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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At the final services of Hope Lutheran Church, Fremont, CA, Rev. Raymond Hulett preached at the morning Matins and Bishop Miskus was blessed to preach at the Closing Divine Service in the afternoon. Thanks be to God for the 53-year ministry of this congregation. The afternoon service ended with the closing ceremony and the members processed from the sanctuary with the sacred vessels used for Word and Sacrament ministry led by the crucifix. All present gathered outside the building, locked the doors, and gave thanks for God's blessings. We give thanks for the support of the surrounding congregations and for God’s comforting presence in Word and Sacrament.
| | Assistant to the Bishop's Visit | | | |
Rev. Derek Mathers, Assistant to the Bishop and Mission Executive, had the honor and privilege to be with God's people of Trinity Lutheran Church, Scarsdale, NY for Divine Service and to share the words of Jesus, "Peace be with you!" In addition to worship, Rev. Mathers and the congregation had an opportunity to explore their Congregational Assessment of Development/Decline Status (CADDS) report. We are excited to see how God will work through them in the future.
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[Jesus said] I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11
Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He gave His life for the sheep. Risen from the dead, He continues to lead us to the green pastures of His Word and the living waters of Baptism and Holy Communion. He leads us through the valley of the shadow of death to eternal life. All we like sheep have gone astray, but now we have returned to the Shepherd and Ruler of our souls.
Pastor Christopher Seifferlein, who serves Mount Calvary Lutheran Church and is member of the District LIfeline Team, preached this sermon on Good Shepherd Sunday, 2026. The sermon addresses the culture of death in our fallen world, and the antidote, our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.
| | 1-1-1 Dollar for Missions | | | |
“Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" (Luke 7:19)
In times of doubt and fear, as was the case for John the Baptist, the above question arises. Jesus answers John with what John has witnessed. Because of Jesus’ embodiment in Word and Sacrament, we know how to answer in faith, “Yes!” to John’s question.
It seems, however, the nonbelieving world asks of Jesus similar questions:
- Are you the only way to the Father, the Truth, and the Life? (John 14:6)
- Are you the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning, end, and in between? (Rev 1:8)
- Are you the same yesterday, today, and forever? (Hebrews 13:8)
- Will you never leave me nor forsake me? (Hebrews 13:5)
- Will heaven and earth pass away, but your words stand forever? (Matthew 24:35)
At one of our church plants, still supported by our Mission 1-1-1 weekly dollars, the wavering in faith to the most cynical nonbeliever still receive the same “Yes!” to all of these questions.
John 1:1 reminds us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
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All the information your congregation needs to get started in contributing to the Mission 1-1-1 ministry can be found on the district website. It is the goal of this campaign to saturate our efforts with Scripture, through where the Holy Spirit moves us.
| | Ministerial Health Commission | | | | | | |
Meet a member of the Ministerial Health Commission
Rev. Justin Schmidt
McMurray, Pennsylvania
Cell: (217) 979-2473
justinschmidt40@hotmail.com
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Justin was born at St. Clair hospital in the South Hills of Pittsburgh in August of 1974. Justin began his first year of college at Virginia Tech studying engineering.
The following year, he transferred to Concordia College in Ann Arbor, Michigan where he graduated with a degree in Biblical Studies. While attending college in Ann Arbor, Justin met his wife Marion who was studying elementary education.
Following graduation, Justin continued his studies at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. Justin’s vicarage year was spent in Gillette, Wyoming, and he received his first call to a dual parish at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Devils Lake, and Grace Lutheran Church in Lakota, North Dakota. While serving in North Dakota, Pastor Schmidt joined the North Dakota National Guard as a chaplain and was assigned to the 1-188 Air Defense Artillery.
While in North Dakota Pastor Schmidt was blessed by God with a son, Wolfram, and a daughter, Lilia. While expecting his third child, a son, Augustine, he accepted a call to Central Illinois to Peace Lutheran Church.
Finally, in 2018 Pastor Schmidt accepted the call to serve as pastor at Peace Lutheran Church in McMurray Pennsylvania. After leaving his home at the age of 18, Pastor Schmidt came full circle at age 45, returning to where he grew up.
Pastor Schmidt is active with his children’s activities, community organizations, and, of course, the Church. To relax Justin enjoys fly fishing, hunting in Western USA, and golfing with family. If Justin is not with his family or doing these activities, you can find him under his Jeep turning a wrench.
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The following is from a letter to the Lutheran Student Fellowship and First Trinity Evangelical-Lutheran Church from Ross George, Master’s of Public and International Affairs, Pittsburgh ‘06:
I thank God every time I remember you. I want to take this opportunity to let you all know that I am enrolled in Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne. I recently completed my first year, and I earned high marks in all my classes, thanks be to God! It is difficult work, and I am giving it all my best effort. My decision to attend seminary and, God willing, to be ordained as an undershepherd to the Shepherd’s flock was due in no small part to both the time I spent at First Trinity and the time I spent as a participant in its campus ministry.
Attending University of Pittsburgh back in January 2005 was the first time I had left my home and my home church. My pastors warned me that when young adults leave home for the first time, they either fall away from church or fall more into it. Thanks be to God for First Trinity. The Lord provided housing within walking distance and used First Trinity’s divine service and the campus ministry to minister to my needs. The number of times and opportunities to meet outside of class and outside of Sunday was exactly what I needed.
Since moving on from Pittsburgh in 2006, the LORD has continued to provide. I was blessed with confessional churches and faithful pastors. I have also been blessed with a wonderful, God-fearing family—Jenni (married eight years); Ethan (7); Audrey (5); and Clara (3) [pictured to the left, December 2024]. They have been reared in the divine service and all of them actively participate in the service. God is good. May God grant us the opportunity to visit soon.
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Set Apart to Serve is building a culture of church work formation
and recruitment in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
Across the Synod, congregations are actively seeking Directors of Christian Education. This is a clear sign that congregations value and desire strong Christian formation leadership. Learn more about Set Apart to Serve here.
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We pray for all in Illinois and surrounding areas affected by the recent tornado. We lift up first responders, LCC Disaster Response volunteers, LERT crews, and all others who are providing care and mercy in this time of need.
District daily prayers for May 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.
| | Contact John Hoover, LCEF District Vice President, by email or phone 314-276-3370 for more information. | | Reminder: the deadline to apply for the Take Heart scholarship is Friday, May 1, 2026. | | Lutheran Federal Credit Union | | | For more information, please contact our Operations Department at 314-394-2790. | | Financial Aid for Future Church Workers | | | |
The LCMS Church is facing a significant shortage of professional church workers. The English District provides financial aid to English District applicants enrolled in synodical-approved church work programs (pastor, teacher, DCE, DCO, deaconess, etc.). Click here for more information and the application. (Scholarships are not given to interns, vicars, or graduate students.)
There is a separate application for colloquy students which also can be found using the link above.
The deadline for receipt of applications is June 1.
Please consider sharing this information with your church and school families, especially those considering professional church work. It might be that this assistance will add one more worker to the Kingdom!
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Luther Classical College's second annual Christian Culture Conference will be held June 2-3, 2026. This year’s theme is The Ordered House: Oeconomia and the Shape of Christian Society, featuring three main speakers, sectionals led by our faculty, and an address from our president, Rev. Dr. Timothy Rossow, at the banquet Monday night.
Register here or call (307)216-5294 for more information.
| | Christ Academy Family Institute | | | |
Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, is excited to host Christ Academy Family Institute (CAFI) June 11–13, 2026, which leads into the week of Christ Academy High School.
CAFI focuses on providing resources to parents, families, and youth-focused church workers who are interested in passing on the faith to future generations and growing in their care and love for one another. This year, CAFI will focus on “Faith in the Home,” featuring sessions on family devotions, hymn singing, Christian hospitality, and more.
Click here for more information and to register.
| | Faith and Writing Workshop | | | Registration is now open for the annual Faith and Writing Workshop set for July 28–30, 2026, on the campus of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. This recurring event explores how to create and communicate as persons of faith. | | Does your online presence say "We Care"? | | | |
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!
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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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