Bend, Oregon

New Start: Bend was identified in 2020 as the second-fastest growing city in the U.S. A core group of eight families has been gathering twice a month for Bible study and planning as they plant a church in an area where 62 percent of people are not involved with any religious community.

Fast Facts:

  • No WELS churches are located on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountain Range in Oregon. The closest WELS church is 2.5 hours away.
  • The population in Bend is expected to grow by more than 16,000 people by 2032.
  • Work on this mission effort started in July 2021
  • In addition to regular Bible studies and planning meetings, the core group has done door-to-door canvassing and food drive canvassing with support from short-term volunteer teams and its district mission board.

Prayer:

Lord God, as in everything, the task begins with you. As the core group in Bend, Oregon, looks forward to the arrival of their new missionary, be with them, Lord. As they continue to reach out to and into their community, be with them, Lord. As they seek to build a church for your name, be with them, Lord. As they go about their work, be with them, Lord. Help them always to see you and allow the city of Bend to see you through all that they do. Be with them, Lord, strengthen them, and teach them that as they remain in you, they will bear much fruit!

Contact:

Rev. Paul Bourman, District Mission Board member
[email protected]
971-533-3120

Cedar Lake, Indiana

New Start: Members from Trinity and Zion in Crete, Ill., have formed a core group to plant a new mission in nearby Cedar Lake. This area of northwest Indiana is growing rapidly as Chicago commuters look for cheaper alternatives to living in Illinois.

Fast Facts:

  • The population of Cedar Lake saw a 58.3 percent increase since 2000.
  • A new train line is expected to be up and running in nearby Dyer, Ind., by 2025, which will make the commute to Chicago even more accessible and the area more desirable to live in.
  • Nine individuals currently make up the core group; an additional 17 families have expressed interest in learning about and being a part of a new mission start.
  • The core group has partnered with local non-profits to deliver holiday meals to those in need in the community.

Prayer:

Lord of the Church, we thank you for the efforts of the core group in Cedar Lake, Ind. We also thank you for the blessing of granting a new start mission in this growing town in western Indiana. Though there is no church building or worship services yet, bless the core group of members in their study of your Word and in the work of their hands with this brand-new mission. We ask you to bless them with a pastor to serve them with the Means of Grace and serve the community with the knowledge of your Son as their Savior. Amen.

Contact:

Rev. Kendall Cook, Trinity Lutheran Church
[email protected]
979-220-4699

Conway, Arkansas

New Start: Conway is a growing college town in the northwest of Little Rock with no WELS presence. A group of 19 WELS members has been gathering at a local hotel on Sundays for worship and Bible study with a part-time retired pastor and getting involved in the community as it prepares to launch a brand-new church.

Fast Facts:

  • The Conway population is projected to grow by 24.9 percent (19,827 individuals) in the next 10 years.
  • Conway is called “The City of Colleges” because it is home to three colleges: the University of Central Arkansas, Hendrix College, and Central Baptist College.
  • Conway’s population of younger families and college students, many of whom stay in the area following graduation, provides the opportunity for longevity and growth as families move to the area and grow the community.

Contact:

Travis Faske, Core group member
[email protected]
501-266-3657

Easley, South Carolina

New Start: Since 2016 Abiding Peace in Simpsonville, S.C., has been exploring the option of starting a second site in the greater Greenville area that includes Easley and Powdersville. Abiding Peace is currently offering worship and Bible study and getting involved in community events from a leased “homebase” in Easley as it evaluates where a future, permanent site might be established with a new missionary at the helm.

Fast Facts:

  • The population of Greenville and the smaller communities that surround it total more than 500,000 people and continue to grow thanks to large international companies such as BMW, GE, Michelin, Lockheed Martin, Prisma Health, and Tesla having a presence in the area.
  • After leasing the storefront in Easley in June 2023, volunteers renovated the building in preparation for periodic worship to begin in September 2023. Easter 2024 marked the start of weekly worship at this location.
  • The core group of 42 Abiding Peace members have participated in community holiday events such as Treats in the Street and the local Parade of Lights and have hosted Advent devotionals/socials from their new site.
  • A potential campus ministry program at nearby Clemson and Furman Universities is also being explored as part of ministry at this new site.

Prayer:

Lord of the Church, you call us to see the darkness of the world around us as an opportunity to shine the light of your Gospel to those in need. We are grateful for this opportunity, especially to have a new base from which to do so in the city of Easley, South Carolina. We ask your blessings for the beginning of this new mission, for the ongoing efforts of the core group, for the calling process and for the planned ministry. Use it, gracious Lord, to reach the people of Easley and the surrounding communities that souls might be reached, lives might be transformed, and eternities might be changed. We are bold to ask this for Jesus’s sake, Amen.

Contact:

Rev. Duane Rodewald, Abiding Peace Lutheran Church
[email protected]
864-354-6381

Williston, North Dakota

New Start: The core group in Williston has been gathering for 15 years, now under the name Lamb of God Lutheran Church. It rents a full-time ministry center where members worship weekly online with the WELS church in Bismarck, N.D., and conduct outreach. Members look forward to reaching out with the gospel with a full-time missionary at the helm.

Fast Facts:

  • Williston is in the heart of the Bakken oil field in the northwest corner of North Dakota. The population has tripled since 2000.
  • The core group of 33 members is served regularly with the gospel by worshiping weekly online with Our Saviour’s in Bismarck and meeting every-other-week for Zoom Bible studies with Apostles in Billings, Mont.
  • The core group is committed to developing children’s ministries as part of its ministry plan, which is one of Williston’s biggest needs.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you are the Good Shepherd who is gathering your people in Williston, North Dakota, through the good news of your forgiveness. These believers have been praying to start a mission for more than 15 years. Through this period of waiting, you have developed a family of believers who are persistent in ministry and steadfast in your promise that you will not leave them. Use this group to proclaim your light into the darkness where unbelief and ignorance has blinded souls to your truth. Provide a pastor to shepherd them with your Word. Thank you for your love and the goodness that you have lavished upon these fellow believers through the work of WELS Home Missions. We look forward to the blessings to come as you carry out your kingdom work through your beloved people in Williston, and throughout the world. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Contact:

Kent Jarcik, Core group member
[email protected]
701-570-7226

Calvary, Dallas, TX

Enhancement: Calvary Lutheran Church in Dallas, Tex., will receive short-term support from Home Missions to call a second pastor who will be focused on outreach and connecting with unchurched early childhood and school families and the many other prospects Calvary has identified in the booming Lake Highlands area of Dallas.

Fast Facts:

  • Ministry opportunities include outreach to a large African immigrant/heritage community that attends Calvary Lutheran School.
  • The current Mornings with Mommy program serves around 125 children and their 90 caregivers over six different sessions each month. Approximately 30 percent of attendees are prospects.
  • Calvary is located about nine miles away from downtown Dallas. The Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area is the fastest growing in the country in recent months.

Contact:
Rev. John Koelpin, Calvary Lutheran Church
[email protected]
214-549-9347

Crossroads, Chicago, IL

Enhancement (Restart): Crossroads Christian Church in Chicago, Ill., is looking to restart its ministry on the north side of Chicago after COVID restrictions hurt its ministry and took away its worship location in a local elementary school. With Home Missions support, members look to position Crossroads as a permanent fixture in the neighborhood, enabling them to expand ministry to better serve the needs of the community.

Fast Facts:

  • About 360,000 people live in the 2.5-mile target area around the current location of Crossroads’ rented ministry center.
  • There are only two WELS churches in Chicago—Crossroads on the north side, St. Andrew on the south side.
  • Crossroads is actively participating in volunteer opportunities and looking for additional opportunities to partner with local non-profits to let its light shine, give back to its neighbors, and introduce its church to community members.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, your Son gave his disciples of all times the commission to go and make disciples of all nations. We thank you for the unique opportunity to create disciples in downtown Chicago where you are bringing people of all nations together into one city. You established Crossroads Christian Church in the heart of Chicago years ago. Now we thank you for the blessing of reestablishing Crossroads as a mission restart. May your Holy Spirit fill the core group of members at Crossroads with the zeal to share the love of Jesus with their neighbors from the nations. May your Holy Spirit then bless their gospel message to create disciples through their gospel witness. Amen.

Contact:

Darby Frey, President of Crossroads Christian Church
[email protected]
312-965-5033

Faith, Prior Lake, MN

Enhancement: Faith Lutheran Church in Prior Lake, Minn., has developed a relationship with a standalone early childhood center that bought a portion of its vacant land and built a new facility across the parking lot from the church. The center has agreed to let Faith develop the Bible curriculum for use at the center, and Home Missions funding will allow a part-time staff minister to lead Bible lessons, connect with parents, and coordinate Faith’s members to volunteer at the center on a regular basis.

Fast Facts:

  • Besides providing the Bible curriculum for the Prior Lake campus, Faith has been able to share the curriculum (based on Northwestern Publishing House’s Christ-Light) with the entire organization that operates 20 locations across Minnesota and Central Iowa.
  • The early childhood center uses Faith’s worship space for its larger Christmas and graduation programs. With more than 100 students enrolled at the Prior Lake location, there is a significant outreach opportunity for Faith.
  • Prior Lake has seen rapid growth in recent years due to ease of access for commuters to the Twin Cities.

Prayer:

Gracious and Loving Lord, we come before you with hearts filled with gratitude and hope, seeking your blessing upon this mission enhancement. We are excited by the opportunity for the staff minister to work between the Faith Lutheran Church and the families of New Creations preschool and childcare in Prior Lake, Minn. Lord, grant the staff minister the wisdom, compassion, and strength needed to fulfill their role with grace and humility. May they be a beacon of your love, fostering deep connections and nurturing relationships. Bless the leadership and members of Faith as they embark on this journey together. Grant them the courage to step out in faith, the generosity to support this endeavor wholeheartedly, and the commitment to connect with the families at New Creations with love and compassion. Pour out your blessings upon this mission enhancement, O Lord, that it may bear abundant fruit in the lives of all involved. May it reflect your boundless love and grace. In your name we pray, Amen.

Contact:

Richard Gibson – Staff Minister, Faith Lutheran Church
[email protected]
651-249-5719

Good Shepherd, Plymouth, WI

Enhancement: Plymouth is a stable town in northern Wisconsin with 9,000 residents. Good Shepherd Lutheran Church will receive short-term support to kickstart outreach efforts once again to take advantage of the gospel outreach opportunities the Lord is providing.

Fast Facts:

  • Plymouth is home to a few large, family-owned companies in the area: Sargento, Sartori, Masters Gallery Foods, and Johnsonville.
  • The current facility offers many opportunities to host outreach activities for the community, including things like a weekly square-dance group and blood drives.

Prayer:

Good Shepherd of the sheep, sometimes you allow challenging times to come so that we will seek your protection and guidance all the more. As you have brought the people of Good Shepherd in Plymouth Wis., through some challenging years, we rejoice that they will receive short-term support from Home Missions to kickstart outreach efforts once again. We now ask you to bless them with a mission-minded shepherd who will work beside them as they seek the lost sheep of their community. Amen.

Contact:

Rev. James Borgwardt, District Mission Board member
[email protected]
920-204-4015

Northdale, Tampa, FL

Enhancement: Northdale Lutheran Church is in a growing area of north Tampa, which has seen a large influx of Spanish-speakers move into the community. Northdale’s academy reflects this demographic shift, as 25 percent of its student body comes from a Spanish-speaking family. Short-term Home Missions support will allow Northdale to call a Spanish-speaking pastors to take advantage of these outreach opportunities.

Fast Facts:

  • The community around Northdale has seen immigrants arriving from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Mexico, Argentina, and other parts of South America.
  • Thirty-five percent of the population in the greater Northdale area has been in the U.S. less than two years.

Prayer:

Loving Lord, you’ve sent us to carry your message of salvation to every nation, tribe, language, and people. Those opportunities aren’t just across the waters and on different continents, but in our own backyards and communities. We thank you for opening the door for Northdale Lutheran Church to be able to reach out to the underserved Hispanic population in their congregation and academy. We join them in thanksgiving that their Home Missions enhancement request was approved so they can begin calling for a full-time missionary to conduct Hispanic outreach. Use this plan for their ministry efforts to reach more and more souls. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Contact:

Rev. Matthew Guse, Northdale Lutheran Church
[email protected]
920-517-9000