tangible theme of misanthropy. The good humans, like the well-meaning scientist and researcher Will Rodman (James Franco), Caesar’s adoptive “father” from “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011), are firmly in the rearview mirror by the time “War for the Planet of the Apes” begins.

The new film features only one truly positive human character: a young girl named Nova (Amiah Miller), who shows kindness toward the apes. Yet her “human” interactions with them are complicated, as she has succumbed to the debilitating virus that causes the loss of speech and cognitive abilities in humans.

So is she even human anymore, since the Colonel lists speech and cognitive abilities as defining features of what it means to be human?

With this reading, the movie presents a sort of “Snakes and Ladders” game, where the apes are climbing up the ladder toward humanity while the humans are sliding down the snakes toward a nonhuman, animal nature.

This dichotomy is constantly expressed by showing the humans as “bad” and spiraling into chaos, and the apes (which humans categorize as animals) as “good,” ascending into a complex society.

To help drive this home, there is another talking ape with the purposely ironic name “Bad Ape” (Steve Zahn) who is, in fact, very good and helpful.

In the context of the scriptural analogy, the Colonel is clearly a kind of Pharaoh to Caesar’s Moses. Caesar even describes him as having no mercy — an indictment directed both toward the Colonel’s treatment of humans and apes, and a prophetic warning to Caesar himself.

Is it the Colonel’s hardness of heart that makes him less than human? Or is he a human only because he can speak and think?

Is it Caesar’s mercy that makes him human? Or is it his ability to speak and think?

If the implied misanthropy — dislike of humankind and, by contrast, the celebration of “animal kind” — found in these films is misdirection, and they are less to do with comparing human nature and animal nature, and more to do with human nature specifically, then it becomes an interesting take on the darkness that lurks in the heart (Matt. 15:18).

The plague of original sin and its recurrent shadow lead men like St. Paul, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to write, “So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand” (Rom. 7:21).

This is a law Caesar can’t escape, a law the Colonel — and by extension, the viewers — can’t escape on their own.

And in a Christian reading of the film, this law has no escape outside of Christ and the intervention of God, with the providential rescue found at the cross of Good Friday, prefigured scripturally in the Exodus account of crossing the Red Sea.   

All analogies eventually break down and this is how it eventually breaks down in these films: What’s missing for it to be a one-to-one kind of sci-fi representation of the biblical Exodus account is an active God working on behalf of His people.

There is no burning bush in the film, no revelation of God. If God is there, He is hidden — even though there is cultural evidence of Christianity and, through the Moses analogy, Old Testament Jewish cultural markers.

That said, near the end of the film one moment could be viewed as a naturalistic coincidence, or a self-triggered retribution, or the providential hand of God. What viewers make of that moment will largely be determined by their worldview and/or the confession of faith they bring to the theater.           

While not bright and cheerful, “War for the Planet of the Apes” is entertaining and interesting, well-made, with a lot of heart.

It is honest about the brokenness of human nature and, even though the word “sin” is not explicitly mentioned, the script is continually digging into the temptations and consequences revolving around sin and its impact on life.

The computer-generated imagery (CGI) is an improvement on the last film, and “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” had phenomenal CGI!

Andy Serkis again turns in a riveting performance as Caesar. With its thoughtful nods to the original series, “War for the Planet of the Apes” is a powerful entry into this rebooted franchise that shows no sign of losing momentum.

If anything, this third film is the best yet — one part “The Ten Commandments” (1956) and one part “The Great Escape” (1963), while still clearly grounding itself in the franchise world created by “Planet of the Apes” (1968).

Fans will be happy with this new film, and newcomers to the franchise will likely be interested in going back to watch previous installments.

Again, this new series of films under the direction of Matt Reeves (whose next project is directing the upcoming Ben Affleck film, “The Batman”) proves increasingly thoughtful and serious as it unfolds, where, on the other hand, the original series only grew more and more corny and trite with each new release.   

The Rev. Ted Giese (pastorted@sasktel.net) is lead pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; a contributor to the Canadian Lutheran, Reporter Online and KFUO.org; and movie reviewer for the “Issues, Etc.” radio program. Follow Pastor Giese on Twitter @RevTedGiese.

Posted July 25, 2017

By Megan K. Mertz

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — More than 540 people from all across the country — and even as far away as Kenya, East Africa — converged here July 12-16 for the 2017 LCMS Lutherans in Black Ministry Family Convocation.

During the five-day gathering, attendees spent time together in worship, learning and fellowship under the theme “All for Jesus — Know Him. Confess Him. Serve Him.”

“We had Africans, African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians and Anglo-Americans there,” said the Rev. Dr. Roosevelt Gray Jr., director of LCMS Black Ministry. “This was an opportunity for Black Ministry to be more inclusive and to begin to celebrate who we are as Lutherans across cultures. It’s just an exciting time to be in ministry in the 21^st century.”

The convocation also celebrated two historic anniversaries: the 500^th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation and the 140^th anniversary of Black Ministry in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, which started just 30 years after the Synod was formed. (For more on that history, click here.)

Honoring the ‘Immanuel Seven’

During the convocation, Gray unveiled a new award — the Servants of God and of His People Award — which was given to the seven living pastors who graduated from Immanuel Lutheran College and Seminary in Greensboro, N.C., which closed 56 years ago.

The Rev. Dr. William H. Griffin (who graduated in 1951), the Rev. Dr. Frazier N. Odom (1960), the Rev. Dr. Bryant E. Clancy Jr. (1961) and the Rev. Dr. James B. Marshall (1961) received the award in person. Not in attendance were the Rev. Dr. Simon Bodley (1957), the Rev. James Wiggins Sr. (1959) and the Rev. Arthur Bodley (1961).

“We honor you today because you weathered the storm for us,” Gray said to the four men who received the award in person. “The reason we’re here today is because you challenged the Church in the work of the Gospel.”

For 58 years, Immanuel — which started in Concord, N.C., in 1903 — provided high school, college and seminary education for black students who aspired to be leaders in the Church and world. The institution closed in 1961, several years after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down segregation in public schools.

“We would not be here had it not been for the closing of Immanuel. It was, in one respect, a mistake, and in another, one that was necessary,” Odom said.

“We thank God, however, that this institution of Immanuel gave us an opportunity to look inwardly and to see where we are and where we need to go. I thank God that He has given us two seminaries to carry on the work,” Odom continued, stressing the need to raise up and equip the next generation of pastors for the Church.

Later, Gray also recognized those who have been attending the convocation faithfully for many years, including a few who have attended since its inception in 1976.

Engaging the youth

Some of these future leaders also participated in the convocation. While their parents attended workshops and keynote addresses, some 120 children and teenagers had their own schedule full of speakers, servant events, devotions, field trips and games.

For Kyana Wood, a teen from Grace Lutheran Church, Concord, N.C., her favorite part was the field trip to the 16^th Street Baptist Church. The church was the site of a bombing in 1963 that killed four young girls and injured other worshipers. Wood said the experience helped her “see how history played out in the city of Birmingham.”

Wood also was part of a group that baked cookies for local police officers and firefighters. Other groups did servant events at a women’s shelter, an animal shelter and a park, where they handed out popsicles and witnessed to people.

Although the children and youth were often involved with their own activities, the older youth attended the panel discussion July 13 with the Rev. Micah Glenn, LCMS national missionary to his hometown of Ferguson, Mo.; the Rev. Delwyn Campbell, LCMS national missionary to his hometown of Gary, Ind.; the Rev. Dr. William H. Griffin, a retired pastor; and the Rev. Warren Lattimore, pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Orleans.

During this discussion, these pastors shared a little bit about their struggles growing up, as well as how God led them to serve Him in their various locations.

Afterward, one young man asked for “grown men and grown women advice” on how to avoid temptation as a young person in the world today.

“Those temptations, we all had them. Don’t be afraid to turn to your pastor,” Glenn counseled the teenagers.

Griffin also advised them to find friends who share their Christian values. “Find out where they are and stay with them,” he said.

During the event, the youth also elected members to a new Black Family Ministry Youth Advisory Committee, which will help plan the youth track at the next convocation.

The Rev. Gregory Manning, pastor of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, New Orleans, and one of the leaders of the program for children and youth, said he also hopes the committee can “give some direction to how youth who are of other cultures can be better represented at the national Youth Gathering.”

Members of the new committee are:

• Will Barns of Our Savior Lutheran Church, Orlando, Fla.;
• Jalain Gentry of First Lutheran Church, Hot Springs, Ark.;
• Letez Glover, also of First Lutheran, Hot Springs;
• Blake Melton of St. Paul Lutheran, Dallas; and
• Ivan Melton, also of St. Paul, Dallas.

Malkia Brown of Trinity Lutheran Church, Mobile, Ala., will serve as the alternate.

Equipping through speakers, workshops

Many attendees said a highlight of the convocation was the varied lineup of speakers and workshops. Nearly 20 different workshops were offered on topics like raising up future leaders, campus ministry, outreach to Muslims, community development and responding after a disaster.

During the July 13 opening devotion, the Rev. Christopher Bodley, missionary at-large in the LCMS Michigan District, led the convocation in a Bible study on Phil. 3:7-11.

Paul wrote these words, Bodley said, because he had “an experience” when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Through that encounter, God reframed Paul’s heart, just as God continues to reframe His followers’ hearts, vision, lives and attitudes today.

“He takes us on this journey from the known to the unknown to help us understand,” Bodley continued. “When we’re in the God Zone, there’s a commitment to growing, a commitment to learning, a commitment to being a disciple, and a commitment to having our lives reframed.”

This reframing isn’t always comfortable, Bodley said, adding, “Give us, O God, a desire to become more like You, so that the world will see You in us.”

The convocation also included three keynote addresses, starting with the Rev. Dr. Dien Ashley Taylor, pastor of Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Bronx, N.Y., and first vice-president of the LCMS Atlantic District, who spoke on “All for Jesus — Knowing Him.”

Knowing Jesus only happens if we are known by Him first, Taylor said.

“If it is all for Jesus and we are called to know Him, let us be clear about who He is,” he continued. “Jesus is God, of the same substance as His Father. … Jesus is the child of unwed parents not welcomed or celebrated by many … a radical reformer … our Savior … our Redeemer.

“Stop trying to be something you are not. You are not other denominations. You are not other people,” he said. “You are Lutherans. … Confess and rejoice that Christ knows you. You are the Body of Christ,” so go back and “start on some new initiatives for His Kingdom.”

The Rev. Dr. Leopoldo A. Sánchez M., the Werner R.H. and Elizabeth R. Krause Professor of Hispanic Ministries at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, also gave a keynote address on sanctification. Sanchez said the Holy Spirit is like a sculptor who constantly “forms us and shapes us to be Christ-like.”

The Rev. Dr. Gregory P. Seltz, outgoing speaker of “The Lutheran Hour” and new executive director of the Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty, was the final keynote speaker. In his address, he encouraged listeners to take the “incredible proclamation” of the Gospel, which Martin Luther rediscovered in the Reformation, into the lives of hurting people.

“You can be a neighbor to the neighbors He sends you. It’s not that hard. You get to know them as they are, and you see what God can do through you,” Seltz said. “Every day, you get up and go, ‘How can I be a better husband today? How can I be a better father today? How can I be a better neighbor today? Lord, what have You prepared for me?’”

On the last evening, attendees gathered for a formal dinner and time of fellowship. The Rev. Dr. John A. Nunes, president of Concordia College—New York, Bronxville, N.Y., served as the banquet speaker, and his wife, Monique, provided special music.

Vernie Shipp, a member at Grace Lutheran Church, Concord, N.C., called the sessions “inspiring, uplifting … and well-planned.” She said she enjoyed hearing “the different pastors and the way they presented themselves,” as well as getting “encouraged and [learning] how we can work in the communities and invite people to come in to our church.”

Coming together in worship

The convocation featured opening and closing worship, as well as daily devotions for all ages. During the event, a mass choir composed of members from congregations in Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas and other states provided special music.

In his sermon on the opening evening, the Rev. Dr. Ulmer Marshall Jr., pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Mobile, Ala., and Bethel Lutheran Church, Point Clear, Ala., and first vice-president of the LCMS Southern District, examined the story of Mary anointing Jesus’ feet in John 12:1-8.

“She did not hold back. She poured all of it on the feet of Jesus. All for Jesus,” Marshall said, connecting the story to the convocation theme.

“Mary expressed her love in an extravagant gift. While many people may claim to love Jesus, they aren’t willing to give Him their very best,” he continued, encouraging those in attendance to take “every opportunity” to worship Jesus and sing His praises. “Don’t wait until just on Sunday.”

This idea carried through Thursday, Friday, Saturday and into Sunday, as the speakers, workshops and fellowship times all brought attendees together to praise God, learn about new resources and celebrate together as His Church.

In the closing service, the Rev. Dr. McNair Ramsey, second vice-president of the LCMS Southern District, likened the convocation experience to being “Peter, James and John when they were on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus.”

“We don’t want to leave this place, but the work is down in the valley,” Ramsey said. “So, we must go and proclaim the goodness of the Lord.”

For Shirley Rogers, a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Birmingham, Ala., the host church for the event, the highlight of the convocation — her first — was “the Word of the Lord and the gathering of His people.”

“And getting to know different people from different places,” she added. “We all came together as one.”

Megan K. Mertz (megan.mertz@lcms.org) is a staff writer and managing editor of Lutherans Engage the World with LCMS Communications.

Posted July 25, 2017

Media Advisory

Contact: Roger Drinnon
Media Relations, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
314-996-1217 or roger.drinnon@lcms.org
www.lcms.org

Renewal, Rebirth in Ferguson:

Lutheran Hope Center, Community Empowerment Center of Ferguson — Grand Opening 10 a.m. July 26, 9420 West Florissant Ave.

ST. LOUIS — The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) will have clergy on hand representing the Lutheran Hope Center, part of the Community Empowerment Center of Ferguson, during the grand opening of the new facility which begins 10 a.m. July 26 at 9420 West Florissant Ave.

The Community Empowerment Center stands on the site of the burned-out QuikTrip gas station that served as “ground zero” for authorities after the police shooting death of Michael Brown Jr., Aug. 9, 2014. The shooting ignited weeks of protests heard and seen across the country and around the world.

The Community Empowerment Center and the Lutheran Hope Center comprise a St. Louis city- and countywide effort that includes the Synod as well as numerous community and business leaders committed to put the beleaguered city in North St. Louis on the road to renewal and rebirth.

The Rev. Micah Glenn is the executive director of the Lutheran Hope Center in his hometown. He and his wife, Deaconess Dorothy Glenn, serve in Ferguson as LCMS national (domestic) missionaries.

The Rev. Steven Schave, director of LCMS Urban & Inner City Mission and LCMS Church Planting also will be present for media interviews.

The Lutheran Hope Center began with five local church congregations concerned about civil unrest in Ferguson. For more information, visit www.thelutheranhopecenter.org.

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The United States is six months into a new administration in Washington, D.C. Does this bode well or ill for people of faith?

Timothy Goeglein, vice-president for External Relations at Focus on the Family in Washington, D.C., addressed religious liberty issues in the U.S. with host Kip Allen during July’s “Free to be Faithful” program on Worldwide KFUO.

The program covered the current state of affairs and what it portends for Lutherans and other people of faith.

Goeglein and Allen discussed Vice President Mike Pence speaking to Focus on the Family, the fate of Obamacare and why it’s bad for people of faith, important issues before the Supreme Court, the impact of transgenderism on the military, and the overall tone in D.C.

http://archives.kfuo.org/mp3/FTBF/FTBF_Jul_19_2017.mp3

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About ‘Free to be Faithful’

“Free to be Faithful” is a religious liberty, awareness, and education program created by The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in response to increasing governmental incursions into religious life.

Kip Allen leads “Free to be Faithful” discussions on KFUO.org on the third Wednesday of each month, beginning at 2:30 p.m. Central time.

About Goeglein

A lifelong LCMS Lutheran, Tim Goeglein previously served as a special assistant to President George W. Bush and as press secretary to U.S. Sen. Dan Coats. He also is the author of The Man in the Middle: Faith and Politics in the George W. Bush Era.

LCMS Worship provides Hymn of the Day Studies for Advent for the Three-Year Lectionary and the One-Year Lectionary. The Word in Song studies five hymns in Lutheran Service Book.

Three-Year Lectionary:

• “Savior of the Nations, Come” (LSB 332) — study by Steven P. Mueller
• “On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry” (LSB 344) — study by Bruce E. Keseman
• “Hark! A Thrilling Voice is Sounding” (LSB 345) — study by Steven P. Mueller
• “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” (LSB 357) — study by Kim L. Scharff
• “We Walk by Faith and Not by Sight” (LSB 720) — study by Christopher I. Thoma

One-Year Lectionary:

• “Savior of the Nations, Come” (LSB 332) — study by Steven P. Mueller
• “Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending” (LSB 336) — study by Kim L. Scharff
• “Hark! A Thrilling Voice is Sounding” (LSB 345) — study by Steven P. Mueller
• “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” (LSB 357) — study by Kim L. Scharff
• “We Walk by Faith and Not by Sight” (LSB 720) — study by Christopher I. Thoma

Hymn of the Day Studies for Advent: Three-Year Lectionary Hymn of the Day Studies for Advent: One-Year Lectionary

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About Unwrapping the Gifts

Unwrapping the Gifts is a bimonthly publication of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Worship Ministry devoted to providing resources for worship. Everyone involved in planning worship is encouraged to subscribe to the Unwrapping the Gifts RSS feed.

Reproduction for individual, church or school use does not require permission.

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By Kim Plummer Krull

In one of several Bethesda Lutheran Communities group homes nestled throughout Watertown, Wis. — and much like Bethesda homes in other areas across the country — Annie Egan and her housemates receive necessary medical care. All are nonverbal and in wheelchairs; some use feeding tubes.

Such physical needs helped convince Cathy Egan to allow Annie, 38, to move to Bethesda when her daughter was 16.

Back then, Cathy had no idea how much Annie would enjoy singing songs like “Jesus Loves Me.” She never envisioned six women — all considered low-functioning — taking part in their group home Bible study and how they “really respond” when the topic is Jesus.

Integrating rather than segregating

A century ago, families took their children by train to Bethesda, where the youngsters grew up with classes in reading, religion and penmanship.

“We literally began as an orphanage, a home started by German Lutherans for families who didn’t know how to best care for their children,” said Mike Thirtle, president and CEO of Bethesda, a name from the Bible for the pool where the disabled came for healing (John 5:2-4).

While its mission to “enhance the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through services that share the Good News of Jesus” remains the same, the LCMS Recognized Service Organization (RSO) has changed dramatically.

Still based in Watertown, Bethesda now includes more than 300 locations serving thousands across the United States.

Rather than “segregating people with disabilities from society, our focus is on integrating them into their local communities,” said Thirtle, talking about the RSO’s transition — and the national trend in disability care services — that led to Bethesda’s announcement in May to raze 11 buildings once used as its residential campus.

“As Ecclesiastes tells us, ‘to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven,’ and our season is to spread the Good News across the country and not in one location,” said Thirtle.

“Institutional facilities like the one in Watertown are no longer reimbursed by government funding in the state of Wisconsin. We have been transitioning people to living in the community over the past 30 years because of this,” he added.

Once state-of-the-art, the all-inclusive institution — which included a gymnasium,

bank and dentist’s office — grew increasingly obsolete as Bethesda began to transition residents into modern group homes.

“Our goal is to help each person make choices, set goals and enrich their spiritual life so they can live in the home they choose and across the supports they desire,” Thirtle said.

‘Heart and hands of God’

Nearly three years ago, Annie Egan was among the last to move from the Bethesda campus. Cathy says she understands the benefits of a more home-like setting for a large percentage of Bethesda’s population, which includes people with a full

range of developmental and intellectual disabilities, including those with Down syndrome, autism and traumatic brain injuries.

“It’s incredible how normal their lives can be,” said Cathy, who lives in Watertown and, with her husband, Dave, volunteers as “house parents” at Annie’s group home.

Like the people it serves, Bethesda faces challenges. It’s hard to retain quality staff, including caregivers, cooks and transporters who, Thirtle says, “serve as the heart and hands of God.”

Donor support is essential as government reimbursement falls short of the level of services Bethesda strives to provide.

Quality demands funding, of course, another factor in Bethesda’s decision to raze the vacant buildings after trying for years to find a buyer to repurpose them. Demolition is expected to begin in the fall. The many millions of dollars that Bethesda saves on utilities for empty buildings with no potential for repurposing, Thirtle says, “will go right back into services and support.” 

The scope of those services will surprise anyone who still thinks the RSO is limited to the Watertown campus. In addition to residential housing, Bethesda programs empower people with developmental disabilities to live, play, work and worship in their local communities across the country.

“Spiritual care is a vital part of Bethesda and one reason it holds a special place in the hearts of many, including families and staff who have been impacted by its long history of faithful service,” said Deaconess Dorothy Krans, director of LCMS Recognized Service Organizations. 

Making a difference

Some of Annie Egan’s happiest moments are visiting the statue of Jesus in front of Bethesda’s corporate headquarters.

“She loves to look at it. It’s one of the biggest things she responds to,” Cathy said of her daughter.

While Cathy is thankful for the years Annie lived in a residence hall on the Bethesda campus, she also calls the group home Annie now shares with five “very sweet ladies” in a local neighborhood a blessing.

“I don’t think she would be alive today if not for the good care she’s gotten from Bethesda,” Cathy said.

For information about including people with disabilities in the life of the church or arranging a Bethesda Sunday, contact Deaconess Kim Trombley at 920-206-4408 or religiouslife@mailblc.org.

Kim Plummer Krull (kimkrull@sbcglobal.net) is a freelance writer and a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Des Peres, Mo.

Posted July 20, 2017

By Paula Schlueter Ross (paula.ross@lcms.org)

Deaconess Kim Bueltmann believes in keeping an open mind when she receives a call to serve a different ministry because she doesn’t want to “shut doors,” on her own, “before I’ve given it a chance to see how God might work through it.”

After that consideration — and more than a little prayer — Bueltmann, 38, said yes to her latest call. Which means she’s leaving a position she loves, in Wisconsin, to start a new one, in Germany, that she is certain God has arranged.

As one of 10 new Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod missionaries who attended a July 3-14 orientation in St. Louis, Bueltmann learned about the theology of mission work, developing a network of prayer and financial support, communicating with supporters, adapting to another culture, and other topics related to living and working as an overseas missionary.

Besides Germany, the new missionaries will serve in the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, Hong Kong, Peru, Spain and Uganda.

The orientation provided a lot of “good and helpful” information, Bueltmann said, adding that the group “could have spent another whole week,” since there was so much to absorb.

The deaconess recently left Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon — where she was director of campus ministry for seven years — to become a career missionary in Germany, where she will work with the SELK (the German acronym for the Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Church, an LCMS partner church) as it reaches out to refugees from Afghanistan, Iran, Syria and other Middle Eastern countries.

“God’s hands are in all of this,” she told Reporter, and she ticked off the life experiences that led up to her missionary call:

• Her grandparents were from Germany and spoke German to her when she was growing up.
• She studied German in high school and “loved the language.”
• By the time she was a senior, she was taking her third trip to her grandparents’ now-familiar homeland and realized, “There’s a huge mission field here.” Back then, few Germans were attending church services or seemed to have heard the Gospel, she said, and nothing much has changed.
• Her deaconess internship was in — you guessed it — Germany, and was arranged when the SELK requested someone who could speak German and wanted to work with youth and music. Bueltmann sings and plays several instruments. She and two of her brothers — Kevin and Kurtis, both now LCMS pastors — later performed in their own band, “Sibling Harmony,” for some 10 years.

Bueltmann says she’s “very excited about the ministry” in Germany.

Even though the Synod can’t send missionaries to the home countries of the refugees, “here they are, in a place where we can share the Gospel with them,” she notes.

“Here, they’re seeking refuge in another country, and I get to tell them, ‘Hey, there’s an even greater refuge in Christ.’ ”

Dr. Arthur A. Just Jr., longtime professor at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind., says he’s “very excited” about his part-time call to serve as a professor at a Lutheran seminary in the Dominican Republic and as a pastor, professor and missionary in Spain. He also expects to serve, as needed, in Mexico and Uruguay.

Among his duties will be teaching, writing curriculum, administering programs, visiting congregation members, preaching, celebrating the Lord’s Supper, pastoral counseling and mentoring — many of the same tasks he has performed overseas, throughout the years, as a professor.

“But it is a great encouragement for me to do it in an official way as a career missionary” with the Synod’s Office of International Mission, he told Reporter.

Just, who will continue in his position at Concordia Theological Seminary, says his new missionary call is his “swan song.” Being asked to serve at the new seminary in the Dominican Republic, he says, “is a great honor and privilege and one of the most exciting ventures I have been a part of, along with helping to start a seminary in Siberia in 1996.”

Rachel Meyer, who has taught primary students at Concordia Middle School in Taiwan for the past three years, will serve at least two years as a missionary in Uganda, East Africa, where “there is a need for teachers.”

With back-to-back overseas service, Meyer says her family “is a big support network” for her. And, “they’re supportive of God’s work. When God calls, then you listen, you follow, right?”

Meyer says “God calls us all to trust in Him, but to also share [His Word] with others.” Whether that’s in your own backyard or on the other side of the globe, “He calls us all to share,” she said.

The Rev. John A. Fale, executive director of the LCMS Office of International Mission, considers it “a blessing to be with new missionaries during orientation. There is a high level of excitement, anticipation and even a bit of anxiety as they are about to enter an unfamiliar culture and ministry context.

“Yet through it all, they know that they have been called by Jesus through His church, that they go with His blessing, and that He will provide,” Fale said.

In a July 14 “Service of Sending” for the new missionaries at the LCMS International Center chapel, LCMS First Vice-President Rev. Dr. Herbert C. Mueller Jr. preached on Luke 6:36-42, encouraging them to “be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” and to “be like” their “teacher,” Jesus Christ.

“No one,” Mueller said, “has given more for the world — or for you — than Jesus,” who can “take a crooked stick,” a sinner, and “draw a straight line,” finding and calling “sinners to serve Him.”

He urged the missionaries to “remember that the power and the grace do not flow from you, but flow from Jesus,” who is “always the giver.”

And, like the 2 Kings account of the four beggars who find a feast and share it with others, “that’s exactly what you and I are sent to be and to do,” said Mueller — “to live and serve as His baptized people, to say: Here’s the good stuff! Here’s the mercy that cannot be exhausted. Here is grace upon grace. Here’s the good food that brings you home to eternal life — the body and blood of Jesus, the everlasting love of God. Here’s forgiveness for all your sins.

“Here’s Jesus, who gave Himself for you. Who will always give you good measure, pressed down, shaken together, overflowing. Who will make you His disciples.”

In the “Rite of Sending,” Fale asked God to “guide and bless” the missionaries, His “servants sent forth to be witnesses,” and “grant them confidence and great boldness, uphold and sustain them in hardship and grant them faithfulness in all their labors, so that through the speaking of Your Word the nations may come to worship before Your throne in spirit and in truth.”

Said Fale: “Go in the name of the Lord. Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

For more information about LCMS missionary opportunities, visit lcms.org/missionaries.

Posted July 20, 2017

RSO News Update: Third Quarter 2017 — This issue of the quarterly newsletter of LCMS Recognized Service Organizations features Concordia Life Care Community in Oklahoma City, Okla. This organization serves the senior citizens who reside in its retirement community, while also providing outreach programs and ministries for those across Oklahoma City.

The newsletter also includes upcoming events and other resources for RSOs serving across the globe.

Learn more about LCMS Recognized Service Organizations.

Read RSO News Update

The Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) is announcing today that the Rev. Bart Day, executive director of the Synod’s Office of National Mission (ONM), has accepted the call to become the next President and CEO of LCEF.

The LCEF Board of Directors extended the call to Bart July 14. He succeeds Rich Robertson, who announced in November 2016 that he would retire from the position Oct. 1. Bart’s official start date is Sept. 1.

In his new position, Day will oversee LCEF’s investments, loans and ministry support activities, communicate to and with LCEF’s partner organizations and assist the LCEF Board of Directors in establishing the overall course and direction of the organization.

Under God’s grace, Rev. Bart Day has been an exemplary servant in the ONM over the past six years, ably assembling and leading a multifaceted team that is producing splendid fruits under priorities given by the Synod in convention.

In leading the ONM, Bart has been faithfully consistent in fulfillment of his responsibility to implement the policies of the Board for National Mission (BNM). This work entails oversight of 20 ministries that supported districts, congregations, schools and workers of the Synod in their Witness, Mercy and Life Together.

Bart also served as the interim Chief Mission Officer from 2014 to 2015, reporting directly to the Synod president. From 2015 to 2016, he served as interim executive director of Pastoral Education, overseeing the coordination of pre-seminary, seminary and post-seminary education programs and projects of the Synod.

LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison offers sincere thanks to Bart for his stellar service in the ONM, saying, “We are very confident his skills will be a blessing to LCEF, and to the LCMS family nationally and around the world.”

Bart’s joyful, pastoral approach and faithfulness to the Word, combined with his ability to foster excellent working relationships, played a vital role in the establishment of a dynamic platform from which the ONM, the Lord willing, will continue to bless the church for years to come.

With a spirit of gratitude and prayerful anticipation, we look forward to his ongoing contributions to the church’s mission and our life together in his new role at LCEF.

In Christ,

Rev. Kevin Robson
LCMS Chief Mission Officer

The Rev. Bart Day has accepted a call to serve as president and chief executive officer of Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF). He will succeed Rich Robertson, who plans to retire Oct. 1 after serving in the post for eight years. Day plans to begin his transition to LCEF Sept. 1.

Day has been executive director of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s Office of National Mission for the past six years, overseeing 20 ministries that support LCMS districts, congregations, schools and workers in their “witness, mercy and life together.”

He also served as interim chief mission officer from 2014 to 2015, reporting directly to the LCMS president, and as interim executive director of Pastoral Education from 2015 to 2016, overseeing coordination of the church body’s pre-seminary, seminary and post-seminary education programs.

In his new position, Day will oversee LCEF’s investments, loans and ministry-support activities; communicate with its partner organizations; and assist its board of directors in establishing the overall course and direction of the organization.

Day said he is “completely humbled” by the call. “LCEF has faithfully served the church for the last 39 years, and the work of providing funds and services for the sharing of the Gospel will extend long into the future,” he said. “The opportunity to serve such a wonderful organization along with such committed people is overwhelming.

“The Lord has certainly led me on an unusual path in the church these past 20 years, giving me the opportunity to serve in ways I never imagined when leaving the seminary,” Day continued. “Each new open door has been a blessing and a delight. Together with our investors and borrowers I look forward to a bold future at LCEF.”

LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison thanked Day “for his stellar service in the Office of National Mission. We are very confident his skills will be a blessing to LCEF and to the LCMS family — nationally and around the world.”

Citing Day’s “joyful, pastoral approach and faithfulness to the Word, combined with his ability to foster excellent working relationships,” LCMS Chief Mission Officer Rev. Kevin D. Robson called him “an exemplary servant in the Office of National Mission over the past six years, ably assembling and leading a multifaceted team that is producing splendid fruits under priorities given by the Synod in convention.

“With a spirit of gratitude and prayerful anticipation, we look forward to Rev. Day’s ongoing contributions to the church’s mission and our life together in his new role at LCEF,” Robson said.

LCEF Board of Directors Chairperson Rev. Max Phillips said the LCEF board and staff are “excited to have Rev. Day come aboard, as we endeavor to serve the Lord Jesus and His church how we do it best — with stable practice and innovative design.

“We invite our brothers and sisters in Christ to join us in praying for the mission of LCEF and for Bart as he begins this new phase of his ministry to and with God’s people.”

Day began his career in 1997 as associate pastor at Memorial Lutheran Church in Houston. He served concurrently as headmaster of Memorial Lutheran School from 2005 to 2011.

His service to the church also includes leading or taking part in numerous mission trips to the United Kingdom, Mexico, Nicaragua and Kenya.

Since 2002 he has served in a number of volunteer positions, including as a board member of The Friends of Westfield House, Lutheran Services in America, Lutheran Hour Ministries, and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.

A graduate of Concordia Teachers College (now Concordia University) in Seward, Neb., Day also holds a Master of Divinity degree from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.

He and his wife, Julie, have six children and reside in Sunset Hills, Mo.

In a July 18 news release announcing Day’s acceptance of the position, LCEF also thanked Robertson “for his vision, focus and leadership for the past eight years. The organization has been blessed to have a servant-leader such as Rich commit so much to the service of both LCEF and the LCMS.”

The nonprofit LCEF provides loans and facility-planning services to LCMS churches, schools and rostered church workers through the investment support of church members. It strives to “support the church in fulfilling its mission of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ by being a Christ-centered servant partner of the LCMS, ensuring that funds and services are available now and in the future.”

Posted July 18, 2017 / Updated July 19, 2017

The country is now six months into a new administration in Washington, D.C. Does this bode well or ill for people of faith?

Timothy Goeglein, vice-president for External Relations at Focus on the Family in Washington, D.C., will join host Kip Allen on July’s “Free to be Faithful” program on Worldwide KFUO to discuss the current state of affairs and what it portends for Lutherans and other people of faith.

The program begins at 2:30 p.m. (Central time) July 19. An encore presentation will air at 9:30 a.m. July 22.

A lifelong LCMS Lutheran, Goeglein previously served as a special assistant to President George W. Bush and as press secretary to U.S. Sen. Dan Coats. He also is the author of The Man in the Middle: Faith and Politics in the George W. Bush Era.

Allen moderates such “Free to be Faithful” discussions on Worldwide KFUO on the third Wednesday of each month.

Listen to previous discussions in the “Free to be Faithful” KFUO archive.

Posted July 17, 2017

In the eight years of the Obama administration, the U.S. went from being 78 percent Christian to 71 percent. The last time the LCMS saw a year-to-year gain in baptized membership, the Supreme Court was deciding Bush v. Gore, and A.L. Barry sat behind the desk in Kirkwood. The ELCA, UMC, UCC, and Presbyterians are faring even worse. These facts, and the questions they raise, are what led the Stewardship Ministry of the LCMS Office of National Mission (ONM) to commission two scholars to study the demographic and cultural context of the Missouri Synod.

I especially thank Prof. William Schumacher for his recent essay in Concordia Seminary’s latest edition of Lutheran Mission Matters, where he critiques these demographic reports in the context they were published in the December 2016 issue of the Synod’s Journal of Lutheran Mission (JLM).

In this blog post, I hope to offer some clarifications that will further the efforts of interested readers, as they make plans for the future of their ministries in the challenging cultural landscape of 21st-century America.

Schumacher’s essay is available at:

http://concordiatheology.org/2017/07/schumacher-and-raj-in-latest-lutheran-mission-matters/

The December 2016 edition of JLM that he critiques is available here:

https://blogs.lcms.org/2016/journal-of-lutheran-mission-december-2016

First, Schumacher raises questions and concerns about the methodologies of Dr. George Hawley, assistant professor of political science at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, and Dr. Ryan MacPherson, professor of History at Bethany Lutheran College, Mankato, Minn. Specifically, he mentioned the critique offered by Rebeka Cook. We were gratified to see so much professional interest in this data, and MacPherson and Hawley offered very helpful replies to Cook in the March 2017 issue of JLM which also go to the heart of Schumacher’s comments.

Read the March 2017 edition of JLM at:

https://blogs.lcms.org/2017/journal-of-lutheran-mission-march-2017

Second, as a follow up to the question of the validity of the data, analysis and conclusions of these researchers, folks should be aware that Hawley’s latest peer-reviewed book, which began to percolate in his mind as he worked on our data, has just been published. The title says it all: “Demography, Culture, and the Decline of America’s Christian Denominations” (Lexington Books). I’m sure your readers would benefit from a review of this volume in your pages: setting LCMS demographics in this wider context is both eye-opening and encouraging!

Third, Schumacher seems to be struggling under the misconception that our researchers, and/or leaders in the Synod, are saying that the LCMS can procreate its way into being a growing denomination again. Alas, the news of our researchers indicates otherwise. Hawley reports that the LCMS already has a higher-than-average percentage of large families among the membership of the church who are in the child-bearing years. However, the number of folks aged 18-29 in 2014 was so small (11 percent of the Synod as opposed to 20 percent of America), such that the Synod simply cannot emerge from demographic decline via natural growth in the short to medium term (1-2 decades). Not to mention that encouraging family formation (or evangelism for that matter) to “save the Synod” would be wrong-headed and ineffective to boot. Rather, the data and analysis are in the reports to demonstrate just how “baked in” the LCMS decline in membership is: we are reaping the results of decisions made decades ago, and there is no changing the past.

See also: “Reversing the LCMS membership decline: not just by having more children,” Reporter Online, Feb. 28, 2017, at https://blogs.lcms.org/2017/reversing-lcms-membership-decline

Speaking of evangelism, I am afraid I must report that the numbers are also stark in that regard. Since MacPherson notes that the LCMS already has an adult conversion rate that compares favorably with our peer denominations (indeed, we have a better “conversion rate” than the Southern Baptist Convention and for several years now we’ve had more adult conversions per year than infant baptisms!), we are not likely to see the kind of truly unprecedented growth in evangelism we would need to become a growing denomination in the short to medium term. Our conversion rate would have to far exceed that of the Mormon church’s efforts for this to occur – and the massive amounts of energy and resources they plow into evangelism is a byword among the nations.

Two other data points in Hawley’s report deserve notice here as well: the Missouri Synod happens to be concentrated in parts of the country that are depopulating. In the growing parts of the country, the Missouri Synod is indeed growing, but at a rate below the growth of the overall population. In other words, even where Synod congregations are increasing in membership, they are not increasing at a rate that keeps up with the community around them.

Schumacher is certainly correct in noting that all of the above analysis in stated from a secular perspective, that is, looking at the Church as a merely human organization – we have not even factored in our belief that the Spirit works “when and where He pleases” for conversion through the means of grace. That caveat is always welcome in these discussions. At the same time, leaders in the Church since Paul have found it beneficial to make use of “First Article Gifts” and secular wisdom. The bottom line of the demographic research conducted by MacPherson and Hawley is this: unless the Lord chooses to perform a miracle, the LCMS, along with the ELCA, the Methodists, the UCC, the Presbyterians, etc., will almost certainly continue to decline in membership for the next two or three decades.

Fourth, Schumacher makes the valid point that the LCMS is not coextensive with the Bride of Christ, His Church. The Lord will save His elect in spite of our failings, by His grace alone, and with or without the Missouri Synod – on that we certainly agree!

Yet, I confess that I am unashamedly interested in the health and well-being of the Missouri Synod: her congregations, schools, universities, seminaries, missionaries and domestic and international infrastructure for ministry. It is precisely the LCMS as a denomination that sent Prof. Schumacher to do his mission work in Botswana and that continues to support missionaries around the world; it is the LCMS as a denomination that owns and oversees the universities and seminaries that train and certify our church workers. I want all of the ministries that make up the Synod to thrive precisely because we have been gifted with a wonderfully clear confession of the Gospel in all its articles! We desire “all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth,” and we desire to be a part of the Lord’s work in this regard! I want the congregations I serve to thrive for the same reason I want Concordia Seminary, where Schumacher serves, to thrive, because the Lutheran Confession of the Faith is the God-pleasing, life-giving and soul-saving message of Jesus Christ.

Of course, your readers are also interested in the health of their ministries within the LCMS, as are all leaders at the congregational, district and Synod levels. Different parts of ONM are responding to the demographic and cultural reality around us in different ways (see especially the work of Every One His Witness and Re:vitality from the ONM’s Evangelism Ministry. But as the Coordinator for Stewardship, my focus is first and foremost on the following:

Encouraging pastors and congregations and district leaders: We are living through a rough time for the Church at large in America. If your congregation, circuit and district are shrinking despite your best efforts, you are not alone, you are not crazy, and you are not (necessarily) a “bad” pastor, congregation, district president or district. All 35 districts are contracting in membership. It’s something the whole Synod and all of American Christianity are facing for a host of complicated reasons. Our reports can help you understand what is going on, but you need to be ready to learn about your context and make a plan. Where do you serve? An area in decline or experiencing growth? Your plans, expectations, and goals need to match that context. In the Stewardship office, we help congregational and school leaders understand the world around them, encourage a faithful response and make a plan for ministry that fits their specific context.

I have a special concern for Synodwide institutions: There will be areas of growth in particular cities, regions and even districts as we move through the next two decades. But if our researchers’ hypothesis holds true (as it is so far), the Synod as a whole will not experience growth. This needs to be factored into the plans of the large institutions that serve the whole Synod. 

My 2017 calendar is already filled with presentations to institutions, circuits, boards of directors, pastors’ conferences, etc. In these presentations, I review the demographic data facing the Synod and all of American Christianity with a focus on understanding and planning for the future we are likely to face, under the Lord’s gracious will. I am now scheduling speaking events for mid-2018. If your readers would like to have me come out and go through this data in person and talk about what is going on with the Synod to meet these challenges with confidence in the Lord and excitement in the Gospel, I can be reached via email at heath.curtis@lcms.org.

Sincerely,

Rev. Heath R. Curtis
Pastor – Trinity & Zion Lutheran Churches, Worden & Carpenter, Ill.
Coordinator for Stewardship – LCMS Office of National Mission

(Rated: PG [Canada] and PG-13 [MPAA] for sci-fi action violence, some language and brief suggestive comments; directed by Jon Watts; stars Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr., Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Gwyneth Paltrow, Zendaya, Laura Harrier, Tyne Daly, Jennifer Connelly and Jacob Batalon; run time: 133 min.)

Back home, with well-spun story

By Ted Giese

In “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” a fledgling neighborhood superhero from the New York City borough of Queens, who has been noticed and aided by Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), stumbles upon a criminal operation in which thieves are using salvaged alien technology to manufacture and sell weapons made from the stolen goods.

The friendly, neighborhood hero is Peter Parker (Tom Holland), an orphaned high-school student living with his aunt May (Marisa Tomei).

While his superhero antics are anything but normal, the rest of his life is very normal: He’s a teenage kid, he makes mistakes, he’s awkward and, for all his school smarts, he’s a bit naïve.

Parker has a close, dependable friend, Ned (Jacob Batalon); a girl crush, Liz (Laura Harrier), who doesn’t seem to notice him; and another girl, Michelle (Zendaya), who has a crush on him that he can’t seem to notice.

The film ties neatly back into MARVEL’s “The Avengers” (2012) and “Captain America: Civil War” (2016), with nods to a bunch of other MARVEL films.

In the past, because of licensing agreements, Spider-Man films couldn’t weave a web that so intricately connects the stories and characters found in the growing catalogue of MARVEL Studios films.

This time, from the get-go, viewers are assured this film is both reminiscent of the Spider-Man they grew up loving and — at the same time — solidly part of the ever-expanding MARVEL film franchise.

The first promising signs of this new approach come in the opening minutes when viewers receive their first major tie into the MCU (MARVEL Cinematic Universe) with the introduction of the film’s villain, Adrian Toomes/Vulture (Michael Keaton). He is a disgruntled salvage operator whose NYC contract to clean up after the alien wreckage following the events of “The Avengers” are revoked by a bureaucrat from the U.S. Department of Damage Control (Tyne Daly).

The second, and even more important, sign comes after the film’s introductory scenes, when an updated orchestral rendition of the Paul Francis Webster/Bob Harris snappy 1967 cartoon theme song bursts onto the screen over the new MARVEL Studio intro.

In other Spider-Man films, this beloved cartoon theme song was relegated to a Stan Lee-style cameo and was never front and center. This prominent use of the musical cue by director Jon Watts is like a promise to the viewer: “This time, we’re getting it right.”

These scenes, along with Peter’s fun video-diary-behind-the-scenes footage detailing his involvement in the events of “Captain America: Civil War” (2016), do an excellent job of setting the stage for what follows in “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”

Before “Iron Man” (2008), MARVEL had primarily been involved in licensing its comic-book characters to film studios like Sony Pictures, which produced director Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” (2002), “Spider-Man 2” (2004), “Spider-Man 3” (2007), with Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, and Marc Webb’s rebooted “The Amazing Spider-Man” (2012) and “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (2014), with Andrew Garfield in the lead role.

This year’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming” is yet another reboot, but there is quite a lot more at stake this time. And in a cheeky sort of way, MARVEL has said as much — even in the film’s name, “Homecoming,” which carries a double meaning.

Yes, the film includes a high-school homecoming dance. However, more important to fans of MARVEL and after years of being licensed to Sony Pictures, this new film marks Spider-Man’s official homecoming back into the fold of the MCU.

Is Sony still involved? Yes, Sony Pictures provided financing and will take the box-office returns while MARVEL gets merchandising revenue and, more important, full creative control.

Spider-Man’s homecoming to MARVEL means this character no longer exists in a sort of fictional parallel universe running alongside the MCU.

With “Captain America: Civil War” and “Spider-Man: Homecoming” — and the upcoming “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) and its untitled 2019 sequel, along with the untitled “Spider-Man: Homecoming” sequel (2019) — Spider-Man is now on track to being fully integrated back into the ever-expanding MARVEL story.

For Christian viewers, there are a couple of things to note in the film.

First, there is a scene in which Spider-Man, against all odds, attempts to save the lives of passengers on a Staten Island Ferry that has been shorn in half by a powerful laser beam. With webs slung at the two halves of the sinking ship, his arms stretched out and his feet together, Spider-Man strikes the familiar superhero/hero pose resembling Christ crucified on the cross.

This trope crops up over and over in all kinds of film and TV projects. In “The Avengers,” for instance, Tony Stark/Iron Man strikes the pose after he saves NYC from a nuclear missile.

Yet Tony Stark — with his womanizing, drinking and general puffed-up arrogance — is not very Christ-like and isn’t even half as virtuous as Peter Parker.

At one point in “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” Stark says to Parker, “Just don’t do anything I would do … and definitely don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. There’s a little gray area in there, and that’s where you operate.”

Later, when Parker gets in over his head and requires a rescue from Stark/Iron Man, he says to Stark, “I was just trying to be like you,” to which Stark replies, “I need you to be better.”

Second, the core of Parker’s journey is internal. This Peter Parker story is about asking a smart teenage question, “Who am I?” Is he Spider-Man because of the suit he wears and the webs he slings, or is he Spider-Man by virtue of something else?

In the end, Spider-Man can’t be about the fancy suit with all its bells and whistles and gadgets. Being Spider-Man can’t even be about fame and notoriety.

Christian viewers will appreciate that Parker’s actual virtues are meekness and humility — virtues Christ Jesus desires Christians to learn from Him.

“Learn from Me,” He says, “for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11: 29).

In general, the teenage life is one where “rest for the soul” seems elusive, and this film gets this angst in a way other Spider-Man films didn’t always fully grasp.

The fact that the film understands and captures this might make the character of Peter Parker in “Spider-Man: Homecoming” the best teenaged role model in recent years.

As the film moves along, Parker again and again resists the world’s temptations and is shown not seeking “rest for his soul” in the typical pitfalls of teenage life. He also shuns the temptations lying at the heart of public heroism.

More and more, as the film unfolds, Parker eschews fame and fortune — even online notoriety — and eventually is shown to be content living a life focused on serving and helping his neighbor, doing what’s right and good, putting himself and his desires second. A “friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man.”

“Spider-Man: Homecoming” manages to present a squeaky-clean Parker/Spider-Man who is genuinely likable and not an insufferable do-gooder.

However, the film is not as squeaky-clean as its lead character and therefore won’t be appropriate for the littlest MARVEL fans.

For those who were worried it was too soon for another Spider-Man film, don’t worry. This is a well-executed film that only adds to all things Spider-Man and in no way tarnishes what came before it.

It outshines the past entries, with few exceptions, but does so graciously and with humility. It is a fun and entertaining film, well worth a watch for Spider-Man fans.

Watch the trailer

The Rev. Ted Giese (pastorted@sasktel.net) is lead pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; a contributor to the Canadian Lutheran, Reporter Online and KFUO.org; and movie reviewer for the “Issues, Etc.” radio program. Follow Pastor Giese on Twitter @RevTedGiese.

Posted July 14, 2017

Beginning Nov. 5, the weekly broadcast of “The Lutheran Hour” will feature the Rev. Dr. Kenneth R. Klaus and the Rev. Dr. Dale A. Meyer, former speakers for the radio program from 2002 to 2010, and from 1989 to 2001, respectively. “The Lutheran Hour” is sponsored by Lutheran Hour Ministries, part of the International Lutheran Laymen’s League, an LCMS auxiliary.

The regular appearances of Klaus and Meyer are part of a transition plan being implemented following current Speaker Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz’s recent acceptance of a call to serve as the first executive director of the LCMS Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty in Washington, D.C. (Read a related Reporter story, “Seltz to direct Synod’s new Washington office.”)

Seltz’s last “Lutheran Hour” broadcast will be recorded in Wittenberg, Germany, and will air Sunday, Oct. 29.   

“In a year where we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Lutheran Hour Ministries [LHM], we are extremely pleased to honor the legacy of ‘The Lutheran Hour’ program by announcing that these two popular speakers have agreed to assist us while we search for the next individual who will share the Good News of Jesus Christ over the airwaves,” said LHM President and CEO Kurt Buchholz.

“Generations of people in our listening audience have been blessed to learn from and be strengthened in the faith by Dr. Klaus and Dr. Meyer. We look forward to their continued role in this important ministry that remains a critical part of LHM’s focus on media outreach.”

Since his retirement from the full-time speaker role in 2010, Klaus has been recording monthly sermons for “The Lutheran Hour” and writing many of LHM’s Daily Devotions.

During his time as speaker, Meyer — president of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, since 2004 — also was host of LHM’s “On Main Street” weekly television program.

“The Lutheran Hour” airs on nearly 1,800 stations throughout North America and reaches more than 1 million listeners each week, according to LHM.

The weekly broadcast also may be heard anytime at lutheranhour.org or through a mobile app for iPhones and Android devices.

Posted July 14, 2017

By Jeni Miller

An unprecedented “Interdenominational Conversation” to commemorate the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation is planned for 7:30 p.m. Oct. 30 at the Chapel of Our Lord on the campus of Concordia University Chicago (CUC) in River Forest, Ill.

The event will bring together Lutheran, Reformed and Roman Catholic leaders to discuss “the historic and theological divisions emerging from the Reformation controversies as well as points of shared concern and common cause among Christian churches,” according to its coordinator, the Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Leininger, university pastor and dean of the chapel at CUC.

Participating in the panel discussion will be LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison; the Rev. Dr. Philip Ryken, president of Wheaton College, Wheaton, Ill.; and Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Manya Brachear Pashman, a seasoned and well-regarded religion correspondent for the Chicago Tribune, will serve as moderator.

More than 500 people are expected to attend the free event, and attendees will have opportunities to ask questions of the panelists during and after the program.

Leininger said the three panelists represent “the three main strands of Christianity emerging from the Reformation controversies: Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Reformed.

“Those three strands coming together, being honest about our differences but open to further discussion about where we’re at after 500 years, in a public forum, not a church service, not worshiping together, having a principled, public conversation about denominational divergence and convergence at this historic mile marker,” he said, is something people will be interested in.

Those who attend “will want to ask questions — people are eager to hear what these important leaders have to say.”

And the panelists, he added, “are ready for the tough questions. They aren’t going to sugarcoat, but [will] discuss these issues with honesty and charity.”

Among those “tough questions,” Leininger noted, is one regarding why the Reformation was, as Christian historian Jaroslav Pelikan put it, a “tragic necessity.” Each panelist will be asked: How tragic, and how necessary, was the Reformation?

“The Reformation at 500: An Interdenominational Conversation” is considered a historic event in a historic anniversary year by LCMS leaders and its CUC planners. And, with a goal to foster “honesty and charity,” the conversation is perhaps a necessary one.

“As the most active European participant in the Faith and Order movement before World War II often said, ‘There is more true unity of the faith where Christians of differing confessions are honest about their differences than when they sweep them under the rug,’ ” said Harrison. “The Reformation did and continues to raise serious questions for all serious Christians. It’s good to talk about them.”

Ryken noted that, even after 500 years, “the Protestant Reformation remains relevant — not only for the Church, but also for many cultures around the world.”

“Hopefully we can have a Catholic/Lutheran/Evangelical conversation about theology and practice with as much rigor, but much less rancor, than our fathers (and mothers) in the faith.”

This event and others taking place in October on the CUC campus are meant to involve not just Lutherans, but also other denominations and the broader public.

“The university’s goal is to recognize and celebrate the Reformation’s 500^th anniversary with as wide of an audience as possible,” explained Eric Matanyi, assistant vice-president for communications and marketing at CUC. “The Reformation as an historical event has had a profound effect on society — not only from a religious standpoint, but from a cultural and political standpoint. So we want to look at it not just from a Lutheran perspective, but culturally, across the board and around the world.

“The impact of the Reformation is much larger than just on Christianity or religion itself,” Matanyi noted. “That’s why the 500^th anniversary is an excellent point in time to reflect on what has happened in the past and how we move forward, as Christians, together, in the future.”

For Leininger — and the LCMS — it’s still all about the Gospel.

“The difficulty for LCMS Lutherans, for sure, is not just that we’re talking about significant historical events or how Luther changed western culture, but we’re celebrating the recovery of the Christian Gospel for the Church and world,” he said.

To Leininger, the invitations to take part in the “Interdenomination Conversation” could be considered somewhat “controversial.”

“Here we are, 500 years after the Reformation,” he said, “and we’re inviting the Cardinal of Chicago and the president of Wheaton College, on the eve of the commemoration, saying, ‘Let’s talk.’ But, like us, the panelists are enthusiastic about the discussion.”

It will be a historic discussion, Leininger believes, that attendees “will remember” and “tell their grandkids that they were there.”

Those who plan to attend are asked to RSVP via CUC’s event webpage beginning Aug. 15. “The Reformation at 500: An Interdenominational Conversation” also will be livestreamed via the website.

For more information on this and other Reformation commemoration events at Concordia University Chicago this fall, visit cuchicago.edu/reformation.

Deaconess Jeni Miller (jenikaiser@aol.com) is a freelance writer and member of Lutheran Church of the Ascension in Atlanta.

Posted July 12, 2017

By Kevin Armbrust

Editor’s note: This article is one of several from the Summer 2017 issue of the Synod’s Lutherans Engage the World magazine that address opportunities for LCMS congregations to support LCMS mission work. Many Synod missionaries will be home this year, ready to visit LCMS congregations and share about their work. See a related Reporter story, “Missionaries plan visits to stateside congregations.” Also available is the May Reporter missionary-support insert, “Discover ways to support LCMS missionaries.”

“Supporting a missionary gives our members a global perspective,” observed the Rev. Douglas Breite, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Cape Girardeau, Mo. Trinity has been a “Together in Mission” (TIM) congregation for the last 20 years.

The TIM program links congregations with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s (LCMS) missionaries to foster a relationship for spreading God’s Word both domestically and throughout the world. Congregations involved in the program support one or more missionary families through ongoing pledges of support.

Connected to the Church

The LCMS sends missionaries to both foreign and domestic destinations, and Trinity supports one of each. The Rev. Micah Glenn serves in Ferguson, Mo., where he leads outreach to youth and adults, and the Rev. Peter Kolb, based in Hong Kong, serves as the Asia regional chaplain.

While some missionaries are sent to plant new Lutheran churches, others support the Gospel proclamation efforts of indigenous Lutheran church bodies. By participating in the TIM program, congregations like Trinity are connected to the global mission of God.

Together in Mission is designed to cultivate a partnership between missionaries and congregations, groups and organizations within the LCMS. This relationship proves mutually beneficial in many ways.

“When a missionary comes to visit, it is an encouragement for us to share our stories and to make sure that we are in mission here,” said the Rev. Chip Winter, director of ministries at Christ Lutheran Church, Norfolk, Neb. He said the missionary also visits with the children at their school, which gets them excited “about mission work and opens to them another avenue through which they consider church work.”

The congregation has a long history of supporting LCMS missionaries, and it currently supports five. In addition, Winter noted that the congregation also goes on short-term mission trips and seeks opportunities in the community to share the love of Christ.

Partnership in the Gospel

Together in Mission has linked career and long-term missionaries to LCMS congregations and groups since 1982. Often, a TIM congregation makes a one-year renewable commitment to support a missionary family. The congregation, as it is able, can seek to increase this commitment over time as the Lord allows it to fulfill its pledge. This ongoing support helps facilitate the work of missions across the globe and in the United States.

Missionaries work in situations in which they cannot earn what is needed for daily bread from those whom they serve. Their support comes from people who are often geographically removed from their work. Yet that support is essential and brings geographically disparate people together in the common work of the Gospel.

The missionary benefits from the support to care for his or her family with all that is needed for this body and life. This support allows the missionary to work in the mission field as God has called him, according to His will.

The congregations, groups or organizations involved in TIM benefit from their connection with the Church and the Gospel in a larger context. Regarding his congregation’s involvement in the TIM program, Breite observed that this experience has “given our members a worldwide missional perspective. We have a school and meet the needs of our community the best we can, but this helps us recognize that the Gospel is needed throughout the world.”

TIM congregations also benefit from the relationship developed with the missionaries and their families. Regular communication — through newsletters, social media and occasional Skype calls — helps the congregation stay current with the work taking place on the mission field and the status of the missionary family.

When the missionaries are home, Trinity invites their missionaries to preach at their Sunday services and to lead a Bible class. Breite said these opportunities allow the members of Trinity to “stay up-to-date on their mission activities” and to reconnect with the people involved in the work.

Opportunities to connect

In 2013, the Synod in convention set before the LCMS Office of International Mission (OIM) Resolution 1-11, a challenge to double the number of career missionaries. The resultant efforts have been blessed so that more than 110 career missionaries now serve in various locations.

Each deployed missionary returns to the U.S. for a visit every two years. This trip provides the opportunity to visit congregations either to thank current donors or to broaden their base of support, and it also allows them to rest and reconnect with family and friends. Many of the missionaries called and placed as a result of the 2013 resolution are scheduled to return home this summer for this home service.

This also is a time for the Synod at-large to renew her commitment to pray for the work of the Kingdom done through missionary families. Daily family and individual as well as corporate prayer is an important component in the church’s support of her missionaries.

Read tips on how to prepare for a missionary’s visit to your congregation. To learn about the Synod’s missionaries, visit lcms.org/missionarysupport.

Congregations are invited to pledge support for the Synod’s missionaries through the TIM giving program. To learn more, contact Debbie Feenstra at 800-248-1930, Ext. 1651, or debra.feenstra@lcms.org.

Individuals have a similar opportunity through the Mission Senders program. For more information, contact Michelle Beckmann at 800-248-1930, Ext. 1047, or michelle.beckmann@lcms.org.

Mission Central in Iowa helps link Lutherans with opportunities to support missionaries and projects around the world. Contact Gary Thies at 712-882-1029 or gary.thies@lcms.org. 

“The support that we get from donors is what makes the work we do possible. It provides for my family’s school, house, food and so many more things,” Glenn said. “Most importantly, it keeps me in the field to preach the Gospel to people who have never heard it.”

Dr. Kevin Armbrust (kevin.armbrust@lcms.org) is manager of Editorial Services for LCMS Communications.

Posted July 12, 2017

The summer issue of the Synod’s Lutherans Engage the World magazine takes a look at LCMS missionaries and the many partners who help them carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

Follow the Rev. Delwyn Campbell as he reaches out to the people of Gary, Ind., and learn about the Rev. Dr. John Loum as he prepares to serve part-time in his native country, the Gambia. In addition, read stories about how the Synod’s congregations and schools are reaching out to their neighbors with Christ’s love and mercy.

Visit engage.lcms.org to read the online version, or learn about how to have the magazine delivered directly to your door at engage.lcms.org/subscribe. Individual and bulk subscriptions (for congregations only) are available at no charge.

Posted July 12, 2017

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s Stewardship Ministry creates bulletin sentences and newsletter articles each month for congregations to use in church publications.

Bulletin Sentences: August 2017 Newsletter Article: August 2017

Bulletin sentences and newsletter articles are archived, and visit lcms.org/stewardship to learn more about LCMS’ Stewardship Ministry.

The quarterly “RSO Update” includes any new LCMS Recognized Service Organizations (RSOs), those whose RSO status has been renewed, those that have withdrawn their applications for RSO status, those whose RSO status has been removed, and those whose status is “dissolved” because the organization no longer exists.

This month’s update includes RSO listings from mid-March through mid-June. The “RSO Update” will not appear in Reporter when there have been no new RSOs or none whose status has changed since the previous listing.

“RSO Update” information is provided by the LCMS Office of Rosters and Statistics and verified by the LCMS Office of National Mission — RSO Ministry.

For a full (and frequently updated) online listing of RSOs by state, visit lcms.org/rso.

New:

• Cedars Lutheran Living Centers (Hampshire, Ill.)

Renewals:

• Ongoing Ambassadors For Christ Inc. (Greenville, Ill.)
• Heit’s Point Lutheran Ministries Inc. (Lincoln, Mo.)
• Concordia Deaconess Conference (Union, Ill.)
• International Student Ministry Inc. (Stevens Point, Wis.)
• Cross Connections Inc. (Fort Wayne, Ind.)

New (Schools):

• Immanuel Lutheran Church Child Care Center (Hankinson, N.D.)
• Upbring School of Arts and Sciences (Austin, Texas)

Renewals (Schools):

• Lutheran South Association Inc. (Fort Wayne, Ind.)
• Dubuque Lutheran School Association Inc. (Dubuque, Iowa)
• Lutheran Central School Association of Peoria, Illinois, Inc. (Peoria, Ill.)
• St. John-Emmanuel Lutheran School Association Inc. (Monroeville, Ind.)
• Christ Our Rock Lutheran High School Association (Centralia, Ill.)
• Walther Lutheran High School Association Incorporated (Melrose Park, Ill.)
• University Christian High School Inc. (Hickory, N.C.)
• Concordia Lutheran School Association of Greater Tacoma (Tacoma, Wash.)
• The Altamont Lutheran Interparish School of Altamont, Illinois (Altamont, Ill.)
• Sioux Falls Lutheran School Association Inc. (Sioux Falls, S.D.)

Posted July 10, 2017

The following institutions of the Concordia University System (CUS) are seek­ing candidates for positions:

• Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon: Biology faculty.
• Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, Ill.: assistant director of Residence Life; assistant/associate professor of Business for MBA program.
• Concordia College—New York, Bronxville: adjunct Biology instructor; part-time Nursing learning specialist.

For more information about these and other positions, including complete job descriptions, qualifications and application process, visit cusapps.cus.edu and click on “Campus Positions Available.”

Posted July 19, 2017

———————————————————————————

The following institutions of the Concordia University System are seeking candidates for positions:

• Concordia University, St. Paul, Minn.: faculty, college of Business and Technology; nursing faculty.
• Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon: pharmacy practice faculty; inpatient practice; Pharmaceutical Science faculty — Microbiology and Biotechnology; Pharmaceutical Science faculty — Pharmaceutics; audiology faculty; director of Dual Credit.
• Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, Ill.: assistant director of Financial Aid; director of the Office of Multicultural and First-Generation Student Engagement; articulation and credit evaluation specialist — Undergraduate Admission; assistant/associate professor of art; Elementary Education program coordinator.
• Concordia University Texas, Austin: associate/assistant professor, Doctor of Education (Ed.D.); executive assistant, vice-president’s office; police officer; psychology instructor (adjunct); chief of police; assistant professor of education; psychology instructor (online); Nursing faculty, accelerated BSN (adjunct).
• Concordia College—New York, Bronxville: database administrator; chief financial and operations officer; director of enrollment.
• Concordia University, Irvine, Calif.: Nursing faculty (full-time); psychiatric/mental health Nursing faculty (full-time).
• Concordia University, Nebraska, Seward: provost.

For more information about these and other positions, including complete job descriptions, qualifications and application process, visit cusapps.cus.edu and click on “Campus Positions Available.”

Posted July 10, 2017

LCMS Board for International Mission

Ten new LCMS career and shorter-term missionaries have received word of the calls and appointments extended to them for that service by the Synod’s Board for International Mission (BIM) at its June 1-2 meeting in St. Louis. Career missionaries serve a minimum of five years in the field and shorter-term missionaries serve for up to two years.

These men and women — some with families — will serve in Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Far East. They will soon join the 120-plus other LCMS missionaries in building a support network of individuals, families, churches, schools and other groups whose financial gifts will enable the missionaries to deploy to and live in the mission field.

This summer, nearly half of all LCMS missionaries will be on home service, visiting supporters and inviting new support as they connect with congregations to tell about their work. Such a high number of missionaries on home service is the new norm, after the 2013 Synod-convention mandate to double the number of career missionaries.

The BIM also heard about financial realities challenging the church body’s work as Synod President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison and Chief Mission Officer Rev. Kevin Robson presented their reports. Both spoke seriously about the efforts made by ministry leaders and departments to curtail spending and tighten budgets. Harrison noted that political unrest across the nation is affecting giving to many nonprofits. 

“The financial challenge of the church weighs heavy on my mind,” Harrison told the board. “We’ve taken significant action and reduced the budget by $4 million while avoiding a reduction in force.”

Robson reported that a balanced budget was presented in May to the Synod Board of Directors, which approved it with the proviso that an additional $1 million be cut from the budget.

BIM Executive Director Rev. John Fale reviewed the Synod’s three-year international-mission strategy. He described opportunities and challenges faced in each region, noting how tightened finances are expected to impact mission efforts as each region continues to align its strategy with current personnel and financial realities.

The board heard from the Rev. Charles Froh, career missionary to Kenya, who described his work as a theological educator in Africa. Froh underscored the importance of that work by quoting a Tanzanian pastor, as follows: “What I learned in Tanzania was general theology. When I came here to the seminary [in Kenya] I learned what it is to be Lutheran, and I’m not going to let that go.”

The Rev. Dr. Al Collver, director of Church Relations for the Synod, provided an overview of two kinds of Lutheranism evident worldwide. He described the differences between church bodies affiliated with the International Lutheran Council (ILC) and the more liberal Lutheran World Federation — with its focus on women’s ordination, acceptance of the LGBT lifestyle and using a higher critical approach to interpreting Scripture.

Collver explained that the ILC exists to encourage, strengthen and promote confessional Lutheran theology and practice. Increasingly, he said, Lutheran church bodies in the Global South are seeking closer ties with the ILC and the LCMS.

He pointed out that the LCMS has 36 official partner churches and 25 “allied church bodies,” which have some degree of partnership but do not yet have altar and pulpit fellowship. An additional 14 “emerging church bodies” have made contact with the LCMS to learn more about its doctrine and practice.

Collver also noted that many large, established church bodies are seeking a more equal partnership with the Synod and desire theological education, financial expertise to better manage growing ministry institutions and help with mercy work.

“There is no time like the present to have a significant impact on world Lutheranism,” said Collver.

In addition to the missionary calls and appointments, the BIM called three military chaplains for active duty in the Navy and Air Force.

LCMS Ministry to the Armed Forces Director Chaplain (U.S. Navy Capt. Ret.) Craig Muehler reminded the board that these men will serve in an environment that is increasingly hostile to God’s Word and His shepherds who bear the Word.

LCMS Board for National Mission

During its June 19-20 meeting in St. Louis, the LCMS Board for National Mission (BNM) picked up its ongoing task of reviewing the policies that direct the work of the LCMS Office of National Mission (ONM). The meeting included a joint session with ministry leaders from the ONM to discuss how the policies are being implemented and how they could be tweaked to be even more effective and in line with the Synod’s seven mission priorities.

During the two-day meeting, the BNM also heard updates on the following:

• Hispanic Ministry — The Rev. Bart Day, executive director of the ONM, told the board about a plan to bring on a full-time director of Hispanic Ministry. “There has not been a full-time director solely dedicated to Hispanic Ministry in several years, and now is the time to increase our work in this critical area,” Day said.
• Every One His Witness — Day also mentioned the launch of the Synod’s new evangelism program, Every One His Witness, this fall. “How do you take LASSIE [Listen, Ask, Seek, Share, Invite, Encourage] and do it in the context of your Muslim neighbor?” Day asked. “I think it will be the Lutheran evangelism program for at least the next 20 years.”
• “Camp Courage” — The Rev. Dr. Ross Johnson, director of LCMS Disaster Response, highlighted a new resource available from his ministry. “Camp Courage” is a vacation Bible school program that brings together Scripture, the Small Catechism and Lutheran songs for children who have experienced a natural or man-made disaster.

The BNM’s next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 26-27.

Posted July 7, 2017

By Paula Schlueter Ross (paula.ross@lcms.org)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Proclaiming “Jesus Christ Above All” (from Phil. 2:9), the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League welcomed some 3,470 people to this “mile-high” city June 22-25 to help the Synod auxiliary celebrate 75 years of service and be encouraged and equipped to share their faith with “boldness and confidence” among family, friends and neighbors.

During business sessions, more than 560 voting members adopted a record $2.075 million biennial mission goal — $75,000 more than the previous goal for 2015-17 — and chose 22 mission grants (out of 34 presented) to support with their offerings over the next two years. (To see which mission grants were adopted, click here.)

Besides adopting an optimistic mission goal — which covers mission grants and organizational expenses — delegates also made a bold move to provide nearly $40,000 more for mission grants after the last two grants adopted received the same number of votes.

Rather than fund one of the tied grants only partially, past LWML President Jan Wendorf noted that delegates had “asked for God’s direction” in prayer before voting, so perhaps “God wants us to step forward” and fund both fully.

Delegates voted overwhelmingly (465 to 13) to affirm that idea, pledging to raise the extra funds for mission grants — as part of the $2.075 million mission goal — over the 2017-19 biennium.

They also elected officers and other leaders:

• Jennifer Huecker of Bunceton, Mo., vice-president of Christian Life;
• Charlotte (Char) Kroemer, Newberg, Ore., vice-president of Communication;
• Angelina Jauregui, Los Angeles, Calif., vice-president of Gospel Outreach;
• Ginger Starrett, Belvidere, N.J., recording secretary;
• Rev. Mitchel Schuessler, Troy, Ill., junior pastoral counselor;
• and Nominating Committee members Joy Anderson (chairman), Prior Lake, Minn.; Karen Morrison, Wichita, Kan.; JoNette Brogaard, Alexandria, Minn.; Linda Fees, Miller, Neb.; and Sherrie Smith, Justice, Ill.

LWML’s new look

A new LWML logo bearing the alternate name of the auxiliary — Lutheran Women in Mission — was unveiled during the convention.

“It is our prayer that this new logo will help women take a first look — or even another look — at the LWML,” said LWML President Patti Ross.

The logo features a heart, representing the “heart of God, which is behind all that we do”; a drop, to symbolize “the blood of Christ shed for us”; and a cross at the top showing that “we lift high the cross of Christ, guiding our thanks and praise and service,” according to Ross.

Ross urged LWML members to “get your one-minute story or interpretation of that logo ready” for those who might ask about its meaning. And that story, she added, “better include Jesus Christ.”

‘So much good’

The convention offered a wide range of activities — from a golf outing (which raised $12,550), to blood donations (from 106 volunteers), to a “mission pledge walk” (held indoors because of the heat, raising more than $73,674), to servant events (which produced 3,000 personal-care kits, 639 school kits, 354 fleece blankets and 99 quilts, among other things).

Convention-goers brought with them “Gifts from the Heart” — including 4,607 underwear items; 1,161 health kits; 340 sheet sets; 229 school kits; 161 baby kits; and $31,256 in gift cards, cash and checks — for distribution to area aid agencies.

And offerings on each day of the convention totaled $166,378, which will go toward the new mission goal, the LWML endowment fund, a ministry on the U.S.-Mexico border, and spiritual and physical outreach to low-income residents of Albuquerque.

“There’s so much good about it,” Bea Wolf, of Blue Earth, Minn., said about the convention, which provides an opportunity to “see what happens when women are on a mission.”

Over four days, attendees of all ages — from children in strollers to senior citizens in wheelchairs — heard inspirational speakers, took part in Bible studies and worship services, enjoyed a lively “Fiesta” with a mariachi band, sang — and danced! — laughed and cried.

They brought along noisemakers and flashy “bling” — sparkling (and mostly purple, the LWML’s signature color) hats, clothing, costume jewelry — to wear to the Saturday-night 75^th Anniversary “Diamond Dazzle” celebration, where they were treated to blinking “diamond” rings, vignettes, ballads and pop hits delivered with gusto by singer Rebecca Smith, as well as a video highlighting the eight decades of LWML history.

The convention included 81 Young Woman Representatives (women ages 22 to 35, the most ever, and who received the longest and loudest applause when the group was introduced); 850 first-timers; and a procession featuring six past LWML presidents (who served a total of 24 years, from 1991 to 2015) and flags representing the 71 countries (from Afghanistan to Vietnam) that have received LWML funds for mission work.

Remembering Betty

During a tribute to Betty Duda, who was LWML president from 1987 to 1991 and died last year on Christmas Eve at the age of 84, an emotional Ross said Duda had attended the 100^th-anniversary celebration of the International Lutheran Laymen’s League last October in St. Louis, where she seemed to know “everyone.”

“Betty saw everyone as a loved child of God with potential,” Ross said. “She believed in the potential each of us has as a gift from God. And that belief led her to be an encouraging cheerleader to women to step out and use their gifts in service to God and the people in the world.”

Duda, Ross said, “made a difference.”

Harrison: LWML is ‘fantastic blessing’

As “proclaimer” at the opening worship service, LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison began with, “Happy birthday. You look pretty good at 75,” and said he looks forward, “one day, to knowing just how many people heard, and came to know Jesus, because of the work of this organization. What a fantastic blessing.”

Even though all people are sinners — and in need of a Savior — Harrison reminded worshipers that Jesus “takes upon Himself all of your sins, the sins of the whole world. And more than that, He knows each one of you by name. And loves you.”

Jesus’ death on the cross is “your death … your sin. He who knew no sin became sin for you, that you might be the righteousness of God.” In other words, he said, “a happy switch.”

“You get everything that belongs to Jesus, His eternal life, His blessed promise of resurrection. All of it is yours.”

He urged listeners not to “reject it by being too proud to be a sinner.”

“Be encouraged” by God because “He has a purpose for your life,” Harrison said. He also underscored the value of every vocation — mother, daughter, sister, brother — in sharing the Gospel.

Harrison spoke of the “overwhelming” pain of the recent death of his brother — who in the year before his death was welcomed back to the church after 35 years away.

“And yet, in the midst of that pain, precisely almost because of it, the response of the spirit and Christ and His Word is joy unbelievable. Blessing beyond blessing. … Eternal life is ours. And it’s yours,” he said, and sharing that Good News “is the business Christ has called you to.”

A Presidential Proclamation

The next day (Friday, June 23), Harrison — with a helping hand from his assistant, Barbara A. Below, who serves as his representative to the LWML — presented his first “Presidential Proclamation of Thanksgiving” to Ross, in honor of the auxiliary’s 75^th anniversary.

Noting that the LWML has raised some $100 million for mission work worldwide since it was organized in 1942, Harrison called the women’s auxiliary the Synod’s “true partners, in the deepest sense” through its prayers, mite offerings and service.

In the proclamation, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod “gratefully acknowledges and thanks God for the LWML and our continuing partnership in the Gospel” and offers a prayer of thanksgiving to God for blessing “the outreach of the Synod through the ladies of the LWML” and asks Him to “strengthen their leadership and their members in their joyful resolve to continue to make Christ known to all.” 

“This is for all of you and all the women back home that you represent,” Ross told the convention.

Mall’s keynote: laughs, tears

In an emotional presentation that prompted both laughs and tears among convention-goers, keynote speaker Ida Mall — the LWML’s 12th president, who served from 1991 to 1995 — likened faith-sharing to a grandmother anxious to share news about her granddaughter’s college scholarship.

In conversations with others, “grandma is looking for any word — such as book, school, bus — that will let her slide right in there with the news,” said Mall, a grandmother herself. And if those words don’t come, “she is going to tell it anyway. Grandma doesn’t care whether you want to hear it. She doesn’t care whether it’s the right time. She’s going to tell it.”

Mall encouraged the convention “to have the same zeal about telling others about Jesus,” and to do it “in a winsome way.”

She offered 12 ideas for “engaging with others and sharing our faith in Jesus,” such as sending greeting cards with a Christian message, wearing jewelry with a cross, or leaving a tract or LWML “Mustard Seed” with restaurant tips. (Mall said she tells the server that the money is “for your body,” and the tract is “for your soul” and is “so much more important.”)

Mall recalled a Christian workshop she led in Canada, where she was shocked to be “paired” with a teenage girl who blurted out that she did “not know” Jesus. She realized later that she had “gone to speak to the 99 sheep, but God had sent me to speak to the one lamb.”

She encouraged LWML women to continue serving God “with joy and gladness, to honor Him and set a good example for others, be they young or old.”

Be a missionary ‘where you are’

A two-part Bible study (Part 1 and Part 2) led by Deaconess Betty Knapp of Marquette, Mich., explored LWML convention Bible studies through the years, and how women are called to be Christ’s disciples.

In small groups, convention-goers discussed what makes a “good” faith witness and how they can become better witnesses. Knapp encouraged them to write their own “personal mission statement” with a “changeless focus” — “Jesus Christ Above All.”

Not everyone gets the chance to be an overseas missionary, but it’s equally as important, Knapp said, “to be a missionary where you are,” sharing your faith with “everyone you meet.”

She told the story of a friend who reached out to a nonbeliever poolside, while on vacation, by sharing his faith, a book of devotions he had brought, and even the names of area LCMS churches.

And she assured listeners that when they share His Good News with others, they’re not going “for Jesus” but rather “with Jesus — He’s doing the work,” she said, paraphrasing the Rev. Greg Finke and his book, Joining Jesus on His Mission.

Mites in Action

Four “Mites in Action” speakers — Sanya Parson of Rebecca’s Garden of Hope (an after-school program for at-risk children), Katia S. of Lutheran Hour Ministries, Vicar Tim Norton of Lutheran Indian Ministries and Steve Cohen of The Apple of His Eye Mission Society (Jewish outreach) — explained how LWML mission grants have furthered their work.

Cohen thanked the LWML for its “bold financial” support to The Apple of His Eye Mission Society and said the $100,000 mission grant is being used to help start a new mission effort in Israel, “where 99 percent of the 6 million Jewish people there are facing a Christ-less eternity.

“It is not that my people have rejected Jesus out of hand,” he said. “It is that they have never seriously considered Jesus the Messiah.”

He asked for prayers for the Rev. Dr. Robert and Kristi Roegner, who will be joining the ministry’s staff in 2019 to help build the mission work in Israel. Robert Roegner will continue as pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in O’Fallon, Mo., until he and Kristi join the Apple of His Eye ministry.

Anderson: ‘You may be the only Jesus … people see’

As “proclaimer” for the Sunday-morning “Service of Sending,” the Rev. Allen D. Anderson, president of the LCMS Rocky Mountain District, told worshipers, “We’ve got the gift, we’ve got the promise, it is ours, and we all have to just share it. …

“You may be the only Jesus, in your heart, that people will see. Grab onto it! Engage it!”

Anderson said his late mother kept a mustard seed on her watch to remind her to share her faith, that “now is the time to plant the seed, or to water it, no matter where you’re at, no matter what you’re doing.”

Struck as Katie Luther

A lighthearted look at the life of Martin and Katie Luther was provided in several short sketches featuring comedian Jan Struck as Katharina von Bora/Katie Luther.

In her Saturday-morning skit, wondering aloud what “important” work God has in store for her as Luther’s wife, “Katie” comes to the realization that “my daily life is the important work” — as she manages guests, meals, household chores, farm animals, a fish pond, a fruit orchard, a vineyard.

“And,” she says with pride, “I have learned to make a very good beer. Martin despises drunkenness, but he loves my beer.”

‘A huge, powerful movement’

Everyone this reporter interviewed — no matter what their ages — said they had a good time at the convention.

Rachel Schwiesow, 31, of Pryor, Okla., described the event, her first, as “an absolute blast,” particularly the “Diamond Dazzle,” which was “fantastic” and “so much fun.”

Schwiesow, the mother of three children ages 2 to 8 and president of the LWML group at St. John Lutheran Church, Pryor, said she felt “chills” and shed tears while singing “A Mighty Fortress” with thousands of others “singing their faith” during the convention’s opening worship service.

St. John’s has fewer than 50 Sunday worshipers, so being with so many like-minded Lutherans at the convention — “all working towards the same goal,” she said, was an experience she’ll not soon forget.

Christy Ndem, who’s part of the LWML’s “Heart to Heart Sisters” program that brings together women of different ethnicities, said the auxiliary works hard to make everyone feel included.

Originally from Nigeria, West Africa, Ndem is a member of Somerset Hills Lutheran Church in Basking Ridge, N.J., and believes “diversity is good because it encourages us to love others and enjoy them, as Jesus has done for us.”

LWML conventions, she said, provide opportunities to “see what heaven is like … when people of all nations, speaking in different tongues, will rejoice and praise God.”

She’s with the LWML, she added, “to serve the Lord, to lift up His name, share the Good News and be part of the mission — that Jesus Christ is above all.”

The Rev. Larry Kribs, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Monmouth, Ore., said he has been to “a few” LWML conventions with his wife of 52 years, Sherry.

Is it a good thing for men to come? “It’s not going to hurt,” he said with a laugh, adding that the events give both men and women an opportunity to see friends and hear outstanding music and sermons.

Sherry Kribs said the event “broadens your perspective of what missions are all about” — how the “awesome” amount of mite offerings contributed and combined are “going for good, to uplift other people.”

The event, she added, is “an encouragement, and it just helps you to grow.”

Schwiesow, of Pryor, Okla., added there is “absolutely” something for everyone at an LWML convention, and she encourages all Lutheran women to check out the auxiliary.

“Talk to your local church, find out how you can get involved,” she said, “because it’s a huge, powerful movement — and come be a part of it!”

Watch convention videos

Future national conventions of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League are planned for June 20-23, 2019, in Mobile, Ala., and June 24-27, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

Posted July 7, 2017 / Updated July 10, 2017, with a new figure for convention offerings.

Registration is open for the 2017 International LCMS Disaster Response Conference — set for Sept. 26-28 at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind.

“Our conference theme, ‘Lutherans in the Midst of Disaster,’ is intended to connect us to various Reformation themes, including vocation — that is, our calling to lead lives of mercy in this world, even as it falls apart around us,” said the Rev. Michael Meyer, manager of LCMS Disaster Response.

The conference will focus primarily on disasters that have occurred internationally and what can be learned through these experiences. The international focus will make this “a great opportunity to see disaster and mercy work done around the world,” said the Rev. Dr. Ross Johnson, director of LCMS Disaster Response. “It is a great opportunity to network with like-minded individuals who are doing mercy work — either part time or full time, church work or laity — [for] leaders of Lutheranism from around the world.”

“The opportunities for fellowship and learning from one another will be remarkable,” noted Meyer. He said that disaster coordinators from the U.S. and international partner churches will be at the conference to provide opportunities for both learning from their firsthand experiences and enjoying their fellowship.

“We’ve really enjoyed putting together the agenda and working with our partners to make sure that a wide variety of experiences will be shared and to make sure that each of the topics is timely as well,” Meyer continued. “Many of our domestic partners will be there … giving opportunity for our various district leaders to participate in the process.”

Scheduled speakers include LCMS missionaries and representatives from international Lutheran church bodies in Africa, Latin America, Europe and Asia. In addition, the Rev. Jonathan Fisk, program host and producer with Worldwide KFUO; the Rev. John Pless, professor at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne; and others will lead discussions of pertinent topics.

“This conference is intended for pastors, deaconesses, church workers or any interested layperson who does mercy work or disaster relief in the United States or is interested in supporting the work of our international church partners,” Johnson said.

A registration fee of $30 per person covers all costs during the conference, including lunch and dinner on Sept. 26 and 27, and breakfast, lunch and the evening banquet on Sept. 28.

The Hyatt Place Fort Wayne is offering a nightly rate of $99 per person for conference attendees.

To register or for more information, including a schedule and registration details, visit the conference webpage.

For more information about LCMS Disaster Response, visit its website (lcms.org/disaster), call 888-843-5267 or email disaster@lcms.org.

Posted July 7, 2017

RALPH LEONARD WOEHRMANN, Taylorville, Ill.; has applied for reinstatement to the Minister of Religion—Ordained roster of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. TONYA MARIE LANGLOIS, Rogers City, Mich.; CYNTHIA C. (SCHLUCKEBIER) MAJOR, Birch Run, Mich.; JULI ANN (GUDGEL) REINKE, Davenport, Neb.; ELIZABETH ANNE (CHITWOOD) STEINBART, Mesa, Ariz.; and LISA JEAN (SCHILLING) TAYLOR, Littleton, Colo., have applied for reinstatement to the Minister of Religion—Commissioned roster of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

Correspondence regarding these applications should be directed to the undersigned for receipt no later than Sept. 5.

Rev. Dr. John W. Sias, Secretary, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, 1333 S. Kirkwood Road, St. Louis, MO 63122-7295.

Posted June 30, 2017 / Updated July 6, 2017, with corrected “correspondence” date