Mount Calvary, Redding/Anderson, CA

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

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

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

Cross of Christ, Las Cruces, NM

Enhancement (Unsubsidized): Cross of Christ started in a member’s home 11 years ago. As an unsubsidized mission, they will have Home Missions support through their district mission board and mission counselor and access to special grants from Home Missions and WELS Church Extension Fund. The congregation has 73 members and owns land along a major access road where most of the city’s new development is taking place and where hundreds of young families are moving.

Fast Facts:

  • The Las Cruces area is currently home to more than 66,000 people, with an estimated population of more than 76,000 by 2032.
  • Since August 2021, average weekly worship attendance has gone up 30 percent.
  • The Las Cruces area is 57 percent Hispanic. Missionary Nathanial Jensen and members are working with Hispanic Outreach Consultant Tim Flunker to reach out to this demographic with the gospel.

Contact:
Rev. Nathanael Jensen, Cross of Christ Lutheran Church
[email protected]
575-680-6980

Beautiful Savior, Des Moines, IA

Enhancement (Restart): Beautiful Savior in West Des Moines, Iowa, is looking to restart their ministry with Home Missions support. They have an existing worship facility and parsonage in the rapidly growing suburb of West Des Moines. The 95-member church has reinvigorated their outreach efforts and been blessed with adult confirmations and baptisms as a result, and they’re looking forward to continued growth with a new home missionary at the helm.

Fast Facts:

  • Rev. Brian Schmidt accepted the call to serve as Home Missionary at Beautiful Savior and was installed on August 27, 2023.
  • The area around Beautiful Savior has seen year-over-year growth of 1.8%, with population projected to reach 522,204 by 2024.
  • The church and parsonage are located across the street from a public elementary school, next door to an assisted living facility, and numerous new subdivisions and apartment buildings are going up in the area. The opportunities for ministry are abundant.
  • Even during their vacancy this past year, attendance for both worship and Bible study are up, elders are active, and they have had adult confirmations and four infant baptisms.

Contact:
Rev. Brian Schmidt, Home Missionary
[email protected]
515-225-4392

Fairview, Milwaukee, WI

Enhancement: Fairview in Milwaukee, Wis., is partnering with A City for God, a WELS para-synodical in the greater-Milwaukee area, to assist in their outreach efforts. A City for God has two chaplains who are at the Hope Semper and Hope Prima schools. WELS Home Missions is financially supporting these two chaplains to use half of their time to do outreach to the Hope school families they are already working with to connect them to ministries at Fairview.

Fast Facts:

  • Fairview has mission-minded leaders and the facility in place to do this ministry.
  • There has been a dramatic increase in worship and Bible study attendance since A City for God started using Fairview facilities as their ministry base.
  • While the two chaplains currently serve the Hope Semper and Hope Prima schools, they will also be able to reach out to students and families at Shining Star Christian School, a non-affiliated Christian school that is using the school space at Fairview for one of their three campuses.

Contact:
Rev. Paul Steinberg, Fairview and A City for God
[email protected]
414-530-0476

Christ the King, Port Charlotte, FL

Enhancement: Christ the King in Port Charlotte, Fla., is looking for short-term Home Missions support to call a full-time pastor to serve this recharged church of 79 members. Hurricane Ian forced members and their retired pastor to pivot to recovery and clean-up efforts, but it didn’t squash their spirit or determination to do what they could in such trying times. Outreach potential is tremendous as hundreds of thousands of people are expected to move to the area in upcoming years.

Fast Facts:

  • The county population is expected to more than double in the next 10 years.
  • God has blessed Christ the King with 12 new members in the past year.
  • Christ the King has a comprehensive Ministry Plan that was being implemented before Hurricane Ian hit. The group is still committed to doing what they can for outreach while working through their clean-up efforts.

Contact:
Rev. Caleb Free, District Mission Board member
[email protected]
941-302-6276

Divine Savior, Sienna, TX

Enhancement: Divine Savior in Sienna, Tex., plans to call a second staff minister or pastor to assist in youth and family ministry. Divine Savior Academy currently has 280 students enrolled with 360 anticipated next school year. A second full-time worker will help them connect school families with the church, as many school families do not currently have a church home.

Fast Facts:

  • Read more about the mission enhancement in Sienna in this Missions Blog from September 2023: How’s it going?
  • Rev. Dan Laitinen accepted the call to serve as Divine Savior’s second pastor and was installed on August 20, 2023.
  • The master-planned community of Sienna is expected to double in size over the next several years. Average annual growth over the past few years is between 32-56%.
  • Divine Savior Academy broke ground on a second building, which will provide the space for the Academy to have an enrollment of 500+ students.
  • Divine Savior had 11 adult confirmands the past two years and 11 baptisms in 2022 from school-connected families.
  • In a recent survey, parents of 33 current students stated they were interested in baptism and parents of 131 students said they were interested in learning more about how to pray and read the Bible with their children.

Contact:
Rev. Kevin Boushek, Divine Savior Lutheran Church
[email protected]
219-363-6164

Good Shepherd, Midland, TX

Enhancement (Unsubsidized): Good Shepherd in Midland, Tex., has been existence since 1976, but it was only recently that they called their first full-time pastor to help reach out to the 149,000 individuals in this growing West Texas community. The 19 members of the core group are financially self-supporting but working to increase outreach efforts in their area.

Fast Facts:

  • Oil and gas largely drive the Midland economy. Over the last 10-12 years the population has grown from 111,000 to 149,000.
  • There is no other WELS church within a two-hour drive of Midland.
  • Members attend weekly services and Bible studies, volunteer for community food drives, have participated in Praise and Proclaim outreach training, and are actively inviting community members to church.

Contact:
Rev. Pieter Reid, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
[email protected]
608-332-8925

Our Redeemer, Ladysmith, WI

Enhancement (Unsubsidized): Our Redeemer in Ladysmith, Wis., while financially self-supporting, is looking for Home Missions guidance as they look to reach out with the gospel to 50% of their community population with no religious involvement. Unsubsidized mission status provides them access to assistance through their district mission board, mission counselors, and synodical support staff plus access to loans and grants.

Fast Facts:

  • Our Redeemer (59 members) is the only WELS church within 22 miles, serving a large rural region in addition to the 3,000 individuals in Ladysmith.
  • Members leading the outreach effort meet regularly to make additional plans, study outreach-themed Bible studies like One by One and Let’s Go, and meet with their district mission board shepherd.

Contact:
Rev. Chris Christenson, Our Redeemer
[email protected]
608-797-9573