[DistUpd] February 3

Wed Feb 3 11:46:35 CST 2010

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February 3, 2010

In this issue:

Greetings in the name of Jesus, our Savior.

In what do you place your trust? Do you trust Punxsutawney Phil's weather prediction? Do you trust your car to get you where you need to be? Do you trust your alarm clock to wake you up at the right time?

For many, trust is placed in money, friends, self, or some mystical "higher power." As Christians, we can be confident that our trust is placed in the One who will never fail us - Jesus Christ. What a joy to know that God is always faithful, and what a wonderful blessing to work with others in the Church who are redeemed by the same Savior. May the Lord continue to bless His people according to His promises as we work together to share the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ with others.

 *   Prayer Requests
 *   IMMEDIATE Need for Medical Teams to Haiti
 *   Other Opportunities to Help in Haiti
 *   PBS Airs Story on LCMS Disaster Response
 *   Lutherans Plan Forum in Norfolk on Church Structure
 *   "The Baloney Shop" Available on DVD
 *   Lutherans in Medical Missions Forum
 *   Education Conference at Concordia
 *   Concordia Sunday Materials Now Available
 *   2010 Servant Event List Now Posted
 *   Order Materials for Armed Forces Sunday
 *   New Speaker Scheduled at Mission Central
 *   Prayerfully Consider Vocation of Pastor or Deaconess
 *   Paul Manz Celebration

PRAYER REQUESTS
Sudanese Ministry Leaders in Nebraska - Please remember in prayer Vicar Riek Marwang at King of Kings, Omaha, and Vicar James Riang at Christ, Lincoln, as they complete their studies in the Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and prepare to take their theological interviews. We ask that the Lord will bless these two men at this last step in their pastoral education, and that they will receive calls to continue their ministry among the Sudanese in Nebraska.

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IMMEDIATE NEED FOR MEDICAL TEAMS TO HAITI
Another team is needed immediately to go into Haiti on Saturday, February 6, 2010. Trauma doctors and nurses are needed. Please send Bobbie Lautenschlager,
Lutherans in Medical Missions executive director, an email at joliba at sbcglobal.net<mailto:joliba at sbcglobal.net> or call her Wednesday, February 3, at 314-503-4317 if you are interested.

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OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP IN HAITI
Lutherans in Medical Missions
Dr. John Lautenschlager has returned to Haiti to work on the Mercy Medical Team of LCMS World Relief and Human Care for an additional week. He was in Haiti with the WR&HC assessment team the previous week. He will work in a clinic located at Jacmel, Haiti with the assistance of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti. A WR&HC team is being assembled for deployment to Haiti February 13 for another week of clinical work.

Surgeons, OR nurses, wound specialists, anesthesiologists, and PTs are especially needed.  Volunteers must have a valid passport; typhoid and Hepatitis A and B vaccines should be up-to-date; and previous experience in disaster and cross-cultural settings would be very helpful. Malaria prevention will need to be taken by those going. More information and registration form is available at www.lcms.org/mercyteams<http://www.lcms.org/mercyteams>. Please fill out the form and send to mercymedical at lcms.org<http://us.mc573.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=mercymedical@lcms.org> with a copy to LIMM at limm.org<http://us.mc573.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=LIMM@limm.org> regarding your availability for that time frame or for future teams. THERE WILL BE MUCH WORK TO DO IN MONTHS TO COME.  Please be sure all correspondences go to LCMS World Relief and Human Care with a copy to LIMM.

A report of the work in Haiti will be included in the LIMM Forum March 19 and 20 held at the Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO.  Please check www.limm.org<http://www.limm.org> for a current registration form and an updated schedule.  Everyone is invited to attend.

LCMS World Relief and Human Care (From http://www.lcms.org/ca/worldrelief/dnews/)
LCMS World Relief and Human Care's Rev. Glenn F. Merritt is asking people eager to lend a helping hand in Haiti to provide their contact information so they can be contacted when volunteers are needed in the weeks and months to come in the earthquake-devastated country.

"We are so very thankful for your willingness to volunteer at this time, but the logistics and the situation in Haiti aren't yet right for sending volunteers," said Merritt, LCMS WR-HC director of Disaster Response, who described the situation in Haiti as changing by the hour. "How volunteers can be most helpful right now is to send us your information so we can contact you when the time is right."

Volunteer registration
The Synod's mercy is working with partner ministries to facilitate a future volunteer effort by collecting the names of people who want to help with what will be a massive recovery and rebuilding effort after the January 12 earthquake that has killed thousands. If you are interested in volunteering in Haiti, please complete the volunteer form<http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/63M2DPH>.

LCMS WR-HC will not be sending volunteers to the Caribbean nation, but Merritt is collecting names for partner Lutheran mission societies that have a history of working in Haiti that will organize volunteer efforts. Merritt said he is touched by the many people contacting him and wanting to help suffering Haitians.

Medical volunteer registration
There is, however, a need for medical professionals in Haiti. An LCMS World Relief and Human Care Emergency Mercy Medical Team (MMT) is currently serving in Jacmel, Haiti. An emergency MMT served Haitian refugees on the Haiti-Dominican Republic border within a week following the earthquake. Two more MMTs are scheduled to serve in Haiti in the coming months.

To learn more about Mercy Medical Teams, visit www.lcms.org/mercyteams<http://www.lcms.org/mercyteams>. Click here<https://www.volgistics.com/ex/portal.dll/ap?AP=1761936528> to fill out a volunteer application and be notified of upcoming service opportunities.

Volunteers are asked to send an e-mail to mercymedical at lcms.org<mailto:mercymedical at lcms.org> including their name, dates of availability, and specialty.

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PBS AIRS STORY ON LCMS DISASTER RESPONSE
The PBS program, Religion & Ethics News Weekly, will feature a story on their next show about the LCMS Haiti relief effort. A PBS film crew interviewed some members of the LCMS returning Haiti assessment, medical, and pastoral teams at Miami International Airport this past week. You can view the program online at: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/.

And for the latest news of the LCMS disaster response, please continue visiting: http://www.lcms.org. The LCMS is committed to helping Haiti and our partners there for the long term, so any and all prayers and donations are needed and appreciated. To donate to the LCMS Haiti relief effort, you can give online at http://www.lcms.org, by phone at 888-930-4438 (toll-free), or by mail at P.O. Box 66861, St. Louis, MO 63166-6861 (mark checks "Haiti Earthquake Relief").

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LUTHERANS PLAN FORUM IN NORFOLK ON CHURCH STRUCTURE
It could turn out to be one of the most significant series of changes in how The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod (LCMS) operates in decades.

After years of study, about 20 recommendations for structural and governance change will be taken up this summer when the LCMS meets at its synodical convention in Houston.
Occupying the first two days of the convention will be debate and action on the recommendations that stem from a task force report issued late last year.

In hopes of gathering as much input as possible from pastors, teachers and lay members prior to the convention, the delegates to the convention from the Norfolk area will be hosting a forum this week to share information and hear feedback.

The Rev. Michael Awe of Tilden and Kent Warneke of Norfolk will be serving as the Norfolk circuit's pastoral and lay delegates, respectively, to the convention. They recently attended a regional conference in Denver that provided extensive information about the proposed changes.

They will be hosting a circuit forum on Thursday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. at the Christ Lutheran Church fellowship hall in Norfolk. Members of Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod congregations in the Norfolk area are invited to attend.

The changes deal with such topics as how the synodical president is elected and how the national church body is structured.

Other circuits of the Nebraska District are encouraged to hold similar forums prior to the Synodical Convention July 10-17 in Houston.

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"THE BALONEY SHOP" AVAILABLE ON DVD
Christ, His people, and the Christian faith are under attack. Most of the time those attacks are just baloney. On the Baloney Shop video clips, Pastor Ken Klaus, speaker of The Lutheran Hour, goes on the attack pointing out, in a simple way, the foolishness and fallacies of the criticisms the Savior's soldiers have to face.

Now you can take the "Baloney Shop" to your congregation! The first year of The Baloney Shop<http://www.lhmmen.com/latest.asp> is now available from the Lutheran Hour Ministries' Men's NetWork. There Pastor Klaus is in rare form, donned in butcher's smock and brandishing a meat cleaver, regularly hacking away at contemporary and age-old tripe that has somehow made its way to the marketplace.

A year's worth of baloney for just $15? Just go to www.shoplhm.org<http://www.shoplhm.org> to get a DVD with all of last year's "Baloney Shop" segments. Members of the Men's NetWork (free with a simple online registration) can view individual segments at The Baloney Shop<http://www.lhmmen.com/latest.asp> before purchasing the DVD.

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LUTHERANS IN MEDICAL MISSIONS FORUM
Bobbie Lautenschlager, Executive Director of Lutherans in Medical Missions, announces that Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, LCMS World Mission, and Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis are presenting partners of the Sixth Annual LIMM Needs and Resources Forum March 19 and 20, 2010. Care of the Aged and the Chronically Ill: A Medical Mission Approach is the central theme for the 2 day event.

The program will be hosted at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri by Rev. Dr.
Robert W. Weise, Professor of Practical Theology, the Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis
Chair in Pastoral Ministry and the Life Sciences, and LIMM Board Member, Rev. Dr.
Leopoldo Sanchez, Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology, Director of the Center of
Hispanic Studies, the Werner R. H. Krause and Elizabeth Ringger Krause Endowed Chair for Hispanic Ministries, both of Concordia Seminary.

Rev. Larry Rockemann, chaplain, Lutheran Life Communities of Arlington, Illinois, will deliver the banquet address on Saturday evening, March 20. Rev. Tim and Rita Nickel, retired missionaries, and Dr. Al and Carol Buckman, founders of Christian Friends of
New Americans will be recognized for their contributions to medical missions.

For more information and to register please go to www.limm.org<http://www.limm.org/>. A complete schedule and registration form are available online.

Lutherans in Medical Missions was founded in the mid 1990s when a small group of people saw a need to emphasize medical care as part of Lutheran Mission Outreach.

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EDUCATION CONFERENCE AT CONCORDIA
All church workers in the Nebraska District are invited to attend the first LEA/SNL/CUNE education conference (Lutheran Education Association/Student Network Live/Concordia University, Nebraska). On March 27, Concordia University, Nebraska will host a conference for church workers and students going into church work. Registration will be from 8:45-9:15 a.m. and the conference will end at 3 p.m. The keynote speaker is Dr. Rebecca Fisher, who served as a full-time professor at Concordia until the fall of 2008, when she accepted a call to Christ Lutheran in Lincoln. She will come back and offer her insight on church work. There will be sectionals on topics about art, English, science, technology, and more.

For registration materials or for more information, contact Wendy Brown at wendy.brown at cune.org<mailto:wendy.brown at cune.org>.

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CONCORDIA SUNDAY MATERIALS NOW AVAILABLE (From President Kieschnick's "Letter to Pastors," January 2010: http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=16476)
April 18 has been designated "Concordia Sunday," a special opportunity to celebrate our LCMS colleges and universities. Our schools prepare individuals for many vocations and careers in life - pastors, teachers, directors of Christian education, directors of Christian outreach, deaconesses, lay ministers, directors of family life ministry, directors of parish music, pre-professional careers, and Christian education for lay leaders. The Concordia campuses help their students develop and mature in a Christian environment where Jesus Christ is the central focus of their education.

A mailing about Concordia Sunday already has been sent by the Board for University Education to all LCMS congregations, many of which have celebrated Concordia Sunday in past years. The celebration highlights the importance of a Christian education in a Lutheran context as an encouragement for youth to consider serving in positions that benefit both the LCMS and society. This is also an opportunity for our congregations to pray for the continued blessing of God on this ministry that proclaims Jesus Christ as the Lord of Life.

Free materials for celebrating Concordia Sunday are available from the Board for University Education. You can contact the BUE by mail at the LCMS International Center in St. Louis; by phone at (314) 996-1252 or toll-free at (800) 248-1930, Ext. 252; by fax at (314) 996-1120; or by e-mail at bue.info at lcms.org<mailto:bue.info at lcms.org>. Information about our colleges and universities also is available online at www.lcms.org/universities<http://www.lcms.org/universities>.

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2010 SERVANT EVENT LIST NOW POSTED
For more than 25 years, tens of thousands of Lutheran youth have participated in LCMS servant events, learning that serving others can make a difference because of Jesus Christ. LCMS servant events also:

 *   Provide opportunities for Christian service to the Church and world.
 *   Include personal Bible study, group building, and connection with other Christian youth.
 *   Give youth a chance to live what they believe by relating acts of service to daily life.
 *   Take youth out of their comfort zone and into the reality of others.
 *   Give youth the desire to share their love of Christ with the people of the world.

To find a list of the 2010 servant events and many more resource to help plan an event, visit the LCMS website at http://www.lcms.org/ca/dcs/SERVevents/SEhome.asp.

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ORDER MATERIALS FOR ARMED FORCES SUNDAY
LCMS World Mission is pleased to offer FREE resources for your congregation to celebrate Armed Forces Ministry Sunday. Resources for 2010 include: a suggested sermon, a responsive prayer, and a themed bulletin insert.

New this year: Due to our new ordering system, all congregations must place a new order to receive 2010 bulletin inserts.  Click here<http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=16277> to complete the order form.

Order by Friday, February 19, to ensure delivery in time for Armed Forces Sunday May 16, 2010.

Also available: An online form to register congregation members who are in the active military for "Ministry-by-Mail" by clicking here<http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=8100>.

LCMS World Mission Ministry to the Armed Forces thanks your congregation members for your participation in past Ministry to the Armed Forces Sundays. If your congregation chooses to celebrate Armed Forces Sunday on a day other than May 16, appropriate days could include a Sunday close to Memorial Day, Independence Day, or Veterans Day.

Download the Ministry to Armed Forces logo by right-clicking here<http://www.lcmsfoundation.org/wm/armedforces/Images/AF-logo.jpg> and choosing "Save As." Upload it to the congregation's website and link it to http://lcmsworldmission.org/armedforces.

For further information please contact LCMS Ministry to the Armed Forces at 1-800-433-3954, ext. 1337, or by e-mail at lcmschaps at lcms.org.<mailto:lcmschaps at lcms.org>

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NEW SPEAKER SCHEDULED AT MISSION CENTRAL
The following special events are planned at Mission Central near Mapleton, Iowa. Gary Thies invites everyone to come and hear these wonderful folks talk about their work around the world. All speaking events are in the barn at Mission Central, and the newest addition to the speaking list is in red. For more information on Mission Central or on these special events, visit the Mission Central website at www.missioncentral.us<http://www.missioncentral.us/>.

April 6, 2010, 1:00 and 7:00 p.m. -- Kalia Lo from Cambodia
April 20, 2010, 1:00 and 7:00 p.m. - Rev. Greg Sawyer from Hong Kong
June 8, 2010, 1:00 and 7:00 p.m. - Matt and Dee Dee Wasmund from Taiwan
July 7, 2010, 1:00 and 7:00 p.m. - Dr. Steve Oliver from Taiwan
July 17, 2010, 1:00 and 7:00 p.m. - Sharon Owens from Macau

Mission Central now has a Facebook page! Those interested in viewing this page may follow the link from the Mission Central homepage, www.missioncentral.us<http://www.missioncentral.us/>.

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PRAYERFULLY CONSIDER VOCATION OF PASTOR OR DEACONESS
We are living in a rapidly changing world, presenting us with new challenges and new opportunities on a daily basis.  You may be pondering some changes in your own life.  Perhaps you are considering how to serve Christ and His Church.  If so, the Prayerfully Consider Visit, March 24-27, 2010, on the campus of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana, may be just the opportunity for you.

Men and women of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) who are considering a life of service as a pastor or deaconess will have the opportunity to visit with faculty, staff, and student body; worship with the seminary community in Kramer Chapel; learn about financial aid possibilities; and see what the Fort Wayne area has to offer you and your family.

There is no fee for the visit.  On-campus meals and housing are also provided free of charge.  For additional information or to register online, please go to www.ctsfw.edu/pcv<http://www.ctsfw.edu/pcv>.  You may also call 260-452-2155 to speak with Admission staff.

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PAUL MANZ CELEBRATION
Everyone is invited to attend a tribute to Paul Manz presented by the musicians of Pacific Hills and Zion Lutheran Churches of Omaha at Pacific Hills (1110 South 90th Street), Omaha, on Sunday, February 14, at 3:00 p.m. This special event will celebrate the life and music of Paul Manz, a teacher, composer, recitalist, and international organist. He was a former teacher at Concordia University, St. Paul, where he established a solid music program. Dr. Manz did the dedicatory recital for the Pacific Hills organ in 1970, and now the congregation will honor him at this special event.

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

* Please Note: The inclusion of items in the Update from outside sources is for informational purposes only. Inclusion of such items does not constitute District endorsement.

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