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 Accepted
The Rev. Philip Moses Palet Gai has accepted the Divine Call to serve as Senior Pastor of the Church of St. Mark-Lutheran, Mississauga, ON, Canada.
| | Western Regional Professional Church Workers Conference | | | |
The Western Regional Professional Church Workers Conference was recently held at Concordia University Irvine, Irvine, CA. Bishop Miskus preached at the Divine Service as well as at Tuesday morning chapel.
| | Church Worker Appreciation | | | "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up..." 1 Thessalonians 5:11a | While we set aside October as Church Worker Appreciation month, any time is a good time to show your gratitude and support for church workers. Click here for some ideas, and please share images of how you support your church workers. | | "On All Saints’ Day, we remember our loved ones and all of the saints who have gone before us, who died in the faith and now rest in Jesus." We encourage congregations to reproduce and share the following message with your members. Click here for Lifeline's "All Saints' Day 2025" reproducible file in .pdf format. Click here for more information on Lifeline. | | On a related note, the video recordings of many of the presentations at the Dying Well in Christ forum held this past July at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, have been posted and may be viewed here. We highly commend these to you. Once the written proceedings are available, we will share the details. | | |
"...Without hesitation this seemingly fearless student said that he would advise students 'not to be afraid of going to church when they arrive on campus.' I was really amazed. Why would a student who was so outgoing be telling others not to be afraid?"
Augusta Mennell, Campus Ministry Director at All Saints Lutheran Church and Student Center, shared "Advice from a Senior". Read the entire article here.
| | 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. Please add this topic to your congregational voter’s meeting agenda for discussion in November or December. This will allow for the necessary paperwork to be completed in a timely manner. 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.
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We pray for all church workers, that God continue to bless them and provide them guidance. We also pray for congregation members, that they recognize and support those who serve His Kingdom in a church worker capacity.
District daily prayers for November 2025 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.
| | 1-1-1 Dollar for Missions | | | |
"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,..."
Hebrews 10:24 (NIV)
One way in which we may spur one another on is to commit to a course of action and then follow it through. We are now two months into our September 2025-August 2026 1-1-1 Dollar for Missions campaign. Please assess how it is currently going at your congregation.
- Is your Mission 1-1-1 box clearly marked and in a high-traffic area?
- Are people bringing their dollars consistently on a weekly basis?
- Have you chosen a lay leader who provides regular communication? Are they monitoring results and progress?
- Are you saturating your Mission 1-1-1 campaign with Scripture and surrounding it with communication in church bulletins and newsletters? Are you utilizing verbal check-ins during announcements?
If all of these are happening, we praise God for the love and good deeds with which He is blessing your congregation. If these things are not happening consistently, please consider using this short list as a way of spurring each other on.
More Scripture and messages for Mission 1-1-1 are available on the district website. Please consider using this resource as a way to build up the visibility and awareness in your congregation.
| | Many congregations decorate special containers for their “1-1-1 Dollar for Missions” donations...we would love to see yours. Don't have one yet? Now is your chance to be creative! Email an image of your 1-1-1 donation container to be included in upcoming issues of Servant to Servant. | |
Here is a picture of the 1-1-1 donation box at Tree of Life Lutheran Church, Inverness, FL. It's not fancy, but it works. Most importantly, it serves as a reminder to congregation members and visitors of the importance of growing His Kingdom. In 2019, the congregation of Tree of Life was a recipient of 1-1-1 funds, allowing them to move forward in their ministry.
| | Contact John Hoover, LCEF 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
The members of Mount Olive Lutheran Church and Pastor Isaac Wirtz rejoiced as Paige, Izzy, Flynn, and Alrick confirmed their faith during the congregation's Reformation (observed) Sunday worship service. Their selected confirmation verses are as follows:
Paige: "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
2 Corinthians 12:9
Izzy: "Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever."
Psalm 111:3
Flynn: "The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen."
2 Timothy 4:18
Alrick: "Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
who trains my hands for war,
and my fingers for battle;
he is my steadfast love and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield and he in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples under me."
Psalm 144:1-2
| | Members of Bethesda Lutheran Church shared photos taken after their recent Reformation (observed) Sunday. Bethesda Lutheran is served by Rev. Dr. Paul Bacon and Rev. Dr. Shadrach Katari. | | |
St. John's, Pembroke, ON
Members of St. John's Lutheran Church recently celebrated their pastor with a Pastor Appreciation potluck. They included their two newest members who joined the congregation during the worship service. Pictured: Pastor Stephen Alles, Geoffrey Richardson, and Tamara Couette.
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In the October 2025 issue of Broadcaster, a magazine of Worship Anew, there is an article about the late Rev. Ossie (Oswald Bertram) Bertram, long-time pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Toledo, OH. Pastor Bertram was the founder of Worship for Shut-ins, a TV broadcast that he started in Toledo in 1965. He had a vision for using technology to reach those in need of Christ Jesus' love and salvation, especially shut-ins. Pastor Bertram died in 1979, but his vision lived on when congregational leaders at Holy Cross Evangelical Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, IN, accepted the challenge of restarting the television ministry at their congregation in 1980.
The Broadcaster article states: "In 2010, the ministry achieved a significant milestone with the establishment of a state-of-the-art media center. Situated on the Concordia Theological Seminary campus in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This center has been pivotal in broadening our reach to thousands of people worldwide." In December 2017, Worship for Shut-ins transitioned to the name Worship Anew. Today, the broadcast reaches tens of thousands of people of all ages, including aging adults and military personnel around the globe. We give thanks to God for the vision of English District LCMS Pastor Ossie Bertram and the staff and supporters of this state-of-the-art, outstanding Gospel ministry.
| | Alliance Defending Freedom | | | |
In case you missed the livestream, here is the recording for “The Top 3 Legal Challenges Churches are Facing in 2025.”
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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.
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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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