6 minute read
Rose Parade
After a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rose Parade presented by Honda returns Jan. 1, 2022, with all elements originally planned for the 2021 parade. Under the theme of “Dream. Believe. Achieve.”, the 2022 Rose Parade will take place at 8 a.m. Pacific Time on New Year’s Day in Pasadena, California, and feature spirited marching bands from throughout the nation, highstepping equestrian units, and majestic floral floats.
Lutheran Hour Ministries will resume its more than 70-year tradition of participating in the parade with a float entry under the theme of “Jesus Teaches.”
Watch for the LHM Float as the Rose Parade Returns
by CHAD FIX
This year’s LHM float will feature Jesus with 12 modern day disciples based on Matthew 11:1 (After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee) and a cross that is firmly fixed to a solid rock from which flows a stream of living water based on John 4:10 (Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water”).
This year’s float riders will include Dr. Kurt Senske, chairman of the LHM Board of Directors; Nicole Heerlein, LHM’s associate director of external relations; Debbie Larson, president of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML); and pastors and laypeople from throughout Southern California.
As a self-funded project of the Lutheran Hour Ministries Float Committee and the Southern California District of the International Lutheran Laymen’s League, the LHM float is the only Christian float in the annual parade. The float carries on a mission to provide a Gospel witness to viewers everywhere, from the parade route along Pasadena’s Colorado Boulevard to televisions all over the world. There are several television channels, online platforms, and social media platforms televising this year’s parade, including the Hallmark Channel, ABC, NBC, RFDTV, Univision, AT&T TV Live, Hulu Plus Live TV, Peacock TV, and Sling TV. Check your local listings for best viewing options.
Hundreds of individuals are still needed to help decorate the LHM float as well as others completed by the Petal Pushers’ decorating team of 5,000 volunteers. Petal Pushers volunteers must be at least 13 years old and commit to at least one eight-hour shift during the month of December.
To learn more about the float, or volunteer opportunities or ways to support this project, visit petalpushers.org. =
Child of Promise
The birth of the Savior is celebrated again this year in Child of Promise, a joyful look at the miracle of Jesus’ birth. From the beginning, foretold in Genesis and proclaimed throughout the Old Testament, God announced the coming Messiah to a wayward world. In Jesus Christ, that promise was fulfilled.
Mobile, audio, and Spanish also available!
LHM.ORG/ADVENT
Retired U.S. Navy Chaplain and Pastor David Otten serves two congregations in southern Illinois. One is Our
Redeemer Lutheran Church in
Golconda; the other is Faith
Lutheran Church of Saline County in Eldorado. When not preparing for a Sunday sermon or fulfilling some other pastoral care duty, he’s often doing something related to Project Connect—LHM’s longtime topical booklet ministry for kids and adults, with several titles available in Spanish, too. Recently, Otten was busy working a booth at the 2021
Eldorado Town and Country
Days event. There he had a frank conversation with Mormon missionaries who took a booklet on Mormonism. Another couple with home struggles picked up a booklet on anger management.
The biggest draw at the booth is the kids’ booklets, Otten said. It’s no wonder as they are beautifully illustrated with catchy, rhyming verses. These booklets address topics like prayer, discipleship, hospitality, sharing one’s faith, bullying, loving our neighbors, and more. The crowd favorite is Do You Know Who Jesus Is? he added.
Otten has long been an advocate of Project Connect booklets. In both the VFW and American Legion halls, veterans have access to The Conflict at Home, which deals with the psychological and physical upheaval of PTSD. An area psychiatrist’s office has them handy for counselors to share, and a local bar & grill and area hospital make them available to customers. Otten’s latest display addition is the Golden Circle Senior Center, where residents and visitors can read booklets on a variety of topics including Alzheimer’s and cancer.
Incarcerated youth at the Illinois Youth Center in Harrisburg are
recipients of Project Connect booklets, too, Otten said. The big hitter—as far as booklet distribution is concerned—is a Harrisburg food pantry. “Unfortunately, because of COVID-19, no one’s allowed into the food pantry right now to get booklets,” he said, with some regret. Project Connect booklets, however, can also be read online, and many can be heard as an MP3 audio file, by going to lhm.org/projectconnect. This makes it possible for people to access booklet content even if they can’t physically get one. It’s easy to use Project Connect booklets in your church and community. At our website, you will find details on booklet display options, booklets in Spanish, a Q&A with specific info, and our Barna Group-based booklets, promotional items, and other resources. Contact us, so we can help you make Project Connect booklets a helpful addition to your outreach efforts! =
Inspired to Thrive
by CHAD FIX
Inspiring and inspiration were the top responses when past attendees of Siebert Lutheran Foundation’s annual conference shared how the event impacts their ministries. Inspired also describes what Siebert sees in the ministries it supports: programming that inspires pastors and ministry leaders to grow the Body of Christ. Based on this feedback, Siebert renamed its 2021 conference “Inspired to Thrive” and unveiled a virtual format offering breakout session options and opportunities for more engagement with speakers and other attendees. LHM staff led two of this year’s concurrent sessions. In their presentation titled “Better Together in Community,” LHM Director of Community Programming Jennifer Prophete and Neighborhood Project Coach Sara Johnson answered the question, “What if every Christian saw their neighborhood as a place where God intentionally planted them?” They shared examples of how that would change how we view, interact with, and serve our neighbors and introduced The Hopeful Neighborhood Project that launched this past spring. Visit hopefulneighborhood.org for more details. LHM’s Vice President of Global Ministries, Rev. Dr. Tony Cook, shared how spiritual conversations will evolve in a post-pandemic world and offered practical tips for contextualizing the message. (Learn more about using this information in your daily life in the lead article of this issue.) Siebert Lutheran Foundation provides funding to churches and programs associated with the LCMS, ELCA, and WELS church bodies. Its conference offers pastors and ministry leaders strategies and best practices that may be applied to a variety of ministry contexts. =
Leave a Legacy
That Will Inspire Others
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