Jan 12 2017
St. Andrew Niagara is looking for any “old style” changeable, black on white background steel letters for the old style church announcement signs. These are 3 1/2 inches high by
2 inches wide.
We’re thinking that possibly some church may have purchased a new announcement sign, but still had the letters in a closet somewhere. We would like to freshen up our sign, without buying a new one. If you happen to have such letters, please contact Rev. Denny Neels at djneels@polarcomm.com. Thank you!
Permanent link to this article: https://www.nodaklcms.org/blog/got-letters/
Jan 12 2017
Dear Pastors, Youth Leaders, and Congregations:
This past July, 71 youth and chaperones from all across the North Dakota District traveled to Fort Collins, Colorado for the Higher Things Youth Conference. The feedback that we received from the youth was phenomenal and it was decided that we need to continue to provide the opportunity for them to attend Higher Things conferences. Next summer the conference is in Valparaiso, IN on July 25-28.
Tana McKenna, Zion Lutheran’s Parish Assistant, has agreed to take care of registration responsibilities for those wishing to attend. Unlike last year, we will NOT be coordinating a mass group transportation effort. In other words, all registrations, questions, and finances will be directed through Tana; however, your individual congregation will be responsible for arranging transportation and lodging both to and from the conference. We will still caravan where possible and most likely will arrange an overnight in a church for anyone wanting that option.
Higher Things traditionally fills up fast with conference registrations, so it is VERY important to get your registrations in early. Furthermore, Higher Things has deadlines in place, and in order to comply with those deadlines we have established the following to ensure an efficient registration process:
Early discounted registration ($375) opens on November 1 and ends February 1. Registration forms (attached) and a $100 non-refundable deposit (payable to SEND Youth) should be submitted to Tana as soon as possible!
If you wish to take advantage of the discounted registration rate, registration forms and
PAYMENT IN FULL MUST BE received NO LATER THAN January 25.
After February 1, registration cost increases to $405 per person.
The Higher Things Registration Policy states: Partial payments (including non-refundable deposits) do not “lock-in” your registration rates. An additional change fee of $25/change will apply for substitutions made after May 1, 2017.Unpaid balances and new registrations on or after May 1, 2017, will be charged a Late Fee of $25/person. Per-person rates are based on the date your group’s registration fees are PAID IN FULL!
Note that we are charging a $20 per person administrative fee, which will get you a ND group T-shirt as well as a no-hassle registration experience.
You can reach Tana at Zion Lutheran through email (ziongwinner@gmail.com), phone (701-678-2401) or mail (PO Box 118 Gwinner, ND 58040). We look forward to hearing from you as we continually challenge our youth to “Dare to be Lutheran.” “Here I stand.” That’s daring to be…Lutheran! What words! What a theme! So on this 500th anniversary of Dr. Luther’s firing the Gospel shot heard around the Church, Pastors and Youth from across North Dakota are excited to continue to stand and confess the Gospel with Dr. Luther at Higher Things 2017 Summer Conferences.
In Christ,
Rev. Adam Moline, ND Southeast Circuit Visitor
Rev. Dr. Matthew Richard, Zion Lutheran Church, Gwinner
Permanent link to this article: https://www.nodaklcms.org/blog/higher-things-2017/
Jan 12 2017
For students in Grades 6 through 12
Contest Guidelines:
For questions or resources on the sanctity of life, see: lutheransforlife.org
Permanent link to this article: https://www.nodaklcms.org/blog/2017-national-essay-contest/
Jan 10 2017
Check out Grace Lutheran School’s new blog,
AND check out GLS on Facebook!
http://gracelutheranschoolfargo.blogspot.com/
www.facebook.com/gracelutheranschoolfargo
PLUS….. (Have you heard?…..)
Grace Lutheran School students are working hard and it shows! Through the marvelous educational system, we have been blessed with here at Grace Lutheran School, our students are learning, thriving and making our community proud! Please come and shine some well-deserved light on these students who are shining examples of not only academic success, but personal and spiritual success as well!
We are very proud that our ENTIRE MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASSES have all made the honor roll in the fall quarter!!!
Grace Lutheran School has been a stronghold in our community for over 67 years. Grace Lutheran School strives to keep Jesus in school, but not from others. We teach a Christ-centered education, in order to strengthen faith and to love and to serve church and community for the glory of God.
Principal, John Hagge, says “Our students are excited about learning and thrive greatly in their small classrooms taught by caring, extremely intelligent teachers. I think our success shows, and we feel good to be given the chance to mold these young minds into even greater young adults!”
Permanent link to this article: https://www.nodaklcms.org/blog/grace-lutheran-school-news/
Permanent link to this article: https://www.nodaklcms.org/blog/president-arie-bertsch-now-who-is-he/
May 17 2016
I am a nerd. I’m a theological nerd, and one of my favorite things to do is to relax with a good cup of tea and an ancient book of theology. And if you tell me that some modern theologian is a dangerous heretic, I’ll probably go find every book of his I can find to discover what is wrong or not wrong with him. I’m also a science nerd, and I love to learn about the latest in scientific discoveries, but I’m frustrated at the extent to which modern science is directed according to political motives and the religion of scientism. And when I am not studying theology or science, I am reading a good science fiction/fantasy novel, watching the same kinds of movies or TV shows, and I think that the latest run of Marvel and DC comic book movies is the best thing to happen to movie cameras since BBC invented Doctor Who.
In the last year I have been reading C. F. W. Walther’s works. I finished the new translations of Law and Gospel and Church and Ministry and am starting to work on his sermons. From him I am learning more deeply the things I was taught at seminary, how to preach, and the importance of the office I hold. I have also been reading Gerhard Forde, because I heard he was a dangerous heretic. What I have learned is that he was not as much a heretic as I was led to believe, and the most dangerous thing about him is the tendency people have of taking pithy quotes from him and using them out of context. As this is the most annoying tendency in his own writings, as he often did the same thing with the works of Luther, it seems a bit of ironic justice. From him I have learned to preach the Gospel so that it doesn’t sound like Jesus made it possible to get God’s blessings by “being good enough to earn them” for us.
The simple answer is that the Gospel is the forgiveness of sins and eternal life purchased and won for us by the precious suffering and death of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and made securely ours by His resurrection from the grave. In this Jesus takes all that is ours, our sin, our death, our darkness, and makes it His and then suffers the consequences in our place, and gives us all that is His, righteousness, holiness, and eternal life as an heir of the kingdom of heaven. This is important because we were made to be in an eternal loving relationship with our Creator, but because of the fall into sin, that has become impossible. If we die in our sin we will be eternally separated from the loving mercy and kindness of our God, and that is an unimaginable torment that none of us has ever known, and were never meant to know. But in His conception, birth, life, suffering, death, and resurrection, Jesus has reconciled us to the Father and restored to us our place in His eternal kingdom. There is nothing more important than that this message of salvation be preached to all of God’s created people.
“Sir, we would see Jesus”.” (John 12:21) “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Cor. 2:2)
Permanent link to this article: https://www.nodaklcms.org/blog/getting-to-know-our-district-pastors-rev-timothy-stout/
May 10 2016
I have served in the church for 17 years; 10 of those as an ordained pastor.
I have been in the North Dakota District for a little over 2 years.
I have been married to Serenity for 16 years. We have three children. I enjoy fishing, pheasant hunting, watching movies with my family, writing, and a good book with a warm latte.
I have spent a lot of time studying in the area of philosophy over the last year – from a Christian perspective. What I have learned is that philosophy is the art of asking big questions about who we are; philosophy is all about understanding the wonder of life and the wonder of the great cosmos. With that said though, there are two types of philosophy. The first way of philosophy goes the way of mankind, whereas, the other type of philosophy goes the way of Christ. In other words, we all seek answers and wisdom, but do so according to either the traditions of mankind or the wisdom Christ. The philosophy that we need most in our day and age is that which goes the way of the wisdom of Christ.
The Gospel is the good news that God justifies the ungodly through the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ Jesus. The Gospel is a message of forgiveness, life, and salvation for sinners; it is for sinners only – which includes me.
I enjoy reading books and sermons by John Kleinig, Robert Kolb, Norman Nagel, and Martin Luther.
We are in a time where we need robust catechesis. As the church we need to know what we believe and why; we need to know our theology and to be rooted deeply in the scriptures. The challenge for the North American Church is that she needs to plunge deeply into the Scriptures, our Lutheran Confessions, and our historic liturgy in order to remain steadfast in a culture that blows around like a reed in the wind.
I have always been drawn to 2 Timothy chapter 4 where Paul calls young Timothy as a pastor to “preach the word; be read in season and out of season.” This reminds me that the office of pastor is a preaching office and that a faithful pastor preaches consistently regardless if it is received (i.e., in season) or rejected (i.e., out of season). I am also drawn to Paul’s epistle of Galatians, for it provides such a clear message of Justification – apart from works of the Law.
My family and I typically read from the Treasury of Daily Prayer in the mornings and each evening we have been singing the Psalms. It gives me such joy to hear my children’s voices singing the Word. As a family we have found that we need this gift of the Word in the morning and evening to ‘frame’ in our days.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.nodaklcms.org/blog/getting-to-know-our-district-pastors-rev-dr-matthew-r-richard/
May 03 2016
I spent eleven years as a Lutheran School Teacher (1 year in Sheboygan, WI; 7 years in Orange, CA; and 3 years in Ocala, FL) before I attended seminary in St. Louis.
I have been in the Pastoral Ministry for nearly thirteen years (2 & 1/2 years in Hilbert, WI; 4 years in Mt. Pulaski, IL; and 6+ years in Mandan, ND) for a total of 24 years in the ministry.
As I mentioned above, I have been serving in the North Dakota District for more than six years now.
I have been married for 15 years to my wife Melanie. God has blessed us with three daughters: Grace (10 years old), Hope (7 years old) and Joy (5 years old). We are all avid Green Bay Packer fans. We are also strongly committed to Lutheran Education. My wife teaches Kindergarten at Martin Luther School in Bismarck and I serve on the School Board for MLS (I also teach and direct the band at MLS and currently have 14 band members). Our daughters attend 5th grade, 1st grade and preschool at MLS and hope that they continue in Lutheran Schools as long as possible.
The church is under attack from within and without in North America (especially the United States). Christian business owners are being coerced under the guide of “health care” to provide all sorts of birth control including abortions and abortificants. Christian photographers, bakeries and other businesses are being punished and fined heavily for refusing to serve at same sex “weddings” and other things that go against our Christian conscience and religious liberties that, until recently, were guaranteed by the Constitution. Christians are forced through taxation to subsidize Planned Parenthood which has performed thousands of abortions a day.
In Christ,
Pastor Mark R. Drews
Messiah Lutheran, Mandan, ND
Permanent link to this article: https://www.nodaklcms.org/blog/getting-to-know-our-district-pastors-rev-mark-drews/
Jan 01 2016
While Synod is preparing for this anniversary in some special ways, so are each of the districts.
Rev. Sean Daenzer (task force chair of LIFE TOGETHER: Ordained and Commissioned Ministers) and I have been working on this together.
Please put this on your 2017 Calendars:
Date
October 14 & 15, 2017
Main Speaker
Rev. Dr. Lawrence Rast, President, Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne, IN
Locations
Program
(Dr. Rast is also tentatively scheduled to preach at Messiah Lutheran Church, Mandan, on October 14).
Permanent link to this article: https://www.nodaklcms.org/blog/2017-is-a-big-year-for-lutherans-it-is-the-500th-anniversary-of-the-reformation/
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