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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Call Accepted
Mr. Steven R. Wilson (DCE, Michigan District) has accepted the Divine Call to serve as Director of NextGen Ministries of Hales Corners, Hales Corners, WI.
| | An Introduction from the District Secretary | | | |
Pastor Justin Laughridge was recently elected to be the Secretary of the English District. Pastor Laughridge has over seventeen years in ministry, currently serving as Senior Pastor at St. Luke Lutheran Church, Toronto, ON. He is excited about this new opportunity and shares his background, experience, and the vision of his new role here.
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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. 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 also served as Western Regional Vice President from 1992 to 1994.
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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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.
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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.
| | 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 who participated 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.
| | Congregations are the basic units that make up The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. In this video, the Rev. Dr. Donald Fondow, president emeritus of the LCMS Minnesota North District, explains how congregations join together in circuits, districts and the Synod to promote the unity of the faith and carry out their mission and ministry. | | 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. | | |
St. Thomas, Magnolia, TX
Mt. Olive, Tucson AZ
Youth from St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church and Mt. Olive Lutheran Church recently attended the Higher Things "All Things New" Conference at Concordia University Nebraska. During this time, they had an opportunity to spend some time with Bishop Emeritus Jamison Hardy.
During the event, participants heard from multiple presenters (including Rev. Harrison Goodman, Rev. Ian Kinney, Rev. Todd Peperkorn, Rev. Isaac Wirtz, Rev. Eli Lietzau, and Rev. Robert Mayes) who spoke on topics ranging from hymnody, personal relationships, the End Times, and differences between Lutheran church bodies.
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St. Luke's, Toronto, ON
Members of the St. Luke Lutheran Church "Men for Christ" Bible study group held a year-end barbecue. The group meets monthly and has studied the Book of Romans throughout this past year. The barbecue was a delightful gathering at a member's home and welcomed both congregation and community members.
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Peace of the Desert, Palm Desert, CA
Members of Peace Lutheran Church of the Desert recently said a bittersweet goodbye to a special member who is moving to Ohio. Jim has a servant's heart and was always willing to help out in any capacity. A luncheon was held in his honor. He will always be remembered as being PLC's first Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest winner. God Bless Jim in his move, and we pray for a smooth transition into his new community!
| | English District's own Pastor Derek Mathers (Assistant to the Bishop), Terry Leu (District Coordinator and Chairman Emeritus, Board of Directors), and Albert Amling (School Ministry Executive) attended the recent National Youth Gathering. | | 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 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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