Lutheran Church Extension Fund

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Greetings in Christ!

Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) has served the congregations, schools and associated ministries of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) for over 40 years. Our mission is to ensure you have the resources available to fulfill your call for God’s glory. In accomplishing our mission, we place LCEF District Vice Presidents in your area to help and support you and the congregations of the LCMS.

LCEF is currently seeking an individual to serve as the LCEF District Vice President in the Atlantic, Eastern and New Jersey Districts. I humbly ask for your assistance in identifying potential candidates to fill this critical role. Please know that this position is intended to help and support you and the congregations of the LCMS. It’s important we find the right person for this position. To support our search, we will be awarding a $1,500 referral grant to the congregation who assists us in finding the right person.

Please consider passing along the position description and application found HERE. Thank you for your assistance in finding the right person for this position and for your ser-vice to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Blessings, 

Vanda Toner 
Senior Vice President, District Solutions 
Lutheran Church Extension Fund 

Lutherans for Life: Unchanging

Only another --and greater--certainty can deliver us 
by Pastor Michael Salemink, Executive Director, LFL 

Springtime brings changes. Weather, wildlife, and wardrobe are switching. Timepieces, taxes, and athletics are shifting. Improvement? Erosion? Or just over and over again? Whichever, we rarely and barely keep up with all the moving targets. 

The sanctity of life has also seen its share of changes. Medical ultrasound machines arrived in the 1940s. Chemists first synthesized hormonal birth control in the 1950s. The “sexual revolution” started in the 1960s. Abortion access became mandatory in the 1970s. In vitro fertilization commenced in the 1980s. Physician-assisted suicide gained acceptance in the 1990s. Pill abortions arose in the 2000s. CRISPR genetic engineering originated in the 2010s. 

Public regulations and political regimes continue to fluctuate. Novel measures using death as a solution keep emerging. As the hymnwriter memorably said, “Change and decay in all around I see.” It echoes the Apostle: “the present form of this world is passing away” (1 Corinthians 7:31, in a discourse directly addressing marriage and sexuality). 

The whole creation convulses in the aftershocks of humankind’s fall. Since the forbidden fruit, sin and death have remained a constant of our race and our universe. Whatever our size or skills or circumstances, brokenness retains its hold. Evil may change clothes but never its core. 

Pastor Michael Salemink 

Only another—and greater—certainty can deliver us. The grace of Almighty God stands universal. The love of Jesus Christ still prevails as it always has and ever will. His work of creating proclaims every human life special—fact. His labor of redeeming proves every human life precious—truth. His activity of calling pronounces every human life priceless—reality. From the beginning—both the first moment of creation and the split-second of fertilization—until eternity this Gospel endures. 

We speak this truth because it changes even the hardest and darkest hearts. We show this love because it saves lives in the most desperate situations and despite age, appearance, or ability. And we receive every neighbor as a gift and privilege because we delight together in a steadfast, faithful, and unchanging God. 

VIDEO: Wednesday, April 24, 2024 - Complete Service

View the Bulletin for Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Worship Service: 2:00 p.m.
Bible Study: 2:30 p.m.
All are welcome, bring a friend, neighbor or relative

AUDIO: Announcements, Readings & Sermon for Wednesday April 24, 2024

View the Bulletin for Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Worship Service: 2:00 p.m.
Bible Study: 2:30 p.m.
All are welcome, bring a friend, neighbor or relative

Leviticus 16:1-24 
The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD and died, and the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in  water and then put them on. And he shall take from the congregation of the  people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt  offering. 

“Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel.[a] And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the LORD and use it as a sin offering, but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel. 

“Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses. No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel. Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around. And he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleannesses of the people of Israel. 

“And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat. And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness. 

Luke 10:1-22 
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. 

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. 

“The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” 

The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” 

In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” 

The Lord’s Prayer – The Sixth Petition
What is the Sixth Petition? 
And lead us not into temptation. 
What does this mean?
God tempts no one. We pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory. 

Bulletin: Wednesday April 24, 2024

View the Bulletin for Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Worship Service: 2:00 p.m.
Bible Study: 2:30 p.m.
All are welcome, bring a friend, neighbor or relative

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VIDEO: Life Together Digest with President Harrison

VIDEO: Life Together Digest with President Harrison
In this Life Together Digest, the Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), discusses ways that the LCMS advocates and cares for human life, both before birth and after. He announces that 125 congregations that have received grants for pro-life care and work through LCMS Life Ministry's Million Dollar Life Match, and encourages locals to attend Coalition Life's March on the Arch on Saturday, March 23 (stlmarch.com). View this month's Life Together Digest at https://mailchi.mp/lcms/life-together...

President's Perspective

Planting Seeds -- Not Just a Spring Thing 
First, on behalf of your Council let me thank you -- the membership at Zion -- for supporting the ministry here with your time, talent and treasure. We've been able to get a lot of important work accomplished over the past several years and your support is very much appreciated. 

At the Voter's Meeting on Sunday, April 28th following the 10:30 service, we're going to have a chance to put some action on the Great Commission here at Zion. The Elders and Pastor have been working for several years at defining the role of a Deaconess to begin the process of reaching out in special ways toward our preschool parents, and the youth, elderly and women within our congregation. At the January Voters' Meeting, the membership authorized the formation of a Call Committee to explore candidates for this position. 

The Call Committee will be bringing their recommendation to you on the 28th. This is a huge step forward for our church and God willing, assuming we can fill this position, we will realize some very real blessings in the years to come. Evangelism efforts that can be realized with the help of a Deaconess are exciting to think about; we'll be able to cross that comfort barrier and touch the hearts of people with whom we don't normally have contact. We'll evangelize in an organized, deliberate manner and we'll grow our internal ministries at the same time. 

We're at this inflection point at Zion where we can either sit satisfied each week as we worship, or perhaps we can step a bit out of a comfort zone and begin to try to be less insular and more proactive at spreading the Gospel inside and outside our walls. This is a wonderful and bold step for your church. I hope you will support this effort that will help promote and fulfill the Great Commission as we've never before been able to do. So, please come to the meeting on April 28th and hear what the Call Committee has to say about a candidate that would be a real blessing to our parish. 

We're going to be planting some seeds in the future! We're looking for some fertile soil here at Zion and someone who will sow with divine purpose. We know the tiniest seed can produce the mightiest plants. In Matthew, we see that a tiny mustard seed is analogous to the Kingdom of Heaven in the way something small can grow to be so large. That's what we're going to work at with a Deaconess onboard -- planting small seeds and watching the Holy Spirit grow our church and God's Kingdom as we patiently wait for our Lord to return and claim what is His! 

– Paul Klemash