LWMS Lutheran Women s Missionary Society (LWMS) is women dedicated to serving Jesus by increasing awareness of, interest in, and support of the mission outreach of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). Rejoice in the Lord! As I returned to Brookings, South Dakota, I reflected on attending my third LWMS convention and the blessings of attending the convention. First, this convention provided the opportunity for me to write a song reflecting on the Recharge, Reach Out, Rejoice! theme of LWMS for the past three years. While I had prayed for years for an opportunity to write an original music composition, I had not been brave enough to share my music with others. When Emily Kom, LWMS Board of Directors President-elect, contacted me and asked if I would write a song for the LWMS convention, it hit me and it hit me hard. Wait! This is the opportunity I had been praying for, for years. I was so excited! And then fear set in. What if I cannot do this? What if I fail? What if I cannot come up with any lyrics or notes to by Kathy Winghart, composer of the LWMS convention anthem, Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice in the Lord! write? But I soon realized there was no reason for fear. I prayed for God to be right there with me, to help me write a song that would recharge and reach out to those who heard it and rejoice with our God and Savior for the mission opportunities to praise our Lord and Savior. Thank you for this opportunity to rejoice with all of you through God s word in music! Another blessing of the convention was hearing the messages that missionaries shared with convention attendees which many times brought me to tears. Not tears of sadness, but tears of joy that the Lord has sent people willing to go to faraway lands, as well as to stay here in North America to share the message of God s grace. I encourage you all to attend an LWMS convention in the future. What an amazing, uplifting experience to hear about the synod s mission work! Soli Deo Gloria! 2016 Convention Notes 1,054 registered attendees 56 out of 60 circuits represented Opening Service: 1,128 Closing Service: 995 First Time Attendees: 188 Send One Sister (SOS) Challenge: 31 Former Board Members: 33 kids c.a.r.e. Offerings: $60,816.17 - CAMM Orphan/Infant Care Missions Offerings: $41,529.29 - World Missions Project #WM-2014-32 ~ Television Broadcast for Muslim World & Theological Seminars $41,529.28 - Home Missions Project #HM-2014-11 ~ Summer Student Assistants Worship Service Offerings: $25,805.15 - World Missions Project #WM-2014-26 ~ Apache Leadership & Maintenance $25,805.14 - Home Missions Project #HM-2014-20 ~ Outreach to Asians Lutheran women s missionary society Page 1
Repurposed Rubble The 53rd Annual LWMS Convention in St. Charles, Illinois, gathered over 1,000 registered attendees and more guests who heard preachers, presenters, and people of faith talk about God s work in the world and how Christ alone is our Cornerstone. In spite of and through illness, poverty, relocation, misinformation, cultural differences, and other challenges, we heard how the Holy Spirit works through the Word to build his church. The convention was not only informational, but inspirational, and not only educational, but edifying. The LWMS women and the men who love them came away with enthusiasm and support to help fuel each other to further service in HIS LWMS President Karen Fischer kingdom. It was a wonderful, emotion-filled convention that underscored how God takes all of us little pieces of rubble and repurposes us to build his church as he sees fit. He fits us together, making us better united than we would be individually, to build a diverse church full of saints around the world. We thank our Lord above for his grace in using us and granting us these service and edification opportunities together at the LWMS convention. There are many ways to carry forward the zeal we felt from convention in prayer for and in service to missions through LWMS. A special gift initiative was unveiled in this REJOICE year called the Legacy Fund which will allow for perpetual gifts to missions from our members. As fall rallies approach, my prayer is that our members continue to pray, serve, and give with enthusiasm and passion, knowing that God has, does, and will bless those efforts! Board of Directors Board of Directors & Committee Members President Karen Fischer ~ president@lwms.org President-elect Emily Kom ~ presidentelect@lwms.org Vice President Sheila Frey ~ vicepresident@lwms.org Secretary Donna Kuehl ~ secretary@lwms.org Treasurer Robin Christopher ~ treasurer@lwms.org Spiritual Growth~Mission Awareness Coordinator Ruth Schmitzer ~ bam@lwms.org Communications Coordinator Trish Babler ~ cc@lwms.org Pastoral Advisors Rev. Paul Lindhorst ~ pastor1@lwms.org Rev. Wayne Shevey ~ pastor2@lwms.org Central Office Beth Taticek, administrator ~ beth@lwms.org Lois Miller, assistant ~ lois@lwms.org Vicki Behringer, assistant ~ vicki@lwms.org Standing Committees Bylaws Committee (Standing) Mary Fischer, chair ~ fischwm69@gmail.com Ruth Schaller ~ spahnruth@comcast.net Jill Doering ~ mjdoering42@hotmail.com Communications Committee (Standing) Tiffany Rivera ~ tiffany.rivera@hotmail.com Kristen Smith ~ kristenkaysmith1@gmail.com Wendy Wright ~ wrighters@sbcglobal.net LWMS Board of Directors Communications Coordinator serves as chair of the Communications Committee. LWMS Awareness Committee (Ad hoc) Karen Goetzinger, chair ~ quiltopia@sympatico.ca Patsy Kramer ~ cosmopk88@hotmail.com Leigh McGrath ~ leighmcgrath1@gmail.com Jennifer Vik ~ jenvik@gmail.com LWMS Board of Directors President-elect serves as a member of the LWMS Awareness Committee. Historian Linda Klein ~ historian@lwms.org Quilt Coordinator Bambi Tuttle ~ quilts@lwms.org Page 2 Lutheran women s missionary society
F A L L 2 016 N e w s l e t t e r You re Invited to Orlando, FL June 22-25, 2017 for the 54th Annual Convention of the Lutheran Women s Missionary Society He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Lutheran women s missionary societ y Pag e 3
Mission Projects Ballot 2017 LWMS selects two home mission and two world mission projects to be voted on by LWMS member congregations each spring. The two projects chosen by ballot will share 25 percent of the circuit offerings gathered during the year. Projects not selected will divide the offerings from the 2017 convention opening and closing worship services. Home Missions #HM-2016-15: Cross-Cultural Mission Conferences and Training This project assists congregations in reaching out to the ethnic groups in their neighborhoods. This requires visits, workshops, or assistance to encourage and equip the members of a congregation or group of congregations. In many cases seminary students are used to lead the workshops. Your support will assist congregations who seek this level of training for their members. #HM-2016-02: Equipment Fund New mission congregations, who often meet in storefronts, local schools, or other rented facilities, sometimes need equipment like tables and chairs. Pastors may need to set up offices in these locations and obtain basic office items to conduct their ministry. Sometimes mission churches are deep in debt from building or renovating a church home, making equipment purchases difficult. Your gifts will help these young congregations begin to acquire much needed items and supplies, which can be used for years to come. World Missions #WM-2016-32: Nepal Projects After seven years of biannual workshops, we have developed a Bible institute in Nepal. The next step is to start a seminary where pastors will be trained theologically and vocationally. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. Men often leave the country for two to three years to earn money for their families. The hope is to teach the men the skills for a tent ministry whereby they may support themselves. The leaders in Nepal have suggested a dairy farm as a means to this end. If every pastor has two dairy cows, he will have enough milk to adequately support his family. This program is called Milk for Nepal. Gifts to this project will help establish a farm, purchase cows, other animals, supplies, and Lord willing one day buy land. As men train to be pastors, the number of church workers multiplies, and the gospel message expands into the central and eastern part of this country of which only one-half of one percent are Christian. #WM-2016-02: Repatriation Conferences During the last two years we have had eight world missionaries leave foreign mission fields. Some have been recalled, some have retired, and some have accepted other divine calls. Whether they served in a big city like Hong Kong or the villages of India, moving back to the United States is an adjustment. These repatriation conferences assist our returning missionaries, their spouses, and children to adjust to leaving a foreign mission field and returning to the United States ministry, life, and culture. The Board for World Missions considers this program absolutely necessary to help mission families transition to their new lives. Your support will assist with these much needed conferences. LWMS Membership Report (May 16, 2016-July 10, 2016) New Congregation/Individual City and State Circuit Amazing Grace Roscoe, Illinois Rock River Reinstated Congregations Beautiful Savior Las Vegas, Nevada Golden West Mt. Olive Las Vegas, Nevada Golden West Reformation Dousman, Wisconsin Milwaukee Metro South The total membership stands at 843 member congregations and 11 individuals. Page 4 Lutheran women s missionary society
id k s FALL 2016 Newsletter ca.. re.. care about reaching everyone with the gospel New Project: Family Ministry for Outreach Kids c.a.r.e. really is just that, kids helping kids. The letters in c.a.r.e. stand for care about reaching everyone with the gospel. This program of the Lutheran Women s Missionary Society, gives children the chance to be a part of the important work of sharing the good news about Jesus with children who don t know him. The kids c.a.r.e. offerings received between now and May 2017 will support the home mission project Family Ministry for Outreach, which helps mission congregations in North America as they develop special ministry programs such as Mommy and Me, Tots for Jesus, and Mornings with Mommy. Family ministry programs are specifically designed to welcome parents/caregivers and their young children to congregation-based social gatherings while integrating the love of Jesus and the truths of God s Word. Lesson plans adapted from the Christ-Light curriculum have been written at two levels of instruction to assist teachers, parents, grandparents, caregivers, and anyone who works with children to open the eyes of our youngsters to mission work. Thank you for supporting the Family Ministry for Outreach project through kids c.a.r.e. You can read more about the kids c.a.r.e. project on the website: www.lwms.org. kids c.a.r.e Thanks On behalf of the Central African Medical Mission (CAMM), I want to express our sincere gratitude and heartfelt thanks for the generous gift to the CAMM Orphan/Infant project CAMM has been so richly blessed by this gift from children, families, and congregations that will go to support the work being done in Malawi and Zambia with the physical and spiritual care of the children of these areas We thank our good and gracious God for all your support and this most timely and appreciated gift! May all the glory and praise be to him alone! Cheryl Valus, CAMM, Stateside committee secretary 2017 LWMS Prayer Calendar: Around the World Mission Training Training of our future teachers and preachers is vital to our synod. Each month the 2017 LWMS Prayer Calendar features a seminary student s experience in a home mission setting or a national student in one of our world missions studying for the ministry. Read each month about the experiences of these students and pray for them and their mission field. Bible verses for your meditation and reminders are provided to assist you in formulating prayers. Missionary birthdays are listed monthly. More contact information about WELS home missions and world missionaries is listed on the back pages of the calendar. Each calendar is $10, plus shipping and handling. Order one for yourself and an extra one for your church or classroom. Contact Central Office at (414) 321-6212 or centralofficebam@lwms.org to order yours today. Lutheran women s missionary society Page 5
by Katherine Schmoller Encouraged. Comforted. Excited. Invigorated. Supported. Thankful. These were some of the thoughts and feelings that filled my heart and mind after worship on Sunday, June 26, 2016. I had just attended my first LWMS convention and I couldn t help but praise God for the opportunity I had to worship Him with over 1,000 fellow sisters in Christ. Three things at the convention stood out to me: the presentations/speakers, the opportunities for worship, and the people. Missionaries from Antigua to Russia to Utah spoke about their challenges, but also the amazing blessings God has granted through their faithful work. I could hear specifically what to include in my prayers and actually meet the people for whom I was praying. Their words were good reminders to go out and make disciples of all nations no matter where I live. The worship services and devotions were such an uplifting and comforting part of the convention. The messages of Christ as our Cornerstone, the choir, and the music all added to this. Breaking out in a cappella harmony of the Doxology with 1000+ fellow believers is an amazing memory that I won t soon forget. I also had the privilege of carrying the Russian flag at the closing service for a missionary wife who could not be FALL 2016 Newsletter Encouraged Invigorated Thankful! there. This experience has had a lasting impact being in the midst of the many flags when walking out, symbolizing how God uses his people throughout the world to spread His message. Finally, the people. I can t think of anywhere else you can go and feel such love and support from someone you are just meeting for the first time. And this didn t happen just once or twice, but every single person I talked to had some encouraging words, a friendly smile, or simply said, We re praying for you. I couldn t wait to share these sentiments with our home mission congregation in Lafayette, Indiana. So what did I take away from my first LWMS convention? Physically, an altar. Yes, an altar! We at Lamb of God were gifted the beautiful work of art created to adorn the chancel at the convention. What a blessing to have this reminder in our church of all the prayers that are being offered for missions just like ours. I also gained a greater sense of the work God is doing through our missionaries around the world. I left with a heart overflowing with the love and kind words given to me by my sisters in Christ. And I couldn t wait to be a missionary by sharing the gospel! Mission Prayer Our Creator and Savior God, this summer is drawing to a close. Yet, as you promised, we look forward to the vibrant colors of the approaching fall season. The yellows and oranges and reds and browns and the many other rainbow-like colors, are truly magnificent during this season. Within our world are people of various colors and shapes and sizes. Because of your Son s life, suffering, death, and resurrection, the sins of all have been paid for in full. Through your gospel powerfully work faith in Jesus within ugly, unbelieving hearts. That way each will be more beautiful to you than the leaves of the fall are to us. Amen. Page 6 Lutheran women s missionary society
LWMS Introduces the Legacy Fund In love for your Savior, Jesus, who first loved you and offered himself up for you on the cross as your perfect substitute, you have generously supported the urgent work of the Lutheran Women s Missionary Society (LWMS) with your time, talents, prayers, and offerings. Thank you! Your gifts, joined with thousands of others, have made it possible for LWMS to support missionaries at home and around the globe as they proclaim Jesus to people dying in their sins. There is a new and exciting opportunity for you to continue your support of missions through LWMS even after you go home to heaven. You can now leave a legacy of mission support through your gifts to a new endowment fund. Partnering with the WELS Foundation, the board of directors is pleased to present the LWMS Legacy Fund (referred to as Legacy Fund). The goal of the Legacy Fund is to provide a long-term income stream that will be used to make a special annual mission gift from LWMS to WELS missions. When you make a gift to the Legacy Fund your contribution is invested with and becomes part of our endowment. Additional earnings are reinvested and because the principal remains intact, the fund will continue to grow in perpetuity. A portion of earnings from the Legacy Fund will be distributed annually to support a mission-minded ministry opportunity of the WELS as selected by the LWMS Board of Directors. These monies will be distributed above and beyond the annual mission collection of members. This gift will increase the impact of LWMS giving and provide an opportunity to fund emerging needs as they arise. Gifts may be made directly to the Legacy Fund at any time and for any amount. Gifts as part of a planned gift (estate gifts, bequests, beneficiary designations) can be given by designation to LWMS or coordinated through WELS Christian Giving Counselors. Your gifts to the Legacy Fund provide an opportunity to declare your Christian mission values and to establish your legacy of mission support. You will have the satisfaction of knowing that your gift to the Legacy Fund will make financial support possible for new mission endeavors as they arise and will do so forever. Let s say you would like to make a gift (either today or after you have gone home to heaven) that would support WELS missions with $100 annually in perpetuity. To accomplish this, you would need to follow this formula: Desired annual gift amount distribution policy = Required gift amount to the Legacy Fund. Example: $100.04 = $2,500. So, with a $2,500 gift to the Legacy Fund, you would ensure an annual gift of $100 was given by LWMS to support WELS missions from now until Jesus returns! The Legacy Fund is managed and invested by the WELS Foundation. The Foundation has a proven record of success employing conservative investment and fund management strategies. LWMS receives annual distributions from the Legacy Fund totaling approximately four percent of the fund balance. These funds will continue to provide supplemental mission support on an annual basis and will impact the WELS mission work for decades to come. But just as you excel in everything in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete, earnestness and in your love for us see that you also excel in this grace of giving. (2 Corinthians 8:7) Lutheran women s missionary society Page 7
11200 W. Greenfield Avenue West Allis, WI 53214-2240 414.321.6212 Fax: 414.321.6258 Email: centraloffice@lwms.org Website: www.lwms.org Forms can be found in your handbook or at www.lwms.org. CIRCUIT OFFICERS Rally Report Form (Officers 59) Email Lois at Central Office (lois@lwms.org) and Emily Kom (presidentelect@ lwms.org), or mail, in care of Central Office, within 30 days after fall rally. Mission Offering Transmittal Form (Officers 58) Send to Central Office immediately following fall rally. CIRCUIT REPORTERS (CR)/NON-CIRCUIT REPORTERS (NCR) Befriend A Mission Response Form (R-12/RNC-12) Send to Circuit Vice President (CR) or BAM Coordinator Ruth Schmitzer (NCR) by January 1, 2017. Nominations for LWMS International Board of Directors Email Emily Kom (presidentelect@lwms.org) or mail, in care of Central Office President-elect Emily Kom, by November 1, 2016, for President-elect, Treasurer, and Pastoral Advisor. Mission Offerings Send to Circuit Treasurer (CR) before fall rally or Central Office (NCR) after fall offering has been collected. Change of Name/Address for Reporter/Pastor Form (R-9/ RNC-9) Send to Central Office as changes occur. From Your LWMS Awareness Committee (LAC) REJOICE always, says the apostle Paul! It seems so difficult but we find our joy in the peace only Jesus can give us. That is uplifting! At convention the LAC introduced the third component of the Recharge, Reach Out, Rejoice! program. The 3 R s is all about growing spiritually, supporting gospel ministry together, and establishing relationships with our sisters in Christ. We REJOICE in the plethora of ideas and joyful Bible passages shared with us at our LAC display table! We will be sharing those with you throughout the year. Watch the monthly LWMS Notes, Facebook, and future newsletters for fun REJOICE ideas. Check out the LWMS website under the RRR link for the new REJOICE video, REJOICE devotions and downloadable support materials. Lutheran women s missionary society Page 8 Lutheran women s missionary society