English District of
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
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Living Our Baptized Life in Christ
Galatians 2:20
| | Bishop Jeff Miskus presided over the installation of Rev. Emmanuel Nyema at Hope Community Lutheran Church, Syracuse, NY. We pray for continued blessings upon Rev. Nyema and the congregation. | | |
Call Accepted
The Rev. Charles P. St. Onge (SELC District) has accepted the Divine Call to serve as Sole Pastor of St. John’s, Pembroke, ON, Canada.
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Called to Glory – Rev. Glenn A. Mertz
April 9, 1961 to December 13, 2025
The Rev. Glenn A. Mertz was called to glory on Saturday, December 13, 2025. He was ordained and installed at Grace, Elyria, OH on June 22, 2025. He served this congregation until he entered eternal life. He is survived by his wife, Jackie, and children, Rachel and Evan. Visitation will be held Monday, December 29, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Grace Lutheran Church, Elyria, OH, and the funeral service will follow at 11:00 AM.
Please keep the Mertz family in your prayers.
“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” Psalm 116:15
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Called to Glory - Rev. Marvin R. Hinkle, Emeritus
June 2, 1941 to December 13, 2025
Rev. Marvin Richard Hinkle was called to glory on Saturday, December 13, 2025. An emeritus pastor living in Fort Wayne, IN, Rev. Hinkle had previously served congregations in the Indiana District and St. John Lutheran Church in Green Valley, IL (CID), as well as holding membership for a time in the English District.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, December 19, at 1:00 p.m. at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 202 W. Rudisill Blvd, Fort Wayne, IN.
(Pastors are welcome to vest (white), reporting to the library at 12:45.)
Visitation is from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the church, prior to the funeral service. Burial will be at Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery - Friedheim, 10653 N 550 West, Decatur, IN.
Please keep the Hinkle family in your prayers.
Read his full obituary here.
"Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master." Matthew 25:21
| | We encourage congregations to reproduce and share the following message with your members. Click here for Lifeline's "Advent 3 2025" reproducible file in .pdf format. Click here for more information on Lifeline. | | |
We pray for the family of David Hoff, (brother-in-law of English District staff member Kathy Stanis), who entered eternal rest.
We pray for the family of Rev. Marvin R. Hinkle, Emeritus, who was called to glory.
We pray for the family of Rev. Glenn A. Mertz, who entered eternal life.
We pray for the family of Rev. Paul R. Sutterer, Emeritus, who was called to glory.
We pray for the family of Mr. Leslie R. W. Morris Jr., Commissioned Minister, Emeritus, who was called to be home with our Lord.
We pray for English District volunteer Jeanne, who is experiencing health concerns, that God would continue to provide her comfort and healing.
We pray for all who are considering ministry. We also pray for those who have an opportunity to encourage them, recognizing the importance of raising up future pastors and church workers for His glory.
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.
| | 1-1-1 Dollar for Missions | | | |
We read in Acts 2:42, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."
The recipients of the 2025-2026 1-1-1 Dollar for Missions campaign offerings are Blessed Sacrament Lutheran Church, Hayden, Idaho, and the German mission with Pastor Jeff and Deaconess Gina Teeple. It would probably come as no surprise that the four focal points of the Acts 2 church around 33 A.D. are the same for the missions in our time.
Now—as then—the means of Grace, Word and Sacrament plant and feed the seeds of faith; the realization of the church body, fellowship and prayer become the result—all with Christ as the cornerstone and the Head.
Watch this space for more details about each of these selected Mission 1-1-1 opportunities! We pray for both of them that first century outcome:
“And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:47
| | If your church is seeking some further encouragement or guidance regarding your 1-1-1 Dollar for Missions efforts, there is a ready source on the English District website. | | English District Endowment Fund | | | |
Your faithful tithes and offerings to the English District Endowment Fund enable us to continue to be a source of hope and opportunity for people who need us. Please prayerfully consider joining us in ministry so that the English District can continue its work in spreading the message of Christ. The English District Endowment Fund was established to provide support to current and new missions and ministries, church workers and seminary students, and campus ministries in the areas where our congregations live and witness.
Every gift matters. Whatever God leads you to give will be a great blessing as we all work together to plant new missions and schools, and provide resources to existing ministries and church workers across the United States, Canada, and around the world.
Click here to give now.
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"We Preach Christ Crucified" ...Those words from St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians (1:23) are at the heart of all true labors within the Church. Whether it is the Word preached from the pulpit or shared over a cup of coffee, it alone brings peace to the troubled soul and life to those mired in death. So at this season of celebration, the Church lifts up the cross of Christ, where sin is forever vanquished. Read our most recent newsletter here.
Blessed Christmas to you. Rejoice in your Savior!
Pastor Dale and Suzanne Kaster
| | Congregational Treasurer's Manual | | | |
The LCMS Congregational Treasurer’s Manual that is available here is written for every treasurer, no matter what the level of expertise, and is organized into two volumes containing six major sections: “Employment Issues”; “Federal and State Tax Matters”; “Establishing and Administering the Organization”; “Supporting Organizations”; “Accounting and Finance”; and “Insurance.”
Highlights include:
- Payroll and bookkeeping chapters that address tax, accounting, and finance issues for the organization and its employees.
- Examples and filled-in forms of a sample congregation’s bookkeeping system, including payroll forms and related federal tax reports.
- Recommended practices by the tax and legal counsel of the Synod for all LCMS congregations and schools.
| | 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. | | |
Peace, New Berlin, WI
Pastor Scott Kruse and the members of Peace Lutheran Church welcomed 28 new members into fellowship. We share in their joy and excitement!
| | Working alongside members of Ysleta Lutheran Mission Human Care, 12 volunteers from Peace Lutheran completed a 12-by-24-foot home for Josue, Raquel, and their children, Miranda and Randy, in Juarez, Mexico. This collaborative partnership has been ongoing for more than 21 years. | | |
Prince of Peace, Mesquite, NV
The Women of Life at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, served by Pastor Bob Bruggeman, participated in the Any Soldier Project, an initiative that sends care packages to military personnel overseas in areas where stores or commissaries are inaccessible. This year, the group created 80 pillowcases and 400 greeting cards. Members of the congregation and the Mesquite community also donated snacks, puzzles, and books to be included in the packages. The Any Soldier Project is organized by the Mesquite Veterans Center and the American Legion.
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Hope, Kitchener, ON
Pastor Jeff and Deaconess Gina Teeple recently visited with God's people at Hope Lutheran Church. The Teeples will be deployed as missionaries this summer, but are visiting congregations before they begin their ministry overseas.
| | Time to Update Your Photo? | | | |
Did you know that the English District posts Daily Prayers on Facebook and Instagram? Every day, a congregation, church worker, school, or ministry is lifted in prayer. If the congregation, school, or ministry has a Facebook page, the prayer will be "tagged" (connected) to that page. In addition, we post pictures of those congregations and church workers, as well as ministry logos.
If you are a church worker and would like us to update the photo we have on file, just email a new photo. The same goes for your church building or ministry logo.
Don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
| | Lutheran Heritage Foundation | | | |
Free Lutheran Resources: Do you have a friend, neighbor or family member who doesn’t speak English as a first language? This Christmas, give them a book that explains the real “reason for the season” that’s written in their own language. The Lutheran Heritage Foundation, a recognized service organization of the LCMS, has translated and published books like Luther’s Small Catechism, A Child’s Garden of Bible Stories, God’s Word For You, and more into nearly 190 languages like Spanish, Hmong, Swahili, and Chinese. Best of all, these books are FREE to any church or individual who needs them. Simply visit the LHF Publications library to search by language and submit a request.
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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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