WORDS FOR THE NEW YEAR

Transcription

1 WORKERS TOGETHER An Publication of the LCMS Kansas District January 2018 WORDS FOR THE NEW YEAR The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him." Lamentations 3:22-24 (ESV) Photo above of Risen Savior, Basehor, at their Reformation celebration In This Issue President s Office Call Updates Prayer Requests 2018 Convention: Upcoming Deadlines District Calendar Missions & Stewardship Mini-Grants Available for Every One His Witness and re:vitality Ash Wednesday Offering Engaging Your Community Event March 10 New Resource: Financial Peace Guide Education & Youth National Lutheran Schools Week Hearts for Jesus Chapel Offering Plan Ahead: Teen Fellowship Retreat Caring Ministry LERT Training Events DDRC Reflections Business Office Debbie Crites Announces Retirement Reminder: Fiscal Year Ends January Mileage Rates LCEF A Note from DVP Jeff Maltz Featured Program: Y.I. Account Around the District Installation of Rev. Mike Van Velzer Installation of Rev. Mark Boxman OUR MISSION is to support and encourage the members of the District in carrying out the mission Christ has given His Church.

2 President s Office Call Updates PASTORAL CALLS Rev. Jim Bender Faith, Topeka to Zion, Albert Lea, MN declined PENDING ORDINATIONS AND/OR INSTALLATIONS - PASTORS Rev. Michael Hageman Trinity, Garden City 1/7 Rev. Russ Peterson (Dir. of Outreach and Member Engagement) Christ, Overland Park 1/7 Vicar Michael Apfel Trinity, Ft. Scott 1/13 CONGREGATIONS CALLING OR PREPARING TO CALL A PASTOR Atchison, Trinity (associate) Emporia, Messiah (associate) Hutchinson, Our Redeemer (senior) Kansas City, Our Saviour (associate) Meade, St. John (sole) Shawnee, Hope (senior) Wichita, St. Andrew s (sole) Did you know that we update our list of calls and vacancies weekly on our website? Bookmark the page, and check back on Tuesday (late morning) for the latest updates. CONGREGATIONS CALLING A COMMISSIONED MINISTER Trinity, Mission Family Life Ministry Coordinator First, Paola DCE St. Paul, Leavenworth Principal COMMISSIONED MINISTER CALLS from the field DCE Korey Danley Beautiful Savior, Lee s Summit, MO to Christ, Overland Park, KS accepted; installation 1/28 Principal Merv Dehning St. John, Alma to St. Mark s, Eureka, MO pending Prayer Requests For Rev. Chris and Amy Vossler and family at the death of Amy s parents, Doug and Debbie Swanson, on December 28, For Jeremy and Peggy Pera and family at the death of Peggy s mother, Thula Mae Duitsman, on December 31. For the family of Deacon John Schlickau (Zion, Argonia), who died January 3. For the saints at Faith, Hugoton, whose parish closed last month. If you have a prayer request you d like the staff to know about, please send it to Tami Lierz at tami@kslcms.org.

3 2018 District Convention: Upcoming Deadlines High Priority! The deadline for delegate forms has been extended. Submit forms ASAP to Rev. David Meier, district secretary January 16 Convention nominees: Deadline to submit nomination acceptance form, conflict of interest form, and biographical information February 15 Deadline for submission of overtures to the district office; submit to Shannon Oldham (overture template available on the website) Reports for convention workbook due to the district office: district president, vice-presidents, circuit visitors, Kansas District boards, Kansas District committees For the full pre-convention timeline, visit the 2018 District Convention page on our website. District Calendar Jan. 5-6: District Youth Ministry Team Retreat, Retreat Center, Herington, KS Jan. 8: E-Staff Meeting, District Office, Topeka January 14-15: Circuit Visitors Conference, Spiritual Life Center, Bel Aire, KS January 15-17: Pre-Lent Conference, Spiritual Life Center, Bel Aire, KS Jan : LERT Training, Retreat Center, Herington, KS Jan : National Lutheran Schools Week Jan. 25: E-Staff Meeting, District Office, Topeka Jan. 27: Adult Education Committee, District Office, Topeka Feb. 1-3: Board of Directors Meeting, District Office, Topeka Feb 12-13: KAIRS (Kansas Association of Independent and Religious Schools) Conference, Topeka Feb. 15: Convention Planning Meeting, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. District Office, Topeka Feb. 16: Professional Development Committee Meeting, District Office, Topeka You can find the full District calendar on the website HERE. Missions and Stewardship Mini-Grants Available for Every One His Witness and re:vitality Evangelism and outreach training is about to get even easier to implement, thanks to a new District fund designated to support congregations interested in participating in Synod s Every One His Witness and re:vitality programs. Here s how you can get involved: 1) Learn more about Every One His Witness, the LCMS evangelism program, and/or re:vitality, a program aimed at church revitalization.

4 2) Talk to others in your congregation about how you might use these materials. 3) Apply for a District mini-grant to help cover the cost of the materials, whether you want to acquire an Every One His Witness Kit ($ for a 12-person kit) or would like to host a re:vitality workshop. It s that simple. Grant applications will be posted to the District website by January 16, If you have questions in the meantime, contact Rev. Dan Galchutt at dgalchutt@kslcms.org. Ash Wednesday Offering This Ash Wednesday, February 14, LCMS congregations throughout Kansas will have an opportunity to work together to raise funds for two very important causes: education loan repayment for church workers and scholarships for future workers. The price tag for pursuing a church vocation is significant, leaving many of our church workers with considerable debt when they leave school. At Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, for example, the median debt load for a graduate is close to $24,000. And that s just the median. To help alleviate this burden, the Kansas District provides grants and scholarships to active and future church workers. In 2017, the District awarded $26,625 in scholarships to students studying church work in the Concordia System and our two seminaries while providing $42,321 in educational loan repayment grants to church workers. The 2018 Ash Wednesday Offering will support these funds. We re hoping for broad participation from all congregations; watch for bulletin inserts and newsletter announcements in the next couple of weeks. The Kansas District Education Loan Repayment Grant is truly a great blessing to me and many other workers in the district. For me, the grant helps to alleviate a great amount of stress about the amount of student debt that I have to repay. I m thankful for the brothers and sisters who generously gave of their blessings last Ash Wednesday to the Education Loan Repayment Fund. I m confident that God is working through His Church to continue support for church workers and their families. --Rev. Richard Lally, St. Matthew, Nortonville

5 Engaging Your Community Event March 10 LCMS Rural and Small Town Mission, in partnership with the Kansas District, is hosting an Engaging Your Community event March 10, 2018, at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Great Bend. Featured speakers include Rev. Todd Kollbaum, Director of Rural and Small Town Mission (LCMS) and Rev. Dan Galchutt, Kansas District Missions and Stewardship Executive. The event, geared toward single and multi-point parishes in rural and small town settings, will offer pastors and lay leaders an opportunity to identify assets, strengthen partnerships, and make plans for engaging their respective communities. For more information or to register, contact Kansas District Missions and Stewardship at New Resource: Financial Peace Companion Guide Is your congregation interested in Dave Ramsey s Financial Peace University? If so, check out the new companion guide from LCMS Stewardship: Preview and Review of Financial Peace University, by Rev. Jonathan Conner. The guide aims to supplement FPU by reminding participants of the Lutheran perspective on God s gifts even as they re encouraged to work through the practical wisdom of Ramsey s baby steps approach. You can find the resource on the LCMS Stewardship page. Education & Youth National Lutheran Schools Week National Lutheran Schools Week is January 21-27, 2018, with the theme, It s Still All About Jesus. The week provides our schools in Kansas and throughout the country an opportunity to proclaim and celebrate God s work among us in our Lutheran schools. The Kansas District is blessed to have 14 K-8 schools and 45 pre-schools, all of which are committed to helping students grow spiritually as well as academically. We re grateful to be able to share Jesus love with children and their families throughout Kansas! Resources (e.g., theme day posters, graphics, worship resources) for celebrating National Lutheran Schools Week are available at

6 Hearts for Jesus Offering to Support Hurricane Recovery Each year, principals of the Kansas District schools choose a project to support with their prayers and offerings throughout the school year. Schools may also designate this project for their February Hearts for Jesus chapel offerings, which are then sent to the Kansas District Office clearly marked Hearts for Jesus. This year s Hearts for Jesus offerings will be used to assist Cross Point Christian School in Katy, Texas with hurricane recovery efforts. Cross Point is part of the Synod s School to School initiative ( which provides support and assistance to schools affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Plan Ahead: Teen Fellowship Retreat Do you want your high school students to learn more about leadership for service in your church? Come to the Teen Fellowship Retreat (TFR), hosted by Lutheran Youth Fellowship (LYF) April 6-7th in Hesston, Kansas. There will be games, Bible study, team building and leadership training. For more information please contact DCE Charity Smith dce@stlukesmanhattan.org or Jesse Smith smithjesse@icloud.com. The registration deadline is March 9, Registration Form Caring Ministry Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT): Training Events Reported by Donna Williams, District Disaster Response Coordinator Dates for your calendar: January 19-20, 2018: LERT Leadership Retreat, Herington, KS o Meals and lodging provided for LERT leadership team members. o Please RSVP to Donna Williams by January 16, 2018 at youthworker@zionnnewton.com or Jan. 27, 2018: LERT Initial Training at St. John s, Ellinwood o Registration: $25 includes training, lunch, LERT vest and training materials. o Registration deadline: Jan. 14 o Contact: Mary St. John Lutheran Church, 512 N. Wilhelm, Ellinwood, KS 67526; ; mary@stjohnellinwood.org Feb. 10, 2018: LERT Initial Training at St. Luke s, Manhattan o Registration: $25 includes training, lunch, LERT vest and training materials. Deadline: Jan. 28, 2018.

7 o Contact: Jean Olson at St. Luke s Lutheran Church, 330 Sunset Ave., Manhattan, KS 66503; ; office@stlukesmanhattan.org Feb. 24, 2018: LERT Initial Training at Christ, Overland Park o Registration: $25 includes training, lunch, LERT vest and training materials. Deadline Feb. 11. o Contact: Rick Johnson: 2831 N 99 th Terr., Kansas City, KS ; ricksjohnson@sbcglobal.net Registration forms for LERT training events are available on the Disaster Response page on the Kansas District website, Watch Workers Together and the Kansas District website for other LERT training opportunities in Kansas in the new year. The mission of the Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT) is to provide teams of trained volunteers, serving our churches and communities as part of a disaster outreach ministry, assisting in a collaborated and coordinated response in cooperating and communication with the District Disaster Response Coordinators and teams. Find us on Facebook Kansas District LERT Ministry has a Facebook page! Log in to Facebook and search for LERT Kansas District. We will try to keep the page up to date with all the latest news including LERT training opportunities and other disaster response items. DDRC Reflections Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ, God is so good! He comes to us as the tiny Babe born to humble earthly parents in a rude cattle stall on a cold and dark night in the no-name village of Bethlehem. We rejoice with the angels and the shepherds at the announcement of His birth. We travel with those same lowly shepherds and the wise men to stare in awe at this miracle in the flesh. We go about telling what we have experienced. Then, like the shepherds who returned to their sheep, we return to our lives as usual after the holidays. We re forever changed having experienced this blessed event, but continue to do the same work as before. The shepherds did not despise or neglect their service, but took it up again where they left off. As we look forward to the new year and what that means to us both personally and in the church year, let us be comforted by this. We, too, return to our everyday lives and take up where we left off, yet, being forever changed we take that precious experience of receiving the Christ Child with us into that life. As we wave goodbye to the old and greet the new, let us not forget the Advent and Christmas seasons and the significance of those times of preparation and celebration we enjoyed in the last weeks of I pray you will be like the shepherds, proclaiming and serving His people right where God has placed you! And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ (Eph. 4:11-12). Yours in Christ, Donna Williams District Disaster Relief Coordinator, Kansas District youthworker@zionnewton.com

8 Business Office Retirement Announcement from Debbie Crites Following is a retirement announcement from Debbie Crites. We wish Debbie the Lord s richest blessings as she moves on to this new phase in her life and thank her for her countless contributions to the Kansas District. It is with tremendous gratitude that I ve been able to serve the people of Kansas for over 26 years. It s been a true blessing to serve on the District staff, but I feel it s time to move into the next chapter of my life. I m therefore announcing my intent to retire from my position as Business Manager of the LCMS Kansas District in June I m looking forward to this transition and am excited about the new opportunities the Lord has in store. During my time on staff, I ve served under the gifted leadership of four district presidents: Rev. Dr. Eugene Schmidt, Rev. Howard Patten, Rev. Keith Kohlmeier and current president Rev. Peter Lange. I ve worked alongside many talented and dedicated staff members to whom I am extremely grateful; I can t thank you enough for your support and friendship. To all past and present members of the Board of Directors, thank you for your support, your leadership, and your devotion to ministry. It s been a privilege working with you. Finally, I want to thank all the workers and members of our congregations and schools whom I ve been blessed to know and work with. It s been a joy and honor to serve God s people in Kansas. * * * * * If you or someone you know is interested in the position of Business Manager, please let us know. We ll be posting a job description and application details on our website at the end of January and plan to begin reviewing applications in March Year-End Checklist One last reminder: The District will close its 2017 fiscal year on Friday, January 12, Any receipt received after that date will be credited to the fiscal year 2018 for your congregation. In order to meet the standards for a not-for-profit corporation audit, we cannot credit any 2017 mission gift received after the close of our fiscal year, so please work to meet this deadline. If you are sending any 2018 gift prior to January 15, please indicate that the gift is for 2018 so that we can credit it correctly for your congregation. Click here for a Year-End Checklist, or find it online at Select Business Office in the main navigation, then look for the checklist under Frequently Requested Forms.

9 2018 Mileage Rates New in 2018: The IRS has increased the standard business mileage rate to 54.5 per mile (from 53.5 in effect since 1/1/17). The standard medical and moving mileage rate has likewise increased to 18 per mile (from 17 ). These new rates apply to mileage reimbursements paid to an employee on or after January 1, 2018 with respect to transportation expenses paid or incurred by the employee on or after January 1, The rate used for charitable deduction purposes, set by statute rather than IRS, remains at 14 per mile. We ll be monitoring changes to the mileage rates, if any, due to the new tax reform recently passed by Congress and will update you if necessary. LCEF A Note from DVP Jeff Maltz Dear Kansas District Members, LCEF has served as the financial extension of The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) since 1978, offering funding and resources in support of the Church. When you invest with LCEF, you re providing for the creation and growth of congregations and ministries across the country. Investing in a strong LCMS community LCEF empowers LCMS ministries with every dollar invested. And with nearly 60,000 investors, we ve been able to make a difference for thousands of ministries. We provide customized loans and support services to new and growing ministries as well as loans for Rostered Church Workers who dedicate their lives to sharing the Gospel. Securing your financial future Our generous investors and dedicated loan customers have made it possible for us to maintain a strong capital position. We offer competitive rates and ensure your invested funds remain accessible and in your control. With LCEF, you experience the benefits of working with an established financial institution while growing the LCMS. Supporting you around the clock LCEF offers secure, 24/7 online access to investments and loans through MyAccount. View balances and statements, complete transactions and even receive alerts when payments are due. Communicate directly with dedicated LCEF staff members who share your faith and values to ensure your stewardship efforts are always wellinformed and free of stress. So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them Romans 12:5-6 Blessings, Jeff Maltz jeffrey.maltz@lcef.org

10 Featured Program: Young Investors (Y.I.) Club Around the District Installation of Rev. Michael Van Velzer On December 10, the Rev. Michael Van Velzer was installed as pastor of Immanuel, Netawaka. From left, acolyte Brantley Dohl, the Revs. Brian Stark, Sean Kilgo, Van Velzer, Michael Dunaway, and acolyte Grant Amon.

11 Installation of Rev. Mark Boxman The Rev. Mark Boxman was installed as senior pastor at Trinity, Salina on December 17. From left, (front row) Revs. Ron Rather, Cliff Winter, Boxman, District President Peter Lange, Chris Craig, Justin Panzer, Cal Reinke; (middle row) Tom Thierfelder, Wendell Haubein, Dennis Kootz, Luke Brown, Brent Horne; (back row) Scott Snow, Leroy Pralle, Allen Woelzlein, Russ Bonine and Dale Dumperth. District Office Directory President s Office Rev. Peter K. Lange, President: kspres@kslcms.org, ext. 200 Tami Lierz, Administrative Assistant: tami@kslcms.org, ext. 200 Missions & Stewardship Rev. Dan Galchutt, Assistant to the President for Missions & Stewardship: dangalchutt@kslcms.org, ext. 222 Janet Powell, Administrative Assistant: janet@kslcms.org, ext. 223 Educational Services Jim Bradshaw, Assistant to the President for Educational Services: jbradshaw@kslcms.org, ext. 200 Tami Lierz, Administrative Assistant: tami@kslcms.org, ext. 200 Business Office Debbie Crites, Business Manager: debbie@kslcms.org, ext. 204 Shannon Oldham, Administrative Assistant: shannon@kslcms.org, ext. 202 Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) Jeff Maltz, LCEF Vice President, Kansas/Oklahoma: jeffrey.maltz@lcef.org, ext. 118 Communications Kris Bruss, Communications Specialist, kbruss@kslcms.org, ext. 322

12 Lutheran Witness Subscriptions Shannon Oldham: ext. 202 Retreat Center Reservations Rev. Mark and Kristi Lovett: