English District of
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
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Living Our Baptized Life in Christ
Galatians 2:20
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Call Received and Accepted
The Rev. Daniel L. Gray has received and accepted a Divine Call to serve as Sole Pastor of Concordia, Kingsport, TN (Mid-South District).
Call Received
The Rev. Curtis D. Stephens has received a Divine Call to serve as Sole Pastor of Peace, Cincinnati, OH (Ohio District).
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Why are you pro-life? Have you ever shared your story? Have you considered that God might use your testimony to encourage others who are wrestling with issues related to the sanctity of life? The English District Lifeline Team encourages you to share your story with your brothers and sisters in our English District congregations! To get us started, Dr. Roni Grad, District Life Coordinator and Chair of the Lifeline Team, has shared his story in the brief video below. We invite you to watch this, share it with the members of your congregations, and send us your stories to feature in future postings. We will accept written, audio, and/or video submissions, whichever works best for you. Please submit to Roni Grad here. Thank you so much in advance!
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Know that we thank God for your Gospel-motivated voices for the sanctity of life from fertilization into eternity! Joyous and blessed remainder of Christmastide. And joyous and blessed Feast of the Epiphany, as you proclaim Christ for all people everywhere!
Special thanks to Lyrick Perkins, Office Manager at Catalina Lutheran Church, for her tremendous help in producing this first video of, hopefully, many more!
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"In love, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has established seven full-time church work vocations to support the Office of the Holy Ministry to assist the faithful in their God-given vocations. These sacred and joyful offices are Lutheran school teachers, deaconesses, directors of Christian education, directors of Christian outreach, directors of family life ministry, directors of parish music, and directors of church ministries."
~Rev. Dr. James A. Baneck, Executive Director of LCMS Pastoral Education and Set Apart to Serve
Click here for the Set Apart to Serve: LCMS Church Work Recruitment 2025 Annual Report.
| | Set Apart to Serve (SAS) is a Synodwide effort to build a culture of church work formation and recruitment throughout the LCMS. To learn more about SAS, and for free resources, click here. | | |
District daily prayers for January 2026 are located on our website.
Your prayer concerns are important to the English District. If you have a prayer request you would like shared in this newsletter, email the district office.
| | Calling a Seminary Candidate/Requesting a Vicar | | | |
If your congregation is interested in extending a divine call to a seminary candidate, or plans to make application for a vicar, the call documents and vicarage applications must be received no later than Saturday, January 31, 2026. Calling congregations must access the Call Documents for Ordained Ministers and the Vicarage Application using a web address/URL. Please contact Kathy Stanis, Administrative Assistant, at 248-476-0039 or by email for the login information.
| | Contact John Hoover, LCEF District Vice President, by email or phone 314-276-3370 for more information. | | Lutheran Federal Credit Union | | | For more information, please contact our Operations Department at 314-394-2790. | | |
Mount Olive, Tucson, AZ
Congratulations and blessings to Pastor Isaac Wirtz and Lindsay on their marriage that took place at Mount Olive Lutheran Church! Pastor Michael Morehouse and Pastor Stan Palmer officiated the ceremony.
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Calvary's Transition in Place team helped coordinate 12 "move-in" boxes for homeless veteran families who are moving into transitional housing. The team works in conjunction with American Legion Post Auxiliary (ALA) Unit 109 to ensure that these families have cleaning products and other household necessities. Pictured is Calvary member Bob Ardner with Kim and Angie from ALA Unit 109.
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Messiah, Danville, CA
Pastor Kevin Belter and members of Messiah Lutheran Church visited their home-bound members to deliver handmade blankets and sing Christmas Carols.
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Hope, Grand Rapids, MI
Pastor Christopher Nuttelman, members, and guests of Hope Lutheran Church gathered for a group photo on the church steps during a recent winter morning.
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West Portal, San Francisco, CA
Pastor Jacob Swenson and members of West Portal Lutheran Church had a special addition to their Christmas Eve service as they welcomed Adam, son of Joseph and Phuong, through the waters of baptism.
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Redeemer, Oakmont, PA
Pastor Aaron Koontz and members of Redeemer Lutheran Church welcomed the DiNenna family—Michael, Ginny, Ambrose, and Aletheia—and Pastor Jerry and Melanie Panzigrau into membership.
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Now is the time to nominate students for LSM 2026. Enrollment for next summer is filling quickly, and we expect most remaining spots to be filled by the March 1 Standard Enrollment deadline. At LSM, students connect advanced musical study with worship and the joy of Lutheran church music traditions. We welcome musicians on all instruments—brass, woodwinds, strings, percussion, piano, organ, voice, and harp—to study with nationally recognized faculty in a welcoming and supportive community.
LSM 2026 takes place at St. Olaf College from June 21–July 19. Know a young musician (grades 8–12) who would thrive at LSM? Nominate them today. For more information, please email.
| | Christ Academy Spring Confirmation Retreat | | | |
Join Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), professor Michael Salemink for a formative weekend of confessional catechesis, liturgical worship, and life together February 13–15, 2026.
Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions Rev. Michael Salemink will lead sessions on the Lord’s Prayer to supplement students’ confirmation instruction. Young people preparing for confirmation will also spend time in worship and Christian fellowship.
The weekend costs $120 for each individual (whether student or chaperone), which includes food, housing, classes, and activities.
For more information or to register, click here.
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Please share the information from Servant to Servant with members of your congregation.
- All are invited to subscribe to this weekly publication.
- Forward the newsletter to members of your church.
- They can subscribe by clicking on the "Sign up for our emails" link at the bottom.
Thanks for spreading the word!
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Please share the unique ministries of your school or congregation with the rest of the English District. Send pictures and stories for consideration to llinthicum@englishdistrict.org by Wednesday at 12:00 noon ET.
We want to see how YOUR congregation or school is showing the love of God to those in your community and around the world.
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