District conventions next week

All 12 districts will be meeting in convention early next week to discuss local and synod issues. At two of the conventions, new district presidents will be elected—Rev. Larry Cross, president of the Minnesota district, is retiring June 30 and Rev. Paul Janke, president of the Arizona-California district, is not accepting nominations for re-election.

"For me, 10 years is good," says Janke. "It's been a privilege to serve, but I desire to get back into the parish ministry full time. There is quite a bit of travel involved in being district president, so there are a lot of things in the parish that I miss. I'm really looking forward to teaching Bible studies and Bible information class and visiting—those are some of the real joys."

After he retires, Cross and his wife are planning to move to Texas. Cross says there are a lot of things he's going to miss. "Far and away the most enjoyable time of the year is the assigning of the new graduates to their first calls—just being with them and helping them to get up and going," he says. "I also enjoyed attending and participating in all of the conventions and the pastor and teacher conferences. It's always a fine thing to see the unity among the people that really exists."

District presidents are responsible for the supervision of doctrine and practice within their districts—they also serve on the Conference of Presidents, a group composed of all 12 district presidents and the synod president and vice presidents that oversees doctrine and practice on a synodwide level. "It's been a privilege to serve on the Conference of Presidents," says Janke. "I just tremendously admire the pastoral hearts of the men [who serve]. There's a real camaraderie that exists there—it's more than just friendship; it's a shared faith in Jesus Christ and a commitment to confessional Lutheranism."

Aside from local elections, all districts will hear a preliminary report of the Ad Hoc Commission, which was established by the 2007 synod convention to analyze the synod's problems and potential and to recommend how to improve its ministry. District presidents will also be launching the Year of Jubilee, a special offering authorized by the 2007 synod convention to address the synod's capital debt of $22.4 million.

Watch for post-convention coverage in the June 16 issue of "Together."

Filed Under: , Ad Hoc Commission, Convention, District, Year of Jubilee

Seminary graduates head to assignments

Now that Call Day is over, graduates of the class of 2008 of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, are making the transition from student to full-time called worker. Forty-one of 42 graduates were assigned May 22 and one graduate deferred assignment for one year.

"It's hard for me not to be optimistic for the prospects of our synod when I see the caliber of our graduates," says Rev. Paul Wendland, seminary president. "When you see guys with these capabilities willing to give the ministry a shot, it's really inspiring."

Of the 41 graduates receiving calls, 22 were assigned outside the Upper Midwest—the traditional congregational base of WELS. "We really seemed to be blessed with a lot of assignments outside of our core area," says Wendland. "It really struck me—the parish is so varied. It's amazing to see the variety of assignments."

When graduates from previous classes who were assigned to new locations or reassigned to their present fields are counted, a total of 52 men received assignments on Call Day. The calls break down as follows:

• 10 to Ministerial Education
• 5 pastoral assistants to district presidents
• 3 to World Missions
• 10 to Home Missions
• 23 to traditional parish ministry
• 1 to Multi-Language Publications

Of the three calls to World Missions, one is for a new category of mission assignment called a graduate mission associate. For details, please see the following story. To see a list of all of the assignments visit: www.wls.wels.net/sections/students/assignments

Filed Under: assignment, call day, graduation, Ministerial Education, Seminary, WLS

New world mission assignment for seminary graduates

Of the 41 assignments for this year's graduating class at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, one was for a graduate mission associate—a new category of mission assignment. It allows graduates to serve for two years in a world mission field and gain cross-cultural experience with the option of returning home when the assignment ends.

Jonathan Bare of Owosso, Mich., was assigned to Southeast Asia. "I'm just really excited," he says. "I got the call on Tuesday (May 20). I had until the next morning to decide, and by God's grace I decided to do it." Bare is leaving in early July. While in Asia, he will study the Mandarin language and provide spiritual care for American volunteers teaching English as a Foreign Language.

"When we send guys out on permanent calls, that can be a heavy choice to make in a short space of time," says Rev. Paul Wendland, seminary president. "This [short-term assignment] gives men the option of saying, 'We'll do this and gain the experience that the Lord has to give, and if the Lord should lead in another direction at the end of two years, fine.' On the other hand, if everyone is blessed and both the calling body and candidate think this can continue, then perhaps the call can be extended."

Rev. Dan Koelpin, administrator of WELS World Missions, says the length of the call also provides flexibility in the calling process. "It cuts down on lag time," he says. "Even if it doesn't work out, at the end of the two years the [mission associate] is assured of being placed like all the graduates are—and we might be able to get another replacement right away from the graduating class."

Koelpin, who is also an advisory member of the Assignment Committee, says that although there won't be graduate mission associate assignments every year, WELS World Missions will continue to fund these important positions. "Most of the ripe harvest fields that exist in the world today are cross-cultural—and we need to get people into it," he says. "We'll continue to send graduates [to these fields] and hopefully they will train others and help raise up the church."

Filed Under: Asia, assignment, graduation, Seminary, WLS

WELS CEF reports strong activity

WELS Church Extension Fund, Inc. (CEF), the self-supporting, not-for-profit corporate WELS affiliate that provides financing for mission-minded endeavors and projects under the direction of WELS Board for Home Missions, is reporting strong activity for the first three quarters of fiscal year 2007-08.

CEF has completed nearly $11 million in construction loans with mission congregations—five other congregations have started building with new loans of nearly $4 million. Those congregations are in Hampton, Ga.; Birmingham, Ala.; Woodside, N.Y.; Dardenne Prairie, Mo.; and Oshkosh, Wis.

Four congregations have purchased property with loans totaling nearly $2 million, and CEF expects to disburse nearly $1.2 million in grants to 11 mission congregations by the end of the fiscal year.

Mr. Tim Probst, CEF vice president of marketing and development, says the strong activity is an indicator that WELS is continuing to grow throughout North America. "There is a significant amount of church planting being done," he says.

For more information about WELS CEF and its role in developing new missions, visit the new CEF Web site: www.welscef.org

Filed Under: BHM, CEF, Church Extension Fund, Missions

Spotlight on Streams: WELS Connection

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If you didn't catch the May edition of WELS Connection, you have another chance. Each edition is posted on Streams the month after it is shown in congregations. May's edition focuses on the choir from Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minn., and its tour to Mexico. Watch it online: http://streams.wels.net/video/may08

Filed Under: choir, Mexico, Ministerial Education, MLC, Streams, WELS Connection