Words from C.F.W. Walther, the first president of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod   regarding the Office of the Holy Ministry, a sermon dated Epiphany 2, 1862:    

Behold how great, how broad, how all encompassing the task of a preacher is! He is to teach those entrusted to him what they should know for their salvation. He is to admonish them regarding what they are to do. If they have not done it, he is to rebuke them. When they suffer earthly need, he shall assist them in their need. He shall be concerned that the entire congregation and every individual be maintained in holy discipline and order. Where consolation and help are needed, he shall be the Good Samaritan of the congregation, ready with mercy. Thus the great task of his office is to see to it that no one in his entire congregation is abandoned and suffers need without assistance, whether it be in external [physical] or internal [spiritual/psychological] matters, in bodily matters or spiritual matters. He sees to it that everyone who belongs to the holy brotherhood of Christ is well cared for. He shall receive the whole as much as the individual, the child as much as the elderly, the uneducated as much as the educated, the weak as much as the strong, the fallen as much as those who stand, those joyful in God as much as the deeply troubled, the poor as much as the rich, the sick as much as the well, the fortunate as much as the unfortunate, outcast, and persecuted, the dying as the living - indeed the very dead themselves, that they like Christ would be brought to rest in burial. All this shall be the concern of his heart. And this shall be his concern at opportune or inopportune times, in evil or good days, in times of rich earthly blessing as much as in times of hunger and pestilence, in war and in peace, publicly and privately.

How does your ministry fare in comparison to those words?

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It's Time to...Participate in Determining the Synod's Priorities...Postcard #4 from the Office of the Synod Secretary:   

This is still new. It is time for your congregation to participate in our Synod's new process for determining its mission and ministry emphases (areas in which the Synod should concentrate attention and efforts) for the next Synod triennium. That process begins during the voters meeting that your congregation already will be calling to give attention to other district and Synod convention business.  

The circuit forum provides an opportunity for your congregation to voice its opinion regarding mission and ministry areas where the Synod should concentrate efforts - ethnic ministry, rural ministry, family ministry, church worker recruitment, etc. This is your congregation's opportunity to influence the mission and ministry of the Synod. According to Synod Bylaw 4.2.1 (b): The district convention is the instrument to receive overtures (Bylaw 3.1.6.2), including overtures and recommendations for synod wide mission and ministry emphases submitted by member congregations and adopted by a circuit forum.

If your circuit has some item which you feel should given attention at the LCMS.org level, please draft an appropriate resolution and submit it to the 2015 SWD Convention. 

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The 2015 SWD Convention is set for June 7-9, 2015!

 In a conversation with emeritus District President Ed Suelflow we learned that SWD was formed in 1915, which makes this next summer's convention our Centennial Convention. The convention planning committee is working on including a special thanksgiving celebration as part of the convention.

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Mission Trips to Dominican Republic:
If your congregation or a group of congregations is interested in helping out with our foreign mission focus in the DR, there are plenty of opportunities for mission trips during the next year. Most Ministries now coordinates those trips for the DR partnership. Several items are designated exclusively for those who are "partners" in the effort; and that includes SWD. If you want to learn more, head to: www.mostministries.org From there go to "team schedule". At least one item is not on the list, but soon will be. That is, a building project for our church in Jamaica. All the details just aren't in place for that quite yet...but they should be before long.

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SWD Church Worker Golf Outing:  Monday, August 11, 2014 at Rock River Hills, Horicon. See attached flyer.   

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Support Needed for a New Deaconess in the Dominican Republic:

The good news is that the outreach and ministry of the Dominican Republic mission start have been greatly blessed!  With those blessings come growing ministry needs.  One of which was highlighted in a request from Rev. Ted Krey, lead missionary in the DR and LCMS Regional Director.  Ted writes in an email:

I have a deaconess, Gail Ludvisgon who is in need of support for her personal support.  Do you have any congregations in which she could talk or that you could point me to.  Does the district itself have anything that could help us to push her towards this goal?  She is already 20 percent funded, so another 50 percent and we would have her on her way.  She will be writing curriculum for deaconesses not only for the Dominican Republic, but also Latin America.

Serving as district president, I thank you the people, congregations, and pastor of SWD for the way in which you have so generously supported the DR mission over the past seven years!  So many good things are happening there as the Word is proclaimed and the Sacraments administered.  A solidly Lutheran church body is emerging!   

If you can assist in supporting this new deaconess who serves in the Dominican Republic, we will all be blessed; and I will be grateful to you!