“They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’ They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, ‘It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon’”—Luke 24:32-34.

Hello Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

As you may have already heard from Pastor Jim, our first big Stewardship focus in several years will be rolled out in the coming months.  We have re-affirmed our commitment to the LCMS ABLAZE movement.  Beginning in April, you will be receiving information on ABLAZE, and we will be coordinating special sermons surrounding what the movement means to our Church, our District and our International  Outreach.  So, to begin, a bit of background information.

What is ABLAZE?:

ABLAZE began as a vision of LCMS World Mission to ignite a spark that would become a mission movement of individuals, groups, congregations, etc., all committed to the goal of reaching 100 million unreached and uncommitted people (including 50 million in the United States) with the Gospel by 2017, which is the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation.  Additionally, the goal is to plant 5,000 congregations (2,000 in the United States) worldwide and to re-vitalize 2,000 congregations in the United States.  It will give US a chance to impact the sharing of the Gospel locally, nationally and internationally through one mission movement.

The ABLAZE mission is broken down into seven Mission Responses:

Learn about what your congregation, district, LCMS World Mission and others are doing in mission at home and around the globe, so you can be better informed on how to pray and support missions, and so you can better direct yourself and others in strategic mission involvement.

Pray for the Lord's harvest and for workers to go into the harvest.  Pray for missionaries and indigenous leaders and their work among unreached peoples.  Pray for your congregation's and district's mission efforts.

Give to support missions through your congregation, district, and LCMS World Mission. 

Tell others about what God is doing in His mission.  Spark their interest and involvement.  Help them learn about God's mission. 

Send missionaries to those places where you cannot go yourself to proclaim the Gospel.  

Go to your family, neighbors, colleagues and others who do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ and personally share the Good News with them. 

Celebrate God's plan of salvation for all peoples, and how He is using His baptized children in mission!  Rejoice, as all the angels in heaven do, when even one person repents of his or her sin and receives Jesus as his or her personal Lord and Savior!

As of March 10^th, 2008, over 8 million unreached or uncommitted people have had the Good News of Jesus Christ shared with them around the world.  We look forward to carrying out the Great Commission with the help of this noble movement.

In Him, 

Jed Davis