WELS Mission and Ministry Sunday – Encouraging Word – November 2016

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Coming Next Fall: WELS Mission and Ministry Sunday

As we work together in Christ to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins to all people, we realize the value of promoting ownership of and celebrating these kingdom endeavors. To accomplish this as well as to encourage growth in Congregation Mission Offerings (CMO) and special unrestricted gifts from individuals, WELS Conference of Presidents has proposed an annual WELS Mission and Ministry Sunday.

How would this work?

  • Starting in mid-2017, WELS Mission and Ministry Sunday resources will be available for use during the fall of the year so it will coincide with CMO encouragement for calendar year congregations or in the winter (e.g., Epiphany) for fiscal year congregations.
  • Congregations may choose to observe their own WELS Mission and Ministry Sunday or they may gather with other WELS congregations for a traditional-style mission festival.
  • In addition to contemplating God’s grace on us and the privilege of proclaiming Jesus in our communities, individuals and congregations will have the opportunity to learn about and enhance synod mission efforts through CMO growth and special individual offerings to WELS Mission and Ministry or their favorite area of WELS ministry.
  • By God’s gracious blessing, we will better understand the gospel ministry we perform together, our prayers will be more specific, and we will find joyous satisfaction in increasing our support for WELS ministries that share the eternal good news of Jesus with souls around the world.

Helpful Hint – Encouraging Word – November 2016

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Submitting Offerings and Statistics

The end of the calendar year means preparing for submitting to WELS your 2016 Congregation Mission Offerings (CMO) and statistics as well as your 2017 CMO subscription. Here are several items to keep in mind.

  • Please remit any final 2016 offerings by Jan. 9.
  • In early January you will receive coupons for remitting your 2017 offerings.
  • Your congregation’s CMO subscription for 2017 (the amount you pledge to give) is due no later than the first Friday in Feb. – Feb. 3 at noon (Central). Fiscal year congregations may report their 2017 CMO subscription now by using the estimated amount in their budget. The submission process uses a new web form that we hope gives you an improved experience.
  • In early January, congregations will receive a letter and e-mail with instructions for submitting 2016 statistics for the next WELS Statistical Report. The deadline for submitting statistics is also Friday, Feb. 3 at noon (Central). This process uses the web form we introduced last year with some improvements. Please note these data collection changes for the 2016 report, including the fact that the Conference of Presidents has approved the collection of member ages for a second consecutive year.)

Contact us if you have questions by calling 800-827-5482 or e-mailing [email protected]. Thank you, in advance, for your cooperation!

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Words of Wisdom – Encouraging Word – November 2016

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The Secret to Being Overwhelmingly Grateful, Part One

“As sinful human beings, we tend to take God’s blessings for granted. We often don’t notice the amazing gift of air conditioning until it breaks down in the middle of summer. We aren’t aware of how much we depend on electricity until the power goes out and we stare at one another, wondering what to do without our TVs, cell phones, and computers. A wise, old pastor once told me, ‘The secret to happiness is not getting what you want; it’s wanting what you’ve got.’ We spend so much time focusing on what we don’t have, on what other people have, on what we want to have, that we lose sight of what we do have. The secret to being overwhelmingly grateful is to recognize what you have.”

Schroer, Andrew C. 364 Days of Thanksgiving. Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 2015.

WELS Endowments Distribute Funds to Missions, Ministerial Education – Encouraging Word – September 2016

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WELS Endowments Distribute Funds to Missions, Ministerial Education

The 2005 synod convention resolved that WELS establish and build up endowment funds for the support of WELS Missions and Ministerial Education. An endowment fund is a donor restricted gift that is not spent immediately but invested in a diversified investment portfolio. Annual distributions from the endowment funds are used to provide a source of ongoing financial support.

So far God’s people have given $21.3 million to these endowment funds—$11.8 million to the Missions endowments and $9.5 million to the Ministerial Education endowments. Annual distributions are made each year in July. This year’s distribution totaled $787,444—$435,175 to Missions and $352,269 to Ministerial Education.

According to Paul Prange, administrator for Ministerial Education, the funds are providing much-needed financial assistance to students. “One third of all of our graduates from Martin Luther College graduate debt-free. And the MLC graduates who continue at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary never add any education debt. We give thanks to God for these remarkable statistics, due in part to the distributions from WELS endowment funds.”

The Missions endowments are also helping our synod take advantage of the outreach opportunities God is giving us at home and abroad. “Along with Congregation Mission Offerings and special gifts to Home Missions, these endowment funds are allowing Home Missions to start and enhance missions in North America,” says Keith Free, administrator of Home Missions. Larry Schlomer, administrator for World Missions, says, “These gifts allow us to respond to new opportunities that are developing right now through immigrant contact in WELS congregations and new leads online. Thanks to the gifts, several outreach opportunities are possible in places like Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Guatemala, and Venezuela.”

In addition to the $21.3 million already given to the WELS endowment funds, another $50.4 million is expected from planned gifts. The convention set a goal of gathering $300 million for the WELS endowments, which would ultimately distribute about $6 million each year to both Missions and Ministerial Education.