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Dakota–Montana
Members of Sure Foundation, Brandon, S.D. (pictured right), a WELS home mission, distributed invitations to its Christmas services.
Northern Wisconsin
St. Paul, Appleton, Wis., paid off the mortgage for its early childhood center 15 years early. A mortgage-burning ceremony will be held later this year.
Nebraska
The Vine, Joplin, Mo., a WELS home mission, launched its first official worship service on Dec. 13, 2020, in a rented facility.
North Atlantic
St. Paul, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, held an event called “A lot of Christmas” on Dec. 19, 2020. Members decorated their vehicle trunks with nativities. The church lined the perimeter of its parking lot with 100 luminaries, and carolers serenaded community members who attended this socially-distanced event. Conceived as a way to bring together the community for outreach and fellowship during COVID-19, St. Paul is now planning to make it an annual event.
Pacific Northwest
Abiding Love, Coquitlam, British Columbia, held a Chinese Christmas service/gathering on Dec. 25, 2020, via Zoom. Those in attendance gathered together for six hours.
Southeastern Wisconsin
Grace, Waukesha, Wis., donated 600 copies of the Christian Service Members’ Handbook to the Wisconsin National Guard/Wisconsin Air National Guard. Pictured is Jason Hacker, pastor at Grace and member of the Lutheran Military Support Group, handing the books off to Col. Douglas Hedman, the Wisconsin National Guard state chaplain. This pocket-sized resource contains prayers for specific military topics, selections of Scripture, hymns, and portions of Luther’s Small Catechism. It was developed by the Lutheran Military Support Group, WELS Special Ministries, and Northwestern Publishing House.
WELS–Canada
The Cross-Canada Christmas Eve service featured a virtual collaboration of six congregations that included five pastors who led short devotions, music from WELS congregations across Canada, and children reading the story of Christmas from Luke 2. The service followed the synod’s Christmas outreach theme for 2020, “The greatest gift,” and included participants from St. Peter, St. Albert, Alberta; Mighty Fortress, Red Deer, Alberta; St. John, Wetaskiwin, Alberta; Saviour of the Nations, Vancouver, British Columbia; Divine Word, Ottawa, Ontario; and Cross of Life, Mississauga, Ontario.
The district reporters for this month are: D-M—Andrew Hussman; NA—Ian Headrick; NE—Timothy Kemnitz; NW—Michael Dietz; PNW—David Birsching; SEW—Scott Oelhafen.
Volume 108, Number 03
Issue: March 2021
