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Mission Update
Rev. Peter Kelm, Missions Executive 
South Wisconsin District
 
414-464-8101 Kelm@swd.lcms.org
Passionate believers... confessing Christ for the next generation
"I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
                         (John 6:53)
  • Sept. 10 - Wausau
  • Sept. 11 - Appleton
  • Sept. 12 - SWD office, Milwaukee
MISSION U events
  • Aug. 29 at St. Paul, Grafton (201)
  • Oct. 3 at St. Paul, West Allis (101)
  • Oct. 17 at Divine Savior, Hartford (202)
LWML SWD 2015 Fall Retreat
  • Sept. 24-26 at Green Lake Conference Center 
August 2015
Holy, holy

Holy Ghost is one of those beautiful old Lutheran churches in Milwaukee that just drips with history. It's not hard to imagine the well-dressed German Lutheran families walking a few blocks through the neighborhood to hear a Law/Gospel sermon and sing some familiar old Lutheran hymns with hundreds of fellow believers on a Sunday morning in the early 1900s. Ask around suburban churches in the area, and you'll find more than a few, including some pastors, who trace their roots back to Holy Ghost.

 

Fast-forward a hundred years.

 

Eighth and Concordia is a different neighborhood now. Urban blight, some might say. There's some senior housing right next door, and a number of old houses in various states of repair (or disrepair). Honestly? Not the safest neighborhood statistically in Milwaukee. Its residents understand urban violence and decay. And more than a few might have predicted some decades ago that Holy Ghost would be closed by now.

 

Rev. Elijah Ndon

Nope.

 

There's still Law/Gospel sermons being heard in this historic Lutheran church, and some old familiar Lutheran hymns, too. German Lutherans are harder to find. But Lutherans? They're there! Pastor Elijah Ndon, a Nigerian pastor with a solid grasp of the theology of grace and an African flair for delivery is still proclaiming the truths of God's precious Word. The pews aren't as full as a hundred years ago. And the dozens who do show up aren't all lifelong German Lutherans. More like African Americans from the community who have found a church that proclaims God's Word clearly. This is not a story of the faithful dozen holding on. This is the story of a church reaching its neighborhood and bringing people in to hear the Gospel. Baptisms, adult confirmations, guests invited by friends who found a church home at Holy Ghost. Those are some of the stories that I heard on a recent Wednesday morning at Holy Ghost.

 

Wednesdays are a big day at Holy Ghost... 
Updates to our Campus Ministry contact information 

Late in July, our Missions office sent a blanket email to a large group of our District's e-news subscribers with expanded information about pastors and congregations near college campuses in our District. We also invited pastors to let us know if they were interested in being on our list because of their close proximity to other campuses. We have added that to the listing below in the hopes that it will help keep our students close to God's Word during a very critical time in their lives.

If you are a pastor serving an area near another college campus, and are willing to be a contact for students coming to your area, please let us know! We will add you to this list: 

Here is a handy Campus Ministries form you may use to collect students names and colleges they will be attending so that you can connect them to the blessings of Christian fellowship at an LCMS church near their school. And if you need help in locating a church that's not listed, or in another state, check this link to our LCMS Campus Ministry.  
Center for U.S. Missions
1-day convocations
Mobilizing the Mission of God--A Mission Convocation

This is a joint effort of SWD and NWD to mobilize pastors and people for mission! The convocations will be held in three locations...
  • Thursday, Sept. 10, at St. Mark, 600 Stevens Dr., Wausau
  • Friday, Sept. 11, at Shepherd of the Hills, N1615 Meadowview Dr., Greenville Appleton area
  • Saturday, Sept. 12, at the South Wisconsin District office, 8100 W. Capitol Dr., Milwaukee

Easy  to register--just call the District office and ask for Peg, 414-464-8101. Sessions are from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and the cost is only $30, including your lunch!

 

Here's the link to all the details.
Mission U: Coming to ...
Grafton (Aug. 29), West Allis (Oct. 3) and Hartford (Oct. 17) 

St. Paul Lutheran Church, 701 Washington St., Grafton, 53024, will be hosting a Mission U Seminar on August 29, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Light lunch will be served and child care is provided.) The selected course, Mission U 201 - Dealing with Tough Questions, will address the prevalent questions concerning Christianity in society today. This seminar will touch on the recent rise of other religions and how to share the one true God in a world full of alternatives. We will also discuss tough questions about faith prevalent in society today. Learn how to tackle tough objections and deal with common objections. To register, contact Nicki Ksioszk at 262-573-3679 or nicker10@hotmail.com or register online.

Register by August 21st to reserve your spot!

  

On October 3, St. Paul Lutheran Church, 7821 W. Lincoln Ave., West Allis, 53219, will be hosting Mission U-101, Equipping to Share: Everyday Evangelism. This course challenges students to recognize and embrace their roles as Christ's witnesses. Students will identify witnessing obstacles and receive biblical tools to overcome them. They will learn to recognize and to initiate faith-sharing conversations. Students will practice sharing their faith in unique contexts and within relationship models they may likely encounter. This course provides ample hands-on application to increase confidence. Contact the church to register, 414-541-6250, or email mary@splcwa.org. 

 

On October 17, Divine Savior Lutheran Church, 3200 Highway K South, Hartford, 53027, will be hosting Mission U-202-Rural, The Outreach Congregation. Approximately half of our LCMS congregations are located in rural areas or small towns. But today's rural and small-town landscape is changing dramatically from only a decade or two ago as families and individuals move into these communities from more populated, more expensive areas. Are we aware of the challenges and burdens these people face? Discover new ways and media you can use to reach outside of your church and share the message of Christ effectively with your rural and small-town neighbors. Contact the church to register, 262-673-5140.  
Lutheran Hour Ministry job posting  

Manager, Digital Programs

Lutheran Hour Ministries is looking for a Manager, Digital Programs. We are requesting your help to get the word out. This is an important new role. Qualified candidates must have: 

  • A passion for outreach
  • Experience coordinating web & mobile communications strategies
  • Familiarity engaging with Millennials & Generation X

Please share this with members of your congregation, or feel free to forward directly to someone you consider a strong candidate. To learn more about Lutheran Hour Ministries, review the position description for this position, or to apply, go to: www.lhm.org/careers.  
Stand With Your Community, LCMS Mission Grants  

Beginning August 1, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is offering a special grant opportunity, "Stand With Your Community" Grant Program, in recognition of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. $1 million is available for this grant opportunity.

 

A primary focus of the projects funded by these grants is to inspire and empower laity to actively engage in local witness and mercy outreach events and opportunities as a reflection of Martin Luther's unrelenting passion for all to know the true Gospel.

 

These are one-time grants of $1,000 to $25,000 for anything from a single outreach event to a two-year outreach program. The request may be for a new project, the revision of a previous effort or to strengthen an on-going effort of an outreach program or activity. Applications will be received Aug. 1 through Nov. 16.


Here is a link to the website with all of the information and access of the form. 
LCMS Missionary of the Month 
Rev. Micah & Robin Wildauer and family
 
Our own Rev. Micah Wildauer, previously pastor at Hope Lutheran Church in Milwaukee.

Rev. Micah and Robin Wildauer serve the Lord as career missionaries through The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in Togo. In this role, Micah teaches courses in Lutheran theology at The Centre Luthérien d'Etudes Théologiques (CLET), or Lutheran Center for Theological Studies, in Dapaong, Togo, West Africa. CLET is the seminary of the Lutheran Church of Togo (ELT). He also teaches some distance learning and continuing education courses throughout Francophone West Africa as needed. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he coordinates visiting professors to CLET.

More information about the Wildauers
Rev. Peter Kelm, Missions Executive, Kelm@swd.lcms.org
Peg Raabe, Administrative Assistant, Raabe@swd.lcms.org
You may call us directly at 414-464-8101