The WELS Mission in Mobile first kicked off as Living Word Lutheran Church in 1971 at the request of several households which had withdrawn from some other “too liberal” Lutheran churches. Though the congregation eventually became self-supporting, we never experienced the growth we hoped for. In 2000, with the support of the Board for Home […]
Hope Lutheran Church is located in Toronto but more accurately Scarborough which was swallowed up by Toronto about 10 years ago. Scarborough unfortunately has also been called “Scarlem” because of the high crime rates. Someone once said to me, “Why would you guys pick that location? It’s so rough…” To which I answered, “Where better […]
The following is excerpted from Nigerian Health Worker Iboro received by Pastor Doug Weiser, WELS liaison to Nigeria.
Dear Etubom Douglas Weiser,
I am delighted to email you once again. How is your family doing? I hope all is well with you and every other member of WELS? Thank God for his divine protections and blessings upon […]
We held our ninth annual soccer-bible camp this summer here in Mississauga, Ontario. The Lord blessed us with 180 children participating! We were very thankful for all the new contacts we made with people in our community. Out of the 180 participants, we were able to meet 60 new families, who only heard about Cross […]
Yesterday was one of those days that I’ll never forget. Obviously a baptism always makes for a special day. When a little child, born into sin, is declared not guilty through the work of the Holy Spirit, that is always a reason to rejoice. But yesterday seemed even more special to me and to our […]
Pastor Doug Weiser, WELS liaison to our sister churches in Nigeria, shares a story from Mrs. Johnny’s clinic, Uruk Uso, Nigeria.
We sincerely thank the people of WELS for the support towards our Childbirth Clinic construction.
I am glad to inform you that the construction of Mrs. Johnny’s childbirth clinic is still in progress, and we are […]
Julie nee’ Majerus Wagenknecht is the wife of Missionary Nathan Wagenknecht. They were married in April 2009 and currently reside in Torreon, Mexico. Nathan is a member of the Latin America Traveling Theological Educators (LATTE) team and serves as a professor for our seminaries in Latin America. He is also the Friendly Counselor for Brazil.
Julie […]
Sunday, Sure Foundation Lutheran Church, Queens, NY, held our first worship service in our newly renovated building, but we had an even better reason to rejoice yesterday. The angels danced in heaven as four believers confessed their shared faith with us and also communed with us for the first time. We also maxed out the […]
He was a boy who floundered and wondered in his spiritual life. He really didn’t have a solid foundation on which to build the rest of his rapidly approaching life. The boy knew that something wasn’t quite right, but he was really too young to understand what that was all about. He had gone to […]
A little more than a year ago, the picture of ministry here in Battlement Mesa was…well…rather empty. In July of 2008, we had no core group of members. In fact, we had no members at all. We had no prospects. We had no congregation. About the only thing we did have was an idea that […]
If you want to talk about ministry highs and lows, we can certainly join in. We’ve gone through them both. This month, it seems we’ve been on the high end.
God certainly blessed some very visible and tangible efforts of our ministry this month. And that’s not to diminish or downplay the daily comfort he gives […]
What do you get when 150 people gather for a service that might have been unfamiliar or perhaps even uncomfortable to them? How do you capitalize on this precious privilege to share a magnificent message with these 150 souls? The answer is both humbling and awe-inspiring: “God’s always doing great exciting things!”
The Flash Player and […]
Clad in bright green t-shirts and warm smiles the members of Crown of Life Lutheran Church welcomed some 450 people to its third annual Walk With the Animals. This community event was free to the public for them to enjoy many live animals, a recreation of Noah’s Ark, crafts, songs and fun. (They probably liked […]
On Sunday, June 7th, members of St. Lucas Lutheran in Milwaukee hosted a benefit to raise money to support the work WELS world missions. The event was primarily sponsored by the St. Lucas Moms’ Group. The event itself was held at the home of a member of the group, and members did most of the […]
This letter, written to WELS President Rev. Mark Schroeder, by a visitor to a WELS home mission congregation in the Denver area.
Dear President Schroeder,
You wrote of the Convention agenda, “But all of those discussions will revolve around how we can best use God’s resources to carry out our mission of preserving and proclaiming God’s […]
The Lord has poured out blessings as our congregation has celebrated baptisms over the past few months. Linh Dao, a new member, brought her two young boys for Baptism on February 1st. Then, on Palm Sunday, we had two adult baptisms: Hoang Tran and Nghia Trung Nguyen. On Palm Sunday nine years ago, Nghia’s father, […]
It is New York City alphabet soup. There is the G, R, V, A, C, E, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and more. These are all trains or subways that some call the veins of America’s biggest city. New Yorkers pride themselves on their knowledge of the trains in New York. Just ask them […]
On Mother’s Day weekend Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church opened its doors to the community of northwest Las Vegas. Shepherd of the Hills is the new exploratory mission starting in Las Vegas. After months of community outreach, weekly Bible study at Pastor’s house, and preparations, we were ready to welcome the community […]
Rain did not dampen the enthusiasm of members of Apostles, Dardenne Prairie, Mo., on April 19, as they dedicated the Apostles Recreational Christian Center.
On this day people enjoyed food and fellowship well into the evening. An emotional Pastor Shevey addressed his people as a family of believers who know what their mission is in the […]
On April 25, 2009, everyone coming to the dedication at Star of Bethlehem, Savoy, Illinois, experienced the Illinois prairie winds as they pried open the doors of the church. The prayer is that the Holy Spirit will work in the hearts of many people and lead them through the doors as disciples of Jesus.
Savoy, immediately […]
Thailand - On March 26, two students graduated from the “It is Finished” Seminary. The two men were ordained and called to serve as ministers of the gospel in Thailand. Six other students graduated from the Bible Institute and will be called to serve as interns.
– The church in Nepal is being blessed by […]
Our congregations in the West Indies have been challenged by the Lord and WELS to produce independent churches. Unlike a typical independent congregation in the States, we have also taken on the challenge to train our own leaders regionally. Due to influences such as the difficulty in immigration laws after 9/11 and the financial disparity […]
“You mean Caribbean time, or St Lucian time?” That is usually the first question that I ask when someone asks me to meet them. Time is a liquid commodity in the Caribbean. It can drive you nuts, or it can be surprisingly refreshing. The Easter service this year was one of those surprisingly refreshing approaches […]
April 3-5 was the climax of our Easter outreach campaign here at Crown of Life Lutheran in Cadillac, MI. Prior to the weekend we sent out mailings and press releases, hung an Easter banner outside of our church, put up posters around town, and members did some door to door inviting. Like past years we […]
Christ is risen. He is risen indeed! That is the familiar chorus that is said on Easter morning in churches around the world. This year at East Fork and Canyon Day it will be no different and we have many reasons to give thanks for our Savior’s grace and forgiveness. Times have been rough on […]
During the Easter season, there is a much greater percentage of people who are willing to come to a church event on this Sunday than any other in our community, so we operate with the urgent understanding that this is an opportunity we must make full use of.
Easter morning at Cross of Life always begins […]
Its springtime or so I have been told. Here in Toronto the flurries still fly. We ship in palm branches for Palm Sunday from some warmer climate and if there were any such thing as an Easter bunny, the eggs he hides would be covered in a layer of frost. Yet the cold outside does […]
I never would have believed that our Good Friday services would become an “outreach” event. However, in Canada, Good Friday seems to be taken serious by many who don’t always take going to church very seriously. Very few churches do anything worthwhile for Good Friday around here, so we have been getting more and more […]
Despite not seeing a ton of new faces this month, God is strengthening me and helping me grow in necessary areas of my early ministry. Good things are happening here, like meeting three new families at Christmas for Kids, and I am confident that God will continue to bless us.
An interesting thing recently happened to […]
We have many people who worship with us that are not members of our congregation. These are people who just like to visit, people who are just learning about the Savior or people who have challenges in life that seem to get in the way of actively participating in congregational life. We are thankful that […]
After shoveling snow for most of the 2008 winter in Racine Wisconsin, we finally got Pastor Nathan Pope and his wife Pattie to join us in 85 degree weather for a month. Pastor Pope has the unique talent to construct and design altars, pulpits, and baptismal fonts. They not only look beautiful, but that also […]
As a member of WELS, you have supported home mission work in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean for years. WELS Board for Home Missions (BHM) supported primarily mission congregations. A few years ago some changes came to the system. Because of a budget crunch, it became cost prohibitive to open large numbers of […]
Take a look at a Sandals Resort brochure and you will see St Lucia advertised as the honeymoon vacation spot of the world. Every year, thousands of couples flock to St Lucia to get married. St Lucian weddings in our church also present an opportunity to share the gospel. Christmas time is a popular time […]
St. Lucia is a simple island, but technology has definitely arrived. Along the one main highway on the island, you will see billboards advertising for various products on the island. One enterprising company has installed 7 giant video screen billboards from the north end of the island to the south. One of our challenges has […]
Each year well-intentioned Protestants open several thousand new congregations in the United States. “New starts” occur for a variety of reasons. Denominational staff may have targeted an area of population growth for a new plant, then supplied financial and human resources to get things underway. A handful of people may have broken away from an […]
Multi-Language Publications is publishing the Bible Teachings Series, a guided self-study book for those with little or no knowledge of Jesus.
Multi-Language Publications provides Christian literature in many languages for training men as pastors, for instructing laypeople, and for reaching out to those who do not know Christ their Savior. Although books of deep theological knowledge […]
Download a copy of the most recent update of all world mission fields.
Below is a sample of updates from a few fields…
Nepal – Great progress is being made in sharing the gospel in the country of Nepal where not many years ago few were called Christians. The Scripture Learning Program continues to provide Christian literature […]
The highlight of this past month at Christ the Rock in Farmington, NM, was the baptism of Verna Lee. Verna has been visiting Christ the Rock (CTR) for several years now. A few weeks ago, after I had preached on Jesus’ baptism, Verna voiced her desire to be baptized as well. It was a welcome […]
The rainy season is in full swing in Zambia currently, but soon will be tapering off. The rainy season typically starts around the end of November and lasts until March. This year the first rain was in October, but regular rain did not start until November. We usually get downpours in the afternoon or evening […]
I went to Nigeria to meet up with Doug Weiser and to see what I could learn about the operation of a seminary and pre-seminary from Christ the King Lutheran Church of Nigeria and All Saints Lutheran Church.
Our group drove to Uruk Uso and began about a week there with the officials of Christ […]
Hello everyone, my name is Kerry, teacher of English here in Torreón for the past seven months. Take a close look at the picture.
I call them my gordita girls. I first met them on a Wednesday, in a class of English desde cero (our most basic class). Each took a seat, pencil ready and expectations […]
Team Nigeria is dispersing to their various normal duties. Missionary Dan Myers took the sea-going ship back to Cameroon early Wednesday morning. Jason Paltzer flew back to Zambia from Lagos on the same day, returning to his health and development work. Prof. Ken Cherney split away in Amsterdam on Thursday morning to head to Mequon. […]
This too is life in Nigeria. Yesterday Team Nigeria arrived in Calabar hot and hungry. After checking into a hotel , buying our air tickets for Lagos, and eating a tasty Chinese dinner, I wrote a newsy blog piece for our friends on wels.net. Just finished a page, started to locate a picture to send, […]
Hello from Ogoja. The current WELS visitors arrived on 22 Jan.
We had six intense days at Uruk Uso, where the seminary mission house was our home. In additions to countless meetings, Team Nigeria was able to meet with students of the new pre-seminary class and with the pastors’ conference of Christ the King Lutheran Church […]
Outside, the cold winter winds beat against the thin panes of the old school house windows. Inside, the old pine floors creak and groan beneath each walking step. It’s a large room, and the walls are mostly empty except for a long chalkboard at the north end of the room. “Welcome to the ,” it […]
On October 19th, 2008, God smiled on his people at Abiding Grace in Covington, GA. From the perfect weather for the outdoor service to the beautiful songs of praise led by the band Koine and the Abiding Grace Choir… from the thrill of breaking ground on a new building for God’s name to the miracle […]
He’s our world mission professor at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. We have an affiliated school in southeast Nigeria, Christ the King Lutheran Seminary. WLS has started to certify the graduates of the Nigerian seminary. Now a new class of eleven pre-seminary students have started their two-year course. “Let’s go see,” says Prof. Ken Cherney, as he […]
Everyone wants to hear the exciting stories, see the cool pictures and shake the hands associated with “the feet of those who bring good news.” Missionaries. God gives them special calling to go where we cannot. I am very excited to work with the missionaries and their families. You see, it’s my job to assist […]
What do I do?
Everyone has to have a title and mine is officially, “Missions Promotions Coordinator.” Pretty fancy, eh? When missionaries come home on furlough (their 2 month break every 2 years), I take care of the scheduling of presentations for them. Then I promote the presentations and the resources that we have available. Logically, […]
Mark 11:24: “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.”
WELS Ministry of Christian Giving puts together this monthly prayer calendar using requests from people leading WELS efforts around the world.
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Some words carry along the baggage that is often associated with them. The word “merger” paints the picture of a giant company taking over a smaller company and essentially absorbing its identity. For that reason, it is a word that I hesitate to use when two churches combine. Perhaps marriage is a more fitting term […]
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.
Psalm 30:12
WELS missionary families from around the globe reflect on the blessings for which they have to be thankful. Read the article.
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October was another month of opportunity. In our outreach to the Navajo Nation, we spend a great deal of time building trust and familiarity with our ministry at Christ the Rock. There are many barriers to overcome – social issues, religion, language, racism, etc. Over the years God blessed our efforts and we’ve established trust […]
Often we hear that commercial and residential developers, community leaders, and ordinary neighbors are reluctant to have churches in the area. Some communities seem to go out of their way to make it difficult for churches to find places to worship, purchase land or build sanctuaries. How refreshing to hear that this isn’t always true! […]
Peter Kruschel is mission counselor for ‘the western region,’ an area encompassing three WELS districts – Pacific Northwest, Arizona-California, and South Central. A graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and WELS pastor since 1976, he has served congregations in Wisconsin and Florida. More recently he has served as the Associate Administrator of the Board for Home […]
Five things to be thankful for as a missionary at Fort Apache
1. We are thankful that we have a loving God who showers down one blessing after another on us and most importantly that he sent his Son to die for our sins.
2. We thank God for our beautiful and healthy baby girl Ella May-Yun […]
It began like any other Bible information class. There was a mix of people who were interested in learning more about what we believe. Their church backgrounds were diverse: Lutheran, Pentecostal, Southern Baptist, Roman Catholic, and Seventh Day Adventist.
The class was going well, and we began studying the Lord’s Supper. We reviewed the definition of […]
I was nervous stepping into the new chancel on dedication Sunday. The day had finally come. Our wait was over. We were excited, we were anxious, and we were overjoyed! But to be honest, even as we were giving thanks for our new church home, I found myself asking, “Now what?”
Just a few months before, […]
“Brush strokes from the hand of God. Look how he painted the sky. What a welcome to our new home!” That is what ran through my mind when I entered New Mexico as the sunset scattered spectacular colors across the mesa-top landscape.
Pulling into the driveway, with darkness now blanketing the land, one thing shone bright—the […]
Building God’s kingdom is about bringing people around God’s Word and sacraments, where their souls are nourished at the spring of life, God’s life-giving gospel. But you don’t need a church building with a steeple for that to happen. All you really need is God’s Word and people who gather around it.
Hope in Irmo, S.C., […]
The Fall schedule has begun at Christ the Rock. Once again we are reminded of God’s mercy and kindness. As always, there are many things for which to give thanks.
This past month, through the waters of baptism, the Holy Spirit bestowed faith, forgiveness and heaven upon four children of the Vieth family.
The Vieths visited Christ […]
Each summer Christ the Rock, Farmington, NM, offers our Path To Victory basketball camp at a local high school. The camp offers basic skills about basketball, but more importantly teaches about “The” path to victory in Christ. It’s an effective outreach effort that allows us to bring the gospel to kids in a unique way […]
Wayne Schulz graduated from WLS in 1966. Served congregations in Aberdeen, and Rapid City, South Dakota. He has been involved with Home Missions in some form since 1969 when he became a member of the Dakota Montana District Mission Board. Since 1989 Wayne has been a mission counselor for four districts (Western Wisconsin, Northern Wisconsin, […]
Sunday, June 8, seemed like a disaster to members of Living Water, Western Oshkosh, Wis. For weeks the group had been planning a ground-breaking service on their future church site. But on that day gushing rain, five inches of it, greeted everyone trying to make it from the parking lot into their ministry center for […]
Staff minister Jack Meyer reports from Ascension, Plymouth, Minn. “We had a total of 127 children in VBS, about 15 from Kids’ Campus and they weren’t required to register, and we had another few walk-ins. I counted 61 online registrations, with many families having multiple children. I am not aware of any phone-in registrations.”
An active […]
Pastor Ed Schuppe graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 1977. He served in Jacksonville, FL from 1977 until 1990 as part of the Team Ministry experiment of the Board for Home Missions, eventually becoming the founding pastor of Good Shepherd in Jacksonville. Pastor Schuppe served on the South Atlantic District Evangelism Commission from 1978-1990 and […]
Every Sunday evening, we get together with the other English-speaking workers on the field for an English Bible study. We often cover topics that relate directly to living and serving in Mexico. We also study different books of the Bible. We’re currently taking an inside look at the book of Hebrews.
Since I first arrived in […]
Well, it has been an exciting time here on the mission. The staff has been gearing up for the fall and classes at ACTS have begun, BIC class was started, and our new Kingdom Workers, Gary and Pat Johnson arrived for the semester. A few weeks ago was the huge Labor Day celebrations on the […]
Mark graduated from WLS in 1983 and was assigned to do exploratory work in Northeast Denver where he served until 2006. Birkholz spent portions of 2006 and 2007 at Grace in Grenada. He has served as a mission counselor since September 1, 2007.
Currently Birkholz works under four WELS mission boards, and also at the direction […]
There were so many things to correct and so many things to start. Pastor and Mrs. Henry Nau arrived in April 1936 to prepare the Ibesikpo field to be a Lutheran mission. The Synodical Conference was calling for a permanent missionary. The mission would need a source of water.
Calling on his previous experience in India, […]
David graduated from WLS in 2008 and was assigned as Missionary to Apache Missions of East Fork and Canyon Day. His wife René graduated from MLC with a major in STEP (High School) Math.
David writes, “Because I grew up in a home mission congregation in Colorado, I have always had an interest in mission churches. […]
Three teeth! A severe problem in America. A near tragedy in Nigeria, where health insurance and dental care are very rare.
Rev. Mathias Odey, President of All Saints Lutheran Church of Nigeria, wrote in an August 14 email, “Pastor Ento fell on a motor bike and loss three of teeth, though he has improved markly.” This […]
They sang. They danced. They spoke. They showed many pictures. They opened their hearts about their sisters in Nigeria. They showed off their women’s fellowship uniforms. They wept a few tears of joy. “Sisters Serving Jesus” – the LWMS women’s visiting team took their Nigeria experience to Tucson, reporting to the 45th annual Lutheran Women’s […]
Ezekiel saw living spirits in service to God moving on wheels. Somehow this translates into our desire to have our pastors in Nigeria on wheels too. Nothing so complicated as Ezekiel’s vision for our pastors however. Motorbike wheels are far more practical for them. Especially as they navigate the sand trails or muddy ravines in […]
They turned around to face the assembly in full celebration mode. Seven new pastors of All Saints Lutheran Church of Nigeria, resplendent in their new white gowns, purple stoles and starch-white clergy collars, managed broad smiles. A rousing cheer of joy rose from two hundred church members packed inside the Ishibori church, joined by another […]
The LWMS visiting team has come home to the USA. Michelle Markgraf, Carol Egelseer, Sarah Malchow and Pastor Weiser arrived home on 26 April. Ima Udofia landed two days later, along with her husband Ikpe and son Anieti. They made a family trip of it, by flying along with Ima. And yes, it was great […]
He was more than a little excited. His dream had been to serve as missionary in Africa. The Lord seemed to point him that way three times before in the last 20 years. Each time, the Lord led him to the answer “not yet.”
Meanwhile, a brother pastor was spearheading WELS assistance to Christ the King […]
Our LWMS visitors decided they like the bush churches. Like yesterday in Yala area SW of Ogoja. Rural village, small church, short walls, tin roof not far overhead, over 200 eager women plus a few men and lots of children crowded into every space. About 100 degrees indoors.
The Flash Player and a browser with Javascript […]
She seeks them out. She draws them out. Nigerian kids of all ages love to flock to Carol Egelseer on the LWMS April visit. This morning we worshiped at Christ the King Lutheran in Calabar. This congregation has children in the worship service instead of closeted away for Sunday School. You could hear their voices […]
Greetings from Calabar, Nigeria! Carol, Ima, Michelle, and Sarah are half way through their women’s conferences. Three so far, ending in Calabar today. 220 and 160 at the first two, and about 40 today.
What fellowship, what love sister to sister! Our four presenters are just great! What they are learning from the Lutheran women of Nigeria […]
WELS largest mission field is Africa, where it is working in partnership with five independent national synods that are currently ministering to about 64,000 souls with God’s Word.
In Zambia, in the south-central region of the continent, WELS missionaries have been operating since the early 1950s. 4 expatriate missionaries and 29 national pastors serve 32 established […]
Tomorrow we fly. Michelle Markgraf, Sarah Malchow, Carol Egelseer and Pastor Doug Weiser will head to New York City tomorrow. After an overnight stay, they will join Ima Udofia on Thursday afternoon, en route to Lagos, Nigeria. Ima’s husband Ikpe Udofia will also fly over with us for a visit to his homeland. Our travel […]
Victories for Christ
On January trip to the White Mountain and San Carlos reservations in AZ. We used the second meeting of the newly restructured board as an occasion to acquaint the new board with the world field nearest to home. Gary Lupe, a graduate of the Apache Christian Training School has brought the average Sunday […]
Harold A. Essmann previously served as missionary to Zambia and part-time worker in Bulgaria. He was a member of the Board for World Missions for 24 years and the Committee for Mission Expansion for 18 years. Pastor Essmann served as contact person with people in Pakistan and Nepal from 2002 to the present and was […]
The last of the WELS traveling teams has finished its work at Christ the King Lutheran Seminary. Graduation for the ten seminary students is set for April 5, 2008. The three Christ the King Lutheran graduates will serve as vicars until their ordination in December 2008.
Two weeks after graduation, seven of the graduates will be […]
“Welcome to Nigeria!” This is the frequent greeting in this West African giant of 135 million people. While the life in Nigeria can be difficult, the welcoming hearts and smiles make every trip worthwhile. Christ the King Lutheran Church of Nigeria and All Saints Lutheran Church of Nigeria are our two sister synods in the […]
Pastor Douglas Weiser serves a congregation in Bellevue, WA. In addition to his full-time service there he also serves as the WELS liaison to our sister synod’s in Nigeria. Doug has served in Louisiana, South Dakota and Zambia, Africa. He makes several trips to Nigeria each year to assist the sister synods.
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