Living Our Baptized Life in Christ

Galatians 2:20

February 27, 2026

Rev. Charles St-Onge was installed at St. John's Lutheran Church, Pembroke, ON.

Pictured below (left to right): Rev. Paul Douglas (LCMS), Rev. Stephen Alles (LCMS), Rev. Connor Longaphie (LCC), Rev. Matthew Habermas (LCC), Rev. Gerald Luck (LCMS), Bishop Jeffrey Miskus (LCMS), Rev. Charles St-Onge (LCMS), Rev. Paul Williams (LCC), Rev. Aaron Astley (LCC), and Rev. Wayne Geick (LCC).

Bishop Jeff Miskus visited the congregation of the Lutheran Church of the Ascension, Atlanta, GA. He was blessed to join Rev. David Miller in leading worship on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, and to tour the school and meet with members of the congregation for a delicious southern barbecue meal.

Bishop Jeff Miskus visited the saints of St. John Lutheran Church, Golden Lake, ON. He preached at the Sunday morning service, led by Rev. Paul Douglas and attended by Circuit Visitor Rev. Gerald Luck. Following worship, all enjoyed a time of fellowship.

Rev. Derek Mathers, Assistant to the Bishop and Mission Executive, recently visited the Lutheran Church of the Prince of Peace, Menomonee Falls, WI, and Trinity Lutheran Church, Villa Park, IL. Rev. Mathers assisted God's people in understanding their Congregational Assessment of Development or Decline Study (CADDS) results, the English District's first step in the process of calling a new pastor. The tool produces a snapshot of ten aspects for congregational vitality and can be beneficial even if the congregation is not calling a new pastor. If you would like more information on CADDS for your congregation, please email our District office. 

Pictured: Left - Rev. Derek Mathers, Rev. Eric Allyn, currently serving Trinity Lutheran Church, and Rev. Dr. Paul Bacon, Circuit Visitor. Right - Rev Tom Engler, retiring pastor of the Lutheran Church of the Prince of Peace, and Rev. Derek Mathers.

Call Received and Accepted

Commissioned Minister Candidate Mrs. Carolyn Lindenmuth has received and accepted a Divine Call to serve as a Deaconess at Holy Trinity, Albion, PA.

If your congregation has not done so already, please be sure to schedule an appropriate meeting for your congregation/parish to take an official congregation action to select its LCMS presidential voter(s), then register them online on or before March 8, 2026.

For more detailed information regarding your congregation’s or parish’s participation and about the election of the LCMS President, visit here.

We join with Rev. Dr. Mark Wood and members of Shepherd of the Canyon Lutheran Church, Gold Canyon, AZ, as they celebrate the congregation's First Anniversary of Congregational Chartering. One year ago, Shepherd of the Canyon Lutheran Church was officially received as a member congregation of the English District of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. We pray for God's continued blessings upon this growing ministry.

Mr. Albert Amling, our English District School Ministry Executive, and I are excited to request nominations from our congregations for the 2026 English District Lumen Christi Award!

Our gracious Lord blesses our English District by providing dedicated and talented professional and volunteer leaders/teachers in child, youth, adult, and family ministry areas. These servants of our Lord exercise their God-given gifts in many creative and unique ways to bless those they serve. The Lumen Christi award is presented to publicly recognize the service of educators, to further promote and encourage all professional and volunteer leaders/teachers who are active members of an English District LCMS congregation.



The 2026 Lumen Christi Award nominations are due by March 6, 2026. For more information about these awards, what the general criteria are, click here. For the nomination forms themselves, click on the appropriate link here for Volunteer Educator or Professional Educator:

Our office looks forward to receiving your nominations.

Blessings,

Pastor Derek Mathers

Assistant to the Bishop and Mission Executive

Nominations are requested for the third annual Roger D. Pittelko Ille Dilexit Ecclesiam* Award (*He loved the Church).

The English District has created this award to recognize and celebrate pastors who have served God’s people well in the English District. 

Recipients of this award must meet the following criteria:

• He is an ordained pastor who served in the English District.
• He has retired from full-time active parish ministry.
• He exhibited a lifetime of faithfulness to our God and service to God’s people through congregations and the wider field of the English District.

Download the nomination form from the English District website.

The deadline for submitting nominations is Wednesday, April 1, 2026. The recipient of this award will be announced as part of the 2026 Professional Church Workers Conference.

We read in 1 Peter 3:15, “...but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you..." 

The Lenten season is the season of Hope realized. It’s hard to imagine a place and people in this world more in need of hope than Ukraine. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ukraine (ELCU) is one of our LCMS Mission partners and a 2022-23 recipient of Mission 1-1-1 funds. In a sermon preached by Rev. Serge Maschewski, ELCU Bishop, he conveyed the following, a universal message for this season:

“Our crucified Lord is no stranger to our pain, our need, our despair, our fear, our weakness. Our crucified God overcame death and overcame hopelessness. He did this all for us. He walked this road to become the One who can save, the One who can help. In any situation. At any time.”

We pray that this is the message of truth that fuels all of our missions and churches, especially during this season of Lent.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

Don't underestimate your ability, through God's grace, to encourage others. Your congregation's participation in the 1-1-1 Dollar for Missions effort can inspire others. Please email a picture of your congregation's 1-1-1 Dollar for Missions box. Tell us what lessons your church has experienced. We look forward to celebrating your stories in this space in Servant to Servant and on the English District website.

”And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds..." Hebrews 10:24. More Scripture and messages for Mission 1-1-1 are available on the district website. Lastly, if you have questions, reach out anytime by email.

We pray for Ann Morgan (mother of Pastor Jonathan McCall), who has recently been diagnosed with Acute Leukemia, and her family as they support her through this time as she undergoes treatment.

We pray for Rev. Dr. Dan Paavola, who is recovering from an accident.

District daily prayers for March 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.

Congregations of the Synod, to enable the Synod to plan current and future ministry efforts and to lend accuracy and integrity to the Synod’s delegate representation and voting processes, agree to provide annual membership and statistical information to the Synod. (Synod Bylaw 1.3.4.3)

An email was distributed during the week of January 19th requesting your congregation’s end-of-year statistics and an updated roster of lay leaders. Reference that email for further information. The submission deadline is Saturday, February 28, 2026. To upload, review, or update this information—including service times—please visit lc.lcms.org.

Thank you in advance for providing this valuable information. Should you require assistance or have any questions, email Rosters & Statistics at LCMS or call (314)996-1366).

Contact John Hoover, LCEF District Vice President, by email or phone 314-276-3370 for more information.

Contact Ron Grimm, English District Gift Planning Counselor, 412-584-7039 or visit www.LCMSFoundation.org.

For more information, please contact our Operations Department at 314-394-2790.

Redeemer, Sarnia, ON

Pastor Colton LaMay was honored with a quilt from members of Redeemer Lutheran Church as a farewell gift before he left to serve at Gesthemane Lutheran Church, Windsor, ON. Blessings to him and his family!

Peace, Palm Desert, CA

Members of LWML at Peace Lutheran Church of the Desert coordinated an effort to collect socks and underwear for the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission in Indio, CA. The congregation has supported this ministry for many years.  Mission representative Scott Wolf collected the items and expressed his gratitude for the help. The church will continue to help this local mission, which is doing God's work in providing for those in need.

Redeemer, Verona, PA

Pastor Adam Koontz and the community of Redeemer Lutheran School recently shared how they are "building up the gym...while they are building up their students." The work on the new gym includes preparation for concrete, plumbing, and electricity, and laying out building materials such as steel beams. Making use of a unique opportunity for learning, about 25 high school students are taking an elective course on construction.

Information that is unclear, hard-to-find, inaccurate, or outdated can be misinterpreted as "we don't care." Suppose a person has never been to your church. Your online presence should answer questions for someone not familiar with your location, service times, etc....not create more. Your online presence should be welcoming to visitors as well as those who may be seeking a church family.

Servant to Servant includes a link to your church or school’s website for any information you submit directly or information that is shared for the English District community. The English District website offers a listing of churches and schools because, as we all know, online shopping doesn't only apply to the latest trending items.

When is the last time you checked your church or school’s online information? Are worship times current? Do you update through holiday seasons to reflect midweek services? Is your physical address and phone number easily available? Now is a great time to take a peek at your website, Facebook page, Instagram, YouTube channel, and anywhere else your organization appears to make sure the information is accurate, timely, and as appealing as possible. Better yet, ask a non-member to help you out by providing an objective perspective!

Vocatio: Retreat, held on campus at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, is set for April 12–15, 2026. This three-day retreat is for college students and second-career men and women and offers an opportunity to rest in God’s Word and learn more about the path to full-time service as a pastor, deaconess, missionary or chaplain. Registration deadline is March 22.

Youth musicians from across the country are headed to St. Olaf College this year for the 2026 Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival (LSM). Students in grades 8-12 will be immersed in a supportive community that nurtures their musical growth and invites them to share their musical gifts in performance and in worship. Do you know young musicians who would thrive at LSM? Nominate them today or remind them to submit a free application by March 1.

UPDATE: We are sad to share that the LCMS Youth Ministry YouthLead 2026 training event in St. Louis from March 19-22, 2026 reached their capacity quickly this year. This is something that has not happened in the past. As a result, English District youth will not be attending. However, this has opened an opportunity for our District to host a YouthLead training event. It will still be an incredible opportunity for our high school youth to develop their spiritual leadership skills and connect with Lutheran peers from around the region.

Details are still coming together, and we hope to have them shared soon.

The registration cost will include food, lodging, and materials. Transportation will not be included.  We have an invitation from Trinity Lutheran Church in Villa Park, IL to be our host. This is very central to many of our English District congregations. For any questions, to learn more, or to assure you are on our contact list, please reach out to DCE Rod Lane via email or by calling (402-499-0807), or to Pastor Derek Mathers at the district office. We encourage you to explore participating in this enriching experience.

ENGLISH DISTRICT LCMS

248-476-0039

info@englishdistrict.org

www.englishdistrict.org

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