St. John's Lutheran ChurchWarrenton, MO: 05/19/17

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PUBLISHED BY THE MISSOURI DISTRICT OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH—MISSOURI SYNOD May 19, 2017

Lutheran South Students Earn National Spanish Exam Honors

This year, 157,020 students nationwide took the National Spanish Exam. It is a difficult, leveled exam, often compared to the ACT test. The purpose of the National Spanish Examination is:

to recognize achievement in the study of the Spanish language
to promote proficiency in interpretive communication in the Spanish language
to assess the national standards as they pertain to learning Spanish
to stimulate further interest in the teaching and learning of Spanish

Last year, Lutheran South's (St. Louis, Mo.) first year of participation, resulted in an outstanding 12 medal winners. Of the 48 that tested at LHSS, 42 received an honorable mention or better. An unprecedented 26 took medals: 12 gold, 8 silver and 6 bronze. Three students placed in the 99th percentile. Read more . . .

St. John's Lutheran Church and School Eighth Annual Neighborhood Block Party

Under perfect skies, a crowd of nearly 2,500 gathered, celebrating the 8th annual neighborhood Block Party hosted by St. John's Lutheran Church and School Friday evening. Children were dazzled by the antics of Skippy the Clown, while car enthusiasts appreciated the pristine condition of the antique cars on display. Also on display was the newly acquired trailer available to those from St. John's serving on the Disaster Response Team, which assists with local and regional natural disasters. Read more . . .

Teaching the Faith: Adults

Taken from the June 2017 Edition of the RSTM Newsletter and contributed by Rev. Heath Trampe, Faith Lutheran Church, York, Neb.

When I accepted the call to serve as Senior Pastor at Faith in York, Neb., I assumed that Adult Bible Class would be a walk in the park. I was coming from a 2,000+ member congregation in a large city. As Associate Pastor at St. Peter's, I helped to oversee and execute a weekly Wednesday evening Bible study that brought in 300-400 people a week. This was in addition to teaching the Adult Information Class for new members and administrating the youth confirmation program. It did not take long to discover that rural and small town ministry has its own unique blessings and challenges! Over two years later, we are seeing 40–60 adults every Sunday morning for the pastor-led Bible class, in addition to strong attendance at many small groups that meet throughout the week. But it was not always this way. Here are some things I learned in my first two years at Faith. Read more . . .

Announcements/Other News

The deadline for online registration for the upcoming Missouri District Mission Summit is Wednesday, May 24!

Our first district wide witness and outreach equipping event will be held June 3 at Concordia Seminary. Lutheran Hour speaker, Rev. Greg Seltz, will be the keynote speaker. The schedule includes twenty-six different sectionals for church leaders from all congregational settings. There is no cost to the attendees for the event, but we are asking that you register online for the event. For more information or the registration link, go to http://mo.lcms.org/mission-summit-2017/. If you have any questions about the event, please contact Sue Thompson in the district office ( sue.thompson@mo.lcms.org). We hope to see you on June 3.

Plus One Participation Forms

Now that congregations are past the busy Lenten seasons, many congregations are now turning their attention to our community outreach effort, the Plus One Initiative. Congregations are encouraged to complete a Plus One participation form and either mail it to the district office or email it to plusone@mo.lcms.org. If you want additional information about Plus One or a copy of the Plus One participation form, go to http://mo.lcms.org/plus-one/.

Save The Dates
St. Louis Area Winkel
Monday, August 14
Concordia Seminary – St. Louis

Professional Church Workers' Conference
November 14-17
Pastors: Nov. 14-16
Educators: Nov. 15-17
Tan-Tar-A Resort – Osage Beach

Check back for more information on the above upcoming events!

St. Paul Lutheran Celebrates 100 Years

St. Paul Lutheran Church, 101 East Dent St., Ironton, MO will celebrate their 100th anniversary on May 21, 2017.

Missouri District President Rev. Dr. R. Lee Hagan will be the guest speaker at a 10:00 a.m. service followed by lunch. Email Pastor Jim
Rogers at rogersjim1947@gmail.com

2017 Educator's Retreat

Grace Place Wellness is pleased to announce a get-away weekend designed just for Lutheran teachers and their spouses, August 11 - 13, 2017 at scenic Innsbrook Resort, an hour west of St. Louis, MO. Refresh, renew and prepare for another school year by learning the secrets to a healthy, vibrant, and joy-filled ministry. It's your turn to experience the Grace Place Wellness Retreat enjoyed by over 8,000 LCMS rostered workers and spouses.

A registration fee of $100 covers the cost of all lodging, meals and the wellness retreat program. Saturday afternoon is entirely free time to enjoy the amenities at Innsbrook.

We have 16 spots available for this retreat. First come, first serve. Registration is now open at www.graceplacewellness.org For more information, please call Beth McAnallen at 314-842-3077 or email bmcanallen@graceplacewellness.org