May 2012 - The Texas District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod

FroM
The presidenT
Texas missions
(Part 3)
Hispanic ministry
Ministry in Mexico actually began before any
Spanish-speaking congregations were started
in Texas. In 1921, the Synod requested that
the Texas District assume mission work in Mexico.
This request came not because of a desire to start
Spanish-speaking missions in Mexico, but because
there were about 2,000 Germans living in Mexico City.
In fact, these Germans formed a school for European
children, which had an enrollment of approximately
900 children. The Rev. Carl Frieling was sent to
Mexico City to begin mission work among these
Europeans and, from his service, Spanish-speaking
ministry also began.
Back in Texas, Evangelist Sergio Cobian from
Puerto Rico was placed in San Antonio in 1926, where
he was instrumental in the formation of the district’s
first Spanish-speaking congregation, Trinidad
Lutheran Church. In 1927, Spanish-speaking ministries
also were started in Three Rivers and Vanderbilt.
So, a second evangelist from Puerto Rico, Demetrio
Texidor, arrived to assist the new ministries in Three
Rivers and Vanderbilt and to begin work in Odem.
The first Hispanic pastor to serve in Texas was the
Rev. Andres Melendez who, like Cobian and Texidor,
was from Puerto Rico. He became the pastor at
Trinidad in 1931. By this time, not only was there a
congregation but also a school as part of the ministry.
During World War II, the Rev. Melendez was employed
by the United States government to be a
translator. This employment didn’t last long because
he was called to be the first speaker of the Lutheran
Hour in Spanish and moved to St. Louis during 1942.
As the speaker of The Lutheran Hour, Melendez
traveled all over the world preaching the Gospel in
Spanish.
A little side note about Pastor Melendez and his
wife is that, to keep the school open at Three Rivers,
Mrs. Melendez moved there with her nine-month-old
child in order to teach. Another note is that when Mrs.
Aquila, a member at Trinidad, died leaving two children
alone, Pastor and Mrs. Melendez adopted them.
One of those children, Eutolinda Doublet, still lives in
Texas Messenger
by Rev. Ken Hennings, LCMS Texas District President
San Antonio and is a
member of Christ Our
Savior, one of our
Hispanic ministries.
Hennings
Well known pastors
like the Revs. Otto Naumann, H.H. Smith and Ernesto
Garcia are just a few people who served almost their
entire ministries connected with Hispanic outreach
in Texas. The Texas District also became a mainstay
in providing pastors to Mexico City and other large
cities in Mexico. This later was taken over by LCMS
World Missions.
Today, Spanish-speaking ministry has blossomed
through LINC Houston where it reaches people
groups from Central and South America who have
migrated to Texas. Since 2004, about half of the new
Word and Sacrament ministries have been crosscultural,
many Spanish speaking.
From what some would call a meager beginning,
God has blessed the outreach work among Spanishspeaking
people in Texas. Most of the earlier work
was done by full-time workers. Today, most of our
Spanish-speaking ministry is led by worker-priests,
men who hold down a full- or part-time job and still
serve as pastor/missionary. Although there is much
work to still be done, we are confident that God will
bless the work we do in His name.
Thanking God for His blessings
Congregations of the Texas District blessed the
mission work of the district with $6,014,000 in
financial support. This was $14,000 more than anticipated.
The mission program of our district and
the Synod is blessed and strengthened by such a
generous partnership. Synod received 30 percent
of these gifts to support our mission efforts at the
Synod level. Thank you for joining me in giving
thanks to God for His continued blessings!
Expected congregational mission support for
2012 is set at $6,031,000. I am confident that God
will bless our work together in 2012.
MAY 2012 A

praise
The Lord
LOEBAU—Confirmed and welcomed
at Christ, Loebau, on Feb.
19 was Jerry Sain Jr. (center).
Shown with Jerry are Pastor
Paul Hartfi eld (left) and Michael
Beisert, catechist (right).
PARIS—Beautiful
Savior Lutheran
Church, Paris,
recently welcomed
into membership
four new communicant
members from
Peace Lutheran
Church in Paris,
an ELCA Lutheran
Church which
closed its doors. Shown with Pastor Renning (right) are,
(from left) Jentry, Lynn and Jency Dishman and Alice Girard.
The former members of Peace deci ded to share the church
appointments they could no longer use, including pews, a
baptismal font and paraments with Beautiful Savior. These
appointments were gratefully received and have been put to
use.
HOUSTON—On Sunday, Feb.
12, St. Mark Lutheran Church
celebrated with 32 new members
and their families who
joined St. Mark’s family in 2011
with a personal luncheon prepared
by The Assimilation Team
and Elders. The 12-week “I Have
Good News For You” class
meets three times per year to
ensure small, more personable
classes. St. Mark pastors are
the Rev. Scott Heitshusen and
the Rev. Timothy Duerr.
B TEXAS DISTRICT
DALLAS—Our Redeemer Lutheran Church and School, Dallas, welcomed new
members to its church family Feb. 12. Shown with Pastor Michael Schuermann
are, from left, (front row) John and Stephanie O’Connor, Judith Dickey, Donald
and Alimah Kopoi, Charles Jenkins, Brittany and Nathan Gonzalez with baby
Chloe and Pastor Brent McGuire; (back row) Laura Furr, Tim and Rebecca
Shewmaker, Jeff and Katie Graham, Julie McMahan, Kristan and Blake Gore,
Manuel and Melissa Green and baby Manolo. Not pictured are Paul Prevallet,
Benjamin Mueller and Kameron Mueller.
SEGUIN—
Welcomed
to the
church
family of
Grace,
Seguin,
are, from
left, (first
row) Vicki
Krolcyzk,
Pastor
Richard
Mittelstadt
and Maxine Sonntag; (second row) Irmie Threet,
Lynn Mittelstadt and Kris Simmons; (third row)
Aaron Henderson; (fourth row) Eric Campos, Ason
Hargrove and Tim Mittelstadt; (fi f th row) Dawn
Koehler, Dennis Krolcyzk and Wayne Rucker.

Missions
in Texas
On Jan. 27, 1967, three astronauts reclined in
the Apollo 1 space capsule, rehearsing procedures
for a February 1967 launch. This was the
first launch of the Apollo program, the final step to
reaching the moon before the end of the 1960s.
At 5:31 p.m., a chilling radio transmission was heard
from the capsule:
“Fire!”
“We’ve got a fire in the cockpit!”
“We’ve got a bad fire … get us out. We’re burning
up …”
Then a scream.
It all took place in 12 seconds. A defective wire
sparked a fire in the oxygen-rich environment of the
space capsule. The escape hatch wasn’t designed for
a quick exit. The result was the tragic deaths of
astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee.
Shortly after the tragedy, NASA flight director, Gene
Kranz, gathered his team of 250 together for a serious
talk about the incident. He said,
“From this day forward, Flight Control will be
known by two words: ‘Tough and Competent.’
Tough means we are forever accountable for what
we do or what we fail to do. We will never again
compromise our responsibilities. Every time we
walk into Mission Control we will know what we
stand for.
Competent means we will never take anything
for granted. We will never be found short in our
knowledge and in our skills. Mission Control will be
perfect.
When you leave this meeting today you will go to
your office and the first thing you will do there is to
write ‘Tough and Competent’ on your blackboards.
It will never be erased. Each day when you enter the
room these words will remind you of the price paid
by Grissom, White and Chaffee. These words are the
Texas Messenger
Texas District
Mission News
by the Rev. Mike Newman
Mission and Ministry Facilitator, Area C
What’s your battle cry?
Newman
price of admission to the ranks of Mission Control”
(Failure is not an Option, Gene Kranz, 204).
“Tough and Competent” became the battle cry for
Mission Control. Careless, rushed, lazy and half-hearted
efforts would be put behind the NASA team. From
now on, they had their marching orders, their battle
cry.
As a believer in Christ and as a church, what is your
battle cry? On Pentecost Day, the disciples of Jesus
remembered the battle cry He had given them: “You
will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8 NIV). The Holy Spirit
filled them and they were launched into mission. No
more cowering, no more self-centeredness, no more
lust for power and attention, no more preoccupation
with things that didn’t matter, no more snobbery toward
people who didn’t measure up. Jesus paid the
price of admission through His blood shed on the
cross and His victory over death. Now Christ’s followers
were in the thick of the Kingdom mission: to reach
the lost.
It’s been nearly 2,000 years since the first Pentecost.
Are you still mission-focused? What two or three
words or what short phrase describes your marching
orders as servants of the risen Savior? In other words,
do you have a battle cry? Does your church?
More importantly, is your battle cry written on the
“blackboard” of your life so that every day you are reminded
of the price Jesus paid for you and the grand
calling He has for you as His disciple?
As a church, do you know what you stand for and
are you actively engaged in that which reflects your
blood-bought battle cry?
Lives depend on it.
(If you want to refocus on the mission, become
a mission prayer partner, and support Gospel outreach
partnerships in Texas, find out more by going
to www.txdistlcms.org and clicking the “mission
expansion” tab.)
MAY 2012 C

sTaying
connecTed
D TEXAS DISTRICT
Are you helpless?
by the Rev. Dr. John Hirsch
Director of Congregational and Worker Care
We cannot direct the wind but we can adjust
the sails. Author unknown
PERHAPS embellishing on the above
quote, Jimmy Dean is reported to have said, “I can’t
change the direction of the wind, but I can always
adjust my sails to reach my destination.” Each of
the above statements reflects an optimistic attitude
about life. Things happen in life and many of them are
negative, unwanted, seemingly unjust or unfair. We
can feel discriminated against and picked on. We can
feel bullied and experience immoral or even evil behavior
from others. We may be in an abusive relationship
with a girlfriend or boyfriend or in a marriage.
AS A RESULT, we can feel helpless and hopeless.
We can feel others are destroying our life and we have
no place to turn. We can lose our appetites or overeat.
We feel shame and worthlessness. We can become
asocial or antisocial. Life is tolerated but not lived.
IN HIS BOOK, Enjoy Life, Lynn Johnson referenced
Marty Seligman and some research work that
led to the theory of “learned helplessness.” Basically,
it notes that all people experience, stress, pain, disappointments
and losses. All do not have the same
experiences and some have more stressful or traumatic
experiences than others. Some even seem to
have more than their “fair share,” e.g., the couple who
owned a house near Austin that was flooded when
Texas experienced much rain a few years ago. They
chose to avoid this possibility again by moving to Bastrop,
only to have that house burn down in the Labor
Day weekend fires of 2011 two years later.
THE QUESTION is not, do we have pain in life
but how do we react or respond to it? Do we have
to suffer and, if so, how much must we suffer? The
answer is, depends. Depends on our own resiliency.
In general, optimists think bad things are temporary
and good things are permanent and pessimists believe
the opposite. In other words, those who seemed to
be the most resilient were those who also manifest a
more optimistic attitude on life. It wasn’t the good or
bad things that happened, but how they thought about
them. It was how they explained events.
I HAVE always been interested in
the discoveries of the behavioral
Hirsch
sciences and the benefits they can
provide us in living healthier, more productive lives.
But it also fascinates me that these “discoveries”
are only uncovering that which God built into us in
creation. In this case, we read in Rom. 12:2 (NIV),
“be transformed by the renewing of your minds,”
and then Paul lays out an evermore graphic picture,
“Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in
accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were
taught, with regard to your former way of life, to
put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its
deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of
your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be
like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph.
4:21-24 NIV).
PART OF GOD’S PLAN of our living out our salvation
is recognizing the fact that He created us with a
brain with frontal lobes, the place where executive
function takes place. With those lobes, we can think
and with that thinking we can integrate into our lives
His words—words of hope, love, forgiveness, purpose,
passion and value. To Nicodemus, Jesus said,
“do you not understand these things … God did not
send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but to save the world through him” (John 3:10-17
NIV).
YOUR HAPPINESS is not based on fate or what
comes your way. It is not the result of your being unluckier
than others. Your happiness depends on what
you tell yourself about what happens. It is what you
do with what you hear, experience or think. This article
is way too short to address all the issues that can
make us unhappy; but if there are past negative or destructive
events in your life that bind you to the past,
choose to not let this continue. Pray about it and ask
God to remove this burden from you. Don’t be passive
and just accept it and be unhappy. Act on it. Seek help
from a trusted friend, pastor or counselor. Use wisely
the brain God gave you. You may not be able to direct
the wind, but God has given you resources to adjust
the sails.

speciaL
happenings
CELEBRATION—
Sunday, Feb. 19, was a
day of celebrating for
Gethsemane, Houston.
The members celebrated
the refurbishing of
their 45-year-old sanctuary
(pictured) and
the 30th anniversary of
their faithful, efficient,
and beautiful janitoress
Clarice Schneider.
On Sunday, March 18, at the 10:30 a.m. service, St. Paul
Evangelical Lutheran Church, Edna, dedicated its new Centennial
Bell Tower as a part of the celebrations going on this year. St. Paul
Lutheran Church was chartered 100 years ago in October 1912 in
the old “Koop Settlement” near Edna. In 1950, the congregation
moved to town, constructing and dedicating its current sanctuary.
Things are being done throughout the year to remember, give
thanks and celebrate a century of God’s grace showered on St.
Paul’s congregation in Christ as a gathering of His People here in
Jackson County.
The bell will be rung before every service to call members and
the community to gather for worship, to hear God’s Word and receive
the gifts of His grace in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.
The 100-year-old bell was found online, founded in 1912 in St.
Louis. The materials for the tower were purchased and provided
by members of the congregation, as was the construction and
erection of the tower, with help from a few friends. Several things
are being done throughout the year to beautify and refurbish worship
space and grounds. In September, St. Paul will have a festival
service for its centennial, at which the president of The Lutheran
Texas Messenger
Church—Missouri Synod, the Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison, will be guest speaker. Join St. Paul members in
giving thanks to the Lord for His abundant grace and many blessings.
HOUSTON—Honored teacher Jimmy
Eifert (left) is shown with Houston Texan
linebacker Darryl Sharpton and Erica
Puryear.
Centennial bell tower
EDNA—Dedication of new centennial bell
tower at St. Paul, Edna.
Teacher honored
The Houston Texans pro-football team sponsored a program for
2011-12 to honor one outstanding teacher in the Houston area for
each home game. An eighth-grade student at Our Savior Lutheran
School, Houston, Erica Puryear, nominated her teacher, Jimmy
Eifert, because of the compassion he showed her as a new student
feeling a little out of place and overwhelmed.
As part of the Texans program, Our Savior Lutheran School was
visited by Texans linebacker, Darryl Sharpton, who spoke with Eifert
and his students during a school assembly. Teacher Eifert also was
given four field passes to a home Texans game (which he shared with
Puryear), where he was given the royal treatment and featured on the
big screen during the fourth quarter.
MAY 2012 E

happenings
in Texas
F TEXAS DISTRICT
Answering the call
SAN ANTONIO—Shown are volunteers for mission outreach
in Haiti from Shepherd of the Hills, San Antonio.
May God bless this outreach.
As a result of much prayer, the people of Shepherd
of the Hills in San Antonio have gradually been venturing
outside the walls of the church. Their latest
venture is an ambitious one as 16 people have joined
a team that will go to Haiti in July.
In addition to participating in a sampling of the
different kinds of work that Food for the Poor does
in Haiti, this team will investigate the possibility of
establishing a permanent base in Haiti that the congregation
will continue to support with gifts of money
and workers.
Alice Klement, team leader and director of
Equipping Ministry at Shepherd of the Hills, observes,
“It’s hard not to notice the number of young people
who have joined the team. We look forward expectantly
to how God will use the entire team but especially
these young folks who are positioned for vast
Kingdom influence well into the future.”
‘Hope Totes’
packing party
Along with volunteers of all ages around the country,
members of Messiah Lutheran Church, Plano, responded
to the appeal by Basket of Hope Ministries to
assist in a special Pre-Super Bowl event on Saturday,
Jan. 21. In alliance with the National Football League,
which had players at the various event sites, Thrivent
Financial for Lutherans provided toys, games and
crafts that were put into “Hope Totes” backpacks to
be delivered to hospitals for distribution to children
affected by cancer or other serious illnesses.
In Dallas, volunteers gathered at Lutheran High
School for a few hours of service, fun and interaction
with sports heroes. The completed totes were then
delivered to the children’s hospital at Medical City
Dallas.
Basket of Hope’s mission is to give the hope that
comes from Jesus to these children and their families
with baskets of toys, games and inspirational material
to nourish them mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
More information can be found at its website
basketofhope.org.
PLANO—Present at Messiah, Plano’s Basket of Hope
packing party, “Hope Totes,” were, among others, from
left, Bo Hughes, Thrivent representative; Dawn Johnson,
coordinator of Messiah’s Social and Outreach Ministries;
Laurent Robinson, wide receiver of Dallas Cowboys;
Messiah member Nancy Huett with grandchildren
Tori and Taylor Cole and their friend Sidney Blackwell.

More happenings
in Texas
Chili cook-off ends with two ‘early’ wins
LUBBOCK—Chili cook-off winners from Redeemer,
Lubbock, pictured with Lubbock Mayor Tom Martin
(center) are, from left, Adam Beikmann, Cheryl
Gruetzner, Martin, Jim Early and Krista Holder.
Members of Historic Redeemer Lutheran Church,
Lubbock, hosted a chili cook-off and potluck lunch on
Sunday Jan. 29. Among the 60 or more attendees were
Lubbock Mayor Tom Martin and his wife, Karen.
Entries were $5 each and open to both members
and non-members. A panel of judges chose winners in
categories: Adam Beikmann for chicken chili, Cheryl
Gruetzner for bean-less chili, Krista Holder for vegetarian
chili and Jim Early for combination chili (beef,
pork, venison).
Attendees also were able to vote for their favorite
by donating to Lutheran Womens Missionary League
(LWML) mites. The winner for receiving the most
monetary support was Jim Early. The mites are small
monetary donations, sometimes in the form of pennies,
nickels and dimes, added up collectively to support
LWML national and international missions.
A special thank-you goes out to Corlis Norman for
inviting the mayor. Mayor Martin did not judge chili
but said, “We were so pleased to come for the pot
luck.” The mayor commented on churches being the
backbone of a community and if you have strong
churches, you have strong neighborhoods. He then
thanked the members of Redeemer for work they do
in their community.
Redeemer Lutheran was designated in 2010 as an
historic landmark by the city of Lubbock. Mayor
Martin said, “Pastor, it’s been great working with
ya’all last year to get the historic designation for this
church.” Redeemer’s pastor is the Rev. Brian Dupre.
Texas Messenger
School’s 6th Annual Gala and Auction
BIDDING—Auctioneer
Gerry Hughes of Plano
works the crowd during live
auction bidding.
“We are very excited about the
results of this year’s event,” said
Faith Lutheran School Principal
Christian Boehlke of Wylie.
“The proceeds from the auction
are earmarked for the school
library renovation and expansion
fund and will be put to good
use as quickly as possible. I am
thankful that God continues
to bless Faith Lutheran School
in so many ways. There were
hundreds of volunteer hours
spent preparing for the gala and
On Saturday, Feb. 25,
Faith Lutheran School,
Plano, hosted its 6th
Annual Gala and Auction
at Southfork Ranch
in Parker. The event,
which featured silent
and live auctions, a seated
dinner, entertainment
and more, raised more
than $25,000 for the
school’s library renovation
and expansion fund.
auction. This hard work paid off, and I’m happy to announce
that we surpassed our goal!”
Auction items included high-end custom jewelry,
an American Girl doll, Green
Bay Packers items, autographed
Dallas Stars items, a
private jet tour, a beer brewery
tour package, wine tasting
party certificates, Park
West Gallery signed lithographs,
Vera Bradley items, a
pool table, hand-made class
projects from Faith Lutheran
School students, a handmade
quilt, gift certificates
WINNER—Faith alum
Mina Afsharirad of
Plano and fiance Seth
McDonald of Plano
show off the Kindle Fire
that Mina won at the
event.
CHECKING—Faith
Principal Christian
Boehlke (left) and
Faith Headmaster
Tim Merritt keep an
eye on bidding at
the event.
to many local restaurants,
museums and attractions,
and much more.
Construction of the new
library is expected to begin
in June.
MAY 2012 G

This
and ThaT
STEPHENVILLE—The
Seniors Alive in the Lord
(SAIL) group of Faith,
Stephenville, are shown
holding bibs that they
made for the baby and
toddler classes at Faith
School. Inset photo is of
the Pre-K class modeling
the bibs.
H TEXAS DISTRICT
MIDLAND—During
Lutheran School
Week, Mary Wood,
director of the
Early Childhood
Program at Grace,
Midland, had the
children,
Pastor Robert
Pase, teachers
and teachers’
aides line up in
the shape of a
cross for this
picture to illustrate
how Christ is the
center of their
Early Childhood
Program at Grace.
BEAUMONT—Nita
Becker tells a
Christmas story to
the Road Runners, a
senior group of St.
John, Beaumont. The
group participates in
a variety of activities
throughout the year,
including travel.
Mount Calvary, La Grange,
50th anniversary
LA GRANGE—Mount Calvary Lutheran
Church and Preschool of La Grange celebrated
its 50th anniversary on Jan. 29, with
a special worship service and banquet. LCMS
Texas District Mission and Ministry Facilitator
Area C the Rev. Michael Newman delivered
the sermon, the Rev. William Qualman, newly
installed pastor of Mount Calvary, was the
liturgist and the Rev. La Verne Fitch was the
lector. Mount Calvary is the result of a merger
between Trinity Hill Lutheran Church (organized
on Dec. 11, 1892) and Zion Lutheran
Church (organized on March 27, 1928).
KLEIN—Trinity, Klein, had 250
women gather on Dec. 4, 2011,
to celebrate its seventh annual
“Advent by Candlelight.” The
theme was “Christ our Shining
Light.” Donna Pyle (inset photo)
delivered an inspirational message
using the theme verse
from 2 Cor. 4:5-6. Tables were
beautifully decorated and a candlelight light meal
served by the men of the congregation. It was a
blessed evening for all.

Texas parTners
in Mission
Texas Messenger
LINC San Antonio—linking people to Christ
LINC San Antonio is off to the races of
reaching lost souls for Christ, which now
span 61 different language groups in the
greater San Antonio area. Two brand new
faces are leading this important mission
agency. Rev. Ely Prieto was a pastor at Concordia Lutheran Church,
San Antonio, so he is well acquainted with the culture of San
Antonio. Hannah Shoup is a new graduate of Concordia University
Wisconsin, Mequon.
LINC San Antonio represents a coalition of Lutheran congregations,
ministries and individuals who are combining efforts and resources
in the name of Jesus ...
• to intentionally reach the multi-cultural and urban people of the
San Antonio area with the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
• to equip and train servant leaders for ongoing ministry and
• to care for the spiritual and physical needs of our neighbors.
Under the leadership of Pastor Prieto and Hannah, training began
on February 24 when 36 people gathered at Shepherd of the Hills
Lutheran Church in San Antonio to learn more about cross-cultural
ministry.
Praise God for LINC San Antonio!
The Rev. Ely Prieto and Hannah Shoup
Missional Worker Training participants are
shown with The Rev. Mark Barz, Crown of
Life, San Antonio, center top.
Congregations demonstrate mission partnership
The March issue of the Texas Messenger reported
16 churches who gave direct gifts to Texas Partners in
Mission (TPIM) in 2011. However, four more churches
were overlooked. That makes the record for support
even better! All together, 20 congregations gave
$78,137 to TPIM in 2011. This is a record for number
of congregations and total for gifts. Your congregation
can be included in this list for 2012 by sponsoring a
Texas Partners in Mission Sunday and offering the opportunity
for people to give in support of the mission
outreach of the Texas District.
Praise God for these faithful congregations!
Zion, Alamo Christ Our Savior, Lago Vista
St. Paul, Harlingen
King of Kings, Round Rock
You can become a partner!
You can make a significant difference in the outreach mission of the Texas District. Gifts to Texas Partners in Mission
are totally dedicated to the 80 missionaries who share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in more than 35 different languages
right here in our Texas District. To make a special gift in support of mission outreach in the Texas District, send checks
to Texas Partners in Mission, 7900 E. Highway 290, Austin, TX 78724, or call 800-951-3478. To reach Michael Fuchs
directly, call 817-368-4438.
MAY 2012 I

Ties
ThaT bind
These Lutheran
friends of yours
recently celebrated
or will celebrate wedding
anniversaries of 50 years
or more. All are members
of LCMS Texas District
congregations.
❤❤
St. Paul, Waco:
Weldon and Norma Hand,
54 years, May 10. Doyle
and Dorothy White, 50
years, May 19. Raymond
and Norma Schmedthorst,
54 years, June 14.
❤❤
Trinity, San Angelo:
Melvin and Betty
Eckerman, 67 years,
Feb. 3.
❤❤
St. Paul, The Grove:
Rodgers and Sherry
Symm, 56 years, Jan. 15.
Bernie and Doris Symm,
59 years, Feb. 8.
❤❤
St. Mark, Houston:
Erwin and Gloria
Eschberger, 51 years,
Feb. 11.
❤❤
Holy Cross, Warda:
George and Eunice Dunk,
52 years, June 4. Alfred
and Ruby Bohot, 62
years, June 18.
❤❤
J TEXAS DISTRICT
63 YEARS—Monroe and
Helen Karcher will celebrate
63 years of marriage,
May 28. They are members
of Christ, Austin.
60 YEARS—Edward and
LaVern Pampell, members
of Immanuel, Giddings,
celebrated 60 years of
marriage, Feb. 24.
THEIR 59TH—Glenn and
Patsy Burhow celebrated
59 years of marriage, Feb.
1. Their church home is
Trinity, Klein.
61 YEARS—Aubrey and
Dorothy Richter were
blessed with 61 years of
marriage, March 3. Their
church home is St. Paul,
The Grove.
THEIR 56TH—Albert and
Mary Carrion Sr., members
of Christ, Austin, were
blessed with 56 years of
marriage, March 31.
58 YEARS—J.C. and
Catherine Neal were
blessed with 58 years of
marriage, Feb. 19. They are
members of Trinity, Klein.
60 YEARS—Robert and
Jean Hemp celebrated 60
happy years of marriage,
Feb. 16. They are members
of King of Kings, San
Antonio.
55 YEARS—Edward and
Joyce Mitschke celebrated
55 years of marriage, April
27. They were married at
Christ, Loebau, and now
are members of Immanuel,
Giddings.
THEIR 57TH—Buddy and
Better Hassler celebrated
57 years of marriage, Feb.
25. Their church home is
Trinity, Klein.

More Ties
ThaT bind
50 YEARS—Childhood
sweethearts Erv and May
Luedke celebrated 50 wonderful
years of marriage,
Sept. 2, 2011. Erv and May
are members of Lamb of
God Lutheran Church in
Humble.
THEIR 50TH—Jim and
Dixie Helton, members of
Beautiful Savior, Houston,
celebrated 50 years of
marriage Dec. 22, 2011.
UVALDE—On June 26, 2011, at Trinity,
Uvalde, Jennifer Annette Sloan was
confirmed by the Rev. Don Olson.
Shown here with Pastor Olson are
Jennifer and her parents, Randy and
Cheryl Sloan.
HOUSTON—The Rev.
Russell Strimple,
Beautiful Savior, Houston,
is shown with new confirmands,
from left, Mary Ann,
Gerald, Matthew and
Madison Fouts.
Texas Messenger
HOUSTON—The Rev.
Russell Strimple,
Beautiful Savior,
Houston, is shown
with new confirmand,
Grace Rustom.
BAPTIZED—Dallas Lutheran
senior Hernando Cruz was baptized
during a chapel service on Wednesday,
March 7. Pastor Robert Preece from
Zion Lutheran Church performed
the baptism while Dallas Lutheran
Executive Director Dave Bangert
(right) and Dallas Lutheran faculty
member Steve Allmon (left) stood
up as sponsors.
Send your news
Send photos, stories and newsletters for The Lutheran Witness to
Texas Messenger, LCMS Texas District, 7900 E. Highway 290, Austin, TX 78724-2499
Email address: texmess@txdistlcms.org
Please be sure all photos sent electronically are in color and 300 dpi (high resolution) JPEG files.
Concordia Publishing House in St. Louis, where The Texas Messenger is printed,
demands two months lead time for each issue. Send your news to us well in advance, if possible.
MAY 2012 K

schooL
MinisTry
Champions all
Concordia University Texas, Austin, hosted the Lutheran Middle School State Basketball Tournament held
Feb. 17-19 in Austin. There were a total of 31 boys teams and 22 girls teams from across the district who participated
in the tournament. A total of 94 games were played during the tournament.
Congratulations to all the first place winners shown below.
CARROLLTON—
Shown with
Prince of Peace,
Carrollton, girls
basketball team
coaches Wayne
Wellborne (left,
back) and
coach Karen
Lusk (right,
back) are, from
left, (front row)
Kara Stark,
Kayla Carlove,
Alana Watts,
Cori Schnell
and Kyra Ailey;
(back row) Wellborne, MacKenzie Colvin, Priscilla Etim,
Maddie Gerhard, Hannah Armand, Tessa Swanson and Lusk.
L TEXAS DISTRICT
Girls Division I
Girls Division II
SAN
ANTONIO—
Shown with
Concordia,
San Antonio,
girls basketball
coach Mike
Hernandez (left,
back) are, from
left, (front row)
Sera Simpson,
Rachel Behrens,
Lexie Dean and
Renee Umsted;
(middle row)
Katie Wegman;
(back row)
Hernandez,
Catherine Granados, Hannah Thompson, Noelle Hurry
and Christine Solitaire.
Boys Division I
SAN ANTONIO—Shown with Shepherd of the Hills,
San Antonio, boys basketball coach Joshua Cooper
(left, back row) are, from left, (front row) team manager
George Arriola (standing), Marshall Knowles,
Isaac Holguin and Abraham Ybarra; (back row)
Cooper, Jason Villarreal, Logan Huff, Colin Morrison,
Ethan Lopez, Brennan Nivin and Eric Ibarra.
Boys Division II
WALBURG—Athletic Director Scott Hayes (left, back
row) and Head Coach Steve Menke (right, back row) are
shown with Zion, Walburg (Georgetown) boys basketball
team. They are, from left, (front row) Trace Robinson,
Zachary Stewart, Tristan Winkelman, Asa Lange, Carlton
Peterson and Gabriel Cearnal; (back row) Hayes, Nikola
Schiaffo, Emmett Scott, Evan Peterson, Cody Stephens,
Ryan Thiele, Austin Winkelman, Cole Standifer and
Menke.

can-do Missions
concordia—Texas
My friend and colleague, Carl Repp, told an amazing
story for one of our mission trip devotions in New
Orleans. He described how open-heart surgery involves
ripping apart the chest, breaking the breastbone
and then taking the heart out of the body while
a heart-lung machine continues to circulate blood
and keep the patient alive. When the heart has been
repaired, the surgeon reconnects it to its owner and
touches the heart to encourage it to beat again! One
particular physician bent over his patient and whispered
in his ear, “Your heart has been repaired!
It’s time to live again!”
WOW! What a powerful picture of what God does
for us. He takes out our stone cold heart scarred by
sin and pain and forgives and renews us through
Christ’s death and resurrection. He whispers in our
ear, “Your heart has been repaired. It’s time to live
again!”
Scripture has some cool stuff to say about living!
Take a moment to ponder these verses.
“I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and
I will settle you in your own land. Then you will
know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done
it, declares the Lord” (Ezek. 37:14 NIV).
“The poor will see and be glad—you who seek God,
may your hearts live” (Ps. 69:32 NIV)!
Texas Messenger
It’s time to live again!
by Pat Fick, CAN-DO director
“I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the
Lord has done” (Ps. 118:17 NIV).
“Sustain me according to your promise, and I
will live; do not let my hopes be dashed” (Ps. 119:116
NIV).
“Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus,
came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet and
pleaded earnestly with him, ‘My little daughter is
dying. Please come and put your hands on her so
that she will be healed and live’” (Mark 5:22-23 NIV).
“Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19b
NIV).
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s
temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you” (1 Cor.
3:16 NIV)?
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer
live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the
body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me
and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20 NIV).
Maybe your heart is in need of repair. If so, Christ
is there for you! He is a master heart surgeon! May
you experience His healing touch as He whispers into
your ear, “Your heart has been repaired! It’s time
to live again!”
MISSION TRIP—These CAN-DO participants from Concordia University—Texas; Concordia High School,
Austin; and Redeeming Grace, Austin, worked at Trinity Lutheran in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans,
La., over their spring break. The goal was to open Trinity Lutheran on Easter this year.
MAY 2012 M

LuTheran
sociaL services
N TEXAS DISTRICT
Foster homes for infants needed
It seems we always have a shortage of qualified and loving homes to foster teenagers,
large sibling groups and children with medical needs. We constantly recruit
for new families who feel called to care for these harder-to-place children.
Well, the tide seems to have turned, and while (of course) we still need foster
families for all age groups, most recently we have a shortage of families to care for
infants, and this is a statewide issue. These are usually emergency situations when
babies are removed from their biological homes for all kinds of reasons—none of
them good.
Our best source for new and qualified foster homes has always been referrals
from Foster In Texas (FIT) parents. And since we have 16 foster care and adoption
offices throughout Texas, this network is vital and widespread. So, if you or anyone
you know feels called to become a foster parent, whatever your location in Texas,
LSS can work with you. The first step is to call 877-747-8110 or visit our website,
fosterintexas.org, where you’ll find FAQs and all the information you’ll need.
Copperfi eld Village expansion begins
At Copperfield Village, Victoria Texas’ favorite senior independent
living community and ministry of LSS, residents no longer have to
worry about yardwork, housework, cooking, doing dishes and paying
property taxes and utility bills.
The word is out and the 70 cottages, or mini-houses, in Copperfield
Village are in high demand. And that demand is only going to grow.
LSS has announced that construction has begun on 12 new houses in
Copperfield on the 10 acres adjacent to the existing neighborhood.
In addition to the first building phase of 12 homes, which will take
about eight months to finish, LSS has plans to build up to 30 on the
neighboring property. A major renovation of the existing main building
(containing the offices, dining room and kitchen, library, meeting
rooms and gym) is also underway. Future expansion plans also include
an Assisted Living community.
The new cottages will give more people the opportunity to take
advantage of the Copperfield Village lifestyle and the famously great
food served in the dining hall. Get in line folks!
Wild about Krause and the Krause Kids
The first Healing Hearts benefit for the Krause Children’s Center in Katy was an out-of-Africa experience
called “Wild About Krause” held at the Houston Zoo. While guests enjoyed the jungle-safari atmosphere, the
night was really about the children who reside at Krause, a residential treatment center for abused and troubled
children. Because most people don’t understand how children find their way into residential treatment,
LSS CEO Dr. Kurt Senske answered the question: “Just who are the Krause Kids?” in his remarks that night.
He summed it up: “Krause is a long-term residential treatment center for both boys and girls, ages 11 to 17.
They stay with us an average of six to nine months and are referred or placed at Krause by Child Protective
Services and the Department of Juvenile Justice. Currently, there are 29 boys and 28 girls;
about one-third are Caucasian, one-third African-American and one-third Hispanic. What
each child has in common is that every one of them has been abused. Only the most traumatized
are admitted to Krause.” Next, a resident of Krause spoke about what Krause has
meant in his life and the evening continued with live and silent auctions, music and even a
conga line! The event raised $106,000 for the Center and gave participants a deeper understanding
of how young hearts can be healed at a special place like Krause.

LuTheran ouTdoors
MinisTry oF Texas
You know that Camp Lone
Star offers a fun and safe setting
for deepening Christian
values, right? But did you
know that sending kids to
summer camp makes them resilient
to life stress? According
to current research, summer
camps are places where children
get the experience they
need to bolster their range of
coping strategies. There are
the simple challenges of learning
how to canoe the river,
surviving a hike to Monument
Hill or conquering the Team’s
Course. There also are the
much more complex challenges
of getting along with a new
group of peers, learning how
to ask for help from others or
taking manageable amounts of
risk without a parent following after you.
To accomplish this, Camp Lone Star asks campers
to dress appropriately at the pool and other places,
leave their music, electronic games, cell phones and
other electronic gizmos home or in a separate locker
while at camp, to get dirty at times or even a little
frustrated when having fun or making new friends,
and to join in on skits, devotions, singing, ‘Christian
music videos’ and other camp activities.
Texas Messenger
Summer camp nourishes resilience in youth; teaches life skills
Youth in a Night
Owl summer
session experience
growth through a
Challenge Course
element.
Based on an article in Nurturing Resilience,
Feb. 5, by Michael Ungar, Ph.D.
Upcoming directed events
July 29—Annual worship, barbecue and auction
June – August—Summer camp
Visit www.LOMT.com
for summer program and
directed event updates,
for more information
or to register for an event.
We can also assist you
or your organization
with retreats, conferences
or planning meetings.
According to recent research by Michael Ungar,
Ph.D., in his book, Too Safe For Their Own Good, a
camp experience helps children develop great coping
strategies by providing seven things:
1. Relationships. Not just with peers but with
trusted adults other than parents.
2. Identity. Making a child feel comfortable in front
of others.
3. Control. Camp helps children feel in control of
their lives, competent and better problem-solvers in
new situations.
4. Fair Treatment. Campers get to start fresh at
camp without the baggage of the school year, they
have opportunities to be kids, and to be valued for
who they are. (At Camp Lone Star they will learn from
this year’s Bible study theme, Jer. 31:3, that they are
‘loved with an everlasting love’ by their Lord.)
5. Physical Development. At camp, campers get
fresh air, exercise, a balance between routine and
unstructured time and all for the good of their bodies
and its needs.
6. Belonging. Camp gives children a sense that they
belong, of common purpose and an attachment to
the identity the camp promotes all helping them feel
rooted.
7. Culture. Campers experience the sharing of culture,
which broadens their own cultural roots and
offers the chance to understand the culture of others
around them; which may be different than their own.
This is what Camp Lone Star has to offer! You are
invited to help your child grow and gain skills that
can help them through a summer camp experience.
They will return more resilient and better prepared to
make good decisions throughout their lives.
www.LOMT.com
Camp Lone Star:
2016 Camp Lone Star Road
La Grange, TX 78945
Email: lonestar@lomt.com
Phone: 800-362-2078
To contact Lutheran
Outdoors Ministry of Texas:
P.O. Box 457
La Grange, TX 78945
Email: lomt@lomt.com
Phone: 979-247-4128
MAY 2012 O

LuTheran
FoundaTion oF Texas
DID YOUR CONGREGATION or ministry start an
endowment a number of years ago?
IF SO, is the following a good description of what
happened?
YOU GOT TOGETHER some interested parties
and began an endowment which you had hoped
would provide significant funding for future ministry.
The endowment was created, and at the time there
were high expectations for it.
AND THEN …
NOT MUCH has happened since. Maybe it has
grown only slightly or not at all.
STILL, the dream remains of having a significant
endowment to help do some wonderful things
through the Lord’s work in the future.
IS IT TOO LATE to do anything? It is not. In fact,
a number of ministries are in the process of helping to
gather current or future gifts to help expand their endowment
in years to come. The Lutheran Foundation
of Texas (LFOT) is pleased to be assisting them with
this process.
THERE ARE basically three ways this is being
done.
1. THE FIRST way that you can get future gifts in
the pipeline for your endowment is to conduct a “legacy
program” for your congregation’s or ministry’s endowment.
This involves conducting a program which
is very similar to a building or capital drive, except
you are asking folks to leave an estate gift in the future
for your endowment. This can be done in a rather
low-key way or in an organized campaign. Typically,
it is held over several months (example: running from
January through December of a given year). Persons
are asked to prayerfully consider leaving an estate gift
of some kind for the endowment.
LFOT has to date assisted several congregations,
schools and agencies throughout the Texas District
P TEXAS DISTRICT
Grow your church
or ministry endowment
by Larry Ohls, Chief Executive Officer
Ohls
in organizing and managing a legacy
campaign. Collectively, hundreds of
commitments of estate gifts have been made for these
endowments as a result of these legacy campaigns.
Through these efforts, LFOT has helped the ministries
recruit campaign leaders, prepare campaign brochures,
prepare PowerPoint and group presentations,
etc.
2. THE SECOND way is to have an “endowment
expansion program,” whereby you are asking for a
cash gift (or cash pledge) for your endowment at your
congregation or ministry. Again, this is conducted
in a manner similar to a building or capital drive,
except the proceeds are directed to the endowment.
LFOT can likewise assist with preparing campaign
materials, doing PowerPoint or group presentations,
preparation of mailings to your constituents, and oneon-one
visits for the same. LFOT has assisted two
campus ministries with this effort: Lutheran Campus
Ministry—Lubbock which ministers to students from
Texas Tech and the University Lutheran Chapel at
Texas A & M University at College Station.
3. A THIRD option is to conduct a combined program,
whereby you are asking individuals or families
in your congregation or ministry to consider either
a cash gift to support your endowment, or an estate
gift, or both. Once again, this could be conducted for
a set campaign period of months and the LFOT could
assist your ministry in the ways described above.
AN ADDED BENEFIT of an endowment is that
once it is established, it is an excellent place to receive
memorial gifts and honoraria from church members
and friends.
TO LEARN HOW you can conduct a legacy, cash,
or combination endowment program, contact us at
800-880-3733, ext. 271, or email me at larryo@lfot.org.
It would be our pleasure to serve you.

Texas church
exTension Fund
Texas Messenger
Dual celebrations on the same Sunday
Our Savior, Granbury, and Our Savior, Rockwall
by Bill Siegrist, Director of Development, Texas District Church Extension Fund
On Sunday, Jan. 29, 95 miles from the west to the east of the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex, two “Our Savior”
LCMS congregations celebrated different phases of building programs. Each congregation’s building loan was
provided by Texas District CEF.
Our Savior, Granbury, dedicated new classrooms and Our Savior, Rockwall, broke ground for a new sanctuary,
classroom space and offices.
GROUND BREAKING—“Building Out
To Reach Out” is the building program
theme at Our Savior, Rockwall. The
ground breaking ceremony for additional
classrooms, offices and sanctuary addition
took place Jan. 29. Afterward, the
Our Savior Lutheran Church second Annual
Chili Cook-off took place. Pictured
are, from left, a congregational leader,
Pastor of Family Life Ministry, Matthais
Dinger; five other congregation leaders;
CEF Director of Marketing and Training
Bill Siegrist and Pastor Paul Ferguson.
“We believe that CEF serves investors
and borrowers by linking
them for Kingdom extension.”
—CEF Core Value
Two vital principles for the
Church Extension Fund Ministry:
(1) Congregations that need loans
for their land and buildings provide the CEF ministry
its purpose.
(2) Investors who choose to use part of their savings
make the CEF ministry possible.
Come join us as we continue to celebrate ground
breakings, dedications, and the CEF loan note burnings.
Come and join us as we worship our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ!
DEDICATION—Our Savior, Granbury, dedicated the
southwest addition of its building project of new classrooms.
Shown in photo at left, Pastor John Austin, members
and community friends processed into the classroom
during the dedication. A potluck dinner followed
the dedication service. CEF Executive Director Stephen
Block represented the CEF ministry.
For more information, contact
Texas District
Church Extension Fund
Bill Siegrist
7900 E. Highway 290
Austin TX 78724
888-951-1CEF
888-951-1233
512-646-1233
bill@texascef.org
www.texascef.org
Siegrist
MAY 2012 Q

Lone sTar
disTricT LLL
Lutheran Hour Ministries extends reach of The Lutheran Hour®
R TEXAS DISTRICT
with major satellite network partnership
In 2011, Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM) entered
into a three-year extension to air The Lutheran
Hour ® radio program through Christian Satellite Network
(CSN) International, expanding by more than
30 percent the number of stations over which the program
can be heard. The program will now be carried
on more than 1,350 stations across North America.
CSN International has broadcast Christian radio via
satellite since April 1995 and is owned by Christian
Broadcasters of Idaho. Station KAWZ-FM, Twin Falls,
Idaho serves as the satellite uplink. KAWZ’s programming
is fed nationwide to 24 full power FM stations
and more than 375 broadcast relay stations known as
translators. CSN estimates its typical listening audience
nationwide to be approximately 2 to 3 million
people.
“We felt that The Lutheran Hour’s traditional style
of preaching and teaching would be a perfect fit for
the Sunday morning time slot when people are getting
ready or going to church,” said CSN’s programming
director, Don Mills. “But with listeners now hearing
CSN’s streamed broadcasts via iPhones, Blackberries
and other hand-held devices, The Lutheran Hour ®
will probably also be reaching people whose Sunday
morning routine is very different.”
The Lutheran Hour ® airs simultaneously on CSN
affiliates every Sunday morning at 10 a.m. Eastern
Time, 9 a.m. Central Time, 8 a.m. Mountain Time and
7 a.m. Pacific Time. A listing of CSN stations is available
at www.csnradio.com/stations.htm.
“‘The Word of God shall not return void,’” said the
Rev. Gregory Seltz, speaker of The Lutheran Hour ® .
“This promise from Isaiah 55 assures us that this additional
coverage is going to accomplish the great deeds
that God desires. As The Lutheran Hour’s message
of Jesus Christ as the only Savior of the world is proclaimed,
souls will be touched, healed and restored
by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
The Rev. Dr. Mark Larson, LHM’s director of United
States Ministries, added, “Our partnership with Christian
Satellite Network brings the message of salvation
by grace through faith to an audience of tens of thousands.
This message brings spiritual life to the ‘lost’
and strengthens the believer in faith. This partnership
also brings coverage to key areas that were not receiving
our broadcast in the past.”
How you can help
This new agreement to air on more than 375 additional stations costs Lutheran Hour Ministries
$400 per week or about $1 per station (an annual cost of $20,000). To support Lutheran Hour
Ministries in this exciting new opportunity to reach out with the Gospel, visit www.lhmgift.org or
call 800-876-9880. Your support will help ensure that we may continue extending the reach of
Lutheran Hour Ministries’ flagship program and share a changeless Christ with more people
throughout North America.
International Lutheran Laymen’s League
660 Mason Ridge Center Drive • St. Louis, MO 63141-8557 • 800-944-3450 • 314-317-4100 •
www.lhm.org

LwML
President:
Frances Molitor – Bluebonnet
Lois Teinert – Capitol
Vice-President Human
Care:
Lori Haseloff – South Plains
Jean Webber – Golden Harvest
Vice-President
Servant Resources:
Belinda Burmeister – Golden
Harvest
Patti Samsel – Capitol
Financial Secretary:
Marcia Kubitz – Red River
Janet Taylor – Bayou City
disTricT news
Nominations for LWML district officers
Molitor Teinert
Haseloff Webber
Burmeister Samsel
Kubitz Taylor
Nominating Committee:
Jerry Anderson – East Texas
Carolyn Bamsch – Post Oak
Gina Franke – Post Oak
Joann Gaede – Channel
Helen Mitschke – Coastal Bend
Marlene White – Trinity
Sherrie Whitehead – Mid-Coast
Anderson
Bamsch Franke Gaede
Mitschke White Whitehead
Pastoral Counselor:
Jon Petering – Gulf Coast
Curtis Schneider – Heart of Texas
Petering
Schneider
Find more information about the LWML Texas District Convention at adornyourself.org
2010-12 Goal $328,280.00
Mites received through February 2012 325,410.14
Amount needed for goal 2,869.86
Amount sent to national LWML $83,180.00
Send mites to
LWML Texas District
Michele Tate,
Financial Secretary
P.O. Box 5552
Frisco, TX 75035-0217
MAY 2012 S

LwML disTricT news
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS to the LWML Texas District Bylaws to be voted on at LWML Texas
District 2012 Convention in College Station are as follows:
1. Vice-President of Servant Resources to be changed to Vice-President of Organizational Resources and
Servant Resources Department to be changed to Organizational Resources Department. Rationale: to
conform to LWML National bylaw revision approved at its June 2011 convention.
2. Gospel Outreach Committee to be deleted from the LWML District Bylaws. Rationale: to conform to
present practice.
3. Article XV – Section 5c. – page 11 change to read:
c. serve as coordinator for the Texas District Lutheran World Relief Drive in cooperation with the three
(3) synods of the Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America other Lutheran organizations
in Texas. Rationale: to conform to present practice.
4. Article XVI – Section 4 – page 13 delete duty “c. prepare and present all courtesy resolutions.” Rationale:
to conform to present practice.
These proposed amendments will be presented to the LWML Texas District Board of Directors for approval
at its meeting the day before the convention and then to the voting assembly at the convention. These proposed
amendments need to be discussed with society members. All voting delegates must have this information
BEFORE the convention. For questions or further information, please contact Joyce Martinets, LWML
Texas District Structure Committee Chairman.
T TEXAS DISTRICT
Proposed District Bylaw Amendments
75th Anniversary Campaign now accepting cash gifts
Five years from now, Texas
District will celebrate its
75th anniversary, by which
time we hope to reach our
$1,000,000 campaign goal.
Beginning with the upcoming
convention, cash gifts will be
accepted.
Cash-gift envelopes will be
available at the 75th Anniversary
Exhibit. Gifts may be
donated at the exhibit or envelopes may be taken home to be mailed
later.
Only the Lutheran Foundation office will know the amount of
the gift; the names of the donors will be shared with the Steering
Committee.
We are near the $500,000 mark. Check out the website at
www.lwmltxdist.org and choose the “Celebrate LWML 75th” link to
view more information.
See you in College Station!
Mite-y idea
The church council of
Redeemer Lutheran Church,
Nacogdoches, voted to donate
the loose change plate
offering each Sunday to
mites of the LWML. Since
Pastor Bob Kobler announced
the decision, loose
change dropping in the offering
plates can be heard
throughout the church and
women are nudging their
husbands to check their
pockets. In January, more
than $75 was collected.
Redeemer LWML shares
information taken from the
LWML and LWML Texas
District websites about a
different mission grant in its
monthly church newsletter.
Send in your LWML news to Laura Wilson, Texas District LWML editor
3034 Elm, Groves, TX 77619
districtnews@lwmltxdist.org
Articles are due by the ninth of the month.