Available videos include:

• Keynote Speakers:  Rev. Dr. W. Bruce Wilder, Rev. Dr. Paul M. Cross, Dr. Steve Paulson, Rev. William Bohline, and a panel discussion with Rev. Mark Vander Tuig, Mrs. Sharon MacFadyen and Rev. Bill Sullivan. 
• International Focus:  Rev. Dr. Ove Sander. 
• Staff Reports:  Rev. Mark Vander Tuig, Rev. Dan Clites and Rev. Steve Lien. 
• Worship:  Pr. Becky Hand and Rev. John Waak.
• Bible Study:  Rev. Steven E. King
• Breakout Sessions:  Rev. William Moberly, "Growing a Missions Sending Culture in Your Congregation"; Rev. David Rispoli, "Traditional Values, Contemporary Lives" and Rev. Dr. David Glesne, "Why Your Church Needs Apologetics".

Downloadable copies of the 2015 Annual Gathering Book are also available, and can be found by clicking here. 

The day opened with worship led by Living Word Lutheran Church in of Grapevine, TX and Bible study led by Rev. Steven E. King, Managing Editor of Sola Publishing.  

Rev. Dr. Paul Cross, Senior Pastor at Atonement Lutheran Church in Fargo, ND and Rev. Dr. Steve Paulson, Professor at Luther Seminary, were Tuesday’s keynote speakers.  The assembly was also joined by Rev. Dr. Ove Sander, who currently serves as President of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church.  

During the afternoon session, Rev. Dan Clites, LCMC Coordinator for New Ministry Development, introduced the new ministry leaders from LCMC who were present and encouraged the audience to start planting more new churches.  

The blood drive wrapped up on Tuesday evening.  64 pints of blood were donated over the course of Monday and Tuesday afternoons, resulting in 192 lives saved from LCMC donors.

During the Tuesday business session, voting delegates at the gathering voted on the winners for the Thrivent Financial Foundation Reformation Anniversary Grant Program. 

Wednesday morning began with a morning worship service led by Trinity Lutheran Church of Stonewall, TX and Bible study led by Managing Editor of Sola Publishing Rev. Steven E. King.  

Following the worship and Bible study segment, Rev. Mark Vander Tuig announced that the association’s 2016 Annual Gathering would be held in Denver, CO.  

Also on Wednesday morning, LCMC Board of Trustees Chair Rev. Kip Tyler updated the assembly on the new officer positions for the Board of Trustees.  Rev. Sean Kelly (Area 1) was named Chair and Rev. Julie Smith (Area 3) Vice Chair.  Laurel Swanson was re-elected as Treasurer and Rev. Martha Uecker Nelson was re-elected as Secretary.  

Sharon MacFadyen, LCMC’s Director of Operations, then announced the winners of the Thrivent Financial Foundation Reformation Anniversary Grant Program.  They are:

1. Falls Community Church, Sioux Falls, SD
2. Holly Cross Lutheran Church, Nairobi, Kenya
3. St. Paul Lutheran Church, Kodiak, AK
4. Living Waters Lutheran Church, Peoria, IL
5. The Anchor Church, Phoenix, AZ
6. Christ The Servant, Norfolk, NE
7. Bethel Lutheran Church (Grant Proposal #1), Colorado Springs, CO
8. Zion Lutheran Church, Des Moines, IA
9. Zion Lutheran Church, Clear Lake, IA
10. First St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Hastings, NE
11. Peace Lutheran Church, Holbrook, AZ
12. St. Michael Lutheran Church (Grant Proposal #2), Canton, MI
13. Christ Lutheran Church, Maple Plain, MN
14. Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Lead, SD
15. Trinity Lutheran Church, Titusville, FL

To read full grant proposals from these and other LCMC congregations, click here.  

The Annual Gathering then concluded with a keynote presentation by Rev. Bill Bohline of Hosanna! Lutheran Church in Lakeville, MN and a closing worship service led by Zion Lutheran Church in Priddy, TX and preached by Rev. John Waak from Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church of VIctoria, TX.

For videos, books and other media downloads, go to "Events", then "Media and Downloads" or click here.  

The event kicked off on Sunday night with dinner and an opening worship service featuring Pr. Becky Hand from Life in Grace Lutheran Church of Odessa, TX and the worship team from Martin Luther Lutheran Church of Giddings, TX.  

Dessert and a reunion for all church planters within the association followed the service.  

Monday morning opened with worship led by Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church of Victoria, TX and Bible study with Rev. Steven E. King, Managing Editor of Sola Publishing.

Rev. Dr. W. Bruce Wilder, Senior Pastor of First Lutheran Church in Albuquerque, NM took the stage as our first keynote speaker, followed by a panel discussion featuring LCMC Service Coordinator Rev. Mark Vander Tuig, Rev. Bill Sullivan (Lead Pastor of New Life Lutheran Church and former Service Coordinator of LCMC) and LCMC Director of Operations Sharon MacFadyen.  

During the afternoon session, LCMC Coordinator for Pastoral Ministry Rev. Steve Lien announced the association's 2016 Leadership Conference, which will take place April 10-12, 2016 at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Altoona, IA.  The theme for next year’s conference is Shift: Retooling Church.  He extended a special invitation to young pastors and church leaders for the event.

Steve then invited district leaders, certification interviewers, new congregations, new pastors seminarians and military chaplains to stand and be recognized.  Pastors who are currently celebrating ordination anniversaries of 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50+ years were also recognized.  

During the Service Coordinator’s report, Rev. Mark Vander Tuig announced two events for 2016, Called 2 Serve and Three Days of Prayer.  

Called 2 Serve is an LCMC youth event for high school students, which will take place at Grand View University in Des Moines, IA from July 19-22, 2016.  Registration for this event will open soon.  

Mark also stated that every congregation, church member and pastor is invited to take part in our 4th Annual Three Days of Prayer from January 5-7, 2016.  Each congregation can organize the three days in any way that makes sense.  The focuses of each day are:

• January 5:  Confession
• January 6:  Petition
• January 7:  Direction

During the opening business session, Pastors Sean Kelly (Area 1) and Enrique Estrada (Area 7) were re-elected to the Board of Trustees.  Laurel Swanson was re-elected as Treasurer.  

The afternoon concluded with a fellowship dinner, giving LCMC-ers a chance to connect with a fellowship group or district of their choice. 

Registration rates for visitors, church leaders, church members and voting delegates are as follows:

• 9/1 & Before:  $200
• 9/2 – 9/25:  $225
• After 9/25:  $250

The event, to be held October 4-7 in Frisco, TX (a suburb of Dallas), features keynote speakers, worship and Bible study, breakout sessions, LCMC news updates, vendors and plenty of time for fellowship.  We'll also be hosting a blood drive as our service project for 2015.

We hope to see you there!

Volunteer sign-up is being handled separately from Annual Gathering registration.  To schedule an appointment, click on one of the links below and select your preferred time slot:

• Donate on Monday - Click Here!
• Donate on Tuesday - Click Here!

For more information on donating blood, check out the Carter Blood Care website at www.carterbloodcare.org.

Blood Drive Info  |  Annual Gathering Info  |  Annual Gathering Registration

• We’re free in Christ
• We’re accountable to one another
• We’re rooted in the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions
• We’re all working together to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations

In accordance with this year’s theme, we’re inviting all “LCMC-ers” out there to show us, in a photograph, how their congregation exemplifies what it means to be an LCMC congregation. 

More detailed information, including a list of photo guidelines, can be found here. 

Special consideration will be given to all photos submitted on or before Tuesday, June 30th, however all photos received by Friday, July 31st will be considered for publication in our 2015 Annual Gathering Book and on our website.