Living Our Baptized Life in Christ

Galatians 2:20

June 19, 2026

Rev. Samuel Handschke (center) was recently installed at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Medina, OH. Bishop Jeff Miskus presided over the very well-attended worship service, which was followed by fellowship and a meal. The congregation gives thanks to God for providing this under-shepherd.

Call Received

The Rev. Devin J. Burmeister has received a Divine Call to serve as Associate Pastor and Next Gen Director of St. Peter’s, Columbus, IN (Indiana District).

The Chapel of the Holy Trinity at Concordia University-Ann Arbor was recently decommissioned. The somber service ended with the chapel doors being closed, and the announcement made, “This church building is closed as a place for Divine services in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Those gathered responded, “Amen.”

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace...” (1 Peter 4:10)

We can see a few levels of depth in this verse from the Apostle Peter. First, as always, we receive the gifts of grace through the means of Grace, the Word and the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion. These are the gifts that we help share to the unbelieving, unchurched or underserved with our weekly Mission 1-1-1 contributions.

Next, as we know, each of us, through our baptismal grace, has been given gifts to share, one of which is the gift of giving. The Holy Spirit moves us to do what we can, where we can, when we can, to serve others and further the Kingdom Work. And so we have been given a grace upon grace that merits a heartfelt response from us.

Mission 1-1-1 is one such opportunity where giving a little by many over time can add up to a lot! As summer is upon us, let us keep these thoughts in mind. Philippians 1:6 tells us, “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in the day of Jesus Christ.”

We encourage you to share this message with those who may not have electronic access to our weekly message. If you are reading this, and your church has yet to participate in Mission 1-1-1, the message below is for you.

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.

We pray for congregations in conflict that God will provide His peace, which surpasses all understanding.

District daily prayers for July 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.

We are happy to announce that Evy Cépeda has been extended a solemn appointment to serve the Lord in the LCMS Latin America and the Caribbean Region, and she has accepted! Joining her in this appointment are her husband and children. Evy will serve as an ESL Teacher and Volunteer Coordinator in Lima, Peru. Evy's home church is St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Paris, TX.

Before she leaves the United States, Evy will be available to share with congregations in the district about the work God is doing in Latin America and the Caribbean Region. Please consider contacting her and coordinating with your pastors to set up some time to hear about this amazing work.

Please keep Evy and her family in your prayers as they begin this transition to serving God's people in Peru. If you or someone you know has an interest in serving as an overseas missionary through the LCMS, please email or visit the LCMS webpage.

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.

The 2026-2027 Mission Grant Application form is now available on our website. All applications are due by Sunday, July 19, 2026. 

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 are available on our District website. 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.

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.

Calvary, Mechanicsburg, PA

Pastor Luke Zimmerman and members of Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church participated in an evangelism opportunity at the annual Foundry Day Festival. The congregation raised over $300 at the event, which will go towards its local Operation Barnabas Chapter. 

Grace, Redford, MI

Pastor Timothy Halboth and the congregation of Grace Lutheran Church welcomed new members. Pictured with Pastor Halboth are new member Kelly, her husband (already a member), her infant son, who was baptized recently, and Josh. Kelly and Josh were catechized, and they confirmed their baptismal vows through the Rite of Adult Confirmation! The Grace congregation thanks God for them and for the blessing this family is to the congregation.

Trinity, Ocala, FL

Pastor Dan Howe and the congregation of Trinity Lutheran Church hosted members from the Florida-Georgia Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT). It has been a quiet storm season so far in Florida, but the LERT organization deploys to assist with non-emergency site work from time to time for training.  LERT volunteers from many different churches joined forces to complete some bush hog and brush removal work in the rear of the Trinity Lutheran Church campus. All enjoyed fellowship and a nice barbecue lunch in the middle of the day.   

Concordia-Chicago will be holding its second annual Apologetics Boot Camp August 16-19, 2026. This four-day event is designed to help participants deepen their understanding of apologetics and engage thoughtfully with questions about faith. The agenda is full of presentations from world-class speakers and panel discussions, as well as opportunities for chapel services, film screenings, interactions with others interested in apologetics, and more.

If you have any questions, please email Rev. Dr. Kirk Clayton, assistant professor of theology and director of CUC's Pre-Seminary program, or call 708-209-3195.

If you have an interest in Lutheranism, the classics, classical education, and the challenges and opportunities presented by artificial intelligence, virtuality, cleverness, and deceit, we encourage you to consider submitting a proposal for the 2027 joint conference of Lutheranism & the Classics and the Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education. The deadline to submit abstracts is November 1, 2026. Find the full Call for Papers here.

ENGLISH DISTRICT LCMS

248-476-0039

info@englishdistrict.org

www.englishdistrict.org

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