The Lutheran Layman

THE

LUTHERAN L AYMAN Your Partner in HIS Mission!

January - February 2016

Health Matters for ministry

By Steve Gruenwald

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n the English language, certain words and phrases belong together: mac and cheese, peanut butter and jelly, and green eggs and ham (with a little help from food coloring, of course)! As see page 3

The Elevator Speech . . . . . . . 7 LHM Now in Turkey . . . . . . . . 8 LHM Ministry Report . . . 11-14 Special Day for Men’s NetWork . . . . . . . . . . 15 Church and School Statistics . . . . . . .18-19, 22-23 Lutheran Hour Ministries 660 Mason Ridge Center Drive St. Louis, Missouri 63141-8557

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SPEAK ING UP

by Rev. Gregory Seltz Speaker of The Lutheran Hour

THE ONE

Thing Needed

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)

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o you know what a “Reset Button” is? If you’ve with Him in repentance and begin to live life again ever worked on computers or other modern with Him in BOLDNESS AND GRACE. gadgets, you know how valuable it is sometimes to If that’s you or someone you know, let me tell you have that “ONE BUTTON” that brings everything that The Lutheran Hour and LHM exist to make back to ONE THING THAT CAN HELP YOU START sure that ANYONE AND EVERYONE who NEEDS to AGAIN. You hit it, and everything is wiped clean, know THAT ONE THING NEEDED is the one thing allowing the device to return to its original state. If they CAN HAVE BY FAITH, right now. If that means you’ve ever been in a real jam with something, that hitting the reset button with God in repentance, reset button can make all the difference. There are then by all means hit away. And, if you’re trying to times in life when it is good to know that you can share that Good News with someone, but you said “RETURN TO THE ONE THING THAT MAKES ALL the wrong thing at the right time, or the right thing at THE DIFFERENCE.” the wrong time, or maybe you’ve In Luke 10, Martha learned Jesus especially calls just got disconnected because of that what’s true with our gadgets all the business of this life. In life, is even more true in our lives. She us to “hit the reset button” well, you can hit the reset button had gotten a lot of things twisted with Him in repentance there too. Lay all your concerns in her life to the point that she before the Lord in prayer, and begin to live life was almost willing to miss out realizing that His Cross and again with Him in on Jesus as the one thing she Resurrection mean that the reset really needed above all else. Jesus BOLDNESS AND GRACE. button not only can happen with lovingly calls her to hit the “reset Him, it can happen with those button,” to accept His invitation to start again with we love, too. He is the ONE THING NEEDED that Him and see that with Him at the center of life that can bring life, salvation, and real change to your life has eternal value, significance, and purpose, life and mine. Oh, and don’t forget, Lutheran Hour because without Him, nothing holds together.

Ministries has all kinds of resources to deepen In our travels this year with Lutheran Hour your faith and help you share it. Listen in to The Ministries, we’ve seen some incredible places. Lutheran Hour or go to LHM.org and LET US HELP We’ve seen temples and wailing walls right next to YOU HIT THE RESET BUTTON FOR MISSION AND the empty tomb of Jesus. We’ve seen countries that MINISTRY WITH THOSE YOU LOVE. A blessed yearn for freedom even though they turn churches New Year! n of Jesus Christ, like Hagia Sophia, into museums.

Hear Rev. Gregory Seltz Human beings can get real busy and miss the whole point, can’t we? Sin does that to us all. This new year, on The Lutheran Hour and Jesus especially calls us to “hit the reset button” online at www.lhm.org!

L AYMAN The Lutheran

Vol. 87, No. 1 January - February 2016

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The Lutheran Layman January - February 2016

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Health Matters for ministry

Lutherans, certain concepts and phrases also belong together: Saint and Sinner, Law and Gospel, and Justification by Faith, just to name a few. Interestingly enough, in our efforts to share the Good News through those familiar Lutheran expressions, another complementary phrase also comes to mind: Be Well … Serve Well. The phrase may not be recognizable to you, but it is very familiar to the thousands of pastors, teachers, and other church workers of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. The expression is a reminder of the importance of caring for one’s health for ministry.

Further explained: with God’s help and guidance, we strive to be as well as we can be (within the confines of disease and sickness as a result of a sinful world), so that a continued or improved state of well-being will allow us to best serve those in our area of ministry.

We know that caring for our physical, mental, and spiritual health is a part of our joyous response to all that God has done for us and for all that He has given to us.

Professional church workers do not have a monopoly on that phrase. However, it is universal to everyone involved in the Church! We know that caring for our physical, mental, and spiritual health is a part of our joyous response to all that God has done for us and for all that He has given us. Part of our response is that, with God’s help, we try to be good stewards of all the blessings He has given us. In particular, bodily

Body Fat and Total Weight Changes with Diet and Exercise

stewardship is important in the overarching mission of sharing His message of salvation.

Whether we are visiting the sick, caring for the elderly, teaching Sunday school, or delivering canned goods to a food pantry, those acts of service are best attended to when we are “well.”

If we are laid up at home or in a hospital due to our inattentiveness to our health and well-being or as a result of our blatant disregard for our health, those we serve will also feel the ripples of our neglect.

Unfortunately, because of our sinful natures, being healthy and well is not easy. We make poor choices when it comes to our health. Something as simple as unhealthy eating habits can rob us of the necessary nutrients needed for the proper functioning of our body and mind. In the short term, poor nutrition contributes to stress, tiredness, and a reduction in our capacity to work. Long term, it can contribute to the risk of developing health problems such as heart disease, stroke, depression, Type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure, just to name a few.

On the flip side, eating a proper, nutritious diet offers health benefits that keep us mentally and physically well, such as protecting brain cells to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease, building up our immune system, preventing weight gain, and having more energy.

Realistically, you don’t need innumerable facts about the benefits of exercise to convince you that it is good for you. A day doesn’t go by that we don’t hear in the news about the good that exercise can do. For example, exercise has the tendency to decrease the

Kilograms

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Body Fat

Total Weight

5 0 -5 -10 -15 -20 -25 -30

Axis Title Diet Only

Exercise Only

Both

risk of heart disease, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, breast cancer, and obesity. Exercise can also improve outcomes in musculoskeletal disorders, neurological diseases, and depression.

We certainly have the knowledge of what our bodies need to be well, but having the time and motivation to exercise becomes the bigger obstacle to overcome. To be completely honest with ourselves, time usually isn’t the issue. We can always find time in the day for the activities we enjoy. If we really want to see a specific TV show or read a particular book, we will make the time.

One of the greatest predictors of whether or not you will actually be physically active during the day is whether or not you schedule it into your day’s activities. see next page The Lutheran Layman January - February 2016

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Even short bursts of exercise are beneficial.

Simple steps to “up” your activity and decrease calories …

Health Matters for

from previous page

ministry

Too often we have good intentions of exercising, next step. In that process, you cannot ignore the but the demands of the day often push aside those “magic bullets” of maintaining or losing weight good intents. On the other hand, if a 10-15 minute which are diet (what we eat—the calories “in”) walk either outside or on the treadmill is simply and exercise (burning calories—the calories a part of your morning routine, it becomes as “out”). From the chart (page 3), you can see that automatic as brushing your teeth—it’s just what you diet alone can make a big difference in weight do. Keep in mind, even short bursts of exercise are loss. The reason is that for most people, lowering beneficial: just 10 minutes a day can significantly their calorie intake is easier than burning more calories through increased exercise. For improve heart strength and general fitness.

Ultimately, the real issue is not “do I have time” in example, eating two donut holes instead of three the day to walk for 10-15 minutes, but instead, “do during bible study hour at church reduces your I make it a priority.” Priorities are closely aligned calorie intake by 60. If you indulge in that extra with motivation. In other words, our willingness to hole, you truly would need to add an additional do something is based upon how important it is to 6-10 minutes of vigorous exercise to burn off us. If we cannot recognize how significant diet and those extra calories.

Studies consistently exercise are for our day-to-day lives, show, however, that then the motivation will be lacking. We … with any new or people who lose weight have to comprehend how it matters increased goal in life, and keep it off over and how it fits into the overall scheme take it to the Lord in the long term do both of our well-being. Perhaps being well is recognized as needful in order to care prayer, asking for His diet AND exercise. The of the two for our families. Maybe it is essential guidance and strength combination for the stamina it provides to be a caregive you the best “one-two” to lead you in the giver for our aging parents. Just maybe, punch to combat weight it is adding quality of life for however proper stewardship gain. Incorporating both long our earthly life will exist. Whatever components of eating fewer for the wonderful our reason, our motivation will follow. calories and exercising into Once we have solved the “why” of body He has created your daily routine needs caring for ourselves, the “how” is the (see Psalm 139:13-14). to start slowly if they are to 4

The Lutheran Layman January - February 2016

have any long-lasting consequences.

Trying to do too much too soon will just as quickly seem unmanageable, and you will become frustrated having to try and live with all of the new changes. The key is to incorporate one or two ideas at a time—work them in until they become a part of your routine—and then add more.

++ PARK FARTHER from your destination than necessary and walk. ++ USING A PEDOMETER or Fitbit, keep track of your steps for a week and try to increase your weekly total for the next six weeks. ++ WALK for 10 minutes in the morning before getting ready. ++ WALK into your bank or a restaurant instead of using the drive-through window. ++ USE the restroom on the far side of the building. ++ START a lunchtime “walking club” and walk 15 minutes. ++ WALK to a co-worker’s desk to talk instead of sending an e-mail. ++ SCHEDULE 2 days a week to walk in a park after work with a friend.

You, Health, and the Bible

++ RIDE your bike to the grocery store. ++ KEEP hand weights in the family room and lift them while watching TV. ++ DOWNSIZE your soft drinks, or quench your thirst with water. ++ ORDER a vinaigrette dressing instead of a mayonnaise-based dressing.

By Gerald Perschbacher

C

hrist Jesus not only proclaimed the Grace of God but brought added ++ SPLIT AN ENTRÉE with your spouse or a friend, or box up health to people when He healed them. He half the meal to take home. indicated this after His great Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 8 and ++ LIMIT portions: – meat to 3-4 ounces (the size of a deck of cards) 9). So there is no doubt Staying

– dessert to a sliver, or share

– pretzels or chips in a bowl with an individual ACTIVE in life health is an important factor. serving instead of from the bag and in ministry Physically fit people, ++ BAKE, broil, or grill meats, chicken and fish rather than fry them. endeavors often prove to be much more mentally and more can equate ++ USE vegetable cooking spray and nonstick cookware instead of butter, margarine, or oil when stovetop cooking. to a healthier spiritually productive.

When people “drag” and more ++ SUBSTITUTE half of the oil in a recipe with applesauce. through the day, their productive life spiritual enthusiasm can ++ ASK for sauce and salad dressings on the side: Eat enough wane, also. Consider AND witness. to enjoy the flavor, but leave most of it behind. some Biblical examples The danger with lists is that they can seem overwhelming. If that is the of people who were physically fit for the case, remember the old joke, “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer: opportunities at hand: “One bite at a time.” Change takes time, so allow some time for these new If Joseph, the young son of Jacob, had habits to form. More importantly, with any new or increased goal in life, not been physically and spiritually fit, take it to the Lord in prayer asking for His guidance and strength to lead you he would have had a very difficult time in the proper stewardship for the wonderful body He has created (Psalm facing the rigors of slavery, imprisonment, 139: 13-14). May you know the important role health plays in your ministry, famine, and the demanding rise to success and may you Be Well so that you can Serve Well! n (Genesis 37-41).

The leadership of Moses could have Steve Gruenwald is the Health and Wellness Educator of Concordia Plan Services been at risk had he not been physically and of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and editor of Better Health, a quarterly spiritually fit (Exodus chapters 3 to 21, etc.). newsletter. Steve and wife Bev (an early childhood ministry director) live in Missouri.

Had David the shepherd not been physically fit and in tune with God, he would have had a difficult time meeting Goliath in the crucial encounter recorded in I Samuel 17. David’s accuracy with his sling came as a result of God’s blessing and from practicing. David was fit for the task.

Had Joseph and Mary not been physically fit and dedicated to the Lord, the trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem would ++ EAT SLOWLY, reducing the urge for a second helping.

have been even more strenuous, especially for an expectant mother near the time of childbirth (Luke 2:1-7).

John the baptizer’s lifestyle was focused, simple, and rugged as he announced the arrival of the Savior (Matthew chapter 3).

If the disciples of Jesus had not developed strength for walking, they would have had difficulty keeping pace alongside the Savior (Matthew 11:1 and 19:1-12). But they were not always prepared. If the disciples been physically ready and fit for the prayer time Jesus had in Gethsemane, they may have stayed awake (Mark 14:32-42).

The Road to Emmaus was a seven-mile walk (Luke 24:1-35). When the two men found that Jesus had been their companion, they immediately returned to Jerusalem to tell the disciples that Jesus had been raised.

The return took place after sunset. At a pace of three miles an hour by foot, the entire walk lasted at least five hours. It is very possible the return trip was at a faster pace due to their excitement!

Through LHM, the Int’l LLL offers activities to spike your interest in outreach for the Lord and in making you more fit in the process. Staying ACTIVE in life and in ministry endeavors can equate to a healthier and more productive life AND witness.

LHM also has offered booklets relating to managing moods and emotions, addictions, surviving breast cancer, stress, and Alzheimer’s. DVDs are available on more topics meant to help equip believers in their daily walks. n Dr. Gerald Perschbacher is editor of The Lutheran Layman.

For details about LHM, go online to www.lhm.org or call 1-800-876-9880.

The Lutheran Layman January - February 2016

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Ideas for Your Church to Promote Wellness: ++ DESIGNATE a display board for activity fliers such as local fun run/walks, biking trails, etc. ++ SUBSTITUTE fresh fruit in place of the donuts served between services. ++ HOST health screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. ++ START a walking group to go for walks on Sunday afternoons. ++ ORGANIZE fix-it days on a regular basis in connection with your local LLL group in order to stay fit and to help others in the process. ++ WORK with the local hospital and their health education department or identify someone in the congregation with a nutrition background to hold healthful cooking classes. ++ OPERATE Christ-centered special exhibits and fair booth displays for the Int’l LLL/LHM which helps others spiritually while improving your sense of witness and providing exercise in the process. ++ PARTNER with a local Boy or Girl Scout to create a walking trail on your grounds. ++ ORGANIZE a Senior Olympics. Include events such as speed walking, a softball throw, golf putting, Frisbee toss, basketball shoot-out, etc. ++ HOST a bike-a-thon. Have members get pledges per mile of riding and finance a special project with the money raised.

++ SPONSOR a Five-a-Day challenge: Print a one-page calendar and for a month have church members record how many days they ate five or more servings of fruits and vegetables. At the end of the challenge they turn in calendars; awards go to top scores. ++ TAKE an overseas tour with LHM and exercise your legs while exercising your faith. ++ BE INVOLVED with Lutheran Women’s Missionary League special projects and with Orphan Grain Train in the making or gathering of needed items for beneficial use domestically and internationally. ++ START an LHM golf tournament for physical and spiritual results. ++ IMPLEMENT a tobacco free policy in your church and on the property. ++ START a community garden on the church grounds. Donate the harvest to a food bank or those with limited mobility. ++ USE your church newsletter to promote national health observances and local health fairs along with other healthful happenings. ++ OFFER exercise classes at your church (Zumba, aerobics, stretching, etc.). Contact the local YMCA, Parks and Recreation, or the Health Department to find instructors. ++ START a “Couch to 5K” program, and at the end, host a 5K for the church and community.

Medical sources for the article include the National Institutes of Health, “Overweight and Obesity” – Indiana University, WebMD, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Beyond the Physical …

INNER HEALTH OF MIND AND SOUL

can certainly augment physical health. “Emotions are critical to the growth and maturity of an individual and to the functioning of society,” notes Dr. Stephanie van Ulft, a board-certified specialist in psychiatry. “Our moods are really an extension of the emotions we feel inside,” she adds. “When we do not feel good physically, it’s also easier to be discontented mentally.”

When bad moods surface, can a person cope? “Find a way to turn the bad mood around and focus instead on more positive emotions …

Consider keeping a list of potential mood-busters … so you can refer to them when needed.” Dr. Ulft’s advice appears in the booklet, Get a Grip!, available from Lutheran Hour Ministries.

STRESS HAS GOOD AND BAD POINTS. Writer/researcher Cheryl Lewis explains these in the booklet Stressed but Connected, also from LHM. “Often, the things that are beyond our control cause the greatest stress in life,” she writes. “What is your level of stress?” Perhaps you find that “the pressure is too overwhelming and you know you can’t handle it on your own … (then) remember that God is there … offering a sense of peace … .”

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The Lutheran Layman January - February 2016

ADDICTIONS can pull a person down. “The traditional belief was that addiction was rare and caused by weak moral character … (but) addiction is an equal opportunity destroyer. Men and women of all ages, races, faiths, education levels, and financial means lose self-control,” says Dr. Melanie Wilson, Ph.D., in the booklet Self-Control in an Addictive World, offered by LHM. “Addiction is an unhealthy dependence … you can become dependent on many other things, people, and behaviors …

No matter how long it takes, you can be victorious … God will not give up on you … By God’s grace, you will no longer serve your false god.”

THE OVER-STRESSED PERSON can consider advice from writer Tim Wesemann in Setting Priorities (from LHM). He addresses his insights to those “on the fast track to over-booked days and under-caring people … !

Let’s take a break, and take a closer look at this monster you and I have created … Setting priorities isn’t always the easiest of tasks … we don’t know what is right and wrong anymore, or we can’t find time to set priorities, or we don’t think prioritizing is a priority!” God’s love “frees us up to live a new life for Him … that leads me to want to respond in gratitude to His undeserved forgiveness, the gift of heaven, and all His blessings.”

Each booklet is still available from LHM by calling 1-800-876-9880.

Ask about ordering extra copies to help others, too! n

onthemove The

Phil Krauss ll Chairman, Int’l LLL Board of Directors

ELEVATOR Speech

The other day I was standing in line at a fast-food restaurant (I know, I know, bad for me) waiting to order lunch. A fellow administrator from my job, whom I had met briefly once before, got in line behind me. We nodded to each other in vague recognition. I turned around and opened my book to kill the time until my turn to order (I almost always have a book with me for just such occasions) – when Paul, the administrator, said, “So how are you involved with The Lutheran Hour?”

It took me a moment to realize he was alerted to my involvement by the LHM-logoed polar fleece I was wearing. I glanced down at the LHM logo on my chest, closed my book, and using my involvement as a doorway, proceeded to deliver my “elevator speech” about Lutheran Hour Ministries. The speech probably took about three minutes and ended only because I moved forward with the line and had to stop so I could order lunch.

What’s an “elevator speech” and why do I have one about LHM ready? I have spent a good share of my life in sales and marketing. As a salesman, I was taught you should always have a oneto-three minute speech ready to share with someone who knows absolutely nothing about your product, company, or organization. It was called an elevator speech because you should be able to deliver your “pitch” in the time it takes an elevator to get to the higher floors.

The elevator speech is not meant to be the full sales encounter but could lead to it. Many are the times that I have given this very brief, but hopefully positive

and impactful speech about the colleges and other organizations where I have worked. Sometimes the little speech did lead to a follow-up sales meeting.

More to the point, I have been an LHM ambassador for many years, and you usually don’t have much more than a couple of minutes to tell someone about LHM before they have to rush off to Sunday school or a church service. Even our formal presentations before the congregation are often limited in time (you may remember the Lutheran Hour Sunday Minute Man presentations?) Whether you are an ambassador or a supporter, you too should have an elevator speech ready to share with someone your love of LHM. Back to my story. While waiting for our lunches, I found that Paul was the son of an LCMS pastor and had listened to The Lutheran Hour as a kid. He asked a few questions and seemed satisfied with our brief conversation. We went our separate ways.

Afterward, I got to thinking about the conversation.

Paul had quietly listened to my speech without interrupting me even though he knew about The Lutheran Hour. Did he listen to the whole speech because he was being polite? Was he out-of-touch with the current LHM story and wanted to learn more? Was that speech captivating?

Maybe he knew the whole story, was a donor, and was testing me. Whatever the reason, I think Paul left feeling positive about our ministry.

GRAB THE OPPORTUNITY ! n

y r t s i n i M n i n Actio with Rev. Gregory Seltz

l pics that wil o t g in r lo p x WORD! Hour e n IS a H r e D h t A u E L R P ent of The IP YOU to S U Q E d n A new segm a UR FAITH ENRICH YO

Listen on your local station, online, or download TLH app TODAY!

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LHM Begins Gospel Outreach in Turkey

by Greg Koenig

As of October 2015, Lutheran Hour Ministries has begun work in the Republic of Turkey. So reports Rev. Peter Kirby, LHM’s regional director for Europe.

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ituated north of Syria and Iraq (just east of Greece and Bulgaria), Turkey has the distinction of being transcontinental. It is part of western Asia but has close ties to both Europe and the Middle East. In the first century, the apostle Paul took the Gospel to the region, which was then called Asia, or Asia Minor. In the fourth century, one of its cities, Byzantium, was dubbed the capital of the Roman Empire by the Christian emperor Constantine.

In the fifteenth century, the country was annexed by the Islamic Ottoman Empire. Today Christians comprise 0.2 percent of the population in this formerly majority-Christian country. Most are Roman Catholic or Orthodox; a small number belong to a handful of Protestant denominations.

Although Islam is one of the dominant influences in Turkish culture, the country’s society also reflects a strong tradition of secularism that was born when the republic was established in the early 20th centu-

ry. While 99.8 percent of Turkey’s 80 million people are registered as Muslim, just 10 to 15 percent actively practice Islam. An estimated 70 to 80 percent of the population is secular, non-religious.

“Some have characterized Turkey as the largest unreached people group in the world,” says Kirby. “Now is a very good time to expand outreach in Turkey.”

Kirby goes on: “In addition to its large unreached population, Turkey seems to have the spiritual craving that helps set the stage for spiritual success there. One key to a successful start will be building relationships with organizations with which we can work. We have met with some strong potential local partners, including established Lutheran congregations in Turkey’s three largest cities.

“Also,” says Kirby, “on a visit to the region last summer, we met with leaders at the SAT-7 Turk television network and two radio networks—Radio Light and Radio Shema. All three organizations seem hungry for material—especially culturally appropriate Turkish-language programs. We believe that we can create relevant local resources and reach a secular Turkish audience with a carefully crafted Christian message.

“One Turkish Christian we met has established a

Turkish-language Christian thought magazine called Miras (Heritage), which presents a vibrant Christian witness in the context of Turkey’s historical Christian roots,” Kirby adds. “We believe that such media could help Turks to learn more about Christianity.”

“Another key to a strong start will be finding local staff that can catch a vision for what we are trying to do,” says Kirby. “We have contracted with a member of our team in Kazakhstan to spend a year recruiting and developing a work group and helping us get up and running.

“Beginning in Turkey is not without risks,” Kirby cautions. “Sometimes Christians have experienced intimidation. But the media leaders we met all reported that they have been able to operate and even expand their reach without undue government interference.

“Considering everything we’ve seen, along with the power and love of our God, we’re optimistic— and excited—about this new opportunity.”

Watch for more exciting news about Lutheran Hour Ministries’ bold Gospel witness in western Asia, the Middle East, and around the world. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance and for the safety of believers who share the Good News wherever people need desperately to hear it. n

Greg Koenig reports on the impact of LHM’s ministry work globally.

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The Lutheran Layman January - February 2016

Serving the Lord in a Special Way

by Brad Neathery

Imagine you found yourself living in a wholly different part of the world.

For some, this sounds like an exciting adventure. For others, it sounds like an anxiety-producing test. For most of us, our feeling falls somewhere in between. No matter where you would fall on that spectrum, hopefully you would prepare to go to a new place by asking yourself this question: “How can I serve my Lord here?” God promises to answer this question beyond our wildest expectation if we have the faith to seek His will.

Gerhard Hiller was born in the Black Forest region of Germany in the small village of Memmingen. His future wife, Elizabeth Geiger, was born in the United States in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Their formative years did not occur in proximity of each other, but they were fortunate to meet in their 20s while Elizabeth was traveling with family in Germany. Elizabeth would later say that Gerhard “won her heart” during that time, yet she eventually returned home with her family. It was Gerhard who made the choice to follow her a year later and move to Milwaukee.

Two years later they were married.

Gerhard and Elizabeth were happy in their marriage and were known by friends and family to be constantly affected by a desire to travel together and see new places. One of the trips they took was to Alaska. Gerhard and Elizabeth, both avid lovers of nature and the outdoors, fell in love with everything about the state. They realized that they both wanted to spend the rest of their lives there.

After a few attempts, they eventually were able to complete the move and resettled in Alaska.

The Hillers were thrilled with the adventure and opportunity of their new home and surroundings. They were eventually able to acquire land on Mitkof Island with an Alaska land selection permit. Gerhard and Elizabeth then moved into a tiny trailer while Gerhard built for them a new home from the ground up. When completed, the house would affectionately be named the Tannenbaum Haus (Christmas tree house). The Hillers were always glad to receive friends and family into their home in Christian love and hospitality.

Gerhard and Elizabeth were blessed in many ways in Alaska. Yet, when they moved there they were in a place where neither of them had lived before.

They had to meet different people, learn a new culture, and figure out how to plot out a new life. In this situation, the most important question they had to ask themselves was: “How do we serve our Lord here?”

For the Hillers, already loyal supporters of Lutheran Hour Ministries, one major answer was to fund the broadcasts of The Lutheran Hour and Woman to Woman on KRSA in Petersburg, Alaska. They joyfully provided this funding for years and became partners and personal friends with the KRSA staff. They were greatly appreciated by Lutheran Hour Ministries for their faithfulness in this area of support and ensured that many could hear God’s Word shared every week.

Through their wisdom and humility, the Hillers wanted to ensure that they could continue to provide this support after they had gone on to Heaven.

They arranged for their entire estate, including the sale of their land and the Tannenbaum Haus, to fund an endowment with the Lutheran Hour Ministries Foundation. Grant Tresk, a long-time friend of the Hillers, states, “Their belief was that God had given them everything in their life and everything should go back to spread God’s Word in the world.” Their endowment would allow them to carry out this inspiring vision.

The “Tannenbaum Haus” on Mitkof Island, Alaska

Gerhard and Elizabeth have now gone on to their heavenly reward, but they leave behind a legacy of love, joy, and faithfulness. “It’s inspiring to see God work in human lives. Gerhard and Elizabeth were always about bringing in the Kingdom of God and His glory,” says Tresk. We can all be encouraged by the Hillers’ example and the reminder that we can serve in Christ’s Gospel mission wherever we may be and wherever we may go. n If you would like to learn more about planning your estate and preserving your legacy of Gospel support, please contact Lutheran Hour Ministries at lhm-gift@lhm.org or 1-877-333-1963.

Brad Neathery works with philanthropic supporters of Lutheran Hour Ministries.

Simplify your giving and maximize your IMPACT for the

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MONTHLY Your gift # per year Yearly Total

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$75 x4 $300

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Lenten Devotions for 2016

A Love Unlike Any Other

by Paul Schreiber

T

he Gospel-writer Luke provides the vantage point of Love’s Greatest Sacrifice, Lutheran Hour Ministries’ Lenten devotions for this year. Using Luke 22-23 to follow the final events of Jesus’ life, author Rev. Wayne Palmer portrays the intensity of Christ’s heavenward mission, showing the anguish and compassion of the Savior’s march to the cross. These meditations chart the difficult people and circumstances (corrupt high priests, sham Roman authorities, hard-headed and self-absorbed disciples, Judas’ betrayal, Peter’s denial) that Jesus encountered on His way to the biggest tragedy of all: His crucifixion at the hands of sinners.

“Every time I study the passion account in the Gospels, I see more clearly that the ‘passion’ part of that story goes far beyond Jesus’ sufferings and death. It is His passion, his intense, burning love for His Father, for the disciples who abandoned Him, Peter who denied Him, Judas who betrayed Him, the Jewish leaders who sought His death, and Pontius Pilate who surrendered Jesus to save Himself. Seeing that passion in action reminds me that each day He looks upon all of us the same way as He reaches out to forgive, comfort,

restore, and guide us to His heavenly home, which He won for us by His perfect life, suffering, death, and resurrection,” Palmer said.

Remaining steadfast through the criminal circus of events surrounding Him, the Savior kept His eyes trained on the Father, graciously showing love to those who would either desert or execute Him. It was His unwavering commitment on our behalf, which shone through even in His words on the cross. As Palmer writes, “For the Father to be able to forgive us, Jesus must step into our place and bear the divine punishment we all deserve. That makes this one of the most incredible prayers ever uttered in human history: ‘Father, forgive them’—by punishing Me instead.”

Also available this Lenten season will be Por nosotros (“For Us”), LHM’s meditations in Spanish. These texts were penned by several graduates from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, who now serve as pastors in churches across the United States.

Translated from English by Beatriz Hoppe, manager for multi-cultural ministries, these reflections capture the power of Christ’s sacrificial work from a variety of viewpoints. She said, “During Lent we remember an event that happened just “For Us.” It was more painful and violent than we can even imagine: the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth outside of Jerusalem.

God’s plan of salvation, something totally incomprehensible for the human mind, was about to be fulfilled. The promised Messiah, the Verb made flesh (“el Verbo [Jesus] hecho carne”), the Babe of Bethlehem, Jesus, the Lamb of God, in absolute humbleness and obedience was submitting Himself to His Father’s will. Through His perfect life, passion, death, and resurrection, Jesus Christ obtained our forgiveness, conquered death, and opened heaven for us.”

Available to read online or to hear as a podcast, Love’s Greatest Sacrifice can also be received as an e-mail subscription throughout the Lenten season. Congregations can also download, personalize, and print them to give to members or use as an outreach tool with guests and visitors. These devotions will be available online December 11, 2015. The audio version will begin February 10, 2016, at www.lhm.org/lent. Por nosotros can be found at www.paraelcamino.com/cuaresma and will be available to download and print on December 11. They will go live online to read on February 10, 2016. n

Paul Schreiber reports on the impact of LHM’s ministry work in the United States.

New Bible Study on Conquering Sin by Grace Life can be messy sometimes. The situations people get themselves into can hurt themselves and leave a string of casualties along the way. It’s the gritty stuff of life that The Journey Home addresses.

Written in large part using Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32 as its backdrop, The Journey Home brings to the fore the idea that we’re all prodigals in need of divine forgiveness and redemption. Drilling down to life issues that negatively impact people in general (conceit, greed, apathy, sex) to issues that hit some more than others (drugs, aggression, alcohol, rejection of God), this study tackles a wide range of issues head on.

In multiple sessions, the author, Rev. Leroy Johnson, moves from Biblical instances of moral and spiritual failure to examples of similar downturns our lives may take. In each set of circumstances— both ancient and modern—it’s often the choices 10

The Lutheran Layman January - February 2016

we make, the ill-conceived plans we hatch for ourselves, that do us in. He writes, “Many people tend to say when bad things happen in their lives it’s God’s will, or they want to blame God, family, the system, and everyone else for their misfortune, but we can clearly see from the lessons of life and the Scriptures that what happens in our lives is often a direct result of our choices.”

No punches pulled here. In many ways where we’re at in life is the sum of our actions—either prudent or reckless—that position us, and Johnson shows how this is so with numerous examples. To assist reader usage, lessons are prefaced with an introduction, followed by an outline of what’s to come. Questions targeting info from the text reinforce the material covered, and a brief summary caps each session.

The Journey Home has great promise for those deep in the middle of it when it comes to tough life issues, and even works well as a study appropriate for those who have been or are incarcerated. As one reviewer said, “This is an outstanding study. I believe

it does a good job of achieving its goal. I can even think of a particular person recently released from prison with whom I have been ministering that I would like to share this with. … It addresses the area of sanctification, especially with teaching and guiding new Christians, in a very real and practical way.”

Look for The Journey Home to be available early in 2016. n

ANNUAL MINISTRY REPORT

The Power of the Gospel in 2015 Brothers and Sisters in Christ, The need to boldly proclaim the love of Christ is greater than ever.

Many people in the world today have come to believe that they don’t need God or they doubt His existence. Those without Christ in their lives aren’t even aware of the eternal crisis they are facing, but for Christians the dire stakes for these individuals are all too clear.

That’s why we rejoice that you made the decision in the past year to partner with Lutheran Hour Ministries.

Our tireless focus is on reaching individuals who desperately need the love of Christ. We are steadfast in building relationships, person by person, one heart at a time so that lives can be changed by the Gospel.

As a trusted expert in mass media proclamation with a global network of partners, we reach more than 51 million people around the world each week with the Gospel, and nearly 400,000 individuals responded to our outreach efforts during the past year.

All of this happened because of your support. Your gifts, prayers, and volunteer involvement allow hurting people to find answers and relief in the Gospel. Please explore this year’s ministry report to see examples of how God is working through you and LHM. Again, thank you for your faithful support, and may God bless you richly in the coming year!

In His Service, Kurt Buchholz President & CEO Lutheran Hour Ministries The Lutheran Layman January - February 2016

11

A Year in Review:

The Power of the Gospel through You United States

Reaching younger generations requires creative content with them in mind. LHM children’s booklets cover issues that are relevant to kids’ lives and faith. Two new titles, Sharing Your Faith and Learning to Pray, were distributed to more than 42,000 children, parents, and teachers.

United States

As society moves further away from Christianity, being present with clear Gospel proclamation is crucial to reaching nonbelievers with Christ’s love. A new partnership with the Bott Radio Network expands The Lutheran Hour’s North American station count past 1,600 and its weekly listeners to more than a million as the program now fills prime slots formerly used by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

Guatemala

In July 2014, an 11-member Volunteer Team from Faith Lutheran Church, Grand Blanc, Michigan, went to Santiago Zamora, Guatemala, to serve with LHM’s Guatemala ministry center staff and volunteers.

The team led a spirited VBS for village children and installed a metal roof on a building at Redentor del Mundo Lutheran Church. A team member said, “Praise God for the opportunity to serve Him in this way!”

Nicaragua

In May 2015, LHM—Nicaragua celebrated the fifth anniversary of Radio Cristo Nica—the center’s dynamic Internet radio station. Thanks to the low cost of Internet radio broadcasting, the LHM center transmits eight hours a day, six days a week. Since Radio Cristo Nica is Internet-based, it’s a worldwide Spanish-language Gospel outreach!

Uruguay

Drama is an important tool in LHM’s efforts to share the Gospel worldwide. LHM—Uruguay’s Paula Rebollo has created the character of “Estrellita” to engage children with the Good News of Jesus. Dressed in a lavender jumper, canvas “Chucks,” and a giant purple hat, Estrellita (“Little Star”) visits schools and events to teach children about God’s love and goodness.

12

The Lutheran Layman January - February 2016

Liberia

The Ebola epidemic of 2014 social challenges in Liberia. months of income, and child months of school time. LHM provided free supplemental children of families devastat Isaac helped to build relation about faith in Christ.

Madagascar

LHM—Madagascar’s 2013 soccer tournam at the notorious Antanimora Prison was su witness among male inmates that the wom asked the LHM staff to sponsor a similar e A choral competition was born! Five wome songs of praise to God in what LHM Progra Rakoto Rabehajaina called a “moment of g

4 brought long-lasting Many families lost nine dren lost as much as nine M—Liberia’s “Project Isaac” educational activities for ted financially. Project nships and openness

ment outreach uch a powerful men inmates event for them. en’s choirs lifted am Manager Louis glory.”

russia

Christmas celebrations formerly prohibited in Russia have become an official part of the country’s New Year observance.

Christmas is also the title of a powerful production that combines modern theatre with folk music, dance, and drama to tell the story of Jesus’ birth to hundreds of people. LHM’s Russia ministry center supports the program, which is put on at the largest shopping mall in St. Petersburg. Audience members are invited to discover the Bible through LHM’s online courses.

Ghana

Vietnam

After a flash flood caused a freak explosion and fire in Accra, Ghana, an LHM— Ghana team joined the response, assembling and distributing an estimated 2,000 emergency packages containing food, supplies, and a Gospel message of comfort and hope.

LHM—Vietnam’s expansion of its futsal sports ministry program has introduced teams of young men to each other as they live their faith and reflect Christian ideals in action.

The program is attracting attention—and admirers—as doors open for the Gospel.

LHM’s centers in Myanmar and Indonesia are seeing similar responses to their sports outreach.

Thailand

When the popular host of LHM—Thailand’s “Home for Love” program left LHM in 2014 to care for his ailing mother, former LHM—Thailand radio speaker Mrs. Tongtip Hanpradit reconnected with the ministry and launched a new program called “Relieve Your Worry.” In October, listeners of shows

by Mrs. Tongtip were among 78 people gathered to celebrate. More than 20 listeners who were not Christian heard the Good News of Jesus.

Lebanon

LHM—Lebanon, known locally as Middle East Lutheran Ministry (MELM), reaches the majority of the Arabic-speaking world with Gospel-based radio programming.

Throughout 2014-2015 MELM has provided food and other necessities each month to more than 4,500 refugees from Syria and Iraq who fled war and violence.

Relationships with staff and volunteers open refugees’ minds and hearts to the Good News.

The Lutheran Layman January - February 2016

13

LHM BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Consolidated Operating Expenses

As of fiscal year ending May 31, 2015

Fund Development 16%

Consolidated Operating Income Ministry 77%

Estate Gifts 34%

Vice Chairman Phillip Johnson Maplewood, Minnesota Secretary Janice Wendorf Grafton, Wisconsin

Contributions 62%

Administration 7%

Chairman Philip Krauss II Westland, Michigan

Treasurer Paul Pettit Lincoln, Nebraska Directors Londa Borer-Skov Sacramento, California

Other Income 4%

Year ended May 31, 2015 with comparative totals for 2014

V. Dale Stoner Vice Chairman Lady Lake, Florida

Consolidated Totals

2014 Consolidated Totals

$2,103 767 2,870

$32,032 1,393 33,425

$27,417 2,805 30,222

23,580 6,982 30,562

- 171 171

23,580 7,153 30,733

21,820 6,746 28,566

Larry Pritchett Vice President St. Louis, Missouri

(7)

2,699

2,692

1,656

Loren Podoll Secretary Riverton, Wyoming

Non-operating income Non-operating expenses Non-operating Net Income

1,292 971 321

- 277 (277)

1,292 1,248 44

1,295 1,304 (9)

Curtiss Wittbracht Treasurer Waterloo, Illinois

LHM Foundation Distributions, net

1,100

(1,100)

-

Change in Net Assets

1,414

1,322

2,736

1,647

29,322 $30,736

15,708 $17,030

45,030 $47,766

43,383 $45,030

Operating Expenses Ministries Admin and Fund Development Operating Expenses Operating Income in Excess of Expenses

Net Assets, Beginning of Year Net Assets, End of Year

Lutheran Hour Ministries is registered d/b/a name for the International Lutheran Laymen’s League.

A copy of the audit report is available online at lhm.org/about.

Kay Meyer St. Louis, Missouri Leonard Pranschke St. Louis, Missouri Andreas Schwabe Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Weldon Schwiebert Westland, Michigan Richard Sindlinger York, Pennsylvania William Snow Watertown, South Dakota

The Lutheran Hour Ministries Foundation

LHM Foundation

Int’l Lutheran

Laymen’s League Operating Support and Revenue Donor support $29,929 Other income, net 626 Operating income

30,555

Richard Gast Mission Viejo, California

As of fiscal year ending May 31, 2015 Officers Trustees Dr. Marvin Swan Kurt Buchholz Chairman LHM President & CEO Grant, Nebraska St. Charles, Missouri

International Lutheran Laymen's League and Subsidiaries Consolidating Statement of Activities (in thousands) 2015

Michael Brown Westminster, Colorado

Jack Ficken Fairview, Tennessee

-

Jeffrey Craig-Meyer President St. Louis, Missouri Adam Eggemeyer Executive Vice President Waterloo, Illinois

Lois Engfehr Assistant Secretary Collinsville, Illinois David Lanius Assistant Treasurer St. Louis, Missouri

Jared Dollar Jefferson City, Missouri Betty Duda Cocoa Beach, Florida Glenn Gerber Katy, Texas John W. Kidwell Bay City, Michigan Philip Krauss II Int’l LLL Chairman of the Board Westland, Michigan Brian Mitchell Lee’s Summit, Missouri Calvin Neeman Waterloo, Illinois Roy Schmidt Bay City, Michigan Weldon Schwiebert Int’l LLL Board of Directors Representative Westland, Michigan Karen Soeken Ellicott City, Maryland

Pastoral Advisor Rev. Gregory Seltz, St. Louis, Missouri 14

The Lutheran Layman January - February 2016

Service beyond the Church:

Men’s NetWork Workday 2016

by Paul Schreiber

Time to put on your OUTREACH thinking caps. The fourth annual Men’s NetWork WORK DAY is coming on Saturday, April 30.

I

n communities and neighborhoods around the country, men (and a few women) will be engaging in jobs of all shapes and sizes. The objective: take your men’s group’s sweat equity and translate it into robust service in jobs off your church campus.

The reason for going beyond the church is simple: it gets your men’s group stretching its outreach muscles by going outside the perimeter of your church property. Whether the work is helping a stranger to the church or a member, going off site reminds us there’s a larger world in need of our service. And if it’s an unchurched person you serve, who can say but that your efforts may result in their seeing the church—and the God you serve—in a fresh, new way?

Here’s a short list of why working off your church campus makes sense:

1 2

It allows your group to branch out and make some community connections.

It brings a bit of “fame” to your group. (Consider this: before St. Zebedee’s men’s group helped fix and rebuild the swing set at Bedrock’s Memorial Park, who had heard of them?)

3

It’s a big generator of external appreciation. (“Wow! I can’t believe you’re doing this for us!” “That’s right, and we’ll do it again. Just let us know how we can help.”)

4 5

It’s an easy way to find out about other doable projects in your community and neighborhood your group can tackle.

It’s kind of what the Gospel is all about, isn’t it—i.e. taking it to the streets?

This approach gets us out of our comfortable, familiar church zones and serving those in the world.

As always, think about who can really benefit from an off-campus job being done. Is there a local family or two hard hit by some calamity or situation that you can help: home repairs, handicap ramp, backyard clean-up? Are there veterans in your area who could use your help? Is there another men’s group you can join forces with on a larger job—trailhead clean-up or city park project? There are jobs pretty much everywhere your group can do, but it may take a phone call or an on-site visit to see what’s best for your group’s skills and manpower.

And while you’re making plans for this year’s outing, keep your outreach focus in mind by inviting an unchurched friend or relative along to help you.

This is an excellent way to get guys involved on a practical level, showing them that church is a whole lot more than worship services and Sunday school.

Everybody signing up gets a cool Men’s NetWork hat to wear the day of the event. You can find all the details at lhm.org/men/workday.

work day On April 30, 2016, the fourth annual Men’s NetWork WORK DAY will take place! Join men from around the country as they serve their communities and neighborhoods, targeting needs with outreach. Go to lhm.org/men/workday to find out more and sign up!

SATURDAY

APRIL 30 The Lutheran Layman January - February 2016

15

Seltz Shares the “Complete Story” of the Reformation

Envisioning Expanded Ministry in the Middle East by Greg Koenig

L

utheran Hour Ministries’ nascent work in Turkey has grown out of an exploratory trip that LHM President and CEO Kurt Buchholz wrote about in the previous issue. He, together with International Ministries Director Dr. Douglas Rutt, Regional Director for Europe Rev. Peter Kirby, and Regional Director for Africa and the Middle East Eric Gates, returned to St. Louis energized to begin conceptualizing a “bold expansion of ministry.”

What might this expansion look like?

A Return to Egypt? In 1998 Lutheran Hour Ministries opened a ministry center in Cairo, Egypt; in 2008, budget constraints forced the center’s closure. Now LHM’s leader group found that despite the turmoil following the Arab Spring of 2011 and potential threats

by ISIS Islamists, the Christian community in Egypt is strong, vibrant, and ready to spread the Gospel.

“Strategically, Egypt is important,” says Gates.

“Cairo is a hub of Arabic-language media—its film industry is the largest in the region; 2 of the 5 most widely circulated Arabic newspapers are Egyptian; and Egyptian-produced television shows have made the Egyptian-Arabic dialect widely understood.”

“Up to 10 percent of Egypt’s 90 million people are Christian,” Gates goes on. “We have capable and willing potential Christian partners there. In Egypt,

where perhaps as many as five million Muslims have left Islam since the rise of ISIS, the time is right to reach out with the Gospel.”

Ongoing refugee care in Lebanon, new refugee care in Iraq. The LHM center in Lebanon is continuing to share the Gospel hand in hand with the holistic support to Syrian and Iraqi refugees in the Bekaa Valley and Beirut. Now staff is turning attention to Iraqi Christians who have sought refuge in northern Iraq.

“These believers feel stuck,” says Gates. “For a long time they lived in peace with their Muslim neighbors. ISIS changed all that. Past relationships have been irreversibly severed and they have no plans to go back; they want to get away from the region. LHM’s plans are to increase physical and spiritual support for them.”

“As a result of our early efforts in northern Iraq, our Middle East ministry director, Fadi, was able to arrange a meeting with leaders at Ishtar Television, a Christian channel. They were touched to learn about the ministry’s support for Iraqis. They also accepted three Arabic-dubbed LHM Christmas specials—The Little Shepherd, Red Boots for Christmas and Christmas Is—for broadcast in time for Christmas.”

LHM will have more developments to report in upcoming issues. n

‘Schalk’ Author Received an Award The book Carl F. Schalk: A Life in Song by Nancy M. Raabe recently was granted an Award of Commendation by Concordia Historical Institute.

Raabe lives in Milton, Wisconsin, and reveals the storied life of the “premier teacher and musician of the LCMS...the many facets of Schalk’s personality, musical works, collaborative efforts with musicians, and cogent opinions on music in the life of the church.”

The 208 page softbound book is available from Concordia Publishing House (www. cph.org; 1-800-325-3040). Chapters cover the nature and purpose of the song of the church, the practice of church music, relationships with liturgy, reflections on Herbert Brokering plus Jaroslav Vajda and others, choral music (octavos and collections), and the direction for the future.

Of special interest for the Int’l LLL and LHM is the seven-year stint Schalk spent on staff beginning in 1958. One element of his task was to form a mixed choir of more than 30 voices for The Lutheran Hour and to use its songs and hymns on the program. The book’s background and historical information relating to this period in Schalk’s life was provided by LHM. n 16

The Lutheran Layman January - February 2016

Speaker of The Lutheran Hour Rev. Gregory Seltz discussed a number of topics, including the influence of Martin Luther and the Reformation, during a 30-minute interview airing Oct. 30-31 on the Bott Radio Network. The interview with Dick and Richard Bott aired on “The Complete Story” program, which uncovers the truth about timely issues of interest to Christians through interviews with newsmakers in their own words without editing.

“Luther was a monumental figure in western culture who came at a time when the church had lost its sense of what the Gospel was,” Seltz explained. “He brings this Good News back to the people’s lives, the church’s life, and even the culture’s life through ‘Grace alone. Faith alone. In Christ alone.’ Because at that time they were literally “Luther was a trying to buy God with things called monumental off indulgences. Luther figure in western saw it was a destrucculture who came tive thing in the lives at a time when of his people and he says ‘I want to talk to the church had you about this thing lost its sense I’ve rediscovered in of what the the Bible called the grace of God in Jesus Gospel was.” Christ as a gift.’

“Luther wasn’t so much protesting anything when he posted the 95 Theses,” Seltz continued. “He was a good pastor trying to make sure that people discussed this stuff because he felt that their lives, their souls, were at stake. That’s why he did it in the typical way of posting something on the church door so that there could be discussion. He did not realize that it would unleash a movement that we now call the Reformation.

“I tell people that you’re going to run up against others who at first seem like your enemies,” said Seltz. “But when you proclaim the uniqueness of Jesus as their Savior AND your Savior, you’d be surprised that He can even, through your testimony, bring Christ to them as well. That’s what Luther understood was at stake. In some sense he was standing there for us because we wouldn’t have this today if he had buckled under.”

The Lutheran Hour airs every Sunday morning on the 101 stations of the Bott Radio Network, which reaches into 15 states throughout the U.S. To find out if there is a Bott station in your area, visit www.bottradionetwork.com.

Awards Were Granted for Books Relating to LLL/LHM David G. Kohl of West Linn, Oregon, was among individuals honored by Concordia Historical Institute (CHI) with the Award of Commendation at its annual banquet, Nov. 12, in St. Louis, Missouri. CHI is the department of archives for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Involved in presenting the awards was Rev. Dr. Daniel Harmelink, CHI’s executive director.

“Mr. Kohl’s book is called Lutherans on the Yangtze: A Hundred Year History of the Missouri Synod in China and was a massive effort over many years,” explains Dr. Gerald Perschbacher, who chairs the Awards Committee. “The book provides a detailed summary of LCMS mission work in China, hand in hand with the broadcasting efforts of The Lutheran Hour.” Perschbacher says that Kohl stayed in regular contact with LHM and made several trips to the Research Center Archives of the Int’l LLL/ LHM in researching the advance of the Gospel in China via The Lutheran Hour.

Kohl adds, “I am grateful for those generations of Lutherans who lived out their faith in difficult settings doing what they saw needed to be done” in sharing the goodness of God in Christ. Those interested in ordering the book may contact the author at: DKohl@cu-portland.edu.

Two other award-winning publications may hold interest for supporters of LHM and The Lutheran Hour.

Receiving an award in the same category of Major Publication was Jeffrey A. Bosse of Evansville, Indiana, for When Everybody Boasts Everybody Wins: The Untold Story of Evansville Mayor Benjamin Bosse. The main subject of the book was one of the 12 founders of the Lutheran Laymen’s League in 1917. “Until this book was written, we knew little about this founder,” Perschbacher adds. The author was in contact with LHM to verify his findings and secure additional information now included in the book. For ordering information, contact the author at jeff.bosse@jeffbosse.com.

Carl F. Schalk: A Life in Song was written by Nancy Raabe of Milton, Wisconsin, and also received an award. For a time Schalk had been coordinator for music heard on The Lutheran Hour. The book is available from Concordia Publishing House (www.cph.org).

Ten awards were given under the category of Major Publication. One of those went to Tim Townsend of Washington, D.C., for Mission at Nuremberg: An American Army Chaplain and the Trial of the Nazis (in bookstores and ordered online).

Other awards were given for exemplary work appearing in journals and for special efforts such as congregational histories. There were 17 honorees cited at the recent banquet with an additional 11 listed for Honorable Mention. Others serving on the Awards Committee are Constance Seddon (committee secretary) plus David Berger, Rev. Thomas Egger, Dr. David Fiedler, Dr. Rodney Rathmann, and Dr. Carl Springer. Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison (president of the LCMS) and other synodical dignitaries including CHI officers and board members attended the banquet. n

David G. Kohl (at right), author of the award winning book Lutherans on the Yangtze, was among honorees at the recent annual banquet of Concordia Historical Institute in St. Louis. Announcing the award was Dr. Gerald Perschbacher (at left), chairman of the Awards Committee and editor of The Lutheran Layman. The book has ample references to the overseas impact of The Lutheran Hour, LHM, and the Int’l LLL. Photo by Todd D. Zittlow, CHI

The Lutheran Layman January - February 2016

17

Congregations With the Most Adult Confirmations in 2014 Table 1: Highest Adult Confirmations in 2014, by Congregations Adult Confirmations LakePointe Lutheran Church HOT SPRINGS AR 182

Baptized Members N/A

Concordia Lutheran Church

SAN ANTONIO

TX

141

7907

Christ’s Greenfield Lutheran Church

GILBERT

AZ

73

2388

Salem Lutheran Church

TOMBALL

TX

73

3035

Messiah Lutheran Church

PLANO

TX

72

2376

Holy Cross Lutheran Church

LAKE MARY

FL

66

1490

Redeemer Lutheran Church

FORT COLLINS

CO

61

2848

Crosspoint Lutheran Church

KATY

TX

59

1038

Summit Community Lutheran Church

BUCKEYE

AZ

56

688

Saint John’s Lutheran Church

ORANGE

CA

54

3918

Redeemer Lutheran Church

AUSTIN

TX

49

3180

Saint John Lutheran Church

ELLISVILLE

MO

48

5771

Saint Luke’s Lutheran Church

OVIEDO

FL

47

3908

Messiah Lutheran Church

MIDLAND

MI

45

1675

Christ Lutheran Church

LINCOLN

NE

45

3023

Redeemer Lutheran Church

RICHMOND

VA

44

872

Saint Peter Lutheran Church

MACOMB

MI

43

3754

Trinity Lutheran Church

UTICA

MI

43

4478

CrossPoint Lutheran Church

EL PASO

TX

40

557

Hope Lutheran Church

WAKE FOREST

NC

39

1830

Christ Church Lutheran

PHOENIX

AZ

39

2960

Trinity Lutheran Church

PRESCOTT VALLEY

AZ

38

452

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church

HEMET

CA

38

724

Saint Paul Lutheran Church

TRACY

CA

38

1002

Gloria Dei Lutheran Church

HOUSTON

TX

37

2472

Our Savior Lutheran Church

BETTENDORF

IA

36

1206

Our Savior Lutheran Church

NORFOLK

NE

36

1848

Concordia Lutheran Church

KIRKWOOD

MO

35

2331

Immanuel Lutheran Church

EAST DUNDEE

IL

35

2357

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

LAVISTA

NE

35

2607

Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church

COLUMBUS

IN

35

3840

S

ome years ago, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod recognized congregations that confirmed more than 50 adults per year. As time progressed, recognition was extended to churches that confirmed at least 35.

Table 1 lists the 31 congregations in the LCMS that have reached that mark of 35 adult confirmations as reported to the LCMS in 2014, the last year statistics are available. Adult confirmations measure the number of people who receive instruction in the faith and are received as communicant members of the church. While this number may include people who are already Christians from another faith background, it is the best measurement available for outreach in the church. We are thankful to the Lord for the ministry and commitment of these congregations for reaching those not connected to the Body of Christ.

This year the top 10 churches were widely distributed geographically. As in recent years, it may be worth noting that many of the congregations reaching the most unchurched people tended to be outside the upper Midwest, the traditional stronghold of Lutherans.

It is clear that congregations reporting the most adult confirmations tend to be larger or well-established church plants. However, smaller congregations can still do a great job in reaching the Lost for Christ.

Table 2 highlights the congregations that had the best ratio of adult confirmations relative to the number of baptized members. The final column on the right reports the number of baptized members in the congregation in ratio to every adult confirmand that was gained. The list includes all churches where the ratio is 15 or less and had at least 10 adult confirmations.

Lutheran Hour Ministries seeks to be “Your Partner in His Mission” and already offers many resources for evangelism training in congregations such as MISSION U, five14 and Regional Outreach Conferences. We are also forming partnerships in various ways to work with others throughout the LCMS. God willing, next year the LCMS will be able to report that many more people have become followers of Christ— and this list of churches effectively reaching the Lost by the power of the Holy Spirit will be much longer. n

Information on pages 18-19 and 22-23 provided by Rev. Dr. Mark Larson 18

The Lutheran Layman January - February 2016

Beyond the Fair

Table 2: Congregations Reporting Best Ratio of Baptized Members to Adult Confirmations Baptized Baptized Adult Members/ Conf. Membership Adult Conf.

Our Savior Lutheran Church

ORLANDO

FL

14

129

9.2

Holy Emmanuel Lutheran Church

BLOOMINGTON

MN

24

227

9.5

Saint Michael Lutheran Church

TRAVERSE CITY

MI

23

220

9.6

Immanuel Lutheran Church

HOOD RIVER

OR

15

146

9.7

Messiah Hispanic Lutheran Mission

TAMPA

FL

18

178

9.9

Our Savior Lutheran Church

AIEA

HI

27

316

11.7

Trinity Lutheran Church

PRESCOTT VALLEY

AZ

38

452

11.9

Faith Lutheran Church

THOMPSON’S STATION

TN

21

251

12.0

Summit Community Lutheran Church

BUCKEYE

AZ

56

688

12.3

Saint John’s Lutheran Church

LAFE

AR

28

347

12.4

Saint Andrew Lutheran Church

STOCKTON

MO

11

144

13.1

Lutheran Church Of Our Savior

BRYANS ROAD

MD

21

279

13.3

Christ The Cornerstone Lutheran Church

SAN DIEGO

CA

10

138

13.8

Lamb Of God Lutheran Church

SPARTANBURG

SC

10

140

14.0

See companion article on pages 22-23.

L

utheran Hour Ministries’ supporters have had a long history of activity in what has been widely known as the International Lutheran Laymen’s League’s Eastern District covering much of New York and Pennsylvania. One of the long-standing projects of those supporters has been an exhibit at the New York State Fair.

During the fair’s 12-day run in 2015, Fred Neebe, fair booth coordinator, reported that “1,250 New Testaments and 2,000 Children’s Scripture Activity Books were distributed. Participating were 155 volunteers from 16 churches. The booth was staffed from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.” Expenses for the exhibit were covered by volunteers and participating churches. The Children’s Scripture Activity Books have been made possible through the efforts of Neebe (who may be reached at fneebe@stny.rr.com).

The exhibit also allowed many of the 908,147 attendees to discover the work of Lutheran Hour Ministries. There was a clear “LHM Gospel outreach presence.

We thank God for the opportunity to provide for this ministry,” Neebe added.

The witnessing did not cease on the twelfth day. “After the fair, one participating pastor told us of a need for material by two Christian groups conducting a vacation Bible school and related outreach projects,” said Neebe. “We supplied 100 New Testaments and 150 Children’s Scripture Activity Books in support of their outreach programs. One of our fair-participating churches helps a veterans’ group home and needed 20 New Testaments for residents. Those also were supplied.”

Volunteers already are thinking about LHM items to offer at the 2016 fair. n If you are involved with a special outreach exhibit at an event, visit www.lhm.org (or call 1-800-876-9880) and explore the opportunities for LHM materials that can be purchased for use.

The Lutheran Layman January - February 2016

19

Suzie Sallee’s LHM impact among prisoners is appreciated by men like Joe Whitehead (shown here).

Wherever You Are:

Jesus First

by Paul Schreiber

We recently touched base with Suzie Sallee, United States Ministries’ coordinator of witness tools for Lutheran Hour Ministries. For more than 11 years she’s been involved in everything from coordinating children’s resources and seasonal devotions to overseeing—as well as writing some—Project Connect booklets and working with five14, LHM’s teen and young-adult program. Most recently, Sallee has been penning rhymed-verse children’s booklets. We asked her for a little background on her life prior to LHM and what she envisions for the future—both in her own outreach and for LHM. Please gives us a snapshot of your life before coming to LHM—music, youth group involvement, community service, prison ministry—that sort of thing: “I’ve always had a passion for music. This led to singing with local bands which, in turn, led to singing in the church choir, where I became a soloist for many years. From there I began volunteering with the youth group and was later hired as part of the full-time staff at a St. Louis church where I attended. While there I spent a number of years mentoring a group of eight girls from age 13 until they graduated high school. These women are well into their 20s now. During the years I worked with them, they were fond of calling themselves the ‘misfits.’ Today six of them are engaged in leading ministries.”

Concurrent with her youth ministry, over the last 25 years Sallee has worked with those doing time in local jails, expanding this mission work later to reach those incarcerated in state and Federal prisons. In an effort to help the unfortunate on the

20

The Lutheran Layman January - February 2016

streets, she also has spent time with the homeless, feeding them and praying for their needs.

“My deepest passion is to take time to connect with God’s children anywhere He sends me! I share with them how the love and mercy of Jesus Christ can turn their lives around. I’m living proof because He has turned the mess I made of my life into His message of hope!”

Working with those behind bars is not a task for the faint-hearted. Sallee is aware of the daily grind for survival prisoners face as well as their outspoken distrust of others and the walls they put up to keep others at bay. Cutting through this barrier of frustration, hopelessness, and machismo takes a mindset that can stay focused on the mission at hand: reaching another person with the love of God. Offering a glimpse from the inside, Joe Whitehead, a prisoner with a life sentence in Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, had this to say about Sallee’s work: “As for you having an impact on prisoners—your

talents and personality make them extremely comfortable with you. They tend to open up to you about anything. You don’t judge them, and that goes a long way with prisoners. You not only say you care with God’s kind of love; you show it in your actions toward prisoners. This shows a care and compassion many of them miss or have never had before. You can relate with them on some of the things that prisoners go through and, in many cases, things that led them to prison. You are compassionate with prisoners, which helps you understand them and their situation better. God has given you a great sense of humor too, and that makes a prisoner’s heart light (laughter is the best medicine), and this is something almost non-existent in prison. So your humor takes their minds off their problems and the stresses they may be experiencing.”

Whitehead shared his appreciation for the Project Connect booklets he and other inmates had received from LHM, saying, these “make the Gospel very simple for them to understand and receive in their life.” Inside, Whitehead has not been idle. He is a graduate of a behind-the-walls seminary at Angola that was launched by the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 1995. It offers four-year programs in Greek, Hebrew, and related biblical studies.

Back at LHM, Sallee has written six rhymeverse booklets for kids. These have been illustrated by Masaru Horie, a gifted artist from Japan, who now resides in Canada. Most recently, Do You Know Who Jesus Is? has been flying out the door, with more than 112,000 copies distributed.

We wanted to know why this one in particular has done so well.

“As any writer or promoter will tell you, it’s the title that draws people in initially. Like any good headline, movie, or book title, it grabs your attention first. My personal passion in writing these booklets has been to connect with those who do not yet know Jesus or who may be struggling in their relationship to know Him better. When the question ‘Do you know who Jesus is?’ is asked, it’s simply leading the reader to find out more! Whether it’s a Christian parent or grandparent raising a child in the faith, or it’s someone who doesn’t know about Jesus, I hope this booklet reaches across all ages. What I do is try to listen to what God calls me to do, share who Jesus is, and pray for God’s Spirit to work in the hearts of those who hear His message.”

Since coming on board at LHM, Sallee has seen the organization grow and flourish.

“I have been blessed to see United States Ministries produce programs that are relevant to today’s culture, which resonate within the hearts of many.

I believe LHM has been poised for ‘such a time as this’ and I am grateful to be a part of His plan!” n

Missionaries Have a ‘New Voice’ in North America

Cambodia

Myanmar

Asian Centers Expand

Outreach

Sri Lanka

by Greg Koening

In the past few months, Lutheran Hour Ministries outreach centers in Asia have increased or otherwise enhanced their ability to share the Gospel through radio.

According to Gunya NaThalang, the LHM regional director for Asia, audience response demonstrates that radio continues to be an effective tool for spreading the Good News of Christ Jesus.

Sri Lanka. In August, Lutheran Hour Ministries—Sri Lanka aired its first-ever radio broadcast. The 15-minute program, titled Nammikayin Neram (Hour of Hope), airs every Saturday and Sunday from 7:45 to 8 p.m. and features discussion, Christian music, short messages, and dramas.

“About 50,000 people are reached by each broadcast,” says NaThalang. “As a result, there has been an increase in enrollment for the ministry center’s Bible Correspondence Courses; more than 500 new students have signed up!”

Myanmar. Lutheran Hour Ministries’ center in Myanmar has increased its presence on the Yangon secular station Cherry FM 89.3, where it had been running two one-minute spots daily. To inaugurate an additional 1-minute daily spot, the ministry center promoted a booklet titled Dealing with Depression.

More than 40 listeners (most of whom were non-Christians) requested the booklet.

Cambodia. Lutheran Hour Ministries—Cambodia has been airing a one-

A new independent effort called Mission Nation Publishing Company will “give a voice to the missionaries to America,” people who are often marginalized in the church. There are “refugees and immigrants God has sent to us, on the order of the missionaries who went to Antioch after the stoning of Stephen. These are men and women starting new missions in the United States, and they need our affirmation. We intend to publish 100 biPastor Gregory Seltz of The Lutheran ographies…on missionaries to America,” Hour was involved in some of the reports Dr Robert Scudieri, retired direc- interviews for the new effort. tor of LCMS missions in North America.

There will be books and other resources (videos, pictures, and ways to be involved with these missionaries) at the website - www.missionnationpublishing.com. “The website goes live in January. Before that start-up, people can contact us at MissionPublisher@aol.com or at www.missionariestoamerica.com when it goes live.”

Mission Nation Publishing will be a predominantly online publisher, searching out missionaries God is sending to America, interviewing them orally and in video format, putting these interviews on a website (www.missionpublishing.com), along with a blog telling stories of these missionaries, resources of sermons and Bible studies on mission, articles on mission work in America, as well as arranging conferences to learn from their experiences.

Online publishing and paper publishing on Amazon’s “CreateSpace” are new technologies that open up more cost effective avenues for making books available. n

hour program titled Answers for Life Monday through Friday on Phnom Penh’s Family FM radio station. This fall, the center added a 30-minute program titled Overcome Fear. In its short time on the air, the broadcast has seen a steady increase in listener calls and has provided opportunities for the ministry to connect nearly 20 callers with local churches.

Vietnam. LHM’s ministry center in Vietnam has added a new program, simply titled Talk Show, to its Internet radio lineup. On Talk Show, pastors and other believers are invited to offer testimonials about challenges they have encountered and about the evidence they have seen of God’s love and care. According to NaThalang, the new program has “impacted a large number of people already.”

To learn more about Lutheran Hour Ministries’ broadcast, Internet, print, holistic, and one-on-one outreach in nine Asian nations, visit www.lhm.org/intlportal and click the “Blogs” tab. n The Lutheran Layman January - February 2016

21

School Outreach –

Significant Work, Great If you designed the perfect environment to conduct evangelism, how would it look? We know evangelism happens best when you have a strong relationship with someone over a significant period of time. The opportunity to clearly and frequently share the Gospel, the means the Holy Spirit uses to bring people to faith, would be ideal. How about being involved with the people they care about most: their children?

We have just described Lutheran schools! These schools have the ability to share the Gospel with the children of unchurched families on a daily basis.

Lutheran school teachers have the chance to build meaningful, loving relationships with unchurched parents over time. Churches with schools can model the love of Christ to the families in their schools. To reach the lost it is hard to imagine a better environment than Lutheran schools.

This is a great harvest field! According to Terry Schmidt, director of LCMS School Ministries, about 25 percent of students in Lutheran Schools are un-

Potential

churched.1 It is quite easy to see there is great potential to reach many people with the Gospel of Christ through our schools.

How are Lutheran schools doing? The statistics2 show our schools are doing a significant amount of the outreach in the LCMS. According to the most recent reports completed by LCMS schools, 1,790 parents joined LCMS congregations through adult confirmation. While about 400 less than the previous year, it is still a significant portion of the 14,856 adult confirmations that were reported in 2014 by LCMS churches. Lutheran schools also have a significant impact on the number of child Baptisms performed in the synod. Of the 25,551 Baptisms performed last year 1,756 were through the outreach efforts of our schools. Terry Schmidt reports, “Baptisms at school chapel services are becoming quite common and are greatly celebrated. When the pastor engages his community through his Lutheran school, the Holy Spirit works in powerful ways.” 3 Included in this article is the list of Lutheran

schools that have been blessed with effective outreach for the last reporting year. There are two groups. The first group is 17 schools that reported 15 or more parents joining the LCMS through the ministry of the school. Naturally, these tend to be larger schools. The second group is schools that were most effective on a per capita basis. This group of 20 schools is composed of those reporting five or more parents joining and had an enrollment-to-parents-joining ratio of 15 or less. Said another way, in these schools it took 15 or less enrollees to reach one new parent. Note that for both groups, only schools that reported are included.

1

Schmidt, Terry, e-mail 5/1/2014.

2

Statistics are based on reports from some of the 2,200 LCMS schools. If there is no report, enrollment figures are carried forward from the previous year. The count of Baptisms and parents joining is only from schools sending a report for the current year.

3

Schmidt, Terry, e-mail 5/1/2014.

More than 15 Parents Joined School Name

22

The Lutheran Layman January - February 2016

CITY

STATE ENROLLMENT BAPTIZED

PARENTS Students/ JOIN Parents Join

Trinity Lutheran School

Delray Beach

FL

403

25

301

3.43

Redeemer Lutheran School

Austin

TX

469

6

241

9.54

Emmanuel-St Michael Lutheran

Fort Wayne

IN

358

5

231

5.57

Shepherd Of The Desert Lutheran

Scottsdale

AZ

407

21

231

7.70

Saint Peter Lutheran School

Macomb

MI

57

62

212

7.43

Our Savior Lutheran Preschool

Bettendorf

IA

0

6

19

0.00

Immanuel Lutheran School

Crystal Lake

IL

21

69

181

2.00

Immanuel Lutheran School

Saint Charles

MO

46

96

162

9.31

Springfield Lutheran School

Springfield

MO

20

59

161

2.81

Zion Lutheran School

Belleville

IL

26

44

151

7.60

Redeemer Christian School

Cuyahoga Falls OH

22

69

151

5.07

Lutheran School Association

Decatur

IL

469

11

153

1.27

Saint Peter’s Lutheran School

Eastpointe

MI

102

5

15

6.80

Immanuel Lutheran School

Elmhurst

IL

230

1

151

5.33

Saint John’s Lutheran School

Portage

WI

182

5

151

2.13

Hope Lutheran School

Seattle

WA

222

1

151

4.80

Immanuel Lutheran School

Washington

MO

178

6

151

1.87

Conclusion

Are Lutheran schools reaching people for Christ?

The answer is yes, at least for some. It is a significant portion of all the outreach occurring in the LCMS. Can we use schools more effectively? This answer is also a resounding yes. As stated at the beginning of the article, Lutheran schools offer a nearly ideal environment to share the Good News of the forgiveness, life, and peace offered by our Savior for this life and life eternal.

How can schools become more effective? It begins with realizing our schools are a mission field in which we are building meaningful relationships.

In just a few years, as students enroll and eventually graduate, the number of relationships with un-

churched individuals can easily number in the hundreds of thousands. Because of this, Lutheran school teachers can view themselves as missionaries.

Through these student-school connections, “church schools” can establish ongoing relationships with students, parents and other family members—many of whom will likely not yet know salvation by grace through faith in Christ.

Lutheran Hour Ministries sees outreach through schools as an effective strategy to connect new believers to the body of Christ. If you have insight or experience on how your Lutheran school is adapting to this mission field, we are listening. Please contact Bea Hoppe at beatriz.hoppe@lhm.org with your suggestions. n

“Baptisms at school chapel services are becoming quite common and are greatly celebrated.

When the pastor engages his community through his Lutheran school, the Holy Spirit works in powerful ways.”

Lowest Enrollment-to-Parents-Joined Ratio (Five or more) STATE ENROLLMENT BAPTIZED

PARENTS STUDENTS/PARENTS JOIN JOIN

School Name

CITY

Immanuel Lutheran School

Mayville

WI

53

5

10

5.3

Hope Christian Preschool & Kindergarten

Hastings

MN

28

1

5

5.6

Saint Peter’s Lutheran School

Eastpointe

MI

102

5

15

6.8

Saint Thomas Lutheran School

Eastpointe

MI

39

3

5

7.8

Little Lambs Lutheran Preschool

Warrenton

MO

49

2

6

8.2

Zion Lutheran Preschool

Ottawa

IL

46

1

5

9.2

Saint Paul’s Lutheran School

Chicago Heights

IL

51

3

5

10.2

Immanuel Lutheran School

Bristol

CT

75

2

7

10.7

Trinity Lutheran Preschool

Temecula

CA

139

5

12

11.6

Immanuel Lutheran School

Washington

MO

178

6

15

11.9

Immanuel Lutheran School

Crystal Lake

IL

216

9

18

12.0

Christ Lutheran School

Juniata

NE

60

0

5

12.0

Saint John’s Lutheran School

Portage

WI

182

5

15

12.1

Springfield Lutheran School

Springfield

MO

205

9

16

12.8

Zion Lutheran School

Mount Pulaski

IL

92

2

7

13.1

Faith Lutheran School

Vista

CA

80

13

6

13.3

Trinity Lutheran School

Delray Beach

FL

403

25

30

13.4

Our Savior Lutheran School

Austin

TX

82

1

6

13.7

Hope Lutheran School

Shawnee

KS

181

5

13

13.9

Zion Lutheran School

Fallbrook

CA

84

1

6

14.0

Saint John Lutheran School

Chester

IL

174

8

12

14.5

Hope Lutheran School

Seattle

WA

222

1

15

14.8 The Lutheran Layman January - February 2016

23

Are we having sanook yet?

Brookfield team members join in the fun, or sanook, as they get to know some of the children who participated in LHM—Thailand’s English-language workshop.

Volunteer Team Makes

Learning English Sanook

T

he September-October issue of The Lutheran Layman shared the story of an LHM team from Thailand that flip-flopped the idea of shortterm mission service by traveling to Wisconsin and helping out with Brookfield Lutheran Church’s summer vacation Bible school program. The issue also reported that a team from Brookfield church would be sending a servant team to Thailand in October.

Now the cycle is complete! A nine-member team from Brookfield Lutheran Church visited Bangkok October 5-16 to work with the Thailand ministry staff in presenting “Sanook (Fun!) with English” workshops at schools in Saraburi Province, northeast of Bangkok. English is a core subject in Thai schools, but there are few opportunities for Thai students to practice with native English-speakers. The children were so eager to

s

work on their English skills with American English speakers that they came during what would normally have been a school break.

At each school, the Brookfield team, together with LHM—Thailand staff members, led children in fun icebreaker songs and games. Then the team split up and positioned themselves at three stations to interact with student groups and help them practice English as they rotated from one station to another.

“One of the favorite activities for the children was making snow,” says LHM—Thailand Director Monta “Boom” Denow. The Brookfield team had brought along a polymer that turns into a remarkably snow-like substance when water is added to it in the right amount. While snow is a normal part of life to a group from Wisconsin, this “near-snow” represented something that was unusual and exotic to

The need to BOLDLY PROCLAIM THE LOVE OF CHRIST is greater than ever! You can carry this proclamation forward in response to the Great Commission. Here are some ways you can help!

GodSHARE with your congregation the resources offered by to pro has ca lled LH Ministries to shine the light of Christ into a dark claim His Go Hour thLutheran e worl M s p partne d – and we el around Outre r wit want to by Lutheran ouworld u! YoHOSTING r pass h yo Resouach Hour Ministries Sunday on Feb. 7 u and vo ionate bas can join rces e of m luntee Hundre for embeconvenient rs aSunday your congregation). LHM’s outreach re(or achingany nd be d rs over a pa resourc s of free or week. low-co es are The L 51 million e rt of E st availa xplore ord ha catalysts very in equipping you and others to be mission-mindLHtools M to s are b o s comm hare bookle ur selectio le to you! do yo ission n of ts, vid ed u wan His hope a Outreach God has called LHM e a o Bible nd oth nd love ed in local t to c communities. e o s r grea tudie – me w to proclaim His Gospel around share Resources ith us with yo t resources s ? the world – and we want to and cavailable to resources are for hosting LHM Sunday at ommu ur congregnow Hundreds FREE of free or low-cost ati partner with you! You can join nity at outre lh .o on achre resources are available to you! rgoffering our passionate base of members sourc mof / your church, including quantities envelopes and mini-broes.

Explore our selection of and volunteers and be a part of booklets, video Bible studies reaching over 51 million every chures (in lots of 50) explaining how to partner with LHM. You can and other great resources to week. The Lord has commissioned share with your congregation LHM to share His hope and love – also useatalhm.org/ DVD promotional video and a tip sheet that provides simple and community do you want to come with us? outreachresources. ideas for success.

Pastors and LHM Ambassadors should have received a business reply card in the mail recently that can be filled out and returned to order materials for LHM Sunday. Place orders by calling 1-800-8769880 or visit lhm.org/lhmsunday. Order at least two weeks in advance of your event to guarantee time for delivery. n

ly belie ve in th r and e pow kn er do the ow that work w e do of the prayers o belie ve in G of od’s LHM. Th p in p ank you rayer our sta and a ff, ll th we are e people a ry day! ble

M

by Greg Koenig

Get Ready for LHM Sunday!

y for U

re

Using snow as an ice-breaker. A little sodium polyacrylate, a little water—and you can have snow (or near-snow) in Thailand! Now these kids know what people face in Wisconsin every winter.

1FE132

24

WE are

LHM

The Lutheran Layman January - February 2016

the majority of the Thai students.

“They loved feeling how cold it was and were very happy that they could even take some home in small plastic bags,” says Boom.

The work of a volunteer group like the team from Brookfield allows LHM—Thailand to offer a unique, beneficial service to schools and communities. This service opens doors for relationships—with community leaders, teachers, administrators, parents, and, of course, children and youth. And these relationships often help build a context for sharing the Good News of Jesus.

Is God calling you to serve Him and others through a volunteer adventure with LHM? To learn more about opportunities to share the love of God through international volunteer service with LHM, visit lhm.org/teams. n

DeBeir Joins LHM Staff On January 4, Rev. Jerome (Jay) DeBeir joined the LHM staff team as Vice President of Strategic Alignment.

He will work closely in a collaborative effort with the leadership to facilitate strategic planning, measurement, and systems coordination in order to optimize strategic initiatives in ministry. He will represent the President & CEO as needed.

DeBeir has 20 years of strategic planning and senior leadership experience in health care at the Lutheran Church Extension Fund. He is an ordained LCMS minister. He serves as a volunteer assistant pastor at St. John Lutheran Church in Ellisville, Mo. n