Opportunities for Ministry Growth

FILLED WITH HOPE - Inspiring Authentic Ministry in a Homosexual Culture
Point of Grace Lutheran Church in Pflugerville, TX is sponsoring this relevant and powerful conference for servants in ministry on January 30, 2010. Register at www.pointofgracechurch.org.

PRE-LENTEN WORKSHOP
Be part of the Pre-Lenten workshop sponsored by Circuit 18 on January 18-19, 2010. Click here for info.

SENIOR FEST 2010
You are invited to the Senior Fest, January 30th, 2010 to be hosted by Triumphant Love Lutheran Church, 9508 Great Hills Trail, Austin, TX 78759. Registration begins at 8:45-9:15 a.m. Cost will be $25 until Jan. 18th, thereafter the cost will be $30.

The main speaker will be the Rev. Dr. Peter Marty, pastor of a 3200 member congregation in Davenport, IA. He is a nationally known speaker, published author, also recognized from the national radio broadcast, Grace Matters. Pastor Marty's presentation will be "Finding Purpose in Our Later Years without Manipulating the Will of God."

The eight workshops will be: 1. Financial Update by George Tivera 2. Simple Living/Downsizing by Merle Franke 3. Finishing Strong by Darrel Gilbertson 4. Late in Life Challenges by Nancy Wessum 5. Senior Resources by Kathy Johanns 6. Prayer by Barbara Schutz 7. Senior Nutrition by Hilary Ross 8. Bible Study by Hugh Beck

To register and see further information, click here.

STEWARDSHIP WORKSHOP
Messiah, Plano will be hosting a Stewardship Workshop on January 23, 2010. Check out the details here.


SCHOLARSHIPS FOR ST. JOHN, WINFIELD ALUMNI
If you're an alumni of St. John's, Winfield, there are scholarships available for your family! Take a look at www.stjohnsalumni.org.

The Latest Events and Opportunities

ORGAN RECITAL
The Rev. Christopher S. Ahlman, Assistant Pastor at King of Kings Lutheran Church of Round Rock, TX, will present an organ recital at St. Martin’s Lutheran Church of Austin, TX (at the intersection of 15th and Rio Grande) on Fri., Dec. 4 at 7:00 pm. Works by Araújo, Sweelinck, Froberger, Tunder, Bach, Franck, and Reger will be performed. The recital is in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The University of Texas at Austin, where Rev. Ahlman is pursuing doctoral studies in organ performance. Admission is free.

PRE-LENTEN WORKSHOP
Be part of the Pre-Lenten workshop sponsored by Circuit 18 on January 18-19, 2010. Click here for info.

SENIOR FEST 2010
You are invited to the Senior Fest, January 30th, 2010 to be hosted by Triumphant Love Lutheran Church, 9508 Great Hills Trail, Austin, TX 78759. Registration begins at 8:45-9:15 a.m. Cost will be $25 until Jan. 18th, thereafter the cost will be $30.

The main speaker will be the Rev. Dr. Peter Marty, pastor of a 3200 member congregation in Davenport, IA. He is a nationally known speaker, published author, also recognized from the national radio broadcast, Grace Matters. Pastor Marty's presentation will be "Finding Purpose in Our Later Years without Manipulating the Will of God."

The eight workshops will be: 1. Financial Update by George Tivera 2. Simple Living/Downsizing by Merle Franke 3. Finishing Strong by Darrel Gilbertson 4. Late in Life Challenges by Nancy Wessum 5. Senior Resources by Kathy Johanns 6. Prayer by Barbara Schutz 7. Senior Nutrition by Hilary Ross 8. Bible Study by Hugh Beck

To register and see further information, click here.

MULTI-ETHNIC SYMPOSIUM
The Multi-Ethnic Symposium is being held February 1-2, 2010, at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. Registration forms may be duplicated or downloaded from www.csl.edu.

LUTHERAN SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL 2010
LSM 2010 DATES ARE JUNE 20 to JULY 18, 2010. Visit http://www.lutheransummermusic.org/ for more information.

PASTORAL RECRUITMENT RESOURCES
Check out resources for pastoral recruitment at the www.WhataWay.org Website.

SKI TRIP RETREAT
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church of Ruidoso, N.M. located 15 miles from Ski Apache, invites your retreat group to stay at the Church for your ski retreat to the Ruidoso area.

Sleeping accommodations are available, together with kitchen and shower facilities. Cost per person per night, depending on the size of the group. Discount rental rates for ski's/snowboards, boots, and poles are available upon request, as well as discount lift tickets. Inner-tubing and snowmobile tours also make a great retreat at nearby Cloudcroft, N.M.

If staying till Sunday, join us for worship at 10:30a.m. Additional information will be posted on our website www.shlcruidoso,org. For more information contact Pastor Kevin Krohn @ 575-258-4191 or shlc@windstream.net.


LUTHERANS FOR LIFE SUNDAY SCHOOL CURRICULUM
An excellent teaching tool-–Teaching for Life-—looks like great material. Take a look at www.lutheransforlife.org.

MISSIONAL DEVOTIONS
Grow through Witness empowering devotions – Ablaze Fuel daily devotions at
http://ablazefuel.com/

November is National Adoption Month

Why Wait? November is National Adoption Month. Have you been waiting for someone to give you a child? Does your heart ache to hear the words, “Mom” or “Dad”? This November, stop waiting! It’s time to take action during National Adoption Month. Nationally, more than one third of Americans have considered adoption. Sadly, fewer than 2 percent have actually opened their hearts and homes to a precious child.

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services has contracted with LSS to find loving homes for more than 6,375 waiting children in TDFPS conservatorship. These children are waiting for you to love them, to raise them, to be their forever family. If God is stirring your heart to welcome these children and youth into your home, please visit http://www.lsss.org, and click on Children, to view the children in Texas who are available for adoption.

Texas Partners Sunday

TEXAS PARTNERS IN MISSION SUNDAY...
Choose your date to celebrate mission work in Texas! LCMS congregations in Texas are combining efforts through generous mission offerings to reach out with the Good News of Jesus Christ. To check out resources, a five-week video-based Bible study, and new mission information go to http://www.txdistlcms.org/tpim/resources.html

To read stories of our missionaries and watch our new mission DVD: http://tpimstories.blogspot.com/

To request information from Michael Fuchs, TPIM director call or e-mail:
1-800-951-3478 District Office
1-817-368-4438 Personal cell phone
MichaelFuchs@txdistlcms.org

Explore Ministry

COLLEGE STUDENT OPPORTUNITY
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO is hosting Green and Gold Days, and event for college students thinking about becoming pastors or deaconesses. The one-day free event will take place on October 16, 2009, January 8, 2010, and March 19, 2010. For details and registration e-mail admissions@csl.edu or call 800-822-9545.

AN EXTENDED VISIT EXPERIENCE
If you would like to learn more about life in the Concordia Seminary community and the preparation that leads to service as a pastor, missionary, chaplain, or deaconess in the LCMS, check out "Contemplate," an extended visit experience at the seminary. Conferences will be held October 8-10, 2009 and March 11-13, 2010. For more information and registration deadlines, e-mail admissions@csl.edu or call 800-822-9545.

New Men's Network Bible Study

Men's Network News
The latest Bible study offering from the Men's Network, "How We Got the Bible," featuring Dr. Paul L. Maier, will be available the week of August 24. The first sessions can be previewed at the Men's NetWork Web site. Click here.

Ministry Dates and Opportunities

LC-MS CONVENTION DATES AND DEADLINES
• Oct. 10, 2009 - Deadline for election of delegates to the 2010 Synod convention.
• Oct. 15, 2009 - Blue Ribbon Task Force on Synod Structure and Governance (BRTFSSG) will submit its final report. The report will be available to the Synod shortly after its submission to the president.
• Dec. 4, 2009 to Feb. 20, 2010 - Nine regional caucuses will be held for Synod convention delegates and district leaders to review the task force report. The Texas Dates are: Feb. 12-13 in Dallas.
• March 6, 2010 - Deadline for submission of reports and overtures to the Synod secretary for inclusion in the Convention Workbook.
• May 1, 2010 - Convention Workbook will be distributed.
• May 21-24, 2010 - Convention floor committees will meet to prepare resolutions for convention consideration.
• June 7, 2010 (on or about) - First issue of Today's Business, containing the work of the floor committees, will be distributed and posted on the LCMS Web site.
• July 9-10, 2010 - Open hearings conducted by the convention floor committee on Synod structure and governance
• July 10-17, 2010 - Synod convention will meet in Houston.


OPERATION BARNABAS TRAINING

Military Ministry Training Available:

Did you know that our nation has deployed over 600,000 reserve military deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan? That number reflects the number of deployments, and many of our solDIers have deployed more than once! Texas has deployed over 12,000 soldiers overseas,and at this moment, over 4200 are currently deployed.
That is over 4200 families who wake up each day praying that their son, daughter, father or mother returns home safely. What an opportunity to show compassion and care to these families! Our own Ministry To The Armed Forces is offering the opportunity for your congregation to host a military ministry training event!
Operation Barnabas is a program that trains congregations to reach out to our military community. Chaplain Mike Moreno, project manager of Operation Barnabas is traveling across the country teaching and equipping congregations to reach out to our military service members and their families. Your congregation can host a workshop in your area, and help to provide training to the local Lutheran community.

In this workshop, members of your congregation will learn to:
Identify resources in your congregation
Identify local military contacts
Construct a plan of action to reach out to current military members and veterans Gather resources for children of military members Learn about the pre-deployment, deployment and post-deployment cycles Become a military friendly congregation Plan a Veteran's Day Service of Thanksgiving and much more!

If your congregation would like to host a day long workshop, please contact your Mission and Ministry Facilitator. For more information,
visit: http://barnabas.lcmsworldmission.org/

In Christ,
Mike Moreno
Project Manager Operation Barnabas
Ministry to the Armed Forces
LCMS World Mission



HAWAIIAN RETREAT!
www.edenbythesea.org
808-261-9504

Eden by the Sea is a non-profit (501c3) retreat ministry designed solely for the rest and renewal of Lutheran church workers and their spouses. In its sixth year of ministry, hosting over 100 couples thus far, Eden by the Sea is a very unique and much-needed ministry providing a customized experience of renewal, rest and recreation in one of the most beautiful places in God’s creation – Hawaii. Not only is Eden by the Sea focused specifically on offering a customized, private, comfortable and totally relaxing experience for our tired Lutheran church workers (and their spouses), but the requested donation is under $70 a night - a fourth of the cost of other vacation accommodations of this quality and location on the island.

Please visit our web site and if you are interested in receiving more information, please contact us by phone, or email via the website. We would love to answer all your questions and bless you with the peace & renewal of our Lord through the ministry of Eden by the Sea.

Rev. Jeff & Lynda Mueller

Items Available

ORGAN AVAILABLE
A two manual Allen organ is available to any congregation in need! It is in good working condition. Contact Pastor John R. Austin, Our Savior Lutheran Church, Granbury, TX. 817-573-5011, pastor@oursavior.us


PEWS AVAILABLE
Concordia Lutheran Church in San Antonio, TX would like to donate pews to a congregation in need. Pews available are:
34 @ 28'3"
12 @ 30'6"
2 @ 23'9"
2 @ 22'5"
2 @ 22'6"
2 @ 10'
2 @ 9'6"
Photos are available upon request. Congregation receiving pews will have to arrange transport.
For more information or to claim pews contact Jesse Martinez at 210-477-1477, jessem@concordia-satx.com

Lake House Getaway

Marsha Clarkson and her husband own a home on the Grand Lake O' the Cherokees in Northeast Oklahoma. Recently, they opened their home up as a Bed & Breakfast in hopes to provide a place for LCMS Employees and Retired Pastors to vacation at a minimal cost. They would like to share the blessing with their brothers and sisters in Christ. Lodging is FREE for all LCMS Employees and Retired Pastors. The minimal cost is travel expense plus food and desired activities around Grand Lake. Free will donations are accepted if anyone feels so inclined.

Contact the Clarksons and take a look at the beautiful property at their website: www.panoramicsymphony.com.

Pandemic Flu Community Response Protocol

[Compiled based on information adapted from and used by permission from the Center for Disease Control, Church World Service, and Lutheran Disaster Response]

FAITH-BASED & COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS PANDEMIC INFLUENZA PREPAREDNESS CHECKLIST

The collaboration of Faith-Based and Community Organizations with public health agencies will be essential in protecting the public’s health and safety if and when an influenza pandemic occurs.

This checklist provides guidance for religious organizations (churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, etc.), social service agencies that are faith-based, and community organizations in developing and improving influenza pandemic response and preparedness plans. Many of the points suggested here can improve your congregation or organization’s ability to protect your community during emergencies in general.

1. Plan for the impact of a pandemic on your congregation or organization and its mission:

Completed--In Progress--Not Started
(Circle to indicate your status)

• Assign key staff with the authority to develop, maintain and act upon an influenza pandemic preparedness and response plan.
• Determine the potential impact of a pandemic on your congregation or organization’s usual activities and services.
• Plan for situations likely to require increasing, decreasing or altering the services your congregation or organization delivers.
• Determine the potential impact of a pandemic on outside resources that your congregation or organization depends on to deliver its services (e.g., radio, television, food bank, transportation, etc.)
• Outline what the organizational structure will be during an emergency and revise periodically. The outline should identify key contacts with multiple back-ups, role and responsibilities, and who is supposed to report to whom.
• Identify and train essential staff (including full-time, part-time and unpaid or volunteer staff) needed to carry on your congregation or organization’s work during a pandemic.
• Include back up plans, cross-train staff in other jobs so that if staff are sick, others are ready to come in to carry on the work.
• Test your response and preparedness plan using an exercise or drill, and review and revise your plan as needed.

2. Communicate with and educate your staff, members, and persons in the communities that you serve:

Completed--In Progress--Not Started
(Circle to indicate your status)

• Find up-to-date, reliable pandemic information and other public health advisories from state and local health departments, emergency management agencies, and CDC. Make this information available to your congregation or organization and others.
• Distribute materials with basic information about pandemic influenza: signs and symptoms, how it is spread, ways to protect yourself and your family (e.g., respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette), family preparedness plans, and how to care for ill persons at home.
• When appropriate, include basic information about pandemic influenza in public meetings (e.g. sermons, classes, trainings, small group meetings and announcements).
• Share information about your pandemic preparedness and response plan with staff, members, and persons in the communities that you serve.
• Develop tools to communicate information about pandemic status and your congregation or organization’s actions. This might include websites, flyers, local newspaper announcements, pre-recorded widely distributed phone messages, etc.
• Consider your congregation or organization’s unique contribution to addressing rumors, misinformation, fear and anxiety.
• Advise staff, members, and persons in the communities you serve to follow information provided by public health authorities--state and local health departments, emergency management agencies, and CDC.
• Ensure that what you communicate is appropriate for the cultures, languages and reading levels of your staff, members, and persons in the communities that you serve.


3. Plan for the impact of a pandemic on your staff, members, and the communities that you serve:

Completed--In Progress--Not Started
(Circle to indicate your status)

• Prepare and plan for staff absences during a pandemic due to personal and/or family illnesses, quarantines, and school, business, and public transportation closures. Staff may include full-time, part-time and volunteer personnel.
• Work with local health authorities to encourage yearly influenza vaccination for staff, members, and persons in the communities that you serve.
• Evaluate access to mental health and social services during a pandemic for your staff, members, and persons in the communities that you serve; improve access to these services as needed.
• Identify persons with special needs (e.g. elderly, disabled, limited English speakers) and be sure to include their needs in your response and preparedness plan. Establish relationships with them in advance so they will expect and trust your presence during a crisis.


4. Set up policies to follow during a pandemic:

Completed--In Progress--Not Started
(Circle to indicate your status)

• Set up policies for non-penalized staff leave for personal illness or care for sick family members during a pandemic.
• Set up mandatory sick-leave policies for staff suspected to be ill, or who become ill at the worksite.
• Employees should remain at home until their symptoms resolve and they are physically ready to return to duty (Know how to check up-to-date CDC recommendations).
• Set up policies for flexible work hours and working from home.
• Evaluate your congregation or organization’s usual activities and services (including rites and religious practices if applicable) to identify those that may facilitate virus spread from person to person.
• Set up policies to modify these activities to prevent the spread of pandemic influenza (e.g. guidance for respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette, and instructions for persons with influenza symptoms to stay home rather than visit in person.)
• Follow CDC travel recommendations during an influenza pandemic. Recommendations may include restricting travel to affected domestic and international sites, recalling non-essential staff working in or near an affected site when an outbreak begins, and distributing health information to persons who are returning from affected areas.
• Set procedures for activating your congregation or organization’s response plan when an influenza pandemic is declared by public health authorities and altering your congregation or organization’s operations accordingly.


5. Allocate resources to protect your staff, members, and persons in the communities that you serve during a pandemic:

Completed--In Progress--Not Started
(Circle to indicate your status)

• Determine the amount of supplies needed to promote respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette and how they will be obtained.
• Consider focusing your congregation or organization’s efforts during a pandemic to providing services that are most needed during the emergency (e.g. mental/spiritual health or social services).


6. Coordinate with external organizations and help your community:

Completed--In Progress--Not Started
(Circle to indicate your status)

• Understand the roles of federal, state, and local public health agencies and emergency responders and what to expect and what not to expect from each in the event of a pandemic.
• Work with local and/or state public health agencies, emergency responders, local healthcare facilities and insurers to understand their plans and what they can provide, share about your preparedness and response plan and what your congregation or organization is able to contribute, and take part in their planning.
• Assign a point of contact to maximize communication between your congregation or organization and your state and local public health systems.
• Coordinate with emergency responders and local healthcare facilities to improve availability of medical advice and timely/urgent healthcare services and treatment for your staff, members, and persons in the communities that you serve.
• Share what you’ve learned from developing your preparedness and response plan with other Faith-Based and Community Organizations to improve community response efforts.
• Work together with other Faith-Based and Community Organizations in your local area and through networks (e.g. denominations, associations, etc) to help your communities prepare for pandemic influenza.

You can find more information at www.pandemicflu.gov.

Bibles for Bokenkamp!

A GIFT IDEA FOR INDIVIDUALS, ORGANIZATIONS, OR CONGREGATIONS!

Bokenkamp Children’s Shelter is in need of a constant supply of Spanish Bibles. Each new resident is given a personal Bible when he or she comes on campus. The need for Bibles has recently increased from about 8 to 25 a month. On April 18, a new law came into effect which allows children from Mexico to be considered for political asylum because of the dangerous conditions they may face at home due to drug wars. Since the full census can be up to 72, as many as 25 new residents may be received a month.

The Bible selected by the Spiritual Care Committee can be ordered from the American Bible Society for $3.59 each or in cases of 20 Bibles for $63.80. It is the “Dios Habla Hoy” Spanish Bible (# 106339). http://www.bibles.com/products/ABS_NEW/106339.aspx (Unfortunately it is TEMPORARILY out of stock, but should be stocked again sometime in May!)

Because Bokenkamp funding is handled through the LSSS office in Austin, it works best if churches, organizations, or individuals who wish to donated Bibles, order them directly, rather than providing the money to Bokenkamp. Individuals might rather contribute to their congregation for a Bokenkamp Bible fund. Several Bibles can be pooled for one larger purchase, and there are tax advantages, both to the individual and the saving of sales tax for the purchase.

If you are planning to order and donate Bibles for Bokenkamp, please contact Sarah Hill, Director of Volunteer Services at Bokenkamp, 361 994 1214 ext 338. They may be shipped directly to Bokenkamp Children’s Shelter, Attention Sarah Hill, 5517 S. Alameda Street, Corpus Christi TX 78412.

Hospital Chaplaincy Ministry in Houston

We praise God for the blessing He has given us through the Lutheran Chaplaincy ministry at MD Anderson. It is of great comfort to know that we can still depend on Lutheran pastors to bring the Good News of the Risen Christ to patients and their friends and families because in this day of “political correctness,” the chaplaincy program represents all religious groups.

Rev. Walt Dube has served out of town Lutherans who are away from their home church family since 2006. In this capacity, he not only is able to bring hope and comfort to patients, but to their family members as well. And he has the opportunity to share God’s Good News faithfully with other folks who observe his ministry and who ask for his prayers for their loved ones and for themselves.

As you may know, over the past couple of years Pastor Dube has experienced MD Anderson from a different perspective while his wife Ann battled a rare form of liver cancer. During those days, Pastor Dube continued to minister to others who were there for treatment. In early March Ann went home to the Lord.

We pray that God continues to bless Pastor Dube’s ministry. If you would like to support the Lutheran Chaplaincy Ministry, please make checks payable to LINC Century Club. Mail to 161 West Road, Houston, TX 77037.