The Future is Now - President's Letter
A Letter from the President of the Michigan District
April 2011
Dear Brothers in Christ,
Greetings in the name of our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I pray that each of your Lenten journeys is going well and blessing-filled. As we approach each day with the hope of a warm spring day, we journey daily toward Easter with hope that only comes through our risen Christ. May God's abundant grace and joy be with you on your journey.
On Easter Sunday, as each of you lead your congregations through celebration services, something very special will be happening in the Grass Lake community. Rev. Michael Hansen, called to Trinity Lutheran Church in Jackson as associate pastor and mission planter, will lead worship for the first time in Grass Lake. For this, we praise God!
Grass Lake, which sits several miles east of Jackson, is a rural community that Pastor Hansen estimates is about 85% unchurched. I ask that each of you on Easter Sunday take a moment during your congregational prayer time to pray for Pastor Hansen and the Grass Lake community as this new mission congregation begins.
Easter will also be a great time to thank God for how he has provided for your congregation since the day you held your first worship service. For some, that was over 150 years ago, for others more recently. But the blessing your congregation is to your community should never be underestimated regardless how long you have proclaimed the Gospel in your location. As my predecessor, President C. William Hoesman, said during his concluding remarks in our The Future is Now campaign video, “We were all once a mission start.”
Regarding The Future is Now campaign, please be reminded that we are entering its final months. If your congregation has not yet made a participation decision, I encourage you to do so soon. By May 1st we would appreciate knowing your plans or thoughts relative to participating. We are aware of several congregations’ plans for the remainder of this year, and even into 2012, and will continue to assist these congregations with their planning.
Having said this, we fully expect to begin phasing the campaign towards its conclusion after Easter and concluding by year’s end. Recruiting of new congregational participation will cease at the end of the year, except for those indicating later participation dates. However, the pledge fulfillment phase will continue for several more years, in some congregations until 2016. We now stand at 214 participating congregations, a 58% participation rate. Additional congregations are continuing to notify us of their plans, and again, we ask that you please prayerfully consider your congregation’s plans.
Ray Zavada, our District’s vice president of development, will be happy to help and/or advise. Please do not hesitate to call him.
Be assured God is at work through each of you. Please continue to work faithfully, prayerfully, and diligently in the place you have been called to serve, and remember to pray for Pastor Hansen and Grass Lake Lutheran Church on Easter Sunday.
In Service Together,
Rev. David P. E. Maier, President
Michigan District, LCMS
Introductory Letter - Nov 6, 2008
