English District of
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
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God in All Things - Without Borders | |
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On Sunday, November 26, 2023, Bishop Jamison Hardy, Rev. James Leistico, and the members of Peace, Windsor, ON, Canada, celebrated the congregation’s 80th anniversary.
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Rev. Simeon Cornwell was installed at St. Paul’s, St. Clair Shores, MI on Sunday, November 19, 2023. Bishop Jamison Hardy officiated the service. | |
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Called to Glory – Rev. C. David Stuckmeyer
November 1, 1935 to November 22, 2023
The Rev. C. David Stuckmeyer was called to glory on Wednesday, November 22, 2023. He is survived by his wife, Alice, his two children, and three grandchildren.
Obituary - Rev. C. David Stuckmeyer
Please keep the Stuckmeyer family in your prayers.
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. Revelation 14:13
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Call Received
The Rev. Dr. Dusan Tillinger has received a Divine Call to serve as Senior Pastor of the Lutheran Church of the Living Christ, Madison, WI (South Wisconsin District).
Call Received and Accepted
The Rev. Larry K. Loree, Jr. has received and accepted a Divine Call to serve as the Sole Pastor of Ascension of Christ, Beverly Hills, MI.
Call Received and Returned
The Rev. Aaron T. Schian (Michigan District) has received and returned a Divine Call to serve as the Sole Pastor of Redeemer, Oakmont, PA.
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LSM Musical Advent Calendar | | |
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Since the nineteenth century, households and congregations have marked the days before Christmastide with many kinds of Advent calendars. The season of waiting and longing for the “already-but-not-yet” incarnation of Jesus unfolds amidst waning daylight in the Northern Hemisphere, a time of yearning for hope, joy, and peace.
Join Lutheran Summer Music, December 3-24, for our third annual Musical Advent Calendar–a daily moment of music and reflection on our Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube pages as well as archived on our website: LSMacademy.org/acal.
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Church Workers on Candidate Status | | |
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At the July 2016 Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Convention, delegates passed resolution 12-02A, which in part states:
WHEREAS, there are ordained and commissioned church workers on candidate status, that is, rostered church workers without calls but who are available for calls and service to the church, be it
Resolved, that district presidents publish annually in a district publication the names of these candidates.
Click here for a listing of the English District rostered church workers who are on candidate status.
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Our English District 1-1-1 serves as a model for other districts for mission funding. LCMS Central Illinois District has produced a frequently asked questions video about “A Dollar for Missions”, featuring Rev. Dr. Ken Schurb, Stewardship Executive for the LCMS Central Illinois District, which is worth watching.
Click here to watch the video
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Calling a Seminary Candidate/Requesting a Vicar | | |
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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 Thursday, February 1, 2024. 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 at kstanis@englishdistrict.org for the login information.
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Please click here to read the November 2023 edition of the Kasters' newsletter regarding missions in Prague.
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Lutheran Witness Renewals & Rate Change | | |
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The annual subscription rate for the 2024-25 Lutheran Witness will be $20.65 U.S. and $29.65 (U.S. funds) for Canadian addresses. The churches should receive their renewal packets before the end of November, and they will be due the week of January 22, 2024.
Email info@englishdistrict.org or call the district office at 800.755.9335 with any questions.
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Continuing Education at First, El Cajon, CA | | |
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Pastors, Christian counselors, and interested lay people are invited to attend this continuing education class January 22nd-January 24th.
Making Christian Counseling More Christ Centered
Many pastors and church leaders of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod realize that much of what passes for Christian counseling is based in the Law and not the Gospel of Christ. Dr. C.F.W. Walther said that properly dividing Law and Gospel in “private ministrations” is more difficult than in preaching and teaching. How can Lutheran pastors and other counselors better learn to properly distinguish Law and Gospel in counseling situations — and apply the Gospel as an antidote where needed? How can Lutheran pastors better equip the non-Lutheran Christian counselors they refer parishioners to with these critically important concepts? When should a Lutheran pastor refer a parishioner to a mental health specialist, perhaps even a non-Christian one, when the expertise needed falls into the “left-hand kingdom”? These and other complicated pastoral care questions will be addressed in hopes that the learners will become more confident and effective in their care of the souls entrusted to them. Click here to register.
High school students are invited to attend the Higher Things retreat on January 12th and 13th.
Masks of God
Serving God goes far beyond being an acolyte on Sunday morning, or helping with Sunday School and VBS. In your everyday life, you are a Mask of God. You carry the love of Christ to your neighbors in ways you may not even realize. Let’s explore how God the Father has gifted you to share his love with all your neighbors, not just your church family, and how important all of your work in this sinful world truly is. Click here to register.
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The Bible's promise is true: If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us - 1 John 5:14.
District daily prayers for December 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.
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Contact Dan Lepley, DVP - English and SELC District Lutheran Church Extension Fund, for more information at 317-402-9401.
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Lutheran Federal Credit Union | | |
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St. John's Pembroke, ON
On Saturday, November 25th, St. John's Lutheran Church entered a float in their local Christmas Parade of Lights. The theme was “Country Christmas”. Their float won “Best Religious Float”.
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Calvary, Mechanicsburg, PA
The last Operation Barnabas distribution at Calvary Lutheran Church was held on November 15. They served 39 families. A call was received the day before the distribution from a single mother with three children to be registered on their list. When one of their recipient families emailed to indicate that they wouldn’t be able to attend in November, they were able to provide food for this veteran and her family. The congregation donated 40 turkeys for the November Military Share distribution. Many of the families expressed their thanks to the congregation for this unexpected gift.
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Holy Trinity, Albion, PA
Karen Smith and Valania Niemla, long-time members of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, present a check for $2,133.27 to Steve Smith, the head of Northwest Food Pantry. This check represents a tithe of the net proceeds from the "Heavenly Fries" fundraiser at the Albion Area Fair in September 2023. The church was blessed with large crowds and perfect weather to raise a total of $21,337.27 over a period of five days. Northwest Food Pantry will be able to match these funds times $17 for every dollar donated, a total of $36,261.00 worth of food! How’s that for feeding the 5,000? Glory to God in the highest!
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Grace, Redford, MI
On Sunday, November 19 Lewis Jackson received the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. Pictured with Rev. Timothy Halboth are the happy parents who are very active in the life of Grace. Welcome to the Kingdom, Lewis!
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On Sunday, November 26, Vera Elise was welcomed into the Christian faith through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. Pictured with Pastor Halboth and the sponsors are the proud parents who were both confirmed and married by Pastor Halboth at Grace. May God bless them! | |
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Shepherd of the Coast, Palm Coast, FL
Shepherd of the Coast Lutheran Church displayed a Christmas tree at a “Festival of Trees” event held at a local county library. The tree has ornaments highlighting various ministry areas of the church and the garland lists all the books of the Bible because the church offered studies on both Genesis and Revelation. Vacation Bible School students colored small ornaments. Evangelism cards and bookmarks on a nearby table invite viewers of the Christmas tree to visit Shepherd of the Coast for worship services.
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Redeemer, Sarnia, ON
Reformation dinner 2023
Redeemer Lutheran Church celebrated on October 29th with a wonderful Reformation dinner. A delicious meal including traditional German fare was served, and they had a wonderful evening of entertainment by the musical group Borderline with Rev. Colton LaMay playing a couple numbers with the band as a special guest.
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Mother/Daughter/Friend Banquet
Redeemer also held their first annual Mother/Daughter/Friend Banquet on November 15th. Many ladies from the congregation attended and brought their daughters and friends, some of whom were new to the congregation! It was a wonderful evening of fellowship and fantastic food prepared by all. Skits and other acts were performed by the ladies, and some of the gentlemen were there to do all the cleanup.
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Redeemer Lutheran Church was contacted by the Sarnia Police Department to help with gathering essentials for the homeless population. The Redeemer congregation started collecting one week ago and they have had a tremendous outpouring of generosity. Thanks be to God for guiding them with the love of Jesus by His Holy Spirit to shine His light in the community! | |
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Crosspoint, Sahuarita, AZ
Crosspoint Lutheran Church broke ground on November 19th for a new worship and ministry center. It was an exciting and beautiful Sunday morning in Southern Arizona!
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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 jmcgarr@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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