August 2016 Stakeholder Memo - from the LCMS Northern Illinois District
This Stakeholder Memo is sent to you as a supporter and partner in the vision to plant new Gospel ministries in northern Illinois through the LCMS Northern Illinois District's mission movement, New Starts...New Believers. This is the same as our mailed-out version for those who also like to see it electronically. (Easier to share that way.) If you wish to only receive one or the other, please email us your request.
Grateful for Our Efforts Together

This has been an active couple months-10th anniversary of the new Lutheran Church in Norway, which NID congregations and myself personally have walked alongside from day one; LCMS Floor Committee meetings in St. Louis and follow-up work; six days of Synod Convention business in Milwaukee-then throw in a few days of vacation and I had quite a pile of mail and emails on my desk needing attention last week.

But there was something in that pile that made me really smile. It was a thank you letter from the pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Elgin. The congregation was sending a nice gift for �Enviando! (our district-wide campaign to strengthen San Pablo and expand Hispanic missions here in the district) but they were also saying "thank you." Here's some of what he said.

"Good Shepherd remains committed to being a vital partner with the district in support of Great Commission Ministry. Good Shepherd highly values the support that we have received from the NID. Your leadership as well as the investment that Rev. Mike Mast, Rev. Keith Haney, Mike Zimmer and the rest of your staff have made in support of our Good Shepherd ministry is extremely valuable and much
appreciated."

Wasn't that nice to hear? And this staff he mentions does a lot of this great work while I'm shuttling off here and there for other Synod and church business. I'm so grateful for them-and I tell them that every chance I get. I hope you are grateful for them, too.

But let me say I'm also grateful for you. The commitment of the entire district to "Great Commission Ministry" as Pastor Maske puts it-or New Starts...New Believers, the other term we use here in Northern Illinois-makes it possible for your district staff to give congregations the attention they need to revitalize and redirect their vision toward mission in the community.

Thank you for the support you give to the district-in prayer, in encouragement, in agreement, and in donations for both unrestricted use by the district to fulfill its bylaw-mandated duties and also those gifts designated specifically for New Starts...New Believers. It is valuable and much appreciated.

So, continue to pray for the outreach mission going on across the district. Pray for Good Shepherd congregation at their newer building on Nesler Road and their Hispanic outreach, Vida y Fe, located in their older church building nearer to downtown Elgin. Pray for your district staff-all of them. Missions is messy-and hard-and the pull back toward being maintenance driven congregations is relentless. Remember, we all need each other in this partnership we call New Starts...New Believers.
  

 
 
 


Rev. Dan P. Gilbert, President
LCMS Northern Illinois District





Right Start for Community Outreach

Summer is an interesting time for the district because we always see an influx of new pastors; new graduates are coming in from the seminaries and, maybe because school's out, it's just, in general, a time for more pastoral movement. When St. Paul Lutheran Church in Skokie welcomed their new pastor, Rev. Henry Biar Jr., a very sweet demonstration of the progress that congregation has made in outreach occurred. That progress, by the way, has been fueled in part through New Starts...New Believers in culture shift, in inspiration and planning, in grants, and in district Mission Facilitator engagement.

Their previous pastor, Rev. Matt Conrad, had become very involved in community engagement and outreach - through some Korean work that happened a couple years ago, through Community Leader Breakfasts, and then through a public school "Clothes Closet" for under-served children those same leaders had invited the congregation to open-plus lots of other community interaction. Then, Pastor Conrad went on to become associate pastor and further the outreach at Cross, Yorkville.

At the installation in June of St. Paul's newly-called pastor, Rev. Henry Biar Jr., a representative of the Skokie Police Force was present to speak of the important role the church is now playing in the community and urge that it continue. The service was followed by a BBQ on the front lawn open to the community. How's that for getting a head start in outreach at the beginning of a new pastorate?

The prayers of the district are with them as they seek to continue to be outreach-driven in service to the community where the Spirit placed them. We hope your prayers will be with them also. This is the kind of response your gifts to New Starts...New Believers generates. All glory to God!

New Starts...New Believers Goes to School at LUSA and St. Paul Canfield in Chicago

Last year, Pastor Dan Teller began to serve at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Chicago (on Canfield). He immediately began to invest time in teaching and in relationships with the children in the Lutheran Unity School Association West, housed on their campus.

Baptism is regularly talked about in religion class in all grades at Unity School as part of their catechism work. During one Wednesday chapel this year, Pastor Teller  also focused on Baptism. He used three objects that communicated the gifts of Holy Baptism:
  • a cross that represented the gift of forgiveness
  • a heart that represented the gift of faith
  • a cloud that represented eternal life in heaven
Following that chapel some of the children drew pictures about Holy Baptism in class. More importantly, conversation among a few students who had not yet been baptized began to increase with their teachers and with Pastor Teller.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, these children were baptized at St. Paul, Canfield, on July 23. The children are in Kindergarten, 2nd and 4th grades.

Pastor Teller is determined to make sure that the celebration of Baptism birthdays will be a regular part of next year's chapel! All praise to God our Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Thank You!

Thank you to all who gave to the Enviando Endowment match the district received from Lutheran Legacy Foundation and the Werner Fund. Due to your generosity we expect to fully reach our $25,000 matching goal by the August 31 deadline!

Help us continue to grow this endowment so we can provide seed money for new starts and seminary tuition assistance for those who will serve in the NID to complete their training at Concordia Seminary's Center for Hispanic Studies with a route to certification for ordination and deaconess ministry.  

Mail your gift to LCMS NID, 2301 S. Wolf Road, Hillside, IL 60162 - designate it for Enviando Endowment. Or use the enclosed envelope and clearly mark it for Enviando Endowment.
Please consider becoming
one of our
Sustaining Donors
As more congregations engage in outreach, your gifts are needed now more than ever. To become a sustaining donor, use our donation link to set up a recurring bank card or EFT donation. We are also happy to accept checks for New Starts...New Believers from your own online banking account. Or mail your monthly or quarterly checks to LCMS NID, 2301 S. Wolf Road, Hillside, IL 60162. Thank you for joining this amazing team of sustaining donors.

 

QUESTIONS? Call Karen at 708-223-3108 

Your gifts are helping churches and changing lives of New Believers!