I had the privilege of spending some time last weekend with Alan Butterworth of Apple of His Eye, and Rodney Smith of St. Johns Lutheran Church, Springfield Va.  We enjoyed some good food at a local Afghan restraint and then, after following up on an old evangelism call in my church (Bethany, Alexandria Va) neighborhood, headed to the Washington DC mall to hand out fliers and ask the question “What do you think about Jesus?”  We stationed ourselves near the entrance to the Native American Museum building of the Smithsonian Institute and struck up conversations with those who were interested.  Unlike last year when we did a similar stint in front of the Natural History Museum, no one identified themselves specifically as being Jewish, but the Gospel was shared with many.

It rained for a short time, which gave us a chance to go into the museum and look around a little before going back out and resuming our activities.  I had been there for the groundbreaking many years ago, and a few times since, but it was Alan’s first time.  The exhibits are rotated every few months so there is always new materiual  to learn from.  We spoke to a Docent from Bolivia who told us about the signifigance of the archetecture.

Alan shared that he has also been working through small groups, and sees them as a very effective way to witness and build disciples over the long term.

All in all it was a great day.

For those who might not be familiar with The Apple of His Eye, check out their web site by clicking on the link in this sentence.

Thank you for sharing the Lord with another, for sharing your stories with us, for encouraging others to tell about Jesus. As of September 23, we have surpassed our Faith Sharing goal of 350,000 events set for December 2009 of this year. More than 354,614 events have been recorded.

Stories such as this one from

Lamb of God, Landover Hills MD
During “Evangelism Month,” a female member of Lamb of God went out into her neighborhood distributing Gospel tracts and food. Fear almost robbed her of a God-sent opportunity to share a moment of her testimony with a female neighbor. She almost walked away from her neighbor instead of sharing her witness of Christ Jesus, but she could not resist the Holy Spirit’s urging to share a story about Christ. She obliges. Turning to her neighbor she says, “God loves you, and I do, too.” Her neighbor is excited and cries. The fact that someone tells her about Jesus’ love overwhelms her. This must have been her first time hearing and knowing that Jesus loves her. A conversation ensues and tears of joy flowed. Some people do not know that Jesus Christ loves them. Somebody must tell them. We have to tell them this GOOD NEWS. We get to be the ones to tell them this GOOD NEWS!

Or this one from Prince of Peace, Springfield VA
Two children in my ceramics class told me that sometimes they go to their grandparent’s church and drink wine and eat styrofoam. Their parents don’t go to church. I told them that the styrofoam was a kind of bread. They did not know why we eat bread and wine at church. So I told them it represents Jesus giving his life for us so we can go to heaven.

Or this one from LWML Pastoral Counselor, Rev. Raymond Rohrs who shares a faith sharing experience while attending the LWML Convention in Portland, Oregon.
“For me one of the most memorable experiences took place one evening in a local restaurant. A young couple sat down across from us and in the ensuing conversation he asked what brought us to Portland from Baltimore. When he heard I was a Lutheran Pastor, his eyes lit up and his ears perked up. It seems Eric was a “searcher” (just as I had been in my 20′s). In the next half hour I was able to share the Gospel with him, holding high the cross of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We talked of sin and salvation and the faith which connects us to the forgiveness that our Lord offers us through His crucifixion and resurrection. We may never know if Eric comes to faith but our obligation is to tell the story. Keep him and his date in your prayers.”

Fall Outreach Activities
Jesus, Ultimate Game Winner
A few weeks ago, I went to my grandson’s flag football game. It was held at a local school and there were at least four other games going with teams lined up for games yet to come. What a perfect place to set up a table to give away band aids or water or fruit or even little bits of chocolate (for energy, of course!). Be sure to share with people about Jesus who plays the entire game of life on our behalf – and wins!

Interesting in growing in the Lord?
Praise God, it is through him and by his power that faith grows. Have packets or seeds or flower bulbs for church members to take with them and instruct them to pass out the seeds to people (especially those who are not Jesus followers) they know over the next weeks with a flyer explaining that the Holy Spirit plants a seed in each of our hearts, letting us know that God exists and wants a relationship with us through His Son Jesus. Prepare members to share about Jesus who is the living water and who is needed to make the seeds (of faith) grow.

Mission U Update
Are you excited about reaching out for Christmas? Participants in Mission U are preparing a special outreach Christmas event for their congregation and talking about their ideas on Tuesday evenings during Web Office Hours (7pm – 9pm). You are welcome to join us. Additional information in on the web site under the tab “Developing Leaders”

Dear Frends,

Two urgent needs for responses have surfaced this week.

Dundalk (Baltimore) MD:

Last Friday, a72″ water main broke flooding the Dundalk community of Baltimore. Water was waist high in the streets and approximately 100 homes were flooded. Police used boats for check for people who may have been left stranded and trapped in their homes.

Volunteers are needed this Saturday, September 26, 2009 to help with the clean up process. The greatest need is for volunteers willing to perform follow-up sanitizing and cleaning in basements. If you are able to assist, please bring cleaning supplies with you (rags, sponges, buckets, gloves, etc).

The Red Cross is coordinating teams of about 4 people to each specific address. Volunteers are asked to arrive by 9:30 am on Saturday at the Recovery Service Center Water’s Edge Community Center at 7894 Dundalk Avenue. The Salvation Army will also be there to provide coffee, doughnuts, and a light lunch for volunteers.

To register your participation, please contact Deaconess Roberta Hillhouse, Disaster Relief Coordinator at the Lutheran Mission Society, at 410-636-0123 or email rhillhouse@lutheranmissionsociety.org.

Flooding in Atlanta Threatens Home of Richmond Mission Planter:

For the past two weeks, heavy rains and flooding have created chaos in Atlanta. Lutheran Disaster Response is seeking to identify people who are able to assist on site.

I learned through the Carolina’s Lutheran Disaster Response Coordinator that six Lutheran congregation’s church buildings were damaged and many families have been affected. Rev. Rick Carlton, Mission Planter of Good Shepherd, Midlothian VA is currently in Atlanta with his wife and family. (They have been trying to sell their home in Atlanta.)

Rev. Carlton’s home has been affected in this flood. His back yard has slipped into the ravine and he is working to secure the house. He writes: “We still do not know what we are dealing with. The home is currently safe although two large retaining walls have collapsed in a mud slide washing earth from the back of the house foundation. This happen four years ago after a hurricane, so it seems lightning has struck twice in the same place. Our realtor advised we take the house off the market until we repair it. Of course we are praying there is not more rain for a while, and that we get the thing repaired before the foundation is compromised. The house sits at the top of a forty foot ravine. Thanks be to God our family are all safe although 5 or 6 have been killed in our area as a result of this storm. Our living quarters are as yet untouched. So far we’ve had engineers, insurance adjustors, contractors assessing the situation. Our county is one of four declared by the governor and now also by FEMA as disaster areas.”

We will provide additional information as it becomes available. At this time, pray for all who are impacted by disaster. If you are available to serve on a ‘mucking out team’ in Atlanta in the next few weeks, please contact Liz DeMik at 703.971.9371 or disasterhelp@se.lcms.org

Keep Rev. Carlton and his family in your prayers as they work to save their home. Once we know what assistance is needed, we will share that information with you.

Volunteers are needed to help in the recovery effort following the Dundalk, MD flood. The greatest need is for volunteers willing to perform follow-up sanitizng and cleaning in basements. Anyone interested is asked to bring their own cleaning supplies (rags, sponges, buckets, gloves, etc).

The Red Cross will coordinate teams of about 4 people each to specific addresses.

Volunteers are asked to arrive by 9:30 am on Saturday, September 26th at the:

Recovery Service Center
Water’s Edge Community Center
7894 Dundalk Avenue

The center will be open to public from 10 am – 4 pm

Salvation Army will also be there to provide coffee and doughnuts and a light lunch for everyone.

To register your participation, please contact Deaconess Roberta Hillhouse, Disaster Relief Coordinator at the Lutheran Mission Society, at 410-636-0123 or email rhillhouse@lutheranmissionsociety.org. Thank you for your support.

©2009 Lutheran Mission Society | 601 Hammonds Lane, Baltimore, MD 21225

Looking for a good website to help you in writing your faith story? You might want to check out Tongue Tied. This site is about

evangelism for the Tongue-Tied and has great helps and resources located on it.

Be sure to check out Lutheran Hour Ministries’ Equipping to Share site. Work your way through the resources, especially the “after the workshop” session. You’ll find help with Bible verses to guide you and a wonderful resource for sharing your faith on-line.

That’s right, join Sarah and Sally on line tonight for a time of conversation, encouragement, and sharing. At the last session, a number of interesting questions were raised and we will include them in our discussion this evening such as questions about generational differences and faith sharing.

Participants were tasked with developing a servant evangelism outreach event for the Advent-Christmas season. Here’s your opportunity to talk about what you might do and to seek additional help in organizing it.

Simply log on at 7:00 this evening. Use the link on the left or type in: http://breeze.lsportal.net/sedt

Mission U, Session II
The DVD for the second session of Mission U will be ready for distribution this week. You can listen to the on-line recording (link on the left) at any time. There is a buzz during the first minutes, we were able to remove that just after the session began.

Links to online recordings of previous Mission U sessions:

Session 1

Session 2

Tuesday Evening Web Office Hours – 7 pm – 9 pm

Web Office

Mission U WebOffice Dates

Tuesday, September 8
Tuesday, September 22

Tuesday, October 13
Tuesday, October 27

Tuesday, November 10
Tuesday, November 24

Tuesday, December 8

Tuesday, January 12
Tuesday, January 26

Tuesday, February 9
Tuesday, February 23

Tuesday, March 9
Tuesday, March 23

Tuesday, April 13

Tuesday, May 11

Mission U Web Site

Congregational Disaster Preparedness Workshops Available
What will you do if there is a fire in the building during a worship event? Or if you experience a complete computer meltdown with no back up? Or a hurricane creates havoc in your community? A three-hour workshop helps prepare congregations for response within congregation and community during the time of a disaster and the SED Disaster Response Task Force is ready to assist.

The first area workshop was held at Good Shepherd, Olney MD in August. One participant wrote: ” Being a beginner in this whole area of disaster preparedness I came seeking information and I really did learn a lot. The references provided and sharing the work already done by the district task force was great. I plan to share this with our pastors and hopefully have our congregation get prepared! Thanks for the workshop today.”

Regionally workshops are being planned at Rehoboth Beach, Tidewater area, and in Myrtle Beach. Contact Liz Demik at disasterhelp@se.lcms.org for additional information or if you would like to sponsor a workshop in your circuit.

H1N1 Pandemic Flu Preparations
When a Pandemic Flu outbreak occurs, an appropriate response will be necessary from each ministry. There have been several requests for guidance in this. I am sharing two different pieces of information with you. The first section is about religious practices during an outbreak. The second is the attendance policy that has been adopted for SED staff.

Religious Practices during the Outbreak of Influenza A H1N1 Virus Infections
The following guidance is intended to serve as a resource to church workers and congregational leaders during the outbreak of Influenza A H1N1 virus. These are guidelines and not official policies.
During the time of an outbreak, consider replacing the use of common cups or intinction (dipping the wafer into the wine or grape juice into a common cup) with use of individual, single-use disposable cups or individual re-usable cups that are washed in hot water and detergent and rinsed with diluted bleach solution after use.
* Persons preparing or dispensing communion wafers and cups should wash their hands with soap and water or use alcohol hand sanitizer before handling them. Sick individuals should not participate in preparing or dispensing communion.
* If religious ceremonies or practices include hand shaking in a large group, consider making hand sanitizer available at the entrance to a sanctuary or other convenient location.
* Congregation members should be encouraged to stay home if they have symptoms of respiratory illness (fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose).

Pandemic Flu Outbreak  (from SED Personnel Manual)
The Southeastern District is committed to providing a safe and healthy
workplace. When an employee is sick, especially with symptoms of a flu or virus, they are advised to use sick leave until the presenting conditions have cleared or the employee is under the supervision of a medical doctor with authorization to return to work.

There may be times when an employee is present and the outward signs of cold, virus, or flu make staff members uncomfortable. In those times, the immediate supervisor or the Director of District Operations will send the staff member home.

A staff member who has the H1N1 influenza (and who is under a doctor’s care) may need significant sick leave until allowed to return to work. In this instance, the staff member will use sick leave days first, then vacation leave. If additional leave is needed, sick leave may be advanced. If additional leave is needed for family care, the Family Leave (leave without pay) may be granted. Staff members who have been diagnosed with H1N1 virus may only return to work with a medical doctor’s written note.

Is there a designated Emergency/Disaster contact person for your church?
The SED’s response plan for a disaster includes being able to reach someone in each congregation as a way of checking in. Do you have a designated person? If so, send Liz DeMik an email at disasterhelp@se.lcms.org to confirm.

Our plan includes following up after disasters to determine what assistance/resources may be needed in the congregation and in the community. It is helpful for us to have the name and contact

HOTEL & CONFERENCE REGISTRATION DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 9/18/09

Pastors & Professional Church Workers Conference
DATE: October 12-14, 2009
LOCATION: Virginia Beach, VA

Theme: Compassion & Mercy

Rev. John Nunes, President of Lutheran World Relief will serve as our keynote speaker
Additional Workshop offerings
* Ministry Anniversary Recognitions
* Eucharistic Worship
* Luncheon & Bible study for Spouses
* Fellowship and Fun and much more…
Look for Registration materials and additional informtion to be sent in August

Hotel lodging reservation deadline is Sept. 18 (single $129/double $139). Call the Founders Inn at 800.926.4466.

The Founders Inn and Spa
5641 Indian River Rd.
Virginia Beach, VA  23464
www.foundersinn.com

See www.se.lcms.org for more info

Southeastern District, LCMS
6315 Grovedale Drive
Alexandria, Virginia 22310
800-637-5723

This is a monthly newsletter sharing events in the Southeastern District.  The events listed here are sponsored or hosted by district congregations.  If you have an event that you would like to post in the September newsletter please email sed@se.lcms.org.

Events will be listed regionally – Central Region, Northern Region, Southern Region.

Don’t forget to register for Mission U (niversity)
The second class of Mission U will be webcast on Saturday, September 12. This is a wonderful opportunity to develop and strengthen your mission-evangelism-outreach team. The SED is working in partnership with Lutheran Hour Ministries to bring this resource to you. This week’s class includes information on creating a congregational outreach event for the Christmas season. Contact Cathy at clong@se.lcms.org or 703.971.9371 to register or request dvd from first session. Check the website (www.se.lcms.org) for additional information.

Northern Region Events

17th Annual Hunger Walk Run – September 19 at Rockford Park (Wilmington DE)
The Hunger Walk Run events are the largest single source of funding for LCS Food Pantries. In addition to the traditional Walk Run, folks who want to take it easy can go for the new shaded 1 Mile Hunger Walk & Talk, while high and middle school age youth can participate in the 3rd Annual High School Hunger Classic.  Last year, the Walk Run raised over $40,000 to support LCS Food Programs. Sign up now – while it’s only $15. Forms are available on line at www.lscde.org, or from info@lcsde.org. Help us raise enough to keep LCS pantries open. And remember: It’s a Food Drive, too. Gene Zaiser, from Tree of Life, and Marty Budd, from St. Philips, will be collecting all the cans and nonperishables you can bring. Contact Steve Tindall (stindall@lcsde.org). 302 654 8886.

NEW: Share His Story Family Retreat – You are invited to a day of fun and spiritual exploration by The Capital District of the International Lutheran Laymen’s League. The retreat will be at Grace Lutheran Church, September 26 in Woodbridge, VA. The retreat’s theme, “Share His Story,” and will include topics such as “Share the Story Where God Puts You,” “Share the Story With Men Inside and Outside of the Church,” and “Share the Story Beyond Your Lifetime.”Children attendees are invited to attend children’s program as well. Pastors, laypersons, and friends are all welcome to attend. The cost is only $5 a person which includes breakfast and lunch.  Go to www.lhm.org/capitalretreat to find out more information and to register.

NEW: Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27. this is a celebration sponsored by Cristo Senor de la Vida Mission located in Rockville MD. Contact cristosenordelavida@verizon.net for further information.

LWML Christian Life Retreat will be November 6-8, 2009 at The Grand Hotel, Ocean City MD. Carol Stano addresses the theme “The Blessing Cup” and music director is Principal Dina Vendetti. For information, contact Joan Kelly at jgkelly36@hotmail.com

NEW: The National Lutheran Home and Village is proud to host a pastors’ breakfast Wednesday, October 7, 2009 starting at 8:00 AM.   We have asked for pastors of all faiths to join in the discussion.  The panel of speakers include: moderator Rev. Wolfgang Herz-Lane, Asst. to the Bishop & Director of Evangelical Mission of the ELCA, Delaware-Maryland Synod; Rev. Philip Hirsh Asst. to the Bishop & Director of Evangelical Mission of the ELCA Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod; Julia Duin, Author of “Quitting Church, Why the Faithful Are Fleeing and What to do About It” & Washington Times Religion Editor; Allison Pond, Research Associate for Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, “Faith in Flux” survey, 2008, and Todd Adkins, Executive Director of McLean Bible Church’s Frontline Young Adult Ministry. There is no charge for the event.  RSVP to Dale Snyder, Director of Congregational Relations 301-424-9560 ext or dsnyder@nlhv.org or Courtney Malengo, Communications Manager ext 628 or  www.nlhv.org/reversethedecline/  for more information.

Central Region Events

Capital District International Lutheran Laymen’s League Retreat
is scheduled for September 26 at 9:30 at Grace Lutheran Church in Woodbridge VA. The theme “Share His Story” is based on Psalm 66:16. There is a children’s program – so bring your children. You may register electronically at www.lhm.org/capitalretreat.

Bethlehem Lutheran, Richmond VA starts new mission to Blind in Richmond community.
Lisa Watts, Director of Outreach Centers, Lutheran Blind Mission, will be in Richmond for the National Christian Conference for the Blind.  Her arrival is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 12.  With her encouragement and support, Bethlehem will hold its first dinner for the blind community at the church (1100 W. Grace St) on Monday evening, Sept. 14 at 6:00 pm.

Local congregations are invited to come and participate in this venture. Volunteers are welcomed to help assist with transportation for blind attendees, as well as serve dinner and post-dinner cleanup.  If you a know blind person in your congregation or community, bring them to this event.

NEW: The 2009 BLACK MINISTRY MINI-CONVOCATION sponsored by the SED Coalition of Lutherans in Black Ministry is scheduled for OCTOBER 2-4, 2009 at the FOUNDERS INN & SPA  in Virginia Beach, VA.  Rev. Dr. Frazier Odom, Executive Director of the LCMS Board for Black Ministry Services will be the keynote speaker.  AND Rev. Chris Moore from Resurrection Lutheran Church in Richmond, Va will be leading a special agenda for youth!  This biennial gathering is for ALL people with a commitment to see our church become more effective in its outreach to African-Americans!  For more information, contact Sherry Edmonds, Information Coordinator at colibm@hotmail.com or call Nikki Rochester, Chairperson, at 410-675-5780.

NEW: Islam and the Church:Challenge and Opportunity
On Saturday, October 3rd from 9:00 A.M. to Noon, the members of Our Savior’s Way Lutheran Church in Ashburn, Virginia are sponsoring a workshop on outreach to Muslims.  The Rev. Farrukh Khan, the Executive Director of POBLO, People of the Book Lutheran Outreach International Ministries will be our guest speaker.  The topics that will be presented are: The History of Islam, The Teachings of Islam, Islam’s American Agenda and How Christians might respond to the challenge to reach out to Muslims in their community.  The workshop is free.  Our Savior’s Way Lutheran Church is located at 43115 Waxpool Road, Ashburn, VA   For more information call:  703-858-9254.

Southern Region Events

NEW: Grace, Durham hosts Rev. Brandon Martin to lead a workshop on Hispanic Ministry. Rev. Martin shared the model of Bridge Hispanic Ministry at St. Stephens, Hickory as well as spoke about his learnings in this new outreach effort to which he has been called. Circuit 13W continues to seek input and guidance in beginning a new outreach to the Spanish-speaking communities of the Circuit.

From the National Office

NEW: Orphan Grain Train is a Christian volunteer network that shares personal and material resources with needy people in America and around the world.  Orphan Grain Train volunteers gather donations of clothing, medical supplies, crutches, canes, wheelchairs, and other aid to meet real needs.  This movement is a loving response to Jesus Christ’s example as a servant and His love for us.  For more, please visit our website at http://www.ogt.org/index.php/regionaldivisions/region/category/maryland/

2010 National Youth Gathering
District Coordinators for the 2010 National LCMS Youth Gathering, “We Believe,” are hard at work providing resources and services to congregations. Some of the things they do for congregations and districts include:

·        Making transportation arrangements for districts,
·        Coordinating special district events at the Gathering,
·        Generating district materials  t-shirts, buttons, banners, etc.,

The coordinator for the Southeastern District is Krista Young, Hope Lutheran in Wake Forest, North Carolina. She is currently looking at several options for a District Event and will be announcing the date and location in the near future. Here are some other things she is currently working on:

·        District t-shirt
·        Travel plans options
·        District Booth.

If you have questions about the Gathering, or if you have not received Gathering materials such as the poster or pre-Gathering DVD, please contact Krista at kristayoung@ctc.net. Or 919- 554-8109
SED Newsletters

Our goal is to keep the newsletters at a more readable length. We will now list congregation events in a separate monthly newsletter.  The following is a list of the current e-newsletters.

• SED Official Acts & Prayer Requests (bi-weekly or as needed)
• District News and Calendar (bi-weekly)
• Prayer Partners Update (bi-weekly)
• Congregational News and Events (monthly)

Black Family Mini-Convocation

2009 Black Family Mini-Convocation will be held at the Founder’s Inn in Virginia Beach, VA on October 2-4.

Reaching Rural America

Reaching Rural America for Christ Conference
Thursday, November 5-7, 2009 Nebraska City Nebraska. Participation limited to the first 130 registrants, deadline October 2, 2009 To register call toll free (888) 463-5127.

Ablaze Speakers

Contact SED office for contact information on the above speakers.

Please send submissions to the October newsletter by email to sed@se.lcms.org

Contact Information
Sirpa Quinn
Southeastern District, LCMS
www.se.lcms.org
800-637-5723

Coincidence or God-incident? The Power of the Holy Spirit

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect.
1 Peter 3:15

Submitted by Sally Cors, Good Shepherd, Herndon VA
One Sunday in July we hosted neighbors for a casual dinner, as we have done often over the years. This particular couple and their two daughters are Jews from Israel and return frequently to their homeland. As always, they came with food to share, this time a wonderful hummus appetizer in a pretty mosaic bowl. As we shared the dish, it became evident that at the bottom of the bowl were two fish and a basket of bread.

Coincidentally, the Gospel reading that morning at church – and Pastor’s corresponding sermon – was from John 6:1-14 and described the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000 Jews.  When our family saw what was at the bottom of the mosaic bowl, we each contributed to sharing the Gospel with our friends. We also referenced how Jesus performed a similar miracle the day he fed 4,000, a group that also included gentiles.

Our friends listened to the importance these miracles held in our lives and asked several questions.  They also shared how they had purchased the bowl in Nazareth without knowing the full significance it held for us Christians. As the evening drew to a close, they insisted on leaving the bowl as a gift to us.  Although we hadn’t planned to witness to our friends, we seized the opportunity and shared our faith. The power of the Holy Spirit was burning bright that summer night!

York Church Has a Real Kick

This is a great story and faith-sharing activity. Vicar Jim Driskell from First St. John’s in York, PA not only got an article in the York Dispatch about his outreach, but he is on YOUTube. Take a look at how he is using kickboxing training sessions held weekly at the church. This unique outreach is bringing in people to experience exercise, life philosophy, and a strong Christian witness. Check out: Vicar Jim Driskell

More than 135 Gather for First Session of Mission U

Learning to share your faith story, planning a congregational outreach event, and evangelism over the web are only parts of the work of those who participate in this year’s Training Lutherans for Outreach event. These sessions are part of a larger project called Mission U, a program developed for the Southeastern District by Lutheran Hour Ministries.

There is still time to sign up for classes. All sessions are being recorded and handouts are on the website at: SED Website. You may view the first session at:Mission U, Session I
The second class is Saturday, September 12, 9-12. Contact clong@se.lcms.org for information.

Faithsharing on the Web

I don’t know about you, but I am finding that it is easy for a web conversation to turn to God and become a faith-sharing moment.

Pastor John Rickert shares:  “Many members share their faith, but don’t consider the faith-sharing moment worthy of reporting because it isn’t “really evangelism.” “Really evangelism” is usually defined as knocking on the door of a stranger or grabbing someone by the collar and banging them over the head with a Bible. The following story might be typical of some of our members. I have a member of my church who engages people on faith topics often via internet chat rooms and blog comments. Yet he does not consider this real evangelism or outreach.”

What is “real evangelism?” Simple, when you share what Jesus has done for you with another, you are witnessing to the grace and Love of Jesus Christ. It may be that there is no immediate, visible result to your sharing, but that God’s department. Don’t be timid, we have great news to share. And, as you sharing with another, share with us these stories. It helps to encourage all of us in this work of sharing.

To learn how to report your faithsharing stories, go to the SED blog.

Seeking Ablaze! Congregational Contacts

Currently about 25% of the District’s congregations have identified an Ablaze! Congregational Contact. We would like that number to call number so that all of our congregations have someone who is able to share the Ablaze! stories of faith-sharing, encourage members in evangelism and outreach, and be kept current with information and news about this effort. If you are interested in serving as an Ablaze! Congregational Contact or know someone who would be glad to do this, please send an email to sjhiller@se.lcms.org

The District’s Faith Sharing Blog is rich with suggestions, resources, and real stories of people sharing their faith. If you have not had an opportunity to check it out, I invite you to do so. Visit the blog at www.sedablaze.org

Great news!
Already more than 314,383 faith-sharing experiences have been recorded by individuals, district congregations, and the Lutheran Mission Society of Baltimore MD.

Thank you for your stories and letting us know how it is going. We have an opportunity to help reach ten million faith-sharing events recorded. I will share our totals next week. If you have additional stories or numbers for yourself or your congregation, let me know. I will joyfully pass our total forward.  Just a reminder – it is not about numbers, it is about lives that eternally changed. Sharing the stories and numbers helps to encourage all of us to keep on being Great Commission people.

So, the great question “How do you record your faith-sharing events?
There are three ways for you to do this. They are outlined below. If you have any difficulty, contact Sally Hiller at sjhiller@se.lcms.org or Jerry Lucas atlucasjs@verizon.net.

1. The easiest way is to email Sally or Jerry with your faith-sharing event. This would be the number of events and/or a brief story/description about the event. You could volunteer to collect these from the congregation and then contact either of us with that information and we will record them for you.
2. Go on the web to the SED Faith-Sharing blog Click on the “Ablaze! Reporting” box in the upper bar of options and you will find a simple form for recording the information.
3. Go to the LCMS home page at http://www.lcms.org. Click on the “Ablaze sharing our faith ” button in the center of the page. Click on the log in for sharing your story. Locate your congregation or school and fill out the form.

Please take time to pray for each of those with whom you have shared the glorious news of Jesus. Pray for those with whom you have dropped a seed, a beginning conversation. Pray with thanksgiving that God calls us to be on his mission team and a participant in reaching all nations with his Good News.

Sally J. Hiller
Southeastern District, LCMS
6315 Grovedale Drive
Alexandria VA  22310-2501

800-637-5723
www.se.lcms.org