Mission Update

Rev. Peter Kelm, Missions Executive

South Wisconsin District

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."
(Mark 10: 14)

Songs for Jesus concert

Oct. 3, 5:30 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church

MISSION U events

Oct. 3 at St. Paul, West Allis (101)
Oct. 17 at Divine Savior, Hartford (202)

Every One His Witness

Nov. 14,
9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the District Office

Stay Connected

October 2015

Every One His Witness

I've purposely stolen the title of a seminar that we are hosting on Saturday, November 14, 2015, at the SWD office (look for details below!). I'm sure that Rev. Mark Wood, the presenter at that seminar from the International Center in St. Louis, won't mind.

Of course, we all know that we are his witnesses. Jesus said to his disciples in Acts 1:8:

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (ESV)

We know that those words don't apply to the apostles alone, nor to pastors and teachers alone, but to all the baptized. We have the same Holy Spirit dwelling in us through Baptism, the Spirit that gives us power to be witnesses of Jesus Christ.

And we see this in the book of Acts. In chapter 8, a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem. And the church was "scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles" (Acts 8:1, ESV, emphasis mine). And "those who were scattered went about preaching the word." (Acts 8:4, ESV, emphasis mine) That is, God's people preached the Word, witnessed to the saving power of Jesus Christ, wherever the Spirit took them.

Fast-forward a couple thousand years. God's people are still witnesses. And we still are called to preach the Word. No, we are not all pastors who publicly preach and teach and administer the sacraments. That office is distinct from the priesthood of all believers. But we are all priests of the Most High God. We are all preachers. Make no mistake. To be a witness is to speak, to confess, to share, to "proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." (I Peter 2:9, ESV)

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Every One His Witness

Equipping individual believers to be more effective witnesses

of Jesus in their everyday lives.

Rev. Mark Wood, Director of Witness & Outreach Ministry/Revitalization Office of National Mission-LCMS, presents this brand-new workshop for the South Wisconsin District on Saturday, November 14, 2015, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the District Office, 8100 W. Capitol Dr., Milwaukee, WI 5322.

The "Every One His Witness" workshop is designed to equip individual believers to be more effective witnesses of Jesus in their everyday lives. It draws on God's Word and the Lutheran Confessions to build a solid foundation for bearing witness of Jesus and provides practical resources for sharing the simple Gospel in today's complex world.

There are 5 sessions to this workshop...

1. Witnessing: What's It All About?
2. You Are a Witness - What Does This Mean?
3. Vocation and Witness
4. LASSIE: Listen, Ask, Seek, Share, Invite, Encourage
5. Going, Planting, Watering ... and Waiting Expectantly

Registration is $20/person (includes lunch). Please bring a check with you when you come.
To register, please call Peg Raabe, 414-464-8101; or raabe@swd.lcms.org.
Absolute deadline for registration is Nov. 2, 2015.

Feel free to use the following to promote this in your congregation.
Bulletin insert/flyer
Letter-size poster

A Christmas Giving Tree opportunity!

The International Lutheran Church of Zion and Benediction Lutheran Churche are searching for one or two partner congregations to give Christmas presents to the children of our ministries in Milwaukee. This year we are planning to serve about 150 children, and are still in need of about 60 gifts. We will send you the ages of the children along with three wishes to pick from, each which are $25 or less. If your congregation/organization can help, please contact Pastor Hougard at 414-463-9158 or pastor@benediction-lcms.org.

"Songs for Jesus" celebration concert

You are invited to celebrate the 120th Anniversary of Grace Lutheran Church, 3030 W. Oklahoma Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53215 on Saturday, October 3 at 5:30 p.m.

"Songs for Jesus" is a Christian multicultural concert organized by Grace congregation, with the support of CPTLN.

For more information you may contact Pastor Germ�n Novelli-Oliveros, 414-384-3520.

"No More Peek-a-boo Jesus: The Old Testament is Christ"

Prof. Jeffrey Pulse, of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, will give this fall's LCMS-U presentation at Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) on October 6 at 6:30 p.m.in the Todd Wehr Auditorium (connected to the Campus Center building). There will be free parking in the Milwaukee B Lot and Broadway Lot between 5:30 and 9:30 p.m. (MSOE Campus map--click on map to enlarge.)

Understanding the Old Testament and its Christological foundation means first understanding the Hebrew people and their covenantal relationship with God. As a result, the task is not to "find Jesus in the OT" but rather to believe that Jesus IS the Old Testament.

Pulse's 22 years in the parish were served in St. John's Lutheran Church, Burt, Iowa and Peace Lutheran, Bremerton, Washington. He completed his Master of Sacred Theology from Concordia Theological Seminary while in the parish in 1990. Professor Pulse is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Durham, England, in the area of Old Testament, specifically, Concepts of the Afterlife in the Old Testament and Second Temple Judaism.

Mission U: Coming to ...
West Allis (Oct. 3) and Hartford (Oct. 17)

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.

Dr. John Warwick Montgomery

Noted Apologist and author, Dr. John Warwick Montgomery (a frequent guest on KFUO's Issues, Etc.), will be at Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon this October. While he is in the area, he would be available and willing to speak on Apologetics at your congregation. If you are interested in asking him to make a presentation sometime next month, please contact Joy Keith, 775-721-7645, to make arrangements.

Stand With Your Community, LCMS Mission Grants

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. Ted and Rebecca Krey and family

Rev. Ted and Rebecca Krey serve the Lord based in the Dominican Republic. Ted serves as the regional director for the Latin America region of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS). In this role, Ted oversees the missionaries and mission projects supported by the LCMS and maintains relationships with partner/sister churches in the region. He also works with future pastors, deacons and deaconesses. Serving alongside a multi-national mission team, Ted partners in ministry with 15 countries and works to establish church plants in nine countries in this region.

Read more information about the Kreys