Hurricane Ike impacts WELS congregations

WELS congregations throughout metropolitan Houston are cleaning up after Hurricane Ike roared through the area Saturday. While contact has not been made with every pastor in the region, there are no reports that any church buildings or parsonages suffered significant structural damage. Some have reported minor to moderate flooding.

Lord of Life in Friendswood, southeast of Houston, is the closest congregation to Galveston, the community most damaged by the hurricane. Rev. Marc VonDeylen, his wife, Monique, and their four children still living at home evacuated to relatives in the area. They returned home Monday. Monique reports they are without power, but that the church and the parsonage appear to have fared well. "We were just thrilled to get back home," she says. "It's definitely not just luck that the church and house are okay."

Two Lord of Life families live in Galveston. They had safely evacuated, but the fate of their homes is not known.

Rev. Ronald Semro was heading back on Monday to check on the parsonage and church building at Christ Our Savior in Angleton. South of Houston and about 20 miles from the coast, it is the next closest WELS congregation to the areas most heavily damaged by Hurricane Ike. Preliminary reports from members in the area indicate both the parsonage and church building escaped without major structural damage.

Semro says the area is still without power and sewer services, and that he has no idea when residents will be allowed back in permanently. He and his wife, Donna, are staying with his son, Rev. Jonathan Semro at Prince of Peace in northwest Houston. "The Lord has taken good care of us," says Semro. "We're just so thankful."

All of the pastors contacted say communications with individual members is difficult because phone service—both cell and landline—has been sporadic and so they are still assessing the hurricane's impact on their congregations as a whole.

For future updates about congregations in Houston and their relief needs, check: www.welsrelief.net

Filed Under: Hurricane, ike, Texas

Aftermath of Hurricane Gustav

WELS Committee on Relief —or "WELS Relief"—granted King of Kings, Alexandria, La., and its pastor, Rev. Chris Esmay, $60,000 to help the congregation recover after flood damage due to heavy rains following Hurricane Gustav.

As reported in the Sept. 4 issue of "Together," four to five feet of water filled the church, fellowship hall, and parsonage Sept. 3. The 90-member congregation did not have flood insurance. Rev. Philip Schupmann, chairman of WELS Relief, and Mr. Mark Vance, project director, traveled to Alexandria Sept. 5 to survey the damage.

The money that WELS Relief offered will pay for gutting and cleaning the church and parsonage. It also will help provide for material needs, including temporary housing for Esmay and his family, and help support the congregation as it plans for the future.

"King of Kings is deeply moved by the generosity of these men and the rest of God's people who want to help their brothers and sisters—a love and generosity compelled by the love and generosity their brother, the Lord Jesus, has for them," says Esmay.

Currently Esmay and his family are staying with members, and the congregation is worshiping in a conference room. According to Esmay, the congregation is looking into different options for the future, including selling the entire property and relocating elsewhere in Alexandria.

"God blesses us with many nice things in this life," says Esmay, "but he never promised that we can keep them. What he did promise we can keep forever is the merits of his Son. . . . Hurricane rains can flood out lots of things here, but they can't wash the name of Jesus off our foreheads."

Schupmann and Vance also traveled to Cross of Glory in Baton Rouge, La., Sept. 5. There, as reported in "Together" on Sept. 2, high winds from Hurricane Gustav toppled several large trees causing extensive damage to both the church and neighboring homes. Since the congregation has insurance, only limited outside funding has been necessary to support their cleanup efforts. 

For more pictures and updates about hurricane relief efforts, visit: www.welsrelief.net

Filed Under: Committee on Relief, gustav, Hurricane, ike, Louisiana, WELS relief

Mexican pastor pulled from violence in Juárez

As a result of the increasing drug-related violence in Juárez, Mexico, the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Church—WELS' sister synod in Mexico—has decided to pull its national pastor and his family out of the city. The move comes after Rev. Juan Jose, who we can only identify by his first name, and his family received death threats. His last Sunday at his church, Cristo Redentor (Christ Redeemer), was Aug. 31.

"It was hard for both of them to leave," says Rev. Mike Hartman, WELS missionary in Mexico, of Juan Jose and his wife. "They felt like they were letting God down and letting the people down. But sometimes the apostle Paul had to leave a city and give it a little while and get back to it later. That is what we decided was the situation here. You have to take care of your family."

Violence has increased in many areas in Mexico over the past two years due to drug wars. With more than 900 murders this year so far, Juárez, a city of 1.5 million people, is considered one of the most violent cities in Mexico.

According to Hartman, besides fighting each other, the warring drug cartels also target the police and drug rehabilitation centers, which are often connected to churches. In the past month, five pastors in Juárez have been killed or kidnapped.

The Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Church was trying to open a rehabilitation center in Juárez, and Juan Jose was vocal on his weekly radio program about his desire to help those with drug and alcohol problems.

Since Juan Jose's arrival in Juárez a year ago, Cristo Redentor has grown to more than 50 members, many recovering from drug and alcohol problems. "[People] were just flocking to the church. He had so many contacts with so many people asking him to help them," says Hartman.

Juan Jose is now living in a different city in Mexico, helping cover a vacancy at another church. The Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Church is using Spanish correspondence Bible studies to continue serving the members of Cristo Redentor. Once a month, another Mexican national pastor or seminary student will travel to Juárez to conduct worship, encourage the members, and analyze the current situation.

"It's all new Christians. They need a shepherd," says Hartman. "Please pray for the members and pray that the violence will subside in Juárez enough so that their pastor can return and keep leading and serving his congregation."

Filed Under: CELC, juarez, Mexico, violence

End of an era in Japan

After 41 years of service in Japan—their entire ministry—Missionary Kermit Habben and his wife, Margie, returned to the United States Aug. 25. They plan to retire to Phoenix, Ariz.

"A good many of the leaders and members of our existing church in Japan either directly or indirectly were influenced by Missionary Habben," says Rev. Dan Koelpin, administrator for WELS World Missions. "Margie, too, was a big part of the ministry there. They put in many hard years in a tough field."

At this time, WELS World Missions is not going to replace Habben. Growth over the 51-year history of the Japanese mission field has been slow, and Koelpin says resources are going to other places in the world where it seems the Lord is opening doors.

"We will always stand as supportive partners of our Japanese brothers and sisters, but I don't know if we can sustain having missionaries there indefinitely," says Koelpin. "We will have to monitor the situation as we move into the future."

Currently the remaining two missionaries—Rev. Brad Wordell and Rev. Josh Stahmann—are focusing on training lay leaders and future pastors, although at this time no men are in seminary courses. The three national pastors serve approximately 400 baptized members in the eight congregations and two preaching stations of the Lutheran Evangelical Christian Church (LECC) in Japan. Three hundred others are also under their direct care. The LECC continues to become more independent, now almost fully supporting all its national pastors.

"The Japanese pastors and missionaries have worked as hard as anyone to spread the Word in Japan," says Koelpin. "The fact that the Lord hasn't given them a great harvest should not reflect on their great faithfulness."

Learn more about the Lutheran Evangelical Confessional Church in Japan online: www.wels.net/jump/japan

Filed Under: Japan, LECC, Missions, World Missions

New IRS retirement plan regulations

This week, WELS Human Resources will be sending an e-mail to all WELS congregations and entities outlining a synodwide solution for complying with new IRS regulations, effective Jan. 1, 2009, that are directed at 403(b) retirement savings accounts for non-profit organizations.

Up to this point, called workers and employees of WELS organizations have been able to maintain self-directed 403(b) accounts, and local treasurers or payroll personnel have taken the pre-tax deductions from the employee's pay and forwarded the monies to their 403(b) provider. Now the IRS regulations require more oversight and accountability on the part of the employer (local churches, area Lutheran high schools, etc.) in the administration of a "plan" that assures their employees are in compliance with annual limits, post age-50 make ups, and regulations pertaining to loans and withdrawals.

Under the so-called "Shepherd Plan Solution," WELS organizations will have the opportunity to work with a designated third-party administrator to develop their plans, have an investment platform for all their eligible workers, and access to certified financial planners if needed.

One reason for going to a synodwide program is to eliminate plan development and ongoing compliance costs to WELS member organizations. Pooling resources also reduces investment costs for all WELS employees and called workers as they save for their retirement years. Congregations have the option of going into the program or setting up their own 403(b) plans for their called workers, but plans operated outside of the Shepherd Plan Solution will likely incur development and some ongoing maintenance costs.

View the content of the e-mail in advance, online at: www.wels.net/jump/403b 

Filed Under: 403b, IRS, retirement

Spotlight on Streams: Louisiana flood damage

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King of Kings in Alexandria, La., was damaged by flood waters when Hurricane Gustav came through the area in early September. View a short video that shows photos of the damage as well as the cleanup efforts. Watch it online.

Filed Under: Flooding, gustav, Hurricane, Louisiana