Youth Retreat in Michigan

On January 26th the youth from Circuit 3 traveled to Midland, Michigan to attend the 2007 Youth Retreat held at Holy Scripture Lutheran Church. They heard devotions given by the pastors of the Circuit. The young people enjoyed ice skating, with a hot dog roast afterwards. The youth participated in many other games. On Saturday, the youth heard a presentation on the topic "Witnessing Your Faith Among Your Peers." The youth enjoyed the great food and the youth counselors did an excellent job. We look forward to next year’s Youth Rally.

Pastors’ Institute at Sebastian, Florida

The annual pastors’ institute of Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary has been held in various locations throughout the country in order to make it possible for more of our pastors to attend. This year the institute took place in Sebastian, Florida, March 5–6, 2007.

The major portion of the institute was a presentation entitled “The Concept of Covenant” by Professor Adolph Harstad. Here the term “covenant” and the various covenants of the Old Testament were discussed. In addition there was a study of the use of the terms “covenant” and “testament” in Scripture. The presentation was very beneficial for a proper understanding of the relationship between the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The other segment of the institute was a presentation on “The Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements” by President Gaylin Schmeling. This was a pertinent topic since last year was the one hundredth anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival, which is seen by many as the cradle of the modern Pentecostal movement.

Circuit 7 Fall Rally Meets in Waukon , Iowa

The Fall Rally of Circuit 7 (Iowa) of the Women’s Missionary Society met on October 21, 2006 at King of Grace Lutheran Church in Waukon, Iowa. Presentations were made by the Reverends Wayne Halvorson, Karl Heck and James Krikava. Rev. Krikava spoke about proclaiming the gospel in the Czech Republic. The Rev. Wayne Halvorson presented pictures about the mission work done by the synod in India.

Ground-breaking Ceremony at Vero Beach, Florida 

The members of Grace Lutheran Church in Vero Beach, Florida, gathered on the site of their planned educational building on Sunday, April 1st, for a ground-breaking ceremony to begin construction of the long-awaited pre-school building.

As part of the celebration, the Rev. Matthew Luttman was the first to use the "gold" shovel. He was followed by Norbert Stege, Board of Elders, Johnny Johnson, Board of Trustees, Gary Dixon, President of the congregation and Glen Gillespie who represented the building committee.

The morning following the ceremony, within four hours large equipment had cleared some of the tall pine and oak trees where construction will soon begin.