Dear Fellow Workers:
Greetings once again to all of your in the name of our beloved Savior who has lived in our place perfection, died to enact our justification, risen to prove our vindication, and will come with celebration in granting us believers our own glorious resurrection!

We provide you with more news on activities in our Evangelical Lutheran Synod.

School featured in the news
Recently on a Minneapolis TV channel (KARE 11), our King of Grace Lutheran School, Golden Valley, Minnesota, was featured. If you would like to see a video clip of the morning program, please go to www.kare11.com <http://www.kare11.com/video/player.aspx?sid=498092&aid=63005>. The principal of the school is Mr. Allen Labitsky and the teacher leading the class in the video is Mr. William Lubansky.

Visitors from Riga
A delegation from our sister church, the Confessional Lutheran Church in Latvia, visited our Bethany campus on February 14, 2008. Members from the Board of Thoughts of Faith were on hand for the sessions. Pictured here (left to right) are: Rev. John Petersen (sec. for TOF), Pres. Moldstad, Prof. Erling Teigen (perennial lecturer at the Augsburg Institute in Riga), Rev. Ulid Sildegs (CLCL), Rev. George Orvick (TOF, Latvian Com.), Rev. Ilars Plume (CLCL), Mr. Kermit Traska (TOF Exec. Dir.), and Rev. Gundars Bakulis (CLCL Bishop).

School to begin at Rogers
Our synod’s Board for Home Missions has given approval to Redeeming Grace Lutheran (Rogers, MN), our new home mission, for proceeding with a kindergarten start this next fall. Please continue to keep all of our schools in your prayers aw well as our synod’s promotion of Lutheran Schools of America (LSA).

Pastor David Russow, Redeeming Grace Lutheran, gives the members of the Board for Home Missions a tour of the new facilities in Rogers, MN.

The sizable sanctuary at Rogers, MN, will have a multi-purpose function in the development of the new school. Two classrooms are adjacent to the sanctuary.

Ordination in Florida
On February 17, 2008, at 4:00 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Sebastian, Florida, Candidate of Theology Timothy Schmeling was ordained and installed as pastor. The Rev. Samuel Schmeling, brother of the ordinand, was liturgist. The Rev. Gaylin Schmeling, father of the ordinand, preached. The Reverends David Lillegard and Andrew Schmidt served as lectors. The Circuit Visitor, Rev. Hebert Huhnerkoch, performed the rites of ordination and installation. The choir of Trinity Lutheran Church sang, as well as soloists Mrs. Annette Schmeling and Mr. Saverio Barbieri. Mr. George Lillegard served as organist and Mrs. Joanne Knott as accompanist. A chicken dinner was served afterward by the congregation.

2008 Synod Convention

Dates: June 15-19
Location: Bethany Lutheran College, Mankato, MN
Theme: “God’s Power for Salvation,” Romans 1:16-17
Essayist: Prof. Erling Teigen, Bethany Lutheran College and Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary
Synod Sunday preacher: Rev. Bernt Tweit, Holy Cross Lutheran, Madison, WI
Convention chaplain: Rev. Jeffrey Londgren, Faith Lutheran, East Jordan, MI
Tuesday evening: commemorating 40 years of mission work in Peru
Communion service (Wed.) preacher: Rev. Dan Larson, Saude & Jerico Lutheran Parish, Lawler, IA
Anniversary Service (Tues. afternoon) preacher: Rev. Ron Pederson, First Lutheran, Suttons Bay, MI
Memorial Service (Wed. afternoon) preacher: Rev. Carl Wosje, Our Savior Lutheran, Bishop, CA
Convention painting: Rev. Don Moldstad, chaplain at Bethany Lutheran College

Encouraging financial news in WELS
We are pleased to report that our sister synod is experiencing healthy budgeting news. Through the first seven months of its current fiscal year, WELS has received $13.6 million in congregational mission offerings, which is $1.4 million greater than the same period last year. The hope is that the increase in offerings will enable WELS to restore planned cuts to ministerial education and world missions.

Newport Lutheran Church
Rev. Bill Grimm serves as pastor of the joint parish of Newport (WI Dells, WI) and St. Paul’s (Portage, WI). The parish joined our synod in 1966. Its first pastor was Rev. H. A. Preus who helped the churches organize in 1851. (Your president was scheduled to preach at Newport on Feb. 17 but services were canceled due to another Wisconsin snowstorm!)

Action on 2008 budget
The Board of Trustees reviewed synod offerings for this past year (exceeding by $4,000 our adjusted 2007 budget of $735,000) in light of the adopted $796,000 budget for 2008. At its quarterly meeting on February 12 the board decided to trim the 2008 budget, reflecting now a total figure of $750,000. The Planning and Coordinating Committee will need to take note of this action as it prepares a budget proposal for 2009 at its upcoming meeting on April 8, 2008. We pray that God will move the hearts of our people to respond generously in supporting the mission work we do together in our beloved synod. In speaking to the Corinthians on the subject of giving, the apostle Paul stated: “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God” (2 Corinthians 9:12).

Recent gifts to Foreign Missions
ELS Missions Counselor, Rev. Steven Petersen, reports:

The disbanding of St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Detroit, Michigan, is regrettable however the congregation elected to contribute a share of its liquid assets to the work of our synod in foreign missions. The congregation has donated $46,000 to our foreign mission program to be divided in the following way:
$11,500 for the needs of the two schools in Lima,
$11,500 for the two schools in the rainforest among the Chayhuita tribe,
$11,500 for the replacement of the Lima seminary, and
$11,500 for the EFL program in Chile.

Mt. Olive Evangelical Lutheran Church (WELS) in St. Paul, MN, held a progressive dinner serving Peruvian style food as a fundraiser for Peru earthquake relief and forwarded $2,872 to the ELS for that purpose. The effort was supported also by the South Ramsey chapter of Thrivent.

Prayer requests for heart surgery patients
Please keep Linda Marozick, wife of Rev. Mark Marozick, in your prayers. Linda is scheduled for an open heart surgery on March 4 at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in order to repair a valve. Linda currently teaches at Holy Cross Lutheran School in Madison, WI.

Pray also for Jean Goebel (Hillman, MI) who lately underwent open heart surgery. Jean and husband Marlin are the faithful editors and producers of Mission News.

Activities by our synod’s Board for Christian Service
In the month of February a total of $11,000 was expended by the board in responding to needy situations: assisting tornado damaged communities in the Arkansas region (via WELS Committee on Relief) and providing help for a couple of families in our synod (MI and WA) who recently experienced tragedies. On Mother’s Day, May 11, a special synod-wide offering will be taken by the board for its charitable relief program.

New address
Rev. Mark Rogers, 3465 S. Arlington Rd, E165, Akron, OH 44312
Rev. William Grimm: bjgrimm(at)verizon.net

Madson sermon book available
Morning Bells at Our Saviour’s, a collection of sermons for the entire church year by the late Rev. Norman A. Madson, dean at Bethany Seminary from 1946-1959. All proceeds from the sale of the book will go to the seminary. The 409-page spiral book can purchased at our Bethany Bookstore ($11.50 + shipping). Please call: 1-800-944-1722.

President’s Activities
March 4 – preliminary meeting for centennial preparation
March 9 – preaching at Norseland and Norwegian Grove, St. Peter, Minnesota
March 10 – Southern Minnesota winkel in Mankato
March 15 – Board for Publications teleconference
March 17 – Synod Review Committee
March 26 – Exploratory Committee
March 31 – Circuit #7, Iowa Conference at Hartland, Minnesota
April 1-2 – Doctrine Committee
April 2 – Evangelism Committee
April 3-4 – Thoughts of Faith in Madison, Wisconsin
April 8 – Planning & Coordinating Committee
April 10-11 – Board for LSA
April 15-16 – Great Lakes Pastoral Conference in Suttons Bay, Michigan
April 23-24 – Circuit 11 & 12 Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah
April 27 – Dedication at Redeeming Grace, Rogers, Minnesota
April 28 – Board for Foreign Missions
April 30 – Pre-convention meeting with synod secretary

In Christ’s saving grace,
John A. Moldstad