English District of
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
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Living Our Baptized Life in Christ
Galatians 2:20
| | Bishop Miskus Defends Life | | | |
“The culture will teach your people that abortion is healthcare...
If you don’t teach them about [the sanctity of life], the culture will...”
~Bishop Jeff Miskus
View the Bishop's defense of life in the short video clip below, taken from the English District Convention livestream.
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Call Received
The Rev. Santiago E. Keinbaum (Florida-Georgia District) has received a Divine Call to serve as Sole Pastor of Celebration, Saint John's, FL.
Call Received and Accepted
The Rev. Steven B. Hicks has received and accepted a Divine Call to serve as Senior Pastor of Redeemer, Hyattsville, MD (Southeastern District).
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Called to Glory - Rev. David A. Kruse, Emeritus
January 24, 1933 to June 13, 2025
The Rev. David A. Kruse was called to glory on June 13, 2025. He knew at an early age he wanted to pursue a career as a Lutheran pastor. After college, he attended Concordia Lutheran Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, graduating in 1957. While there, he met and married Winnie Weimar, in 1955. They just recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on June 4, 2025.
Pastor Kruse's service to the Church included serving as Sole Pastor at the Lutheran Church of the Risen Savior, Green Valley, AZ (English District). He is survived by his wife, Winnie; children, Timothy (Carol), Stephen (Lisa), Andrew (Jodi), Paul (Cindy) and Kathryn (Gerhard) Kraske; many grandchildren, and two great granddaughters.
Please keep the Kruse family in your prayers.
Read his full obituary here.
“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” Psalm 116:15
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Lifeline is the English District’s outreach that promotes the dignity and sanctity of life from fertilization to forever.
Click here for Lifeline's 2025 Coming Events, a list of upcoming sanctity of life learning opportunities. Click here for more information on Lifeline.
We encourage congregations to reproduce and share the following message with your members. Click here for Lifeline's "2025 PA March for Life-Save the Date" reproducible file in .pdf format.
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We did it!
Last year 92 Prolife Lutherans gathered for our first-ever time together for the PA March for Life. We DOUBLED the number of Lutherans in attendance and UNITED together under one banner.
And we did it with blue hands.
As we walked, the heavy rain disintegrated our signs. We extended hands to say goodbye to new friends only to apologize about the sparkly blue colors on them.
“Don’t worry, my hands are blue too!”
Those blue hands were a sign of solidarity, and in good Lutheran fashion, a picture of the washing of baptism. We extend our reach to others, having ourselves been reached by Christ, desiring all to reach the age to be baptized also.
Let’s do it again!
Maybe without the blue hands?
What is your part?
Will you forward the email to a few interested persons today?
Will you put the date in your church’s calendar?
Will you await our mailing and a personal phone call in the next weeks?
Come with your family, church family—young, youth, adult, and old and march with us on September 22. We’ll be calling you!
In Christ,
Pr. Chris Seifferlein—Mount Calvary LCMS-Lititz
Calling all Lutherans! Gather with pro-life Lutherans prior to the 2025 PA March for Life at The Hilton in Harrisburg, One N. 2nd St. in Harrisburg to be encouraged and take a stand for the dignity of all lives from conception to natural death. A full breakfast, free of charge, will be served from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM. Two inspirational speakers will briefly address us before we walk together to the Capitol steps for the 11:00 AM Rally and 12:00 PM Mile March. For more information or to RSVP your interest email or call or text Jeanie Zentz at (717) 475-0271. For more information about the PA March for Life, visit their website.
| | Mission Grant Application | | | |
The 2026-2027 English District LCMS Mission Grant Application process is now underway. By conferring mission grants, the English District seeks to help its members abound in good works that accomplish its various objectives by providing community ministries, revitalizing existing congregations, assisting ministries in communities that are changing, and more.
Click here to download the Mission Grant application. The deadline to apply is July 25, 2025.
| | 1-1-1 Dollar for Missions | | | Click here for more information on 1-1-1 , including graphics, videos, and ministries that have received 1-1-1 support. | | | |
We pray for all those participating in the National Youth Gathering.
We pray for the family of Mrs. Judith M. Liefeld, wife of Rev. David R. Liefeld (Emeritus), who was called to Glory.
We keep in prayer the family of Rev. Dr. Keith L. Johnson, Emeritus, who was called home to be with our Lord.
District daily prayers for August 2025 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 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. | | |
Prince of Peace, Menomonee Falls, WI
Pastor Tom Engler and the congregation of Lutheran Church of the Prince of Peace recently welcomed new members Steve and Sandy. Cake and coffee were served at a reception after worship.
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Also at Lutheran Church of the Prince of Peace, congregation members enjoyed a concert with guest Katheryn Wolfgram on French horn accompanied by the church's Music Director Christian Martin on organ.
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Peace of the Desert, Palm Desert, CA
Pastor James Bowes, who serves Peace Lutheran Church of the Desert, prayed a blessing over the youth who will be attending the National Youth Gathering. Congregation members Daniel and Bella will be attending, along with youth from Promise Lutheran and Trinity Lutheran. May God bless and watch over all the youth attending. To God be the Glory!
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Trinity, Ocala, FL
Trinity Lutheran Church congregation member Cathie Howe (second row, far right) serves on the Lutheran Emergency Response Team (LERT). She recently served in North Carolina, helping to clean up damage caused by last year's hurricane. The team, consisting of LERT members from Florida and Virginia, was hosted by Mt. Pisgah Lutheran Church in Hendersonville. Cathie assisted by serving as camp cook, gofer, and communications coordinator.
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Trinity, Villa Park, IL
The congregation of Trinity Lutheran Church supported member Jackson Scofield through the Adopt-a-Student program which allowed Jackson to complete his schooling at Concordia. He has now been called to two churches, and the congregation recently celebrated with a Godspeed and Farewell service. Jackson is pictured here with Pastor Rob Rogers who serves Trinity.
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West Portal, San Francisco, CA
West Portal Lutheran School is once again the winner of SFGate's annual Best of Bay Area contest for Best Private School (K-8)! With hundreds of thousands of votes cast across over 125 categories, West Portal Lutheran is proud to be recognized for its vision to see Gospel-transformed students living purposeful lives of learning, service, and leadership.
Pictured here are Principal Sherise Lee and Sherilyn Jew, Director of Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum.
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Logan (left), a member of St. Mark's Lutheran Church (English District), and Jane (right), a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church (English District), participated in Concordia Theological Seminary’s Christ Academy: Timothy and Phoebe School. Mr. Troy Zimmerman (center) served as a proctor in the program.
Christ Academy consists of three important elements: confessional catechesis, liturgical worship, and a fun life together. This tradition of learning, worship, and fun provides an incredible experience for young men and women in high school, especially for those considering a future in church work. We are excited that Logan and Jane had this opportunity and pray for continued blessings on them in their faith walk.
| | Alliance Defending Freedom | | | |
How Recent Court Rulings Impact Churches and Ministries
Join us on Friday, August 1, at 12:00 PM ET / 11:00 AM CT/ 10:00 AM MT/ 9:00 AM PT for a livestream discussion hosted by Alliance Defending Freedom. Our attorneys will explain what the Court decided and what it means for your church or ministry.
You’ll learn about:
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First Amendment protections: How a unanimous ruling in favor of Catholic Charities affirms your ministry’s right to serve according to its faith.
- Religious Liberty: Why the Court's support for Maryland parents is a win for families seeking to uphold their religious convictions in the education of their children.
- Sanctity of Life: What the ruling in favor of South Carolina means for redirecting funds away from abortion and “gender-transition” clinics, and toward real, comprehensive care.
- Gender Ideology: What the Court’s decision upholding Tennessee’s law protecting children from harmful transition procedures means for ministries and for other states pursuing similar protections.
You’ll also get a preview of important ADF cases the Court will hear next term: one involving Christian counselor Kaley Chiles, another concerning First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, and two defending state laws aimed at preserving fairness in women’s sports. Register here.
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The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) recognizes the need for continued vigilance in child protection. The LCMS Office of National Mission continues to recommend that congregations and schools of the Synod utilize abuse prevention resources including tools, training, and instruction; and obtain criminal background check services for staff and volunteers. Your English District cannot agree more. Please take the time to research the people who have contact with children, for their safety and your protection.
The LCMS Office of National Mission, along with the English District, has identified MinistrySafe as a valuable resource for LCMS districts and congregations. MinistrySafe is a national organization that equips congregations, schools, and other ministry programs to better protect children from sexual abuse. Over the past year the LCMS has been sharing that the National Agreement with MinistrySafe would be different after July 1, 2025. We had hoped that a new agreement could be reached. That agreement has not taken place.
MinistrySafe has informed us that they will begin reaching out to LCMS congregations and schools that have used their services to let them know that they will be extending the benefits and not processing payments for annual membership and training until October 1 . The English District encourages you to continue best practices by working with MinistrySafe or another proven vendor.
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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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