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Commission on Inter-Church Relations
Representatives from 30 out of 34 member churches in the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference (CELC) participated in a virtual convention in late spring. The CELC serves as a forum for confessional Lutherans around the world, providing fellowship, spiritual growth, and encouragement in the faith. The convention consisted of a business meeting as well as four essays presented by pastors from the US, Finland, Chile, and Zambia. At its business meeting, the CELC accepted two new churches into its fellowship: Christian Lutheran Evangelical Church—Taiwan and Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ—Kenya. “It is an unreproducible thrill to be in the same room with like-minded believers from around the world as you sing and worship and take communion together, but I think everyone was very happy to see each other on the screen,” says Thomas Nass, who was elected CELC president at the convention. “Everyone is longing for fellowship. Zoom at least provided some of that.” The next in-person convention will be in Seoul, South Korea, in 2023. Convention information, including recorded sessions and the downloadable essays, is available at celc.info.
WELS Special Ministries
WELS Prison Ministry, part of WELS Special Ministries, has put together new resources to help church leaders prepare members to mentor people returning to the community from incarceration. “Mentoring a returning citizen” consists of a workbook and videos that will train laypeople how to mentor a former inmate effectively as well as evaluate if this ministry is a good fit for them. “Mentoring returning citizens can be a way for a Christian to put faith into words and action,” says Dave Hochmuth, director of WELS Prison Ministry. “Mentors benefit from the process as well as the people they help.” Learn more at welscongregationalservices.net/mentoring-a-returning-citizen.
WELS Discipleship
A new online training guide that will aid congregations to equip more women to serve in their church is now available from WELS Congregational Services. “Equip Women to Teach the Word” prepares women to teach God’s Word faithfully in different ministry settings. Resources include five online lessons with accompanying videos to build a biblical foundation and provide step-by-step instruction that replaces fear with confidence to serve. “ ‘Equip Women to Teach the Word’ is for the woman who wants to be well prepared, improve her teaching, and stand firm on the Word of God despite the influences of the world around her,” says Dawn Schulz, a member of WELS Women’s Ministry, which was commissioned to develop the resource. It stresses the important partnership between pastor and laypeople as they work together to carry out their church’s ministry. Find the resource at welscongregationalservices.net/equip-women-to-teach.
Volume 108, Number 8
Issue: August 2021
