With this compelling focus in mind, immediately preceding the upcoming LCMC Annual Gathering & Convention near St. Louis, all delegates, pastors, and visitors planning to attend the gathering are cordially invited to consider coming a day early to attend the upcoming global mission conference on Saturday, September 30, held at the Best Western The Charles at 1425 S. 5th St., St. Charles, MO.

The conference will run from 5:30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. The title of the conference is "It's Time: Understanding God's Heart for the Nations".  All are invited to attend.

The conference is sponsored by Celebrating Global Mission magazine and four Christian mission agencies: Awakening Lives to World Mission, Lutheran Bible Translators, World Mission Prayer League, and Friends of Madagascar Mission.

Many significant international mission ministries connect directly to LCMC.

Our three goals for this conference are:

1. Study together God's heart for mission in the Word
2. Discern together through prayer, God's guidance for our response as congregations, organizations and individuals
3. Encourage networking

Ultimately, we wish to ignite within the hearts of the people and congregations of LCMC, a Biblically-based vision for global mission resonating with God's vision for His world.

In this brief three-hour conference, each of the four ministries will provide a speaker/teacher with a 15-minute reproducible Bible study on the theme, followed by 10 minutes each session of prayer and conversation in groups of two to three.

Our Service Coordinator, Rev. Mike Bradley, will be with us to bring a greeting. After the conference, these four Bible studies will be available for all to use in their respective parishes to stir deeper study and dialogue about God's heart for the world.

Please prayerfully consider attending this conference, and partnering with us in spreading God’s passion for all people across the globe!

To register, please contact Pastor Bill Moberly at Pastorbill@alwm.org or (505) 803-5271.

We look forward to a wonderful time at this conference, growing deeper to resonate with God’s heart. We are praying that God’s Spirit will lead many to attend.

Together for Christ and His kingdom,
 

Celebrating Global Mission Magazine
Awakening Lives to World Mission
Lutheran Bible Translators
World Mission Prayer League
Friends of Madagascar Mission

We traveled first to Cambodia, where we discovered that our mission developer there, Pastor Samuel Chim (an LCMC pastor) is doing great work for us. 

We have received another 15 congregations and pastors as a result of the church planting efforts of the congregations there. 

We now have 35 pastors and churches in Cambodia and Pastor Chim is doing a great job mentoring, training and equipping the pastors. 

LCMC, and LCMC Cambodia are both recognized church bodies by the government of Cambodia.

The method of churches planting churches is something we could learn much from our brothers and sisters there. 

Each congregation numbers between 40-70 people and are led by a bi-vocational pastor whose primary work is to train and equip leaders in the congregation for the work of ministry, following the instruction of Ephesians 4: 11-14.

In Vietnam we met with pastors and leaders of two new congregations in the northern part of the country.  These are new ministries and our visit with them included 5 adult baptisms! 

We were so grateful for their efforts to plant and now establish these two new churches in a part of the world that is still cautious about the Gospel, fearing that these believers may try to subvert the government.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The church exists to proclaim the Good News of Life in the name of Jesus and to offer the freedom that comes in His name.

The churches connected with LCMC are connected to Lutheran Asian Ministries (LAM), a mission partner with LCMC and housed within the ministry of Morningside Lutheran Church in Sioux City, Iowa, an LCMC congregation. 

The executive director of LAM is Pastor Tom LoVan, on the pastoral team at Morningside and an LCMC pastor as well.

There's still time to enter our 2017 Annual Gathering photo contest before the Monday, July 17th deadline date! 

If your congregation has taken part in any projects, organized any events, or participated in any mission or ministry activities that exemplify what it means to be "in Mission for Christ" at a local, national, or international/global level over the past year, we're inviting YOU to submit photos to be considered for publication in our 2017 Annual Gathering Book.

To learn more and submit your favorite photos, click here. 

Here's how it works:

1. Photos must be submitted by a member, pastor, or staff member of an LCMC congregation
2. Go to www.lcmc.net/17-ag-photocontest and review the photo guidelines
3. Fill out the entry form, upload a photo, and click "submit"

Photos will be selected for publication based on subject matter (how closely they fit the theme), quality of the photo (photos should not appear "squished", "fuzzy" or contain clip art), and the story behind the photo (how your congregation is making a difference on the local, national, or global level).

All eligible photos received by Monday, July 17th will be considered for publication in The 2017 Annual Gathering Book.  Hard copy books will be available at the Annual Gathering in October, and a digital edition will be available on our website and in our mobile app once the Annual Gathering begins. 

Click Here to Submit a Photo

The theme of this year's event is “We Confess Our Faith”.  Our format will be a bit different this year, hoping to engage those attending in the conversation of three of the fundamental teachings of the Reformation:

• Justification
• The Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms
• The Priesthood of All Believers

The format will start with a brief introduction of the topic from a theological perspective, a panel discussion focusing on application to daily life—both domestic and international contexts – and discussion at tables by those attending the gathering.

This year we also celebrate the 500th anniversary of the nailing of the 95 theses of Martin Luther to the church door in Wittenburg, the beginning of the Reformation.  We will be screening documentary commissioned by Thrivent, “Martin Luther, The Idea That Changed the World”.

Once again, this year's event will include service projects, vendors, breakout sessions, and great worship opportunities. 

Early bird registration ends September 1st, so be sure to sign up before the price increases! 

For future updates on this and other events, be sure to download our mobile app and enable push notifications. 

Learn More  |  Register Now!

If your congregation is currently carrying out an Hispanic ministry, mission, or agency in our association, and you would like to get connected, please click here and sign up.  If you are interested in learning more about developing an Hispanic ministry, feel free to sign up as well. 

As we get some folks on our list, we will assign a coordinator, put together a “mission statement” and see what the Lord might do with this.

We have a number of non-geographic districts, and LCMC grew out of one many years ago called “Word Alone Network”. 

The purpose of non-geographic districts is to give people who are separated by many miles, but united in interest, a chance to connect, support and encourage, and even offer insight and training for those who want to grow a ministry. 

I think this network could also be a tremendous resource for those who would like to initiate a ministry in this arena.

Click Here to Sign Up!

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.

One year ago, the AD sent a 12 person fact finding team to visit with the Tabor congregation in Ethiopia. Out of that meeting came a partnership where the AD committed to supporting in various ways the tremendous mission outreach that the Tabor congregation already had in place, but wanted to expand even further into their neighboring Muslim areas.

In 2014, the AD raised over $100,000 and distributed $85,000 to the Tabor congregation for designated projects, or a 50/50 split of financial support to related mission projects of their choosing. Some of these mission projects included training and sending 39 evangelists to minister to the local people at 50 local community gathering mission centers, and beginning an agricultural mission to reach out and partner with local farmers in heavily Muslim regions.

Today's AD mission update newsletter reports that during the first quarter of 2015, an additional $15,000 was distributed to grow the number of evangelists to 46, add 5 farmers to the agricultural program, help purchase land to construct two more outreach centers, and more gathering mission sites in Muslim areas.

In addition, during the month of June, an additional $17,000 will be sent for continuing 50/50 support of the evangelists and farmers, as well as additional purchases of motorcycles and bicycles to assist the evangelists in reaching out to their local communities. The cost to support each evangelist is $600 per year.

The chairman of the AD Board of World Missions, Pastor Paul Knudson, reports, "The experience of the AD with the Tabor Partnership has been and continues to be a blessing beyond anyone's imagination. The Board wishes to extend its profound gratitude for all of your generosity."

Linked here is a page from last quarter's newsletter which gives a general summary of this positive partnership that is bearing much fruit for Christ's Kingdom.  (Click Here for Article)

Your in Christ,

Jim Dix

• 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.

Throughout the year, the 833 congregations that make up LCMC came together to raise a total of $91,005.40 for our service project with Meals from the Heartland (13.75% more than our goal of $80,000).  On the evening of Tuesday, October 7th, many of the people who attended the gathering met up at the convention center and assembled a total of 291,168 meals.  [Watch Video]

During the Business Session of the gathering, Pastors Christopher Miller (Area 2) and Kenneth “Corky” Spitler (Area 5) were elected to the LCMC Board of Trustees.  Pastors Nathan Hanson and Stephan Turnbull were appointed to serve on the Ministry Board.  

Rev. Mark Vander Tuig announced the launch of the LCMC Prayer Chain, an opportunity for people to sign up to pray for all of the congregations in LCMC on a weekly basis.  Click Here to learn more and sign up.

It was also announced that our 15th Annual Gathering will take place from October 4-7, 2015 at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center in Frisco, TX. 

Photo galleries from the Annual Gathering, downloadable copies of our 2014 Book, and presentation notes from our Keynote Speakers are now available at our website.  To view any of these materials, Click Here. 

Videos of our speakers will not be available until later this winter.  We will announce via E-Newsletter, blog, Facebook and Twitter when these videos have been posted.  

100% of the donations that we have received will be used to purchase enough food, packaging supplies and shipping to feed 400,000 people in need, both in the U.S. and abroad. 

The food packages will be assembled on Tuesday, October 7th from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. by LCMC-ers from around the globe. 

The process of assembling and packaging the meals will require the help of about 1,000 people, so if you plan to attend the Annual Gathering this year, we need your help!  If you haven't already, please consider signing up to help package meals for an hour or two.  All you've got to do is check off one or both of the "Meal Packaging Project" boxes when you Register for the Annual Gathering. 

If you have already registered for the Annual Gathering, but did not sign up to package meals and would like to, you can also notify our staff that you are interested via email at cathy@lcmc.net. 

See you in Des Moines! 

For more info:

How is Lutheran World Relief Responding?

• Shelter: LWR will provide shelter repair kits to families whose homes were damaged in the typhoon.
• Cash programs: LWR will employ residents of three municipalities in Northern Cebu in short-term work assignments removing debris from public spaces, helping to get cash into the hands of those who need it.
• Household supplies: LWR will provide families who have lost their belongings with essential household supplies such as cooking utensils and plates.
• Quilts and Kits: LWR is shipping Personal Care Kits, Baby Care Kits, School Kits and Quilts, which will be distributed to more than 26,000 families.

How Can I Get Involved?

• Please pray for those affected by Super Typhoon Haiyan and for all who are working to respond in the aftermath of the storm.
• Give to the Philippines Typhoon fund. Your cash donations help LWR respond quickly to emerging needs on the ground. LWR accepts gifts online, by phone at (800) 597-5972 or by mail at Lutheran World Relief, P.O Box 17061, Baltimore MD 21297-1061.
• Please consider assembling Quilts and Kits so that we have stock to respond to this and other emerging situations around the world.

Click Here for congregational resources including text for bulletins/e-news/newsletter, a video of LWR's VP for International Programs providing an update on our response, and bulletin inserts.  Also available: a Powerpoint, prayers/petitions, sermon starters, and a children’s sermon.