When Jesus declared to the crowds surrounding Him, “I am the Bread of Life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:25), He was teaching a powerful lesson; an eternal life answer. Every person in this world needs what only God gives to them: Himself. Jesus is the Bread of Life that God gives to His creation for eternal life. We can’t do without the Lord Jesus.

And yet, this kind of dependence upon anything or anyone has become a vile thought, particularly in America, but also across the world. The fastest growing religions are movements like the “nones” (those who identify themselves as free from dependence upon God or any religion), Wicca (the individual can summon the spirit world to do their personal bidding) and secular humanism (the individual person is central to one’s desired future, i.e. - the Me movement). These movements can seem like a tsunami over preaching Christ Crucified. BUT there is one confession the Christian can make that bears a witness that turns the heads of this self-serving world. Read the entire article to discover what this confession is and how to make it within your mission field. Hint: It has something to do with desired freedom only in dependence upon God.

by Pastor Tim Holzerland

The Lutheran Church of the Shepherd King, West Bloomfield, MI and Chaplain, West Bloomfield Fire Department

Pastors, especially sole pastors in smaller congregations, often spend portions of the day alone. I spoke with many brother pastors who tell me they don’t do well when they are alone. I hear comments like, “When I quiet down and try to enjoy the silence, all I do is hear the noise of my thoughts and worries.” “I ruminate over one offhanded comment from a member as they passed through the line.”

The reality is most of us hear noise in our minds all day long. Knowing this is helpful because it gives us some indication of the type of worries that may make us feel helpless or anxious.

Personally, I run through a series of questions while I’m alone in order to check my thoughts. The process only takes a few minutes.

These are a few examples of the questions I use. These questions lead me to God’s Word, repentance, and prayer.

Time alone in useful reflection can catch our own negative tendencies in the midst of spiritual warfare. We may exaggerate the negative by letting one comment or encounter contaminate the whole week. We, therefore, discount other positive events of the day. We answer these thoughts with more accurate positive ones. For example, if you feel slightly depressed and check your thinking, you may see that because one thing went wrong today, you are saying to yourself that you are really a failure as a pastor. By recognizing this exaggeration as nonsense, you can tell yourself more correctly that you may have failed, but you are not a failure. Following this, you can then recall successes Christ worked through you and bring to mind the faces of those who have been grateful for your ministry. Spending time alone can be helpful! If Jesus did it, we need to do it as well. (Luke 5:16)

The second Saints Monica & Augustine Family Retreat will be held at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, 308 Petersburg Rd in Lititz, Pennsylvania on August 12, 2021, from 10 AM-3 PM (continental breakfast and registration starts at 9:30 AM). This free event, sponsored and organized by the Philadelphia Circuit of the English District, is for the whole family and includes games, music, worship, lunch, and art activity. All ages are welcome! For more details or to register, please contact [email protected]. 

God has lifted up a donor who wants to match new money given for our new missions. The gift will match $25,000. If you would like to have your gift matched, dollar for dollar, this is your opportunity.

Every circuit in our District is being challenged to identify new mission possibilities. Some possibilities are:

We know God is continuing to open doors of opportunity. This new collection will be used to provide the resources to advance these new identified opportunities.

Gifts can be given online through the English District website or by direct mail to our District office. Please designate your gifts as being for “New District Missions”.

For now, Prague is opening up for both locals and non-locals. The restaurants and bars of the city now allow inside dining. Every establishment is busy with people. And tourists are seen and heard again. But we also give thanks that some of that is affecting our worship life at St. Michael. People, whom we have not seen in over a year as well as those who are new to us, have begun to find their way back to Prague and to our congregation. We pray that this new-found awaking of the city might serve to bring Christ to the people of Prague and beyond. Click here to read more.

The LCMS Congregational Treasurer's Manual is a valuable resource for any church treasurer, no matter their level of expertise. The manual, organized into two volumes, contains six major sections: Employment Issues; Federal and State Tax Matters; Establishing and Administering the Organization; Supporting Organizations; Accounting and Finance; and Insurance.

The manual is available online FREE OF CHARGE and is updated yearly in the fall. Printed copies are only available through the district office and must be preordered. The cost for the printed manual is approximately $10-15, depending on postage and printing costs. If you would like to order a printed copy of the 2021 manual due out later this year, email Peggy Oke or call her at 800-755-9335 ext. 210 no later than Thursday, August 5, 2021.

District daily prayers for August 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.

For more information, contact the English District Gift Planning Counselor Ron Grimm by phone (412)-584-7039 or email.

Fairlawn Lutheran held a summer Women’s Retreat. The theme was Reconnecting with God and Others. What a wonderful weekend full of fellowship!

VBS was amazing this past week as campers learned about the theme Treasured: Discovering You’re Priceless to God.

There are still thousands of troops serving in undisclosed locations. They aren't home and still have a long and difficult road ahead of them. They are stationed at lonely outposts in undisclosed locations because their country needs them. We can't imagine the sacrifice of being half around the world away from friends and loved ones. Aside from being in serious harm's way all the time, the way of life and living conditions are very uncomfortable, and beyond the comprehension of people living in America. But we can provide our troops with a touch of home -- a care package. Click here to donate to Packages for Patriots

We encourage everyone to take advantage of alternative opportunities to hear God’s word and to be blessed by the Divine Service. We have compiled a list of opportunities on the English District website that is continually updated.

If your congregation is recording or live streaming and is not included on this list, please email us at [email protected] and let us know how people can access it.