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

St. Marcus, Milwaukee, WI

Enhancement: St. Marcus Lutheran Church is looking for support to fund a “campus shepherd” at its third school campus, which serves 300 children, most of whom are unchurched. This person would be connecting with the parents of school children, overseeing the spiritual instruction of the kids on that campus, organizing baptism efforts, leading chapels, and supporting staff. This position will also be responsible for coordinating evangelism efforts across the three campuses.

Fast Facts:

  • During the last school year (2022–2023), St. Marcus baptized more than 50 school students.
  • The third campus currently enrolls 300 students. When the campus reaches maximum capacity (which they expect soon), enrollment will stand at 600.
  • Out of the nearly 1,200 students across all three campuses, only 350 report having a church home.

Prayer:

Triune God, you have blessed St. Marcus Lutheran Church and School with nearly 1,200 students within their three campuses. Less than 30% of their students report having a church home. We thank you for the approval of St. Marcus as a mission enhancement so they may call a lay leader to serve as the school chaplain for their third campus. Bless his work of connecting the students within all the campuses to Word and Sacraments within St. Marcus Lutheran Church. Bless the work of all the pastors, teachers, and staff at St. Marcus so that your kingdom may continue to grow through their Means of Grace ministries. Amen.

Contact:

Rev. James Hein, St. Marcus Lutheran Church
[email protected]
414-562-3369, Ext 1610

St. Paul, Calgary, AB, Canada

Enhancement: St. Paul Lutheran Church in Calgary, AB, Canada, is located in one of the most diverse areas in Canada. The immediate neighborhood around St. Paul is 50 percent immigrants and includes people from India, the Philippines, Pakistan, Africa, and the Middle East. Home Missions support will allow St. Paul to hire two part-time workers to assist the pastor in discipleship, community outreach, service/volunteer coordination, and other cross-cultural mission efforts.

Fast Facts:

  • St. Paul has members from 25 different countries.
  • In the Castlebridge community, where St. Paul is located, 63 percent of immigrants are first-generation immigrants.
  • From 2010–2020, St. Paul has welcomed 50 or so refugees. It sponsors refugees from South Sudan and partners with a Sudanese non-profit to provide parenting classes for parents of at-risk youth and outreach to South Sudanese refugees experiencing poverty and homelessness in Calgary.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we thank you for your abundant blessings over St. Paul Lutheran Church in Calgary, AB, Canada. We praise you for the seeds that have been planted through this ministry already, and eagerly anticipate the plans you have for them as they enhance their ministry with additional manpower to assist with cross-cultural ministry. Strengthen and equip Pastor Reinemann, Anna Reinemann, and Rebecca Ulmer as they lead this effort. Grant wisdom in their decision-making and help them spread Christ’s gospel in their community. Give St. Paul all the resources they need to fulfill your plans and open doors for their mission field to expand and grow. By your Spirit, motivate their members with the joy of salvation in Christ their Savior. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Contact:

Rev. Chester Reinemann, St. Paul Lutheran Church
[email protected]
403-970-2414

Mount Calvary, Redding/Anderson, CA – 2023

Enhancement: Mount Calvary in Redding, Calif., and Faith in Anderson, Calif., merged into one unified congregation worshiping at two locations and received unsubsidized mission status in the spring of 2022. As their ministry continued to grow, the Board for Home Missions was asked to provide additional enhancement funding to call a full-time staff minister who could help make the most of the many gospel outreach opportunities being presented.

Fast Facts:

  • Tom Benzing from St. Paul’s in New Ulm, Minn., recently accepted the call to serve as staff minister and is expected to start October 1, 2023.
  • This new staff minister will be the site director of the Anderson campus, focusing on evangelism and youth/family ministry.
  • The 3.5-mile radius around the Mount Calvary site in Anderson is projected to grow by 5.3 percent.

Contact:
Rev. Benjamin Schaefer, Mount Calvary Lutheran Church
[email protected]
530-515-1535

Christ the King, Palm Coast, FL – 2023

Enhancement: Christ the King in Palm Coast, Fla., will receive short-term Home Missions support to call a campus pastor to reach out to school families in its growing Christ the King Academy. The academy currently has 279 students enrolled, of which 125 students have no church home. This new missionary will also assist Christ the King in meeting the anticipated growth of the Palm Coast community, which is expected to double in size in the next ten years.

Fast Facts:

  • Palm Coast is the 5th-fastest-growing city in Florida and the 18th-fastest-growing city in the United States.
  • Called workers and leadership at Christ the King Church & Academy have worked diligently to develop a clear plan and harvest strategy for the outreach efforts to academy families.
  • Christ the King has 38 active connect groups that serve by offering small-group activities in the areas of Bible study, service projects, and social gatherings.

Contact:
Rev. Dan Schroeder, Christ the King Lutheran Church
[email protected]
619-852-2440
Website: ctkpalmcoast.com

Hope in Deerfield, WI – 2023

Enhancement (Unsubsidized): St. John in the Town of Lake Mills started a second site called Hope in Deerfield in fall 2021 with support from other local congregations. Members worship weekly at a funeral home in town and are committed to reaching out with the gospel to their community members. Unsubsidized mission status gives Hope in Deerfield access to grants from WELS Home Missions and Church Extension Fund (CEF) as well as support from the district mission board and mission counselor.

Fast Facts:

  • Deerfield serves as a bedroom community for people who work in Madison, Wis. With its small-town feel and more affordable housing options, Deerfield is growing.
  • The community members in Deerfield are 58 percent unchurched.
  • Hope in Deerfield has hosted a multitude of outreach activities throughout the years, including Praise and Proclaim training and grocery canvassing, trunk or treat, community picnics, etc.

Contact:
Rev. Kevin Hundley, St. John, Town of Lake Mills, and Hope in Deerfield, Wis.
[email protected]
262-237-2660