English District of
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
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Living Our Baptized Life in Christ
Galatians 2:20
| | Bishop Jeff Miskus recently visited Rev. Leon Jameson and the congregation of Hales Corners Lutheran Church, Hales Corners, WI. Bishop Miskus enjoyed sharing a weekend of worship and fellowship, and is pictured here with the church's Worship Team. | | |
"When I think about the Lutheran Student Fellowship and First Trinity, one word comes to mind: family. Not just in the sense of people I see on a weekly basis, but in the truest sense—a group that has supported me, helped me grow, and genuinely cared for me."
This was written by Esther, an international student from Indonesia who participated in the Lutheran Student Fellowship campus ministry at First Trinity Lutheran Church. Read more about her experience here.
| | 1-1-1 Dollar for Missions | | | |
Mission 1-1-1 is a very simple, yet powerful, ministry. It is NOT burdensome, nor sacrificial. It involves every baptized member of the Body of Jesus in your congregation, from the newest baby baptized to the oldest member. It demonstrates the power of the beautiful body of Christ working together, prompted by faith. It shows how much can be accomplished by many, giving little.
Here's the plan: $1/per baptized member/per week. Simple, right? Self-explanatory almost. Not burdensome, nor sacrificial. All can participate.
If your congregation has not yet begun this work, please prayerfully consider it. All of the information you need to get started 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, and surround them with communication.
We encourage congregations to reproduce and share the following message with your members. Click here for Mission 1-1-1's "Halfway Mark 2025-2026" reproducible file in .pdf format.
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Only let us live up to what we have already attained. Philippians 3:16
As we begin the second half of our Mission 1-1-1 campaign for 2025-26, this verse is wise counsel. As mentioned last week, we now have 27 congregations that are actively participating and contributing to this important mission work. If you are one of these congregations, thank you, praise God, and please continue with your visible displays and continued messages. If you haven't already, now is a great time to start the conversation of how your congregation can participate in this very simple ministry. Galatians 5:25 tells us, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
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We pray for congregations that are in conflict.
We pray for the family of Karen Burditt, math teacher and treasurer at St. John’s Lutheran Church and School, Hannibal, MO, who was called to her eternal rest.
We lift in prayer those affected by the tragedy in Nebraska.
District daily prayers for April 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.
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“Exploring God’s Mission Here” is a self-study resource designed to help facilitate “tough conversations within congregations that are in challenging spots.” It seeks to address the spiritual and emotional side of those conversations while also helping to isolate the relevant facts and numbers. The Bible study includes questions to guide congregational self-appraisal, then points the congregation toward possible next steps, such as revitalization, developing partnerships, church planting/replanting, or even a blessed end. This study is designed to be led by an individual who has been prepared to serve in this role by our English District Mission Executive, Pastor Derek Mathers. If you or your congregation would like to make use of this beneficial study, please contact Pastor Mathers and he will resource your ministry to this end.
| | DEADLINE EXTENDED - 2025 Congregational Statistics and Lay Leader Reports | | | |
Please visit lc.lcms.org to submit your congregation’s end-of-year statistics and update your current list of lay leaders by Tuesday, March 31st. If the username and/or password that was created for the congregation is unknown, follow the on-screen helps on the login page to recover the congregation’s credentials.
Thank you in advance for providing this valuable information. Should you require assistance or have any questions, email Rosters & Statistics at LCMS or call (314)996-1366.
| | 2026 Professional Church Workers Conference | | | Registration is now open for the 2026 Professional Church Workers Conference. The conference will be held Tuesday, May 19, 2026 to Thursday, May 21, 2026 at Ascension Lutheran Church, 28081 Lorain Road, North Olmsted, OH 44070. Click here for more information. The deadline for registration is April 10, 2026. | | 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. | | |
Catalina, Tucson, AZ
Pastor Michael Morehouse and members of Catalina Lutheran Church are excited to share the progress towards an auxiliary building for the congregation. Their first Building Fund campaign began in 2019, followed by a second campaign in 2023. The congregation recently voted upon and approved a master plan, with construction scheduled for 2026. They celebrated this milestone with a Service of Prayer, Praise, and Thanksgiving that included burning the paper ballots from the vote. Pictured (L-R): Tyler Decker (Vicar), Pastor Morehouse, Tim Dinkel (Deacon of Music).
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Mount Olive, Tucson, AZ
The LWML Arizona Zone held their Spring Retreat at Mount Olive Lutheran Church. Marilyn McClure spoke of her time as a missionary in Guatemala along with her husband Rev. Dr. Garry McClure. Rev. Bruce von Hindenburg, Zone Counselor, led attendees in a communion service and the 2026 LWML Prayer Service. The sum of $940 was collected to provide a scholarship for a girl at Hope for the Destitute in Kenya.
| | Financial Aid for Future Church Workers | | | |
The LCMS Church is facing a significant shortage of professional church workers. The English District provides financial aid to English District applicants enrolled in synodical-approved church work programs (pastor, teacher, DCE, DCO, deaconess, etc.). Click here for more information and the application. (Scholarships are not given to interns, vicars, or graduate students.)
There is a separate application for colloquy students which also can be found using the link above.
The deadline for receipt of applications is June 1.
Please consider sharing this information with your church and school families, especially those considering professional church work. It might be that this assistance will add one more worker to the Kingdom!
| | Webinar on Life on the Mission Field | | | |
Missionary service is a calling that involves the whole family. For those who may be contemplating missionary service, there are many important questions that deserve thoughtful, honest conversation.
On April 18, LCMS International Mission will host a webinar titled “Life on the Field: A Missionary Spouse Perspective.” This Zoom webinar will offer a candid, behind-the-scenes look at service on the international mission field from the perspective of LCMS missionary spouses. Click here to register or for more information.
| | Lifelong Learning Opportunity | | | Concordia Seminary, St. Louis and Concordia University, Nebraska are collaborating to present a variety of courses in Concordia Nebraska’s non-credit continuing education and lifelong learning program called Studia Vitae. The program offers Christ-centered continuing education opportunities in a variety of focused areas through an online scheduled and self-paced learning platform. Click here to register or for more information. | | |
Spread the word about Vocatio: Retreat— a three-day event for college students and second-career adults considering service as a pastor, deaconess, missionary or chaplain. This distinctively Lutheran retreat includes worship, time in God’s Word, conversations with Seminary faculty and students, and a glimpse into life as a seminarian. Space is limited! Register by March 22.
| | Concordia Center for the Family | | | |
Concordia Center for the Family (CCF), a Recognized Service Organization of the LCMS, is uniting homes and congregations in making lifelong disciples of Jesus. Through foundational training events, NOW with follow-up cohorts and coaching options, Family Discipleship Facilitators are being equipped and inspired to strengthen the marriages and families served by our LCMS congregations and schools. CCF wants YOU as a Family Discipleship Facilitator! This training opportunity is for called and commissioned leaders of LCMS congregations and schools, along with lay family ministry leaders. MORE trainings have been added! Find out about our 2026 trainings HERE.
Also consider CCF's Faith & Life Survey tool to assess how well you're serving families and receive support as you seek to better serve them. Find out more HERE. And please remember we have resources for you. You can head to our website or sign up for our weekly emails where we share resources by clicking HERE.
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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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