LWMS Sun Coast Circuit News (July 2011)
LWMS NATIONAL CONVENTION: Our LWMS 48th annual Convention was held from June 23-26 at Milwaukee, WI. The theme of the four day convention was “The Great Commission on a Great Lake”. By attending these national conventions, it provides opportunities to meet missionaries and hear first-hand about the work being done around the world and hearing their experiences spreading the gospel.
There was a total of 1500 in attendance, including several members and winter guests from Crown of Life.
One of the highlights was the presentation of a check to Antigua/St. Lucia in the amount of $80,000 from the 2011 LWMS Kids Care offerings collected from all the WELS Sunday Schools and Christian Day Schools. The amount was such a surprise that the missionary receiving it was almost overwhelmed. This money will be used for the school in Antigua (a sister mission church of the FL Sun Coast Circuit) and the rebuilding of the church in St. Lucia. The school has over 200 children in attendance and continues to grow. The money will replace the school’s almost non-existent playground equipment and improve and update the school. The money for St. Lucia will be used to finish the church, and also benefit their after school outreach program.
It was very edifying and spiritually uplifting to hear the work being done in the various mission fields.
The 49th annual LWMS Convention will be held at Winston-Salem, North Carolina on June 21-24, 2012 hosted by the Heritage Circuit. The theme will be “Our God Reigns”.
United to Serve, Sheryl Renken, Reporter for FL Sun Coast Circuit
LWMS Sun Coast Circuit News (May 2011)
LWMS Sun Coast Circuit - Befriend a Mission Assignment (BAM) – 2011-2013 WORLD MISSIONS
Pastor Brad Wordell is serving Lutheran Evangelical Christian Church (LECC) in Tokyo, Japan. He and his wife, Andrea, and their five children have been living and serving in Japan since 1999. Pastor Wordell graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 1992. Before his call to Japan, he was an associate pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Lake Mills, WI for 7 years.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:
Anniversary: – Pastor Wordell and Andrea - June 27 1992
Birthdays: - Pastor Wordell – December 12, 1965 and Andrea – March 16, 1966
Children: - Brianna - May 18, 1994, Benjamin – January 7, 1996, Jonathan – January 17, 1998,
Seth – February 25, 2000, and Josiah – November 14, 2001
We can remember our new mission assignments with cards for personal occasions and various holidays.
Home Address: Brad Wordell, Saiwai Cho 3-2-17, Higashikurame City, Tokyo 203-0052, Japan
Email Address: word_in_japan@dg7.so-net.ne.ip
His sister Brenda Hungerford takes care of his finances in the states. Please send any contributions to: Brad Wordell, c/o Brenda Hungerford, 136 Crystal Springs, Hortonville, WI 54944
Mission Stats: Lutheran Evangelical Christian Church (LECC) in Japan has 400 members in 6 congregations in the Kanto area (the area around Tokyo). They are eager to worship the Lord and proclaim His name to others. They share the same faith you have and would love to have you visit sometime. Because of budget reductions, the number of WELS missionaries in Japan has gone from five to one. Japan is called the Land of the Rising Sun but only 1% of the population confesses faith in God’s eternal Son.
Special Projects: (A) Gift Certificates to NPH can be used for 1) things we order for our congregations and 2) for resources for my pastoral library. Unless indicated otherwise, the item in number 1 is used.
(B) Program of bringing former (retired) missionaries back for short periods of service (3 months). Support of this program can be sent to the Synod Administration building in Milwaukee, with the check made out to “Japan Project Fund”. Please indicate that it is for “short term missionary visits”. The cost of this project is about $3,000/time.
Family Wish List: Please pray for their health, for the children’s growth in body, mind and faith. Pray that they can lead new people into our Savior’s eternal kingdom. Also, pray for safe travel when Pastor Wordell travels to Hong Kong and Nepal this year.
A Story to Share as told by Pastor Wordell:
This past December 26, 2010, we had a memorial service for a member who died in a scuba diving accident in Canada in October. We had the service at a rented hall about 10 minutes from our church. There were about 150 people there. I am guessing that about 2/3 of them were not Christian. Many of them had never attended a Christian funeral before. It was a great opportunity to tell them about the Savior who took away our sins and delivered us from death and the devil. We give thanks to the Lord for the opportunity, and we continue to pray for the comfort of Yoshio’s family. (He was only 41 years old.)
United to Serve,
Sheryl Renken, LWMS Reporter
Florida Sun Coast Circuit
Pastor Brad Wordell is serving Lutheran Evangelical Christian Church (LECC) in Tokyo, Japan. He and his wife, Andrea, and their five children have been living and serving in Japan since 1999. Pastor Wordell graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 1992. Before his call to Japan, he was an associate pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Lake Mills, WI for 7 years.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:
Anniversary: – Pastor Wordell and Andrea - June 27 1992
Birthdays: - Pastor Wordell – December 12, 1965 and Andrea – March 16, 1966
Children: - Brianna - May 18, 1994, Benjamin – January 7, 1996, Jonathan – January 17, 1998,
Seth – February 25, 2000, and Josiah – November 14, 2001
We can remember our new mission assignments with cards for personal occasions and various holidays.
Home Address: Brad Wordell, Saiwai Cho 3-2-17, Higashikurame City, Tokyo 203-0052, Japan
Email Address: word_in_japan@dg7.so-net.ne.ip
His sister Brenda Hungerford takes care of his finances in the states. Please send any contributions to: Brad Wordell, c/o Brenda Hungerford, 136 Crystal Springs, Hortonville, WI 54944
Mission Stats: Lutheran Evangelical Christian Church (LECC) in Japan has 400 members in 6 congregations in the Kanto area (the area around Tokyo). They are eager to worship the Lord and proclaim His name to others. They share the same faith you have and would love to have you visit sometime. Because of budget reductions, the number of WELS missionaries in Japan has gone from five to one. Japan is called the Land of the Rising Sun but only 1% of the population confesses faith in God’s eternal Son.
Special Projects: (A) Gift Certificates to NPH can be used for 1) things we order for our congregations and 2) for resources for my pastoral library. Unless indicated otherwise, the item in number 1 is used.
(B) Program of bringing former (retired) missionaries back for short periods of service (3 months). Support of this program can be sent to the Synod Administration building in Milwaukee, with the check made out to “Japan Project Fund”. Please indicate that it is for “short term missionary visits”. The cost of this project is about $3,000/time.
Family Wish List: Please pray for their health, for the children’s growth in body, mind and faith. Pray that they can lead new people into our Savior’s eternal kingdom. Also, pray for safe travel when Pastor Wordell travels to Hong Kong and Nepal this year.
A Story to Share as told by Pastor Wordell:
This past December 26, 2010, we had a memorial service for a member who died in a scuba diving accident in Canada in October. We had the service at a rented hall about 10 minutes from our church. There were about 150 people there. I am guessing that about 2/3 of them were not Christian. Many of them had never attended a Christian funeral before. It was a great opportunity to tell them about the Savior who took away our sins and delivered us from death and the devil. We give thanks to the Lord for the opportunity, and we continue to pray for the comfort of Yoshio’s family. (He was only 41 years old.)
United to Serve,
Sheryl Renken, LWMS Reporter
Florida Sun Coast Circuit
LWMS Sun Coast Circuit News (April 2011)
Befriend a Mission Assignment (BAM) – 2011-2013
HOME MISSIONS
Pastor Wayne Shevey is serving the Apostles Lutheran Church in Dardenne Prairie, MO. He has been the only pastor there since being assigned from the Seminary in l999. They currently have 150 souls and 102 communicants. After renting a Knight of Columbus building for worship for nine years, they moved into their first facility in March 2009. One of the biggest outreach ventures is their Soccer Camp, which averages 80 children and brings young people from Wisconsin Luther College or WELS Lutheran High Schools to help in this outreach.
Pastor Shevey and his wife Julie have four children (three daughters and one son) and live in Dardenne Prairie.
Important Dates to Remember:
We can remember our new mission assignments with gifts, and cards for personal occasions and various holidays.
Their home address is: 1541 Westfield Circle, Dardenne Prairie, MO 63368
SPECIAL PRAYER NEEDS:
Pastor Shevey asks for Mission zeal among members. He says, “Pray for us to share the Gospel, and that spiritual growth becomes a priority at all age levels”. Pray that generosity wells up in stewardship of time, talents and treasures and for encouragement for all of us to keep the mission spirit “hot”, recognizing the lost that are in the world. Also, pray for God’s protective hand as our oldest daughter, Morgan, goes to Luther Prep in the Fall of 2011.
SPECIAL PROJECT FUND:
They would like to replace their old copy machine with an updated one that would help them produce quality in-house outreach materials. They would like to begin planning for phase two of their building project, a gymnasium that would serve as a community center for the young people who live in close proximity to their location.
FAMILY WISH LIST:
Any acts of kindness would be appreciated in gift cards for unforeseen things that come up.
United to Serve,
Sheryl Renken, LWMS Reporter - Florida Sun Coast Circuit
Bio of Pastor Brad Wordell , Tokyo, Japan, the assigned LWMS World Befriend a Mission (BAM) will be in the June newsletter.
HOME MISSIONS
Pastor Wayne Shevey is serving the Apostles Lutheran Church in Dardenne Prairie, MO. He has been the only pastor there since being assigned from the Seminary in l999. They currently have 150 souls and 102 communicants. After renting a Knight of Columbus building for worship for nine years, they moved into their first facility in March 2009. One of the biggest outreach ventures is their Soccer Camp, which averages 80 children and brings young people from Wisconsin Luther College or WELS Lutheran High Schools to help in this outreach.
Pastor Shevey and his wife Julie have four children (three daughters and one son) and live in Dardenne Prairie.
Important Dates to Remember:
- Anniversary: – Pastor Shevey and Julie June 24, 1995
- Birthdays: – Pastor Shevey – April 9, 1973 and Julie – Sept. 30, 1973
- Children: - Morgan Nov. 13, 1996, Kaylen Oct. 5, 1998, Marisa Sept. 2001, Elijah June 19, 2003
We can remember our new mission assignments with gifts, and cards for personal occasions and various holidays.
Their home address is: 1541 Westfield Circle, Dardenne Prairie, MO 63368
SPECIAL PRAYER NEEDS:
Pastor Shevey asks for Mission zeal among members. He says, “Pray for us to share the Gospel, and that spiritual growth becomes a priority at all age levels”. Pray that generosity wells up in stewardship of time, talents and treasures and for encouragement for all of us to keep the mission spirit “hot”, recognizing the lost that are in the world. Also, pray for God’s protective hand as our oldest daughter, Morgan, goes to Luther Prep in the Fall of 2011.
SPECIAL PROJECT FUND:
They would like to replace their old copy machine with an updated one that would help them produce quality in-house outreach materials. They would like to begin planning for phase two of their building project, a gymnasium that would serve as a community center for the young people who live in close proximity to their location.
FAMILY WISH LIST:
Any acts of kindness would be appreciated in gift cards for unforeseen things that come up.
United to Serve,
Sheryl Renken, LWMS Reporter - Florida Sun Coast Circuit
Bio of Pastor Brad Wordell , Tokyo, Japan, the assigned LWMS World Befriend a Mission (BAM) will be in the June newsletter.
Lutheran Women's Missionary Society (LWMS) SPRING RALLY 2011
LWMS Sun Coast Circuit held its Spring Rally, March 12 at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Port Charlotte. There were 80 in attendance. Ting Wang, of China Partners, was our featured speaker. Her topic was “Be Faithful to Death and I will give you the Crown of Life”. It was an inspiring presentation of her conversion and evangelism in China. Also, several members of her family have now converted to Christianity and know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Ting sang a song titled “Lord I’m Coming Home” in English and Chinese. The Lord has blessed her with a beautiful voice. Her presentation was somewhat emotional when she talked about Loren Steele and the wonderful work he did in China before he died. In her slide show we also saw Jim and Joyce Radloff as they work to spread the gospel resulting in many Chinese coming to faith. She had some very moving examples of how the Holy Spirit is working in that area to create faith and change lives
The LWMS mission box projects chosen for this year are:
New officers installed were: Judy Mosshammer – President, Lois Zastrow, Vice President and Sharon Shimick, Spiritual Growth Lay Woman.
Home and World missionaries assigned to the Sun Coast Circuit for 2011-2013 are as follows:
A special thank you to the group from COL who attended the rally. Also, a special thank you to Christ the King for hosting the rally and for serving a lovely luncheon. The LWMS Fall Rally will be held on Saturday, November 12 at Peace Lutheran Church in Bradenton.
United to Serve,
Sheryl Renken, Reporter
LWMS Sun Coast Circuit
The LWMS mission box projects chosen for this year are:
- HOME - l. Outreach to Asians – Home Missions has trained Asian men to be pastors. These men are now ready to work in the field among their relatives and friends and build congregations. More Asian men are ready to serve, but there are inadequate funds available to assist them in their ministries. These include current work among Hmong, Chinese, Vietnamese and Laotian.
- WORLD - 2. Native American Projects. Apaches are filling leadership roles in ministry. Funds are for the Christian Counseling Center and Bookstore which they have opened in Whiteriver, AZ to provide materials, inventory assistance and renovation of the facility. Also, audio-visual equipment is needed for congregations and schools and for repair and renovation of school property.
New officers installed were: Judy Mosshammer – President, Lois Zastrow, Vice President and Sharon Shimick, Spiritual Growth Lay Woman.
Home and World missionaries assigned to the Sun Coast Circuit for 2011-2013 are as follows:
- HOME: Pastor Wayne Shevey is serving the Apostles Mission in Dardenne Prairie, MO. He has been the only pastor there since being assigned from the Seminary in 1999. More info on their special needs, prayers and family wishes will be in the next newsletter.
- WORLD: Pastor Brad Wordell is serving Lutheran Evangelical Christian Church (LECC) in Japan. The LECC is about 400 members in 6 congregations in the Kanto area (area around Tokyo). More info will be in next newsletter.
A special thank you to the group from COL who attended the rally. Also, a special thank you to Christ the King for hosting the rally and for serving a lovely luncheon. The LWMS Fall Rally will be held on Saturday, November 12 at Peace Lutheran Church in Bradenton.
United to Serve,
Sheryl Renken, Reporter
LWMS Sun Coast Circuit
