As we go into a new calendar year, we wish the Lord’s richest blessings to every one of you. We keep in mind these words of Isaac Watts:
Missionary Presentation at BLC
We were happy to have Dr. Patrick Jordan and his wife Aneela visit our seminary and college campus. They gave missionary presentation on December 7 to students attending our Bethany Lutheran College. Our prayers are requested for their work.
Looking for Evangelism Ideas?
We urge all to check out our synod’s website for a number of evangelism resources put out by our Board for Home Outreach. You may access these at the following link: http://www.els.org/resources/evangelism/
Holy Cross Facility
Monday, November 30, was a very important day for Holy Cross Lutheran Church and School in Madison, Wisconsin. This was the opening day of their new school and early learning center. The center is located near the junction of I-90 and I-94 on the east side of Madison and has the address of Holy Cross Way.
Installation at Jefferson City
The Rev. Micah Ernst was installed as pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Jefferson City, Missouri, on Sunday, December 13. The Rev. Ernst served this congregation as pastor a number of years ago. The Peace congregation has joined in a two-point parish with Grace Lutheran (WELS) in Columbia, Missouri. Also there is exploratory work going on in Lake of the Ozarks. Pres. Moldstad preached for the occasion and performed the rite of installation. The Rev. Timothy Buelow, the alternate visitor for Circuit 10, served as liturgist. The Rev. Mark Rogers served as lector.
2015 Offerings
Please remember that congregational offerings need to be received at the synod office on or before Saturday, January 9, 2016, in order for the contribution to be counted in the 2015 fiscal year. As of December 28 the total offerings were approximately $671,670, which is $88,330 short of the $760,000 budget.
Formal Discussions with the CLC
On November 13, 2015, representatives from the Church of the Lutheran Confession (CLC), from the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), and from our own synod held another session where we have been working on editing a document that originally was proposed in 1990. The document is on the doctrine of church fellowship, particularly how we understand Romans 16:17-18. All three doctrinal commissions of the respective church bodies offered suggested changes for the statement. The three men representing the CLC are the Rev. Michael Eichstadt (president), the Rev. Paul Nolting, and the Rev. Bruce Naumann; the three from the WELS are the Rev. Mark Schroeder (president), Prof. Thomas Nass, and Dr. John Brenner; and the ELS is represented by the Rev. John Moldstad (president), the Rev. Gaylin Schmeling, and the Rev. Glenn Obenberger. We expect to release the revised proposal early in the new year for further study.
Informal Talks with LCMS
On December 1-2 representatives from the ELS, from the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) met in Jacksonville, Florida. This was the fourth time leaders of these former Synodical Conference bodies held informal discussions. A complete report of the progress of these sessions can be found at http://www.els.org/download/ELS-LCMS-WELSApproved-122015.pdf
Colloquy Planned
A colloquy (Part 1) has been scheduled for the Rev. Robert Lawson, Jr. of Escondido, California. Pastor Lawson is a former pastor of our synod seeking restoration of fellowship. Any correspondence pertaining to the colloquy should be addressed to the synod president (jamjr@blc.edu).
Lutheran Association for Church Extension
On December 10, Don Krueger, President/Chief Executive Officer of Lutheran Association for Church Extension (LACE) presented a check in the amount of $10,000 to our ELS synod treasurer. This represents a share of their tithe from the profits of the previous year and is gifted each year to supported organizations. LACE loans money to ELS and WELS congregations for construction and expansion projects. Their goal is to keep the cost to the congregation as low as possible. We would like to express our sincere thanks to LACE for the gift and wish them the Lord’s continued blessings on their important work for the expansion of His Kingdom.
Resignation and Appointment
We thank the Rev. Paul Zager for his many years of service on the Doctrine Committee of our synod. For health reasons he has felt it necessary to offer his resignation. President Moldstad has appointed the Rev. Karl Anderson to fill the vacancy on the committee. The appointment will stand until the time of elections at our 2016 convention.
January 13 – Synod Review Committee
January 19 – Planning & Coordinating Committee
January 20-21 – Board for Youth Outreach
January 20 – Committee on Nominations
January 22 – Colloquy
January 28-29 – Board for Home Outreach
February 1-2 – Board of Regents
February 2 – Board of Trustees
February 3 – Synod Review Committee
February 9 – Board for Christian Service
February 12 – meeting of ELS and WELS with the CLC in Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Click here to view current vacancies and calls in the Evangelical Lutheran Synod.
Click here to download the newsletter bulletin insert.
