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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Under the theme, "His Faithfulness Endures" from Psalm 100:5, Pastor Larry Loree and members of Ascension of Christ, Beverly Hills, MI, celebrated the congregation's 75th anniversary. The festival Divine Service included brass, choir, and bells. Bishop Miskus served as the guest preacher. Soli Deo Gloria!
| | After a productive day of meetings, Board of Directors members enjoyed fellowship and a delicious dinner. Immediately following the board meeting, the annual English District Professional Church Workers Conference, hosted by Ascension Lutheran Church, North Olmsted, OH, commenced. | | Professional Church Workers Conference | | | This year's Professional Church Workers Conference was well attended. The conference included worship, fellowship, and a focus on church planting. Divine Service was led by Rev. Joshua Ulm, who serves Ascension Lutheran Church. Bishop Miskus preached and Rev. Ryan Beffrey, who serves Epiphany Lutheran Church, assisted. | | |
Call Received and Returned
The Rev. Marcus A. Williams has received and returned a Divine Call to serve as Sole Pastor of St. John, Fairview, MT and Trinity, Sidney, MT (Montana District).
Call Returned
The Rev. John M. Zimmerman (Eastern District) has returned the Divine Call to serve as Sole Pastor of Trinity, Scarsdale, NY.
| | Lifeline is the English District’s outreach that promotes the dignity and sanctity of life from fertilization to forever. The Lifeline team facilitates a culture of life in English District congregations by linking church workers and congregation members with the life-affirming resources of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, Lutherans for Life, other national organizations, and sister congregations. For more information on Life Ministry resources, click here. | | We encourage congregations to reproduce and share the following message with your members. Click here for Lifeline's "Pentecost 2026" reproducible file in .pdf format. | | 1-1-1 Dollar for Missions | | | |
Colossians 4:5 reads, “Be wise in the way that you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.”
This verse seems to tie wisdom to opportunity. How do we tie these two ideas together? The answer may be in the witness that is represented in our mission work.
Through the Holy Spirit, our Mission 1-1-1 dollars provide the opportunity to dispense the revealed wisdom of the gospel of grace through Word and Sacrament to outsiders…those in our community who have no other opportunity to come to know the Truth, Jesus, Lord and Savior…the only wisdom that matters now and forever.
As He said in His final words before ascending to our Father, "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you...” Matthew 28:19-20a
If you are reading this, and your church has yet to participate in Mission 1-1-1, the message below is for you.
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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. Tim Holzerland
West Bloomfield, MI
Cell: (313) 938-2531
pastortim91@yahoo.com
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Pastor Tim Holzerland was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1962. He was brought to the waters of Holy Baptism on November 21st, 1962. He grew up in an LCMS home, the son of Lutheran school educators and the oldest of three children. His parents worked in three schools located in Nebraska, Michigan, and Missouri.
Pastor Holzerland received his B.A. in Television Broadcasting at Wayne State College, Wayne, Nebraska in 1985. He was employed at two television stations, WAQP-TV in Saginaw, Michigan, and WTCT-TV in Marion, Illinois and worked in TV production directing various shows.
He enrolled at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri in 1987. He married Kimberly, nee' Mohland, on November 18th, 1989 at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Saginaw, Michigan, and he graduated from Concordia Seminary in 1991.
Pastor Holzerland has served three English District congregations: Trinity Lutheran Church, in Swissvale, Pennsylvania, 1991 to 1995; Christ the King Lutheran Church in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, 1995 to 2007; and currently serves at the Lutheran Church of the Shepherd King in West Bloomfield, Michigan.
Outside of the pastoral office
- He served as Pastoral Counselor for the Lutheran Women's Missionary League, English District from 2010 to 2012.
- He conducted a "spiritual half-hour" at Maple Grove Treatment Center in West Bloomfield from 2010-2014.
- He became the chaplain for the West Bloomfield Fire Department in 2012. He is certified in Critical Incident Stress Management, Suicide Prevention, and Peer Support. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the West Bloomfield Fire Department in 2018 and received a special citation from the International Association of Fire Fighters in 2019. He is a current member of the Federation of Fire Chaplains.
- He received one unit of CPE from Beaumont Health Systems, Royal Oak, Michigan in 2018.
Pastor Holzerland enjoys “upcycling” old and vintage items, photography, gardening, biking, and spending time with his wife, Kim, and their dog, Beau.
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High school youth are invited to attend YouthLead 2026, an LCMS Youth Ministry leadership training event in Chicago, June 25-28. Cost is $150 per student and includes food, lodging, and materials. The English District will provide $150 per youth participant. Space is limited, so please register early. Applications should be returned to DCE Rod Lane. For more information, scan the QR code, email DCE Rod Lane or call him at (402) 499-0807, or email Pastor Derek Mathers.
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The English District office will be closed on Monday, May 25, 2026, in observance of Memorial Day (USA).
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We pray for Beverly Morris who is suffering from serious health challenges.
We pray for congregations that are in conflict, that God will provide them the wisdom and discernment needed to resolve disagreements.
District daily prayers for June 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.
| | English District Endowment Fund | | | The English District Endowment Fund is to provide God’s People with a unique opportunity to participate in a perpetual fund which assists congregations in supporting ministries and missions such as Campus Ministries, Human Care & Disaster Relief, and New Missions. There are earnings available for grants. Please visit the website for more information. | | Church Worker (Student Loan) Debt Reduction Grants Available | | | |
Rostered workers who are currently serving (called workers) in an English District LCMS congregation or school are eligible to apply for an education indebtedness grant. These grants are one aspect of the Endowment Fund currently being offered to Rostered Church Workers to assist with paying off their student loans.
For a Church Worker (Student Loan) Debt Reduction Grant, we ask that you complete an Application for Church Worker Transitional Assistance. These forms will be available on our District website beginning May 25, 2026. The deadline for applications is Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
To support our congregations, ministries, and church workers through the English District Endowment Fund, click here to donate.
If you have any questions, please contact Rev. Derek Mathers at 1-800-755-9335.
| | Contact John Hoover, LCEF District 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, Windsor, ON
First Lutheran Church (Lutheran Church-Canada) hosted an Ascension Day service for Lutherans in the greater Windsor, Ontario area. The service was well-attended and followed by fellowship. Pastor Colton LaMay (Gethsemane Lutheran Church) was the preacher, and Pastor Dionatan Ferreira (Our Saviour's Evangelical Lutheran Church) and Pastor James Leistico (Peace Lutheran Church) assisted in the service.
| Pictured (L-R): Pastor Robert Bugbee, Pastor Colton LaMay, Pastor Dionatan Ferreira, Pastor Wilhelm Torgerson, and Pastor James Leistico | | |
Santa Trinidad, Tucson, AZ
Congregation members at Mision Luterana Santa Trinidad, served by Pastor Nick Wirtz and Vicar Samuel Ledford, have had a busy couple of months filled with youth activities. A recent lock-in and youth group night included a Bible study, glow-in-the-dark games, dodgeball, tag, basketball, board games, video games, midnight pizza, movie time, and scary story time, wrapped up with a prayer and a waffle bar (with supervision from the kids). It was a huge success and has set the tone for some of the congregation's young adults to help out with the upcoming Vacation Bible School.
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West Portal, San Francisco, CA
Under the direction of Music Director Amy Kao, the 8th Grade students at West Portal Lutheran School beautifully sang their last song to honor and glorify God during the Baccalaureate Service. Congratulations to these graduates, their families, and their instructors, who are so firmly grounded in faith.
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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.
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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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