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TEXAS MESSENGER

TEXAS NOVEMBER 2019 / 1

From the president

What would you do if you knew the world was going to end tomorrow?

Martin Luther, the 16th-century church reformer, is alleged to have said that he would plant an apple tree today. His hope in Jesus Christ as Savior and his mission as a steward of God’s gifts would stay steady for each day no matter what the next day brought.

November is a time when God’s people are confronted with the end of the world. As the church year transitions from the Pentecost sea-son to Advent, the Scripture read-ings turn toward Jesus’ promise that He will return and His calling for us to be ready.

Did you know that our Lutheran Service Book (LSB) has a section devoted to the end times? The hymns mention judgment, God’s righteousness and our calling to be ready and watchful. They lift up the wonderful promises of the resurrec-tion of the body, the restoration of all things, and our tears being wiped away forever in the presence of our

Savior — all by His grace through His blood shed on the cross.

But two hymns stir us up to think about some Luther-like “tree plant-ing.”

“The Clouds of Judgment Gather” (LSB #513) closes with the lines:

Strive now to win that glory, Toil now to gain that light; Send hope ahead to grasp it Till hope be lost in sight.

After lauding the refreshment and relief that distressed followers of Christ receive at His second coming, the hymn urges believers onward in vibrant faith. The lyrics reveal the glory and light of Christ needed by all in the world. Strive and toil, believers — but not to be saved; that is all by grace. Strive and toil to carry and lift up the hope of Jesus Christ to all — until that day when we see Jesus face to face.

“Christ is Surely Coming” (LSB #509) describes the new Jerusalem in verse two:

See the holy city! There they enter in, All by Christ made holy, Washed from ev’ry sin: Thirsty ones, desiring All He loves to give,

Come for living water, Freely drink, and live!

Within the context of the very real and certain return of Jesus is a beautiful invitation. It is the invi-tation we echo today even if — es-pecially if — the world would end tomorrow. “Come for living water! Freely drink, and live!”

If the world would end tomorrow, we are called to plant seeds of the Gospel today — orchards of trees that bear the fruit of saving faith in the lives of many.

Questions for reflection:Read Luke 19:11-23▶ What does this parable say

about God’s generosity and our responsibility as His redeemed people?

Read Luke 21:5-19▶ How do verses 13-15 clarify your

calling as a church and as a fol-lower of Jesus as we live in the end times?

Prayer starter: Thank God for en-trusting you and your church with the treasure of His Word. Ask Him to fill you with His Spirit and wis-dom as you are entrusted with the “opportunity to bear witness” to Jesus.

By Rev. Michael NewmanPresident, LCMS Texas Districttxlcms.org • mnewman.org

A beautiful invitation

2 / TEXAS

TEXAS PARTNERS IN MISSION

HAVE A DIRECT IMPACT ON TEXAS DISTRICT MISSIONARIES

Your gifts make it possible for missionaries like Andrew to bring the Gospel to new people. Every dollar given to Texas Partners in Mission goes to Texas District mission work and missionaries.

TXLCMS.ORG/TPIMSUPPORT THE MISSION NOW AT

“My greatest joy is God’s work in and around me. It’s hard to describe, and when I try, I just see the faces of those with whom I live, serve, and worship. It’s Holy Spirit-forged relationships receiving and reflecting the truth, grace, and love of Jesus.”

— Pastor Andrew Walker ACTS Church Kyle

NOVEMBER 2019 / 3

MISSIONS

By Rev. Pete MuellerMission Strategist, Area C

Earlier this fall, all four churches of

the ACTS Network came together for worship at Brazos Hall in downtown Austin. With united voice, they praised God for His plan and pur-pose, recognizing that both insiders and outsiders are “fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel” (Eph. 3:6).

At this one-of-a-kind celebration, it was announced that ACTS Church Lakeway had made Outreach mag-azine’s list of top 100 “Reproducing Churches in America.” ACTS had been recommended for this honor by the leaders of Exponential, a na-tional church-planting organization (exponential.org). ACTS was being honored for its rapid reproduction

of churches in the greater Austin area and its commitment to multi-ply kingdom impact.

For more than 10 years, Outreach magazine has been publishing a list of the country’s fastest-growing and largest churches. This year, for the first time, Outreach is recogniz-ing reproducing churches: “Con-gregations that have limited their growth at their home site because they are intentionally investing in new churches.” (See all three lists at outreach100.com)

It is sometimes assumed that a church has to get big before it be-gins reproducing. This hypothesis does not line up with the ACTS experience. ACTS Church Lakeway, for instance, records a worship at-tendance of about 150 per weekend. Yet the members of ACTS have given themselves away again and again, believing that more people in more areas will be reached with the Gospel through intentional disciple making and church planting.

We are grateful that, in partnership with the Exponential organiza-tion, Outreach is now challenging churches “to consider their lega-cy — not just building their local church, but expanding the kingdom in other parts of their city, their region, the world.” Congregations of all sizes can make the strategic commitment to reproduce and to multiply their impact!

How might you be a part of this movement? ACTS is only one among many congregations and networks that share the dis-trict-wide goal of seeing 100 new Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod churches planted in Texas over the next decade; and 50 new local evangelistic outreach ministries started.

Please feel free to contact me or any one of our Texas District mis-sion and ministry facilitators to explore the power of multiplication through the Gospel.

Texas District is multiplying churches!

4 / TEXAS

▶ 800-880-3733▶ 7900 East Highway 290

Austin, TX 78724-2499▶ info@legacydeo.org▶ legacydeo.org

When preparing this article I came across a list of events that occur in November. You may be more fa-miliar with some of them than I am:▶ National Doughnut Day (Nov. 5)

By Rev. Dr. Jerry KieschnickChief Executive Officer

▶ National Parents as Teachers Day (Nov. 8)

▶ Marine Corps Birthday (Nov. 10)▶ Veterans Day (Nov. 11)▶ World Kindness Day (Nov. 13)▶ America Recycles Day (Nov. 15)▶ National Adoption Day (Nov. 23)▶ Thanksgiving Day (I’m sure about

this one! — Nov. 28)▶ Black Friday (Nov. 29)

Finally, lest you think I forgot, Leg-acy Deo Sunday also occurs in No-vember. This year it’s Nov. 3, which may have come and gone by the time you read this. Let me fill you in about the meaning of this Sunday.

In the LCMS Texas District, nu-merous organizations and min-istries observe a special Sunday every year. The purpose of these special Sundays is to make people aware of these ministries and to en-courage them to be involved in and support them.

In Legacy Deo’s case, our purpose is to inform and encourage family and charitable giving.

Gifts given to family members, both now and later, demonstrate the love of parents and grandparents for their children and grandchildren.

Gifts given to church and other ministries reflect the love of Christ in a way that enhances the procla-mation of God’s love in Christ and supports acts of Christian love.

So happy November, and happy Thanksgiving!

Contact us for assistance with income-producing gift plans or other aspects of estate planning.

Legacy Deo has produced three critical documents that can save you and your family many hours of anxiety.

The Red Book is a collection of vital infor-mation for use in emergencies; a location sum-mary of your legal and financial records (such as your will, credit card numbers, bank infor-mation and personal documents). Celebrating Victory in Christ is a complete guide for planning your funeral or memorial service, including suggested hymns and Scrip-ture readings. Planning Your Legacy is a guide for plan-ning your will and trust before seeing an attor-ney.

These documents are available by email at no cost to you. The forms can be completed online and modified when necessary. Or, you can print the documents and complete them by hand.

A valuable gift you can give to your family

Our missionTo inspire giving that impacts life forever.

Order your free digital copies atinfo@legacydeo.org

Days to remember

HAPPENINGS

NOVEMBER 2019 / 5

WEATHERFORD

On June 2, Trinity welcomed its newest member, Arden Voss, by baptism. Shown here with Rev. Tim Fraker are, from left, Heather and Nic Voss with their children, August and Arden; Sheldon Voss; Jamison Voss; and Jordan and David White.

On May 26, Conrad Tate Hamilton was baptized at Trinity. Conrad is shown here with parents Whitney and Tracy Hamilton and Pastor Fraker.

SAN ANTONIO

Baptized into God’s grace at Holy Cross on Thursday, June 20, were Peter James and Sophia Lee Mang-um. They are pictured with their parents, Eric and Megan Mangum, and Rev. Elder McCants.

The family of faith at Holy Cross grew with the baptism of Nicholas, Lilleeann and Penelope Morin on June 23. Shown with the children are their parents, Nicole and Fidencio Morin, and Rev. McCants.

CLEVELANDOn July 7, Luke David Halbert was welcomed into the fellowship of Good Shepherd through baptism. Parents are Kirill Jeff (not pictured) and Mycahla Mae Street Halbert. Shown with Rev. Victor Franks are, from left, Vicky Scherer Street (grandmother), Luke, Glenn Ray Scherer Jr. (great un-cle and sponsor), Mycahla and Patri-cia Scherer (great-grandmother). Not pictured is Parker Franks (sponsor).

LAMESAOn July 21, Macklin Archer Ter-ry was baptized at Grace. He is held by his parents, Jonathan and Trisha Terry. Macklin is the sixth generation of the Menix clan to be a member of Grace. Pastor is Rev. Alan Abel.

6 / TEXAS

HAPPENINGS

LAGO VISTAOn May 19, these youth were con-firmed at Christ Our Savior. Shown with Rev. David Hintze are David Sozansky (left) and Alberto Olvera.

PLAINVIEWOn Holy Trinity Sunday, June 16, these three confirmands publicly con-fessed their faith at St. Paul. Pictured with Rev. Michael Heckmann are, from left, Kylie Rowell, Katee Prutzman and Austin Gruhlkey.

WAXAHACHIERev. Jared Raebel is shown celebrating the new birth in Christ of his granddaugh-ter, McKinley Grace, at her baptism at Christ the King Lutheran Church. McKin-ley’s parents, Micah and Karissa Raebel, serve in San Antonio — Micah as di-rector of Music Ministry at Shepherd of the Hills and Karissa as music teacher at Concordia.

THE GROVEThese young peo-ple were confirmed on the Feast of Pentecost, June 9, at St. Paul. Shown with Rev. John Heckmann are Madilyn Alsup and Dawson Keller. May the Holy Spirit keep them in their Christian faith all of their days.

MIDLANDOn May 19, Grace Lu-theran Church welcomed its 2019 confirmation class. Pictured with Rev. Robert Pase (left) and Rev. Phillip Allman (right) are, from left, Emily Layne Catt, Abigail Rea-gan DeBerry and Hunter Cole Hamilton.

NOVEMBER 2019 / 7

HAPPENINGS

WALLEROn June 9, Rev. Henry Wied con-firmed Brad Story as a new member of Cross of Christ Lutheran Church.

GUN BARREL CITYJune 16 was confirmation day at St Peter. Shown with Rev. D. R. Nelson are from left, Payton Wendt, Brooklin Wendt, Emma Starnes and Connor Johnson.

LAMPASAS

On June 23, from left, Maggie Ochsner and Charlotte Carmack were confirmed at Faith.Pastor is Rev. Tim Ochsner.

JOHNSON CITYChrist Lutheran Church had its first confirmation class on Friday, June 14. Rev. Jay Cantwell, assistant pastor of King of Kings, San Antonio, is shown with Felix Ping, one of four students in the class. Christ began as an outreach of Resurrection, Fredericksburg, in 2016 and became a mission congregation of the Texas District in 2018.

SAN ANTONIOConfirmands of Mount Calvary are shown with Rev. David Reedy. From left, Corben Perankovich, David Meissle, Lillie Greehey and Sophie Greehey.

On Aug. 11, Faith Lutheran Church welcomed Gladys Vega through the rite of confirmation.

8 / TEXAS

HAPPENINGS

STEPHENVILLE

On June 30, Faith was blessed to have C.J. Spellmeier (joined by his parents, Cheri Spellmeier and Barry Harpole) come to the Lord’s Table for the Rite of First Communion, and welcome new members. Shown are, from left, Gar-rett and Amy Moore and their children, Maverick and Miller; Cheri, C.J. and Barry; Robert and Christine Curtis; Matt and Emma Bouquet; Sheryl and Troy Truss; Brantley and Kristen Riola and their children, Dustin and Mason; and Rev. Ed Auger.

SULPHUR SPRINGS

On June 23, these new members were welcomed at Our Savior. Shown with Rev. Tim Eden are, from left, Richard and Christine Spofford and their children, Benjamin and Patrick; Dan and Wendy Baker; George and Jenny Hernandez and their sons Ian (serving in the U.S. Navy) and Elias; and James and Jackie Scott.

Also welcomed on June 23 were Tom and Stephanie Land and their chil-dren, Riley, Malaki and Paisley.

LIBERTY HILLOn June 23, Sandra Bartlett was welcomed into the fam-ily of Mission Liberty Hill. Vacancy pastor is Rev. Dr. Michael Coppersmith.

On Aug. 4, shown with Pastor Coppersmith are new mem-bers Jim and Moni Monk and their son, Jakob. Children also welcomed are Joey and Kelli, who are away at college.

NOVEMBER 2019 / 9

HAPPENINGS

TYLER“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). Trinity’s Prime Timers group enjoyed a full day of fellow-ship during a bus trip to Waco. Their first stop was the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum.

HOUSTONConcordia has a dedicated group that meets twice a week in the Fellowship Hall for fun, fitness and fellowship. Leader Alice Far-rack (at left) has an inspirational message for the members: “Your health is an investment, not an expense. Fall in love with taking care of yourself — mind, body, spirit.” She teaches everyone the value of taking care of their bod-ies through exercise. The group is now in its seventh year.

SPRINGAt the New Life Festival at Beautiful Savior Our Redeemer — in celebration and teaching of the resurrec-tion of Jesus — many from the congregation and neighbor-hood enjoyed egg dying, faith bracelets butterflies and seed planting.

10 / TEXAS

HAPPENINGS

LUBBOCKOne of Christ Lutheran Church’s community relations projects is providing Supper on Sunday (SOS) for Texas Tech students. The Lutheran Student Center hosts SOS each week during the fall and spring semesters, beginning with a Bible study and followed by a meal. The SOS meals are provided by volunteers.

HOUSTONWhat an exciting day for Rev. Mark Brunette (center), pastor of Joy Lutheran Church, as he was privileged to baptize his first grandchild, Joshua James Brown Jr., on Christmas Eve 2018. Pastor Brunette is sur-rounded by, from left, Rita White, Joel Jefferson and his family, Naomi (daughter), Michelle (wife) and Joshua (holding Joshua Jr.) and Jesse Brown (son-in-law and daughter).

Send photos, stories and newsletters for The Lutheran Witness to:▶ txmess@txlcms.org▶ Texas Messenger, LCMS Texas District,

7900 E. Highway 290; Austin, TX 78724-2499

Texas Messenger is available online at txlcms.org.

SEND US YOUR NEWS

Providing the Word of God freely to people who are blind or visually impaired has been the focus of Lutheran Braille Workers since it was founded in 1943. The work has grown from producing titles in a single language to 30 languages, and the work force has grown from one volun-teer working out of her home to more than 3,000 volun-teers in about 170 work centers across the United States.

The Braille Work Center at Mount Calvary, San Antonio — organized in 1983 — currently consists of 76 full-time volunteers. There are 10 groups that meet monthly at Mount Calvary that come from Concordia, San Antonio; Cross Lutheran, New Braunfels; King of Kings, San Antonio; Messi-ah, Boerne; and Mount Calvary, San Antonio.

The work center produces Ezekiel/Daniel (Volume 2), and The Spirit and Me, a mus-tard-seed devotional. The center prints an average of more than 3,000 pages a month, or 42 books. The books are then packaged and mailed to various locations in the United States and overseas.

Mercy for the blind

Braille volunteers are shown as they prepare the books to be printed, punched and bound, and mailed.

NOVEMBER 2019 / 11

TIES THAT BIND

These friends of yours recently celebrated or will celebrate wedding anniversaries of 50 years or more. All are members of Texas District congregations.San Angelo, Trinity Erwin and Carolyn Weiershausen 66 years, Aug. 22Monty and Dinah Stanley 50 years, Aug. 23Rodney and Berdie Douma 66 years, Aug. 25Harris and Dorothy Brinson 58 years, Aug. 26

Warda, Holy Cross Alfred and Ruby Bohot 69 years, June 18Zane aand Frances Gray 52 years, July 6J.C. anad Wilma Kaiser 69 years, Aug. 12Ralph and Carolyn Bamsch 53 years, Sept. 10Wally and Carol Lehmann 55 years, Sept. 19

Houston, Gethsemane James and Darlene Ellison 53 years, Nov. 25

Manheim, Ebenezer Dennis and Joyce Foerster 53 years, Nov. 5Raymond and Dorothy Thoene 58 years, Nov. 23

Klein, Trinity James and Laverne Hill 64 years, Nov. 11Robert and Liz Kiel 56 years, Nov. 22Ron and Jan Bedford 54 years, Nov. 25

Elgin, Grace Wilbert and Jeanette Schneider 60 years, Oct. 4

Conroe, St. Mark Grady and Patricia Fossler 50 years, Nov. 28

Houston, Trinity (downtown) Ray anad Nancy Medack 50 years, Nov. 8

Buster and Tommye Becker, members of Grace, San Marcos, celebrated 73 years of marriage Sept. 11.

Roland and Janet Schneider, members of Mount Calvary, San Antonio, celebrated 65 years of marriage Oct. 23.

Howard and Helen Frank, members of Trinity, Klein, will celebrate 60 years of marriage Nov. 28.

Roland and Jackie Steele, members of Mount Olive, Corpus Christi, celebrated 50 years of marriage July 6.

Glenn and Wanda Pittsford, members of Holy Cross, College Station, celebrated 50 years of marriage Sept. 9.

Rev. Richard and Evelyn Sny-der, members of Resurrection, Fredericksburg, celebrated 60 years of marriage Aug. 28.

Vita Schneider, a member of Redeem-er, Baytown, at 98 years of age is an active member of LWML, plays 42 every month at Min-gles, attends church and Sunday school regularly and cooks for pot-luck din-ners.

She will celebrate her 99th birthday on Jan. 8. Vita continues to be an inspira-tion to everyone.

Lorena E. Folks celebrates 100 yearsThe children, grandchildren, and great-grand-children of Lorena Folks hosted a reception for fam-ily and friends in honor of her 100th birthday on Sept. 14 at Immanuel, Temple.

Lorena serves others as an active member of Immanuel and has vol-unteered to serve with Altar Guild and LWML, as a Sunday school and vacation Bible school teacher, and in many other capacities.

Her love and joy of serving others comes easily because her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, first loved her.

Vita Schneider soon to be 99 years young

12 / TEXAS

SCHOOL MINISTRY

By Dr. Bill HinzDirector of School Ministry

Blessed with gifts to serve

e all have experienced

the task of conducting an inventory at some time in our lives. In our schools, an inventory is neces-sary to ensure the right amount of textbooks and supplies are on hand for our students. An “inventory” of sorts is constantly done to check on a student’s progress in reaching academic objectives to be ready for the next level. In our personal lives, an inventory can be an important part of our spiritual journey.

So it is as baptized, redeemed Christians. God has given unique gifts to each of us. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, He calls upon us to be human instruments of His grace and mercy. Some gifts will fit our personalities; others will challenge us to grow and yes, even to change.

“ We have different gifts, ac-cording to the grace given

to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” — Rom. 12:6-8 (NIV)

How will you use those gifts? For those who serve our Lutheran schools, it can be as a teacher, ad-ministrator, staff member, parent, congregation member and grand-parent who are called to serve, sup-port and encourage students and their families. What a blessing and joy it is to nurture and watch the planted seeds grow as our students fulfill their purposes in life and serve others in their families, com-munities and beyond.

In our schools, our children are growing in their faith journey and maturation; students’ lives are touched through the Word and by teachers who love and care for their growth — and for their eternity.

Rev. Michael Newman, Texas Dis-trict president, calls our teachers and students “front-line missionar-ies.” Please pray for the students in your life, for those served by your congregation and for the more than 17,000 students in Texas District Lutheran schools and early child-hood centers who daily hear of Jesus’ love. Pray that they become a mighty force of front-line mis-sionaries in their own families and communities.

v Nov. 3-5 Early Childhood Directors Retreat, San Antonio

v Nov. 24-26 Texas District Educators Conference, Houston

v Jan. 23-25 Early Childhood Educators Conference, Houston

NOVEMBER 2019 / 13

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY TEXAS

Dec. 7 The CTX Commitment

Dec. 7 Fall Commencement Jan. 2 Transfer Night Feb. 18 Transfer Night March 6-8 Concordia CrossingVisit concordia.edu/athletics for sports schedules.

The 94th academic year of Concordia University Texas (CTX) is off to a great start. With nearly 2,500 students, including undergraduate, graduate, traditional, hybrid and online, CTX continues to remain financially strong and committed to delivering our mission to a wide vari-ety of students in central Texas and beyond.

Our biggest enrollment increases this year were seen in our Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program. Including our ABSN and traditional nursing program, CTX is now each year educating nearly 400 future nurses who will take Concordia’s Christ-centered,

CTX now in year 94caring values into the medical communities through-out our state. In addition to nursing, Concordia offers programs in business, education and a wide variety of liberal arts.

The mission of Concordia University Texas is to em-power students of all backgrounds to lead lives of criti-cal thought, compassionate action and courageous lead-ership, and prepare leaders for lives of service. Know someone who would benefit from studying here? Direct them to Concordia.edu/admissions for information about how to become a part of our campus community.

The Concordia University Texas Class of 2023

Celebrate Christmas with CTX!Please join us for these wonderful Christmas events as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

▷ Dec. 5, 6 p.m.,The Pier (between Cedel Hall and Building D)

Usher in the Christmas season at CTX. At this family friendly event, you will enjoy cookies, hot chocolate, Christ-

mas carols, ornament decorating and, of course, the lighting of the beautiful Christmas tree.

Christmas with the Choirs▷ Dec. 7, 3 p.m.,

Hope Presbyterian Church, AustinJoin the University Choir and the Concordia Singers for this festive mu-sical celebration.

A Service of Lessons and Carols▷ Dec. 12, 7 p.m., CTX ChapelExperience the account of our Savior’s birth through our service of prophecy and fulfillment in Word and music.

Christmas Tree Lighting

14 / TEXAS

CAN-DO — CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY TEXAS

Donations for CAN-DO Missions are welcome!Make checks payable to Concordia University Tex-as, with “CAN-DO Mis-sions” in the memo line.

Send to:Concordia University TexasATTN: CAN-DO MISSIONS11400 Concordia University Drive, Austin TX 78726

Or call 512-313-4332 to donate via credit card. Do-nations may also be made at can-do.concordia.edu

By Pat FickCAN-DO Director

y dogs were entertain-ing me last

night. They had ei-ther a hoof or bone in their mouths. Sonny was on the couch and Espi was on the rug on the other side of the room. As soon as Sonny stopped chewing his bone and left the couch, Espi would run over, leap on the couch and grab the abandoned bone. Noticing that Es-pi’s hoof was now available, Sonny would run over to the rug and chew on the hoof for a while.

It was almost like a choreographed dance. As soon as one dog left the couch, the other would come over to check out the possibilities for satiating and salivating! We have a stash of bones by the rug and at least three of them ended up on the couch before the dance was over.

When I was 33 (just a few years ago), I was doing a Bible study called Experiencing God, written by Henry Blackaby and Claude King. This past weekend I had the opportunity to hear Richard Blackaby (Henry’s son) reteach the

principles of this study and I was reminded of how God spoke to me so many years ago.

For a week I had a pain in my side. I went to the doctor twice but was told to just take Tylenol and it would be fine. It was at a Stephen Ministry retreat, which I was to help lead, that things took a turn for the worse. A fever spiked and the pain became severe. I landed in the emergency room and asked God for His perspective on my cir-cumstances. He seemed to whisper to me … “I just want to show you how much I love you.”

Turns out that my appendix had burst a week earlier, but the Lord had allowed a wall of tissue to con-tain the poison until they were able to surgically remove my appendix. God exhibited not only His mirac-ulous intervention in my body, but showed me His power, kindness and love through the medical staff and the members our church, Lord of Life, Plano.

Did you know that God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal? That’s “reality two” in the Experi-encing God study! Jer. 31:3b says:

“ I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued My faithful-ness to you.”

Perhaps you’ve read the poem by Francis Thompson titled “The Hound of Heaven” (1893). The poem centers on the pursuit of a sinner by a loving God. Dear friends, just like my dogs’ hot pur-suit of their chew bones, God per-sistently pursues us. He loves every one He created and wants all to be with Him forever. He wants to have a loving relationship with us and He uses people like you and me to share this Good News.

“ Whoever confesses that Je-sus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” — 1 John 4:15-16

Pursued by the‘hound of heaven’

Sonny Espi

NOVEMBER 2019 / 15

TEXAS CHURCH EXTENSION FUND

Since 2001, Texas District Church Extension Fund has been supporting the growth

of missions and ministry in the LCMS Texas District by partnering with Texas Partners in Mission (TPIM) through its 100Plus1 pro-gram.

When you make a gift of $1,000 or more to TPIM and open a new fixed-rate Texas CEF investment of $5,000 or more, CEF will match your gift 100 percent to Texas Partners in Mission. Also, CEF will pay you a bonus one percent for the term of your investment. The investment amount earning a bonus one percent is limited to 10 times the gift amount (for exam-ple, a $50,000 investment, earn-ing a bonus one percent, equals a gift of at least $5,000).

As of June 2019, the total matched gifts to TPIM is $1,919,416!

This is all thanks to the faithful-ness and wonderful stewardship

▶ 7900 E. Highway 290 Austin TX, 78724

▶ 888-951-1233 512-646-1233

▶ Rpracht@ texascef.org

▶ TexasCEF.org

Texas District Church Extension Fund

Raelyn Pracht

Wishing you and your family a

very happy and blessed

Thanksgiving.

Thanks for your gifts!

you have displayed. In partnership with God’s people in LCMS con-gregations across the state, the Texas District has started 130 new mission congregations since 2004! This is all thanks to you and your gifts!

With the help of donors to Texas Partners in Mission, the Texas Dis-trict has facilitated the start of one new congregation every six weeks for the past 15 years! We praise God for His faithfulness.

Your mission focus and self-sac-rificial generosity are helping to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with more than 9,000 people each week through more than 100 mis-sionaries in the Texas District.

Together we can continue to fol-low Christ’s call to “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mark 16:15).

To find out more about the 100Plus1 program, visit texascef.org or call 888-951-1233.

Rev. Mark Pulliam and his son celebrate the arrival of the signs for the new church plant, Lazarus Church, which will serve the Spring/Woodlands area. Your support of Texas Partners in Mission helped make this happen. Thank you for your partnership!

16 / TEXAS

* The story of Ally is true, but we used a pseudonym and stock photo to protect her identity.

/UpbringOrg @UpbringOrg

UpbringOrg

s a shy, sweet and tender-hearted young girl, Ally* longed for attention and love from her family, but was ignored and neglected for years.

Then, when Ally turned 13, her oldest brother began sexually abusing her. Soon some of the men her mother brought into the home began to prey on her too. Ally began acting out at school by getting into fights, and getting sus-pended. Then she began to hurt herself and talked of wanting to die.

Thankfully, Ally was removed from her home and brought to us at New Life, where we are giving her love, attention and the skills she needs to build her self-esteem. Ally’s favorite part of New Life is the barn, where there are goats, ducks, turkeys, chickens, two miniature horses and two full-sized donkeys. She works at the barn nearly every day and has blos-somed with her newfound sense of purpose.

Today, Ally is preparing for the next phase of her life and considering her college options. She either wants to become a veterinarian or a social worker, but knows that either way she wants to be in a helping profession. She even talks about her new sense of hope. “I know that Jesus loves me and will take care of me no matter what comes my way,” she says.

So many of our children come to us feeling broken and unworthy. The girls we serve at Upbring New Life Children’s Center are far more than a number, a label or a statistic. They have survived extraordinarily hard cir-cumstances. These girls are warriors and sur-vivors. Each girl who comes through our res-idential programs brings their own dreams, talents and abilities.

We are blessed with the opportunity to em-power the children we serve so that they are able to make a difference in the world. With backing from our faithful supporters, we are able to serve more girls like Ally. To learn more about Upbring, please visit Upbring.org.

UPBRING

“I know that Jesus loves me and will take care of me no matter what comes my way.”

From broken to empoweredAfter traumatic familial abuse, young woman gets needed love, care from Upbring

Upbring.org

NOVEMBER 2019 / 17

LUTHERAN OUTDOORS MINISTRY OF TEXAS

Here at Camp Lone Star, we strive to provide opportunities for not only children to have

fun, but also the entire family. A new program that we started does just that! Family Fun Night gives the whole family an opportunity to enjoy Camp Lone Star and see what makes this place so special. Our goal in creating Family Fun Night can be summarized in three parts:1. To create a schedule and activ-

ities that can be enjoyed by all ages. Camp gives children space to play and explore, while giving adults the chance to be a kid again.

2. To give your family the unique opportunity to bond and connect over activities, devotions and dinner. Bringing a family togeth-er and giving them the time to

dig into God’s Word together is something that we at Camp Lone Star are very passionate about.

3. To give your family the opportu-nity to connect with other fami-lies in the La Grange area.

Family Fun Night also provides our campers the ability to show Camp Lone Star to their parents. One of the families that attended our first Family Fun Night spent time walk-ing around our Base Camp area as the parents heard from their daughter all about her favorite activities and memories at Camp Lone Star. The father later said, “Camp Lone Star is her favorite place on earth and that’s why we are here!”

Each Family Fun Night will include:v Games at Base Camp: These

are our classic camp games,

Fun for your whole family!

Camp Lone StarA Mission Movement for all→ 2016 Camp Lone Star Road

La Grange, TX 78945

→ lonestar@lomt.com

→ 800-362-2078

Lutheran Outdoors Ministry of Texas→ P.O. Box 457;

La Grange, TX 78945

→ lomt@lomt.com

→ 979-968-1657→ LOMT.com

Contact us

→ November 1-3 Fall Blast (group registration)

4-6 Lutherhostel 19 Family Fun Night (Movie night)

→ December 10 2020 Summer Camp registration opens

17 Family Fun Night (gingerbread house decorating)

which every child knows and loves. The games include rumble ball, camouflage (which is a vari-ation of hide-n’-seek), 9 square in the air, and more.

v Dinner: Our meals will be cook-out style, featuring hamburgers and tacos.

v Devotional: The staff leads them, and they also include fami-ly discussions.

v Large Group Activity: This could be any kind of fun group activity, such as swimming, movie night or battle bow. Some will be themed-based, depending on the time of year. (For example, we will decorate gingerbread houses in December.)

Movie night will be held on Tues-day, Nov. 19; and gingerbread mak-ing and other Christmas fun will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 17.

The 2020 dates will be announced soon.

To make Family Fun Night even more family friendly, there is no cost to attend! We ask that you please register your family for each event as this helps us plan and pre-pare for everyone in attendance. Register at lomt.com/rp_ familyfunnight.html. Enjoying God’s creation is not just for children, but for all ages! We are excited to help you intentionally connect and grow with your family!

18 / TEXAS

LONE STAR DISTRICT LLL/LHM

Redeemer Lutheran Church, Austin, partners with other LCMS congregations for the “Vision for Kenya” project, a mission to bring eyeglass clinics to those in need in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. The project began with the LCMS World Mission Ablaze! initiative, adopted in 2004 when Rev. Dr. Jerry Kieschnick was serving as LCMS president. Redeemer’s program is patterned after a similar program adminis-tered in Honduras by Salem Lu-theran Church, Tomball, in which Salem members brought medical professionals and volunteers to perform vision and dental work for those in the poorer areas of the country.

Redeemer was recruited for the “Vision for Keyna” project by Rev. Wayne Graumann — who served as senior pastor of Salem, Tomball, from 1978 until his retirement in 2013 — to join the program in Kenya and take responsibility for the Nairobi area. Since Redeemer

is a larger urban church with a heart for city ministry, it is well suited to work in Nairobi. The eye clinic outreach was chosen because it could be put in motion with trained volunteers, local doctors and more affordable equipment.

With the help of Salem members Paul Althoff and Kevin Peiper, Re-deemer agreed to become involved and made its first trip to Nairobi in 2008. Since then, many other congregations have joined the project, in-cluding Trinity Lutheran Church, Klein.

The primary purpose of the “Vision for Kenya” proj-ect is to fulfill the Great Commission. Kenya was chosen as the first country to receive this program be-cause of the mosques and Muslim schools being built there, many times right next to Christian churches.

A key component of the

program is a team of Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM) mission-aries and volunteers in Kenya providing logistical support and follow-up in the area during the two to three annual visits by the teams. Much of the communica-tion is done in the native language of Swahili, or English as needed. LHM booklets and Bible tracts are also handed out to all who attend the clinics.

These clinics reach many people, and while the human care is signif-icant, the most important statistic is the number of those receiving Christ for the first time or return-ing to the faith. A typical clinic reaches 2,000 to 4,000 people. Medical treatment, including cat-aract surgery, eye tests and distri-bution of needed eyeglasses, is the mercy component of the program, but the main thrust of each mis-sion is the one-on-one witnessing through discussion and prayer. Prayer time is a unique feature of the program.

Since Redeemer joined the project, nearly 50,000 people have been touched by the Gospel. At last count, the “Vision for Kenya” project has touched more than

250,000 lives.

For some of those, it is their first time to see and live a more complete life. Others have met Christ for the first time.

If you are interested in par-ticipating in this worthwhile mission, please contact Re-deemer Lutheran Church, Austin, or Salem Lutheran Church, Tomball. You will have the opportunity to “open the eyes” of people to the Gospel and grow your faith in the process.

‘Vision for Kenya’

Volunteers distribute eyeglasses as part of a mercy outreach of Redeemer, Austin.

“And their eyes were opened, and they

recognized him.

[Jesus].”Luke 24:31

NOVEMBER 2019 / 19

LWML DISTRICT NEWS

LWML Texas District 41st Biennial Convention“Christ is Our Anchor” (Heb. 6:19-20) • June 18–20 • Corpus Christi

M i t e s i n A c t i o n

From left, Joy Cowan presented the check for “Expanding the Mission at UTA Lutheran Student Center” to Rev. Doug Widger and volunteers Donald and Sharon Alloy.

Making an eternal difference — globallyBy Rev. Dr. Yohannes MengsteabMission and Ministry Facilitator, Area BandJoy CowanLWML VP of Gospel Outreach

The stories of transforming relationships are inspir-ing. Students from Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim backgrounds hear the Gos-pel without fear of retali-ation from their commu-nities and governments. The ends of the earth are coming to our institutions of higher learning; the students will go back to their countries to become leaders in all sectors of

The Lutheran Student Center at the Univer-sity of Texas at Arlington (UTA) reaches out to more than 150 international students. It’s a place

where the students share meals and build relationships with members of area Lutheran congregations, and where the Gospel is proclaimed by Word and deed.

government and business. They are making an eter-nal difference globally.

Susan Dorn has been named interim director of the student center. She will work with the center Board of Directors and

students to continue to implement activities at the facility.

The Student Center is open five days a week and has 70 to 150 students attend on Friday evening. Exciting things are hap-pening at UTA.

The students are engaged in the front line of mis-sion and the devil does not like it one bit. They covet the prayers of all our readers.

The convention will be held at the Omni Corpus Christi Hotel beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 18, with a wor-ship service, and ending at noon on Sat-urday, June 20.

On Thursday, there will be activities during the day, including servant events, human care, exhibits, choir practice, a dedication service and an opportunitiy to meet the officer candidates.

Please plan your travel and hotel reser-vation according to this new schedule.

Hotel reservations will open on Feb. 15 and convention registration will begin March 1.

All the details will be in the spring Linked by Love newsletter, March District News, registration packets sent in February, and at lwmltxdist.org.

The hotel will honor the convention room rate three days prior and three days after the convention (subject to room availabil-ity) if you want to extend your visit to see Corpus Christi and the surrounding area.

20 / TEXAS

An attitude of gratitude

LUTHERAN WOMEN IN MISSION

Mites received through August: $239,364

Mites still needed to meet goal: $111,536

Mission grants paid through August: $121,000

Send mites to: LWML Texas District, Attn: Frances Molitor, Financial Secretary P.O. Box 820Anderson, TX 77830

OJJoyful ly ser ve the Lord

Openly confess the GospelYearn to grow in God’s Word

F r o M t h e P r e s i d e n t

We can find many Scripture refer-ences confirming that it is God’s will for us to have an attitude of gratitude. We also know God encourages us to share what He provides and care for others. God empowers our attitude with action for others.

Lutheran Women in Mission have an attitude of gratitude. Did you

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thess. 5:16-18 (NIV)

know there is a calendar of mission service activities for the year at lwml.org/mission-service-activi-ties? It includes this activity:

“ Use the month of November to keep a ‘Thankfulness Journal.’ Each day write down one item for which you are thankful and don’t forget to express your gratitude to those near you. Say a prayer of praise and

thanksgiving to our creator, redeemer and sanctifier.”

I receive many encouraging notes, cards, texts and emails, and I thank you for your support and prayers. I thank God for each of you.

Serving with JOY,Debbie Curry

Mission grants (2018-20) Total Paid

Scholarships for Seminarians – Texas District $50,000 $37,500

DCE Scholarships – Concordia University Texas $24,000 $18,000

Multi-Ethnic Ministry of North Texas $25,000 $18,750

ACTS of Love Early Childhood Education Center – Leander $20,000 $10,000

Reaching Visually Impaired Inmates with God’s Love – Lutheran Braille Workers

$18,500 $9,250

Forward in Faith - Faith Lutheran High School $10,000 $5,000

Navigating Life and Faith - LINC Austin $10,000 $5,000

Let it Shine for Children with Autism – LutheranSpecial Education Ministries

$10,000 $10,000

Spanish and American Sign Language Bible Stories – Lutheran Friends of the Deaf

$5,000 –

Alamo Hills Children’s Ministry (Shepherd of the Hills Church Plant) $4,285 $4,285

Expanding Mission at Lutheran Student Center – Hopefor the Nations Lutheran Church Arlington

$3,215 $3,215

Totals (as of August 2019) $180,000 $121,000

Stay connectedlwmltxdist.org • facebook.com/LWMLTexas

Send LWML news and photos to Cindy Carter, District News editor at districtnews@lwmltxdist.org