Mueller and Kruschel return to their roots
From the office of President Mark Schroeder
This month we are bidding farewell to two faithful servants here at the Synod Administration Building. Wayne Mueller, the synod's first vice president, has accepted a call to serve as pastor at St. John, Jefferson, Wisconsin. Peter Kruschel, administrator of the Board for Ministerial Education, will be leaving to begin his duties as a mission counselor in the Arizona-California and Pacific Northwest Districts.
Both men have served their synod faithfully in their calls. After leaving the parish ministry, Wayne Mueller served as a professor at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. Following that he was the first administrator of the Board for Parish Services. Most recently, he has served as the synod's first vice president (also called the vice president for mission and ministry). By accepting the call to St. John, Pastor Mueller is returning to his roots and to what is his first love: the work of a parish pastor. Pastor Mueller's fondness for the pastoral ministry was a frequent topic of his conversations. His ability to communicate complex theological truth in clear, understandable ways will serve his congregation well as he preaches, conducts Bible class, and instructs people new to the faith.
Peter Kruschel returns to his roots in a different way. Although he began his ministry in an established urban congregation (Grace, Milwaukee), he accepted a call to serve in a home mission setting in Orlando, Florida. There he developed a genuine love for the work of home missions. His leadership skills and passion for home missions were widely recognized, and he was called to serve as the assistant administrator of the Board for Home Missions. Now, after serving for seven years as the administrator of the Board for Ministerial Education, Pastor Kruschel is also returning to his roots in the home mission field.
The Board for Ministerial Education will be calling a new administrator at its October meeting; nominations for the position are currently being sought. The office of first vice president will remain vacant until a new vice president is elected at next summer's synod convention. In the meantime, Pastor Mueller's duties are being delegated to others.
We are thankful for the time that these two faithful servants spent serving their synod in various capacities. As they return to their ministerial roots, we are thankful that God will continue to use them to proclaim his gospel and to serve his church.
Serving in Christ,
Mark Schroeder
Filed Under: Ministerial Education, vice president
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Committee finishes assessing aid in Africa
After meeting with almost three-quarters of the national pastors of the Lutheran Church of Central Africa (LCCA), visiting 14 congregations in Malawi and Zambia, and talking with WELS missionaries in the region, the WELS Humanitarian Aid Committee concluded its two-week assessment of committee-funded humanitarian aid projects in Africa. Committee members were encouraged to see the impact that projects like bore holes (deep wells), literacy lessons, study centers, and home-based health care and education have had on communities.
"We wanted to find new opportunities, to see what's going well, and determine what needs to change," says Rev. David Valleskey, committee chairman. "We found that in some cases, but not all, our gifts for humanitarian aid are being used as we pray they will be used: to help 'build bridges' that facilitate a proclamation of the gospel to people. We also came to understand much better the unique needs and opportunities for humanitarian aid in Zambia and Malawi."
Valleskey says one of the needs is for more direct contact between the LCCA and the Humanitarian Aid Committee as the national church is taking on more responsibility. "Up to this time we have worked with the missionaries," says Valleskey. "In the future, the committee will be working more directly with the national church. The meetings we had with the church leaders in Zambia and Malawi will help greatly with this transition."
The group also visited local congregations in the bush and joined with them in worship and fellowship. "Many people commit long hours to reaching people in the cities, villages, and bush country with the gospel of Jesus Christ," says Staff Minister Tom Hering, a member of the committee. "Those we met looked us in the eye and offered words of thanks for all that is done to help them. May the Holy Spirit, who is working through Word and sacrament in Africa, also work in our lives as we grow in faith and as we share this good news with others."
Read more about the committee's trip, including their adventures in African bush country
Filed Under: Africa, aid, Humanitarian Aid Committee, Malawi, Zambia
Mixed news in latest financial report
The latest Executive Summary—prepared by WELS' chief financial officer for the Synodical Council and the Conference of Presidents—shows mixed news for the synod's operating budget the first month into a new fiscal year.
Mr. Todd Poppe, chief financial officer, reports that support in July 2008 was $300,000 less than expenses—not unexpected since July tends to be one of the lowest support months. But Poppe says developing negative trends in two key support sources—gifts from congregations known as Congregation Mission Offerings (CMO) and gifts from individuals—need to be closely monitored.
CMO in July were off $50,000 from July 2007 and gifts from individuals were off $400,000. Total CMO receipts for June and July were down 9 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively, from the same months in 2007, but CMO receipts for the 2008 calendar year are up 3.1 percent over the same period last year thanks to greater-than-projected giving earlier in the year.
"Please join me in prayer, giving thanks for the support congregations and members provided the last twelve months," Poppe says, "and pray that they increase their support for the work we do together."
To read the Executive Summary in detail, go to www.wels.net/jump/finance
Retreats strengthen, enrich marriages
In an effort to build up and strengthen the marriages of couples throughout WELS, the Commission on Adult Discipleship is again offering marriage enrichment and get-away weekends throughout the United States, beginning in September. Although Rev. David Kehl, administrator of Adult Discipleship, anticipates there will be repeat attendees, he hopes to recruit new participants and increase the attendance of called workers.
"I would say our main audience really is all the married families of our synod, and that includes called workers," says Kehl. "We want to encourage called workers to strengthen their marriages because they are challenged with things just as much as any other couple. And if their marriages are strong, it's going to have a positive impact on their ministry."
Ten retreats have been scheduled in several states and will focus on the theme "Intimate Allies." "In so many marriages, people just tear each other down and set high expectations of what they think someone should be," says Kehl. Through these retreats, he says, people will learn to glorify God through their marriage and help their spouse see that they are created in the image of Christ.
Kehl says past retreats have drawn more than 100 couples—but more important than numbers is what people take away from these workshops. "The neatest thing is when a couple understands something more about their relationship and is excited to grow in that area or to live it out," he says. "We just want to build up marriages as strong as they can be, because that's a key thing for the health of our families, which is the health of our congregations, our districts, and our synod."
For more information or to register online, visit www.wels.net/jump/marriageretreat
Filed Under: adult discipleship, marriage, retreat
Pastors, we need your feedback
In order to make the best use of God's resources, Communication Services is evaluating the key communication tools we send out. We ask one pastor from each congregation to take a minute to answer a few brief questions about each one. We're not attempting to conduct a scientific survey, but we are asking for your best estimates based on your knowledge of your congregation. The point is to collect base information from which we can begin to plan future communication strategy. Complete it online
Filed Under: communication, survey
Next "Together" to be sent Sept. 2
The next issue of "Together" will be sent Tuesday, Sept. 2, because of Labor Day.
Correction
In the Aug. 4 edition of "Together" in a story about the Year of Jubilee offering we reported that individuals and congregations have contributed more than $600,000 since the district conventions this summer. Actually the $600,000 figure is what has been contributed since the 2007 synod convention last year.
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