[DistUpd] July 11

Wed Jul 11 08:30:11 CDT 2007

Update for July 11

A publication of the Nebraska District, a District ABLAZE!

Greetings in the name of our Heavenly Father.

*        Prayer Requests

*        Prairie Fire Registrations Due This Week

*        Volunteers Needed to Help with Kansas Tornado Clean-Up

*        Get Up-To-Date Synodical Convention Information

*        Father/Son Ordinations and Installations in District

*        National LWML Convention Sets Mission Goals

*        In the News: "Doing the Lord's Work"

*        District Member Selected for Short-Term Mission Trip

*        District Church Workers Featured in National Publications

*        New Nebraska LLL Pastoral Advisor

*        National Youth Gathering Will Offer Connections to Congregation

*        New Youth Devotional From CPH

*        Lutheran Tape Ministry Announces Latest Release

PRAYER REQUESTS

President Don Fondow - We join in prayers of thanksgiving and healing
for Minnesota North District President Rev. Don Fondow. Last week
President Fondow suffered a burst appendix and required emergency
surgery to remove it. He is now recovering. We thank God for the
protection He gave Rev. Fondow and the medical staff He provided. We
also ask for continued healing and renewed strength as President Fondow
anticipates a return to his duties.

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PRAIRIE FIRE REGISTRATIONS DUE THIS WEEK

Registrations for Prairie Fire '07 are due this Friday, July 13. Those
planning to attend this one-day conference of encouragement and
inspiration are to register online or by mail by Friday to aid in
planning of meals, materials, and room assignments. 

Registration materials were mailed to every church office or may be
downloaded and printed from the Nebraska District website at
www.ndlcms.org <http://www.ndlcms.org/> . Online registration with a
credit card is also available from that site.

Teachers in the District are invited to attend this conference in place
of the August Retreat. Check with your principal for more information.

Rev. Scott Snow, National Director of Outreach for LCMS World Mission,
will be the guest speaker for the day. Everyone is invited to come to be
refreshed, renewed, and re-ignited for ministry. Contact the District
Office at 888-643-2961 or conference at ndlcms.org with questions.

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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO HELP WITH KANSAS TORNADO CLEAN-UP

There is a need for a limited number of work crew volunteers to assist
with cleanup efforts in Greensburg Kansas at this time. Work crews
should come with their own equipment--wheelbarrows, shovels, rakes, work
gloves, etc. 

Volunteers should make contact with Julie Hillschafer, LDR site
coordinator, in advance at (620) 388-3760. A limited amount of overnight
housing is available.

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GET UP-TO-DATE SYNODICAL CONVENTION INFORMATION

News from the 63rd Regular LCMS Convention, July 14-19 in Houston, will
be available through Reporter Online and the Synod's Web site and
distributed via LCMSNews. The August printed issues of Reporter and The
Lutheran Witness -- the Synod's two official periodicals -- also will
have coverage from the convention.

For the first time, gavel-to-gavel coverage of the proceedings will be
available via Internet streaming on the Synod's website,
www.lcms.org/convention, beginning with the opening service at 4 p.m.
(CDT), Saturday, July 14. Select session highlights of streamed video
also will be available on demand. Also, printable copies of the
convention worship folder and Bible-study material will be available for
download at the website, for those who would like to follow along or for
later use.

For the most timely and complete convention news as the convention is in
progress, go to Reporter Online at http://reporter.lcms.org and click on
"Convention News," then on the listing by floor committee, "Elections,"
or "Other."

For the status of elections and resolutions, as well as for a daily
photo gallery, go to the convention Web site at www.lcms.org/convention.

Subscribers to LCMSNews will receive major stories (such as the election
of president) as they break. After each convention session, a summary
will be sent to those subscribers with links to the full news stories
from that session. To subscribe to LCMSNews, go to the Synod's LCMS
e-News Web site at www.lcms.org/enews. At that site, register for an
e-News account by entering required contact information, then click on
"View or Modify my Newsletters," and finally on "LCMSNews" in the "News"
folder. Those who already have an e-News account should enter their
e-mail address and password at www.lcms.org/enews, click on "View or
Modify my Newsletters," and then choose "LCMSNews" in the "News" folder.

The Synod's Radio Station KFUO-AM plans several broadcasts from Houston
during the convention.  They include the Saturday, July 14, opening
worship service; Chuck Rathert's "The Bible Study Show" at 10:05 a.m.
(CDT) on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from the KFUO booth in the
convention exhibit hall; and the Sunday-night edition of "Issues, Etc."
at 9 p.m.

For web-streaming of those KFUO-AM broadcasts, go to www.kfuo.org.

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FATHER/SON ORDINATIONS AND INSTALLATIONS IN DISTRICT

Rev. David Weaver of St. Paul and St. Matthew Lutheran Churches of
Meadow Grove, Nebraska, preached for his father, Gerry Weaver's,
ordination into the Office of the Holy Ministry and installation as
pastor for St. Peter and Trinity Lutheran Churches of Snyder and Howells
on July 1. 

Rev. Douglas Gaunt of Trinity Lutheran Church, Orchard Farm, Missouri,
ordained his son, Micah, into the Office of the Holy Ministry and
preached at the service of Ordination/Installation at Bethlehem Lutheran
Church, Ravenna on July 8. Micah will serve Bethlehem and Zion Lutheran
Churches of Ravenna and North Shelton.  

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NATIONAL LWML CONVENTION SETS MISSION GOALS

Delegates to the 32nd Biennial Convention of the Lutheran Women's
Missionary League (LWML) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, adopted a record
$1.7 million mission goal for the 2007-09 biennium. This is the largest
goal in the organization's 65-year history.

More than 5,000 people attended the convention, held June 21-24 under
the theme "Rest

On Christ the King," or "ROCK," from Psalm 31:1-3. 

The record mite goal is $75,000 more than the LWML's previous goal for
2005-07. The funds

raised by the organization's 250,000 members nationwide over the next
two years will be used to support 18 mission grants to:

*        train deaf-ministry leaders ($50,000).

*        provide portable medical clinics in Sudan, East Africa
($70,000).

*        build 10 Lutheran churches in India ($100,000).

*        support a female missionary to Muslim people in Guinea, Africa
($100,000).

*        help Lutheran Bible Translators, Aurora, Ill., provide
transportation for missionaries ($60,000).

*        open eight new Lutheran Blind Mission Outreach Centers
nationwide ($40,000).

*        provide education to Muslims in Bangladesh ($75,000).

*        support a "circuit rider" pastor in rural northwest South
Dakota ($65,000).

*        support an inner-city children's ministry in Minneapolis-St.
Paul ($50,000).

*        send a female human-care missionary to Africa ($100,000).

*        support a Christian family counseling center in St. Petersburg,
Russia ($36,000).

*        expand mission work in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, and
Ethiopia, Africa ($104,500).

*        begin a Lutheran campus ministry at Haskell Indian Nations
University in Lawrence, Kan.

*        ($95,000).

*        expand internet streaming capabilities at KFUO-AM radio in St.
Louis ($50,000).

*        support Concordia University, Austin, Texas, students preparing
for child-welfare careers

*        ($80,000).

*        assist Lutheran City Ministries in its outreach to homeless and
addicted people in Detroit

*        ($49,000).

*        support a soup kitchen at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in
Chicago ($33,000).

*        support a cross-cultural urban ministry in Ohio ($32,500).

The 600-plus delegates also elected a new president to lead the
organization over the next four

Years. Janice Wendorf of Grafton, Wisconsin, the 16th president of the
LWML, asked for

"prayers for the support of our organization and the support of all the
individual officers that you

have elected."

In her "President's Report," outgoing LWML President Linda Reiser of
Grand Island, Nebraska, applauded the "Christ-focused service" of LWML
members, who have successfully met mission goals and showed an "unending
willingness to help others" not because they seek glory for themselves
but "simply and faithfully because there is a need." The LWML has been
successful, she said, only "because of God's great faithfulness to us."
She encouraged attendees to return home and make a difference by
faithfully sharing "what Jesus has put in our hearts."

For more information about the convention or the LWML, visit the Web
site www.lwml.org <http://www.lwml.org/> . 

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IN THE NEWS: "DOING THE LORD'S WORK"

"During his 37 years as a pastor, the Rev. William Voelker has received
many accolades for his work and his congregations' accomplishments, but,
he says, a higher power deserves the praise. 'I always hope that Jesus
Christ gets the credit and not me,' he said. Voelker [retired] July 1
after nearly 24 years at Peace Lutheran Church [Grand Island]."

The Grand Island Independent featured an article that began this way in
its June 25 edition. To read the full article about Pastor Voelker and
his retirement, visit the Independent website at
http://www.theindependent.com/stories/06252007/new_voelker25.shtml. 

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DISTRICT MEMBER SELECTED FOR SHORT-TERM MISSION TRIP

Lutheran Women in Mission (LWML) celebrated their 65th anniversary at
their 32nd biennial convention in Sioux Falls, S.D. LCMS World Mission
Executive Director Rev. Dr. Robert Roegner addressed the general
assembly of 5,023 registered participants to celebrate LCMS World
Mission's continuing partnership with LWML.

Many convention participants also stopped by the LCMS World Mission
booth to gather additional information, meet missionaries, enter a
drawing for a free mission trip to Panama, and pray. A seating area was
provided inside the booth for ladies to have a leisurely visit with
missionaries. Many attendees took advantage of the prayer wall
opportunity-they wrote prayer requests on the provided blocks and
gradually added their petitions onto the wall. Donna Barton, the 2005
mission trip winner, drew the slip for this year's winner-Susie Loofe of
Neligh, Neb. Susie will experience a short-term mission trip to Panama,
sponsored by LCMS World Mission. Congratulations to Susie!

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DISTRICT CHURCH WORKERS FEATURED IN NATIONAL PUBLICATIONS

EIIT Vicars - In the Summer 2007 issue of Focus on Concordia Seminary,
St. Louis, three Nebraska EIIT vicars are pictured on the bottom of the
page with the President's article (page 3). Vicar Peter Bur of the
Sudanese Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mission, Omaha; Riek Marwang,
who is serving his vicarage at King of Kings, Omaha; and James Riang,
vicar at Christ, Lincoln, are shown during the assignment service. This
article and the entire magazine may be downloaded from the Seminary
website at
http://www.csl.edu/Resources_Publications_PublicationArchives.aspx. 

DELTO Vicar - In the Pastoral Education supplement to the July 2007 LCMS
Reporter, Vicar Bill Mattfeld from Trinity and Immanuel, Schuyler, is
pictured and quoted in the article entitled, "From Radio Mics to
Computers, the Church Taps Technology." This insert had not been posted
yet on the LCMS website. Past issues are available at
http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=11707.   

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NEW NEBRASKA LLL PASTORAL ADVISOR

The Nebraska District LLL has a new assistant pastoral advisor. The Rev.
Richard Snow of St. John's, Battle Creek, has accepted the post vacated
by Pastor Duane Fahr of Bloomfield, who began his service as Pastoral
Advisor. May the Lord continue to bless this ministry and the work of
Pastor Fahr, Pastor Snow, and all of the members.

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NATIONAL YOUTH GATHERING WILL OFFER CONNECTIONS TO CONGREGATION

A number of 'back-home' connections for the July 29-Aug. 1 LCMS National
Youth Gathering and first-ever companion Adult Gathering in Orlando will
help link congregation members with their members at the Gathering. 

Those connections include a Sunday-morning Bible study written by the
Gathering Bible-study team and based on the theme text of 1 Peter 2:19
-- the same Bible study members in Orlando will be using -- and a
first-time web video stream of Gathering mass events and the
Tuesday-evening worship service.

Also online, youth groups will be able to create a personalized Web page
known as "Our Space" via the Gathering website at
http://www.lcmsgathering.com where they will be able to share their
experiences and photos with family and friends back home.

Another new feature of this year's Gathering is that each congregation
with a group registered will receive a complimentary copy of the
post-Gathering DVD. "Our intent is to include those parents and [other]
individuals who have been a part of the participants' three-year
preparation in the event," according to Gretchen Jameson, associate
director for LCMS Youth Ministry -- Communications, in a news release
about the Gathering.

Jameson added that as congregations "make use of the Gathering
Commissioning Service [available at the Gathering website], before the
event, share in Bible study, view events, and hear the stories of the
participants, the Gathering becomes more than a one-time 'big' event. It
becomes part of the larger youth ministry happening back home." Plans
called for the Bible study to be posted at the Gathering site in July.

Jameson said that more than 1,780 congregations representing all 35 LCMS
districts are registered for the 2007 event -- the 10th LCMS National
Youth Gathering since 1980. Visit the Gathering website listed above for
full Gathering details.

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NEW YOUTH DEVOTIONAL FROM CPH

Chosen! Won! from Concordia Publishing House is a collection of 60
devotions, written by teens for teens. In these devotions, teen writers
share stories of how God chose them and won them from sin, death, and
the devil through the suffering, death, and resurrection of His Son,
Jesus Christ. 

Teen readers learn how God guides them in their day-to-day living. Each
Christ-centered and biblically balanced devotion includes Scripture,
meditation, and prayer. 

This book is wonderful for summer and fall reading or as a confirmation
gift, lifting up God's Word and Sacraments for the strengthening of
faith as young people face the challenges of today.

Chosen! Won!
Paperback  -  136 pages 
$8.99 -  Item Number 0-7586-1111-0

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LUTHERAN TAPE MINISTRY ANNOUNCES LATEST RELEASE

Lutheran Tape Ministry, Inc. and TalkingScriptures.com, based in Blue
Springs, Nebraska, announces the release of their newest Bile study
devotional series on compact disk entitled: "How to. . ." written by
Fred Naumann, Executive Producer of Lutheran Tape Ministry and
TalkingScriptures.com. The Bible study devotional series discusses
topics such as "How to . . ."

*	Build faith
*	Handle stress
*	Overcome despair
*	Maintain hope
*	Face spiritual trials
*	Face illness
*	Handle suffering
*	Control the tongue
*	Avoid worldliness
*	Defeat Satan
*	Praise God
*	Find understanding
*	Witness
*	Find contentment

"How to . . ." is available from Lutheran Tape Ministry for a suggested
donation of $10 per CD. Call toll-free 800-937-2591 or visit Lutheran
Tape Ministry at TalkingScriptures.com. 

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Blessings,

Nichole Hetz
Nebraska District LCMS
Director of Communications and Events
1-888-643-2961
nicholeh at ndlcms.org <mailto:nicholeh at ndlcms.org> 
www.ndlcms.org <http://www.ndlcms.org/>  

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