September 2022
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9 ESV).
“We are stronger together.” – President Allan R. Buss
We stand on solid ground together, passionately proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that proclamation, we are grateful for the work of our laity in our congregations, schools, and ministries who engage in their communities in the name of Jesus. We are grateful for the dedication of our lay leaders. We are grateful for a vibrant volunteer base of church laity to passionately proclaim the Gospel.
How is it that you and your congregation, school, or ministry can more deeply and intentionally proclaim the Gospel in your communities? You can engage with those around you. God will give you opportunities to share the Gospel. Daily, you can have spiritual conversations with those in your community; and there are resources available in our District that can support you in sharing the Gospel.
We are stronger when we are in the Word. “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly” was our 2022 District Convention theme. In acknowledging the importance of being in the Word, the LCMS Northern Illinois District (NID) provided a District-wide opportunity to be in the Word together through the “Incarnate Community” Bible Study. That study looked at what it means in a pandemic age to be an in person community centered on Jesus.
Fall 2022, you can once again join fellow Lutherans throughout the NID as we take a four-week journey into Paul’s letter to the Church of Colossae through “In Christ and Into His World: A Study on Colossians.” Through this study, we’ll delve deeply into the Apostle Paul’s confession of Jesus as Creator of the cosmos and Redeemer of all creation. We’ll also gain biblical insight to address many issues that face our world today, as well as be equipped to speak the hope of Jesus to our unbelieving friends and neighbors. We live in a time, world, and immediate community which is adrift from any understanding of what it is to be the creation of the one true God and rebels against the true knowledge of salvation which comes only in Jesus Christ. Yet, our Lord sends His Church to this time and place, equipped with His Word to hold to our salvation in Jesus and winsomely confess Him for the salvation of others.
We all need to be lifted up and to stand on the solid ground together. Two ministries which do an excellent job of supporting laity in our District are the International Lutheran Laymen’s League (Int’l LLL)/Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM) and the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML). They are both official auxiliaries of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Both of these auxiliary organizations have great resources that support laity in proclaiming the Gospel.
We are diverse in many ways – racially, culturally, and congregationally. The NID provides opportunities through Intercultural and Urban Ministry gatherings to learn and support each other. The value of listening and learning from faithful servants of all ages, cultures, and callings is helpful. The District also brings together laity through networking groups such as parish administrators, church communicators, lay leadership, educators, admission directors, and more in order to share best practices and support each other in our work together.
Continuing meetings for circuit lay leadership in the fall are also on the agenda. These meetings bring together lay leadership from area congregations to provide support by working together to make us stronger.
The NID is also providing an opportunity for laity to serve in international missions. At our recent convention, the adoption of Belize as the Northern Illinois District’s international mission focus will provide laity across the District with
opportunities to serve together in Belize in the near future.
The invitation to share the Gospel is not exclusive to the ordained and commissioned workers of the Church, but rather an invitation to all the people of God in His Church. The laity make up the majority of the Church and live out their lives in the mission field. Laity are vital in the Church. Thank you to the laity for all you do. In the work of Christ, we are stronger together.
