Christmas blessings
From the office of President Mark Schroeder
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
Fellow worshipers of our newborn King,
Strip away all of the clutter that has been heaped on this wonderful day we call Christmas, and you are left with what makes this day worth celebrating. In this little sentence, the inspired apostle John summarizes the height of God's love for us. He loved us enough to send his Son to become one of us, to live with us and for us, and to die the death we deserved and to set us eternally free. The eternally gracious Lord of all entered this world to make the ultimate sacrifice—all because of his searching love committed to bring wandering and rebellious creatures back to the Creator.
Not only do these words describe God's unfathomable love and the lengths to which he would go to accomplish his saving work, but they also point to the fact that he has given us the eyes of faith to see his birth, his life, his death, and his resurrection for what it is: the indescribable glory of the Son of God himself, a glory temporarily wrapped in strips of cloth and laid in a manger, the glory of a Savior who would not let us die in our sins.
It is with those God-given eyes of faith that we return to Bethlehem in his season, looking past all of the clutter and glitter and window dressing of the season, and there see our reason for joy and hope. The world around us may look at that manger with eyes that do not see a Savior there. For them, their Christmas celebration will be just another time for partying, shallow sentiments, and fleeting good cheer. But by God's grace, we see. We see through faith-filled eyes what God has really done for us. We see through faith-filled eyes a manger not only standing under the worshiping gaze of shepherds, but standing also under the looming shadow of a distant cross. There lies the joy of this season for all of us.
On behalf of all of us who serve you here in the Synod Administration Building, we extend to you our warmest Christmas greetings, preparing to join our hearts and voices with yours in praise of Jesus, our Savior, the Son of God, full of grace and truth.
Serving in Christ,
Mark Schroeder
Filed Under: Christmas
Top Stories
Compiled by WELS Communication Services
Congregations respond to Year of Jubilee
Congregations from across the synod have begun submitting Year of Jubilee offerings now that the dates targeted for the main celebration have passed. The Ministry of Christian Giving is marking the first million dollar milestone. To date, congregations and individuals have offered $1.13 million.
The Ministry of Christian Giving scheduled the main thrust of Year of Jubilee to culminate Dec. 14, and offerings are coming in on a daily basis. Some congregations have chosen to wait to observe the celebration until after the new year begins.
The Year of Jubilee offering was authorized by the 2007 synod convention to reduce or eliminate the synod's $22.4 million dollar debt and free up as much as $2.7 million a year in debt payments for other ministry.
For congregations that have not yet participated, information and resources are available online. Individuals can also make gifts online. Gifts will be collected through July and then presented to the 2009 synod convention in Saginaw, Mich.
Filed Under: Christian Giving, donation, Finance, gift, jubilee, Year of Jubilee
New giving counselors
Two men have accepted calls to be giving counselors for WELS Ministry of Christian Giving. Rev. Steven Staude, formerly pastor Christ, West Salem, Wis., began serving Dec. 1 and Mr. Carl Leibner, formerly an agent for Thrivent Financial, will begin serving Jan. 15. These men will take on the duties left by one full-time vacancy and four giving counselors who have semi-retired since last summer.
The calls are part of a new program developed by Christian Giving. For every two counselors that go into semi-retirement, the Conference of Presidents has approved one full-time counselor to be called. Rev. Dave Liggett, director, says this allows Christian Giving to continue the same level of service to congregations without increases to the budget. He says another advantage of the semi-retirement program is getting to keep well-trained and skilled people on staff. "It would be a shame to have these men go into full retirement with all their knowledge of this work," he says. "People have become accustomed to working with them and know them very well."
Liggett says the new counselors are also very skilled. "The main thing Pastor Staude will bring to this ministry is a willingness to make as many calls as possible," says Liggett. "Steve knows how to do that very well." Liebner is a leader in his church in Maitland, Fla., and Liggett says he is well-known in his district. "Our fellow Christians in the South Atlantic District are very familiar with Carl and I'm confident they are going to enjoy working with him," he says.
Counselors work with WELS donors on direct, immediate gifts; estate planning; and expectancy gifts and bequests. Learn more about giving counselors or gift planning online.
Filed Under: Christian Giving, counselors, MCG
Call for nominations
The Synodical Council has issued a call for qualified laymen to serve on the WELS VEBA Commission; WELS Pension Commission; WELS Investment Funds, Inc.; WELS Church Extension Fund; and WELS Foundation. The laymen, who serve on a volunteer basis, provide vital expertise and grassroots advice to administrators who manage these entities.
All pastors, professors, male teachers, congregations, and voting members of congregations are invited to nominate individuals with expertise in economics, investment management, accounting, risk management, legal, marketing, benefit plans administration/compliance, and financial planning.
According to Mr. Roger Crawford, director of Human Resources, members from across the synod with these God-given talents and expertise are needed to support WELS' ministry. "It is important that individuals serving on our synodical boards and commissions represent the membership of WELS, bringing the perspective and support from each of the 12 districts that make up our synod."
Crawford says a large pool of nominees is needed to allow the Synodical Council an opportunity to match the gifts and talents of individuals to the needs of WELS' ministry. "Even if an individual is not elected to serve on a board or commission, he may be contacted concerning his interest to serve on a committee in need of his expertise," he says.
Complete position descriptions can be viewed online. Nominations must be received by Jan. 16, 2009. Access the nomination form online or call the President's Office, 414-256-3202. The list of candidates will be published in late January.
Filed Under: CEF, Foundation, nomination, pension, Synodical Council, VEBA, WIF
WELS in the news
The Dec. 2 issue of The Saginaw News ran a story on St. John Lutheran School, Saginaw, Mich., which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
The Dec. 9 issue of the Star Tribune featured a story about students at West Lutheran High School, Plymouth, Minn., who traveled to the Great Western Lutheran Shootout, a basketball tournament held last weekend at California Lutheran High School, Wildomar, Calif. Other WELS high schools attended, including Nebraska Lutheran High School, Waco, Neb.; Arizona Lutheran Academy, Phoenix, Ariz.; and Evergreen Lutheran High School, Des Moines, Wash.
The Dec. 15 issue of The Daily Republic ran a story on Great Plains Lutheran High School, Watertown, S.D., and what impact a new Lutheran high school would have on the town—and on Great Plains.
Please note that WELS is not responsible for the content of the advertising or other comments posted on the newspapers' Web sites.
Editorial and financial note
Because of the holidays, the next issue of the "Together" e-newsletter will be sent Jan. 19, 2009.
The next reporting of synod finances will appear in the January 19 edition. Until now, we had been reporting those figures monthly. But in keeping with standard non-profit and corporate organizational practices, and to better analyze trends, from now on we will report synod finances in "Together" quarterly. Monthly financial reports through the Chief Financial Officer's Executive Summary will still be made available to members of the Conference of Presidents and the Synodical Council.
Spotlight on Streams: military concert
A special military concert featuring WELS artist Michael Schroeder will be streamed live from Christ, Pewaukee, Wis., on Dec. 20 at 5 p.m., CST.
