Fall ‘Engage’: Doing good to everyone

Deaconess Heather Wathall leads Bible study at Concordia at Villa St. Joseph, Baden, Pa., part of Concordia Lutheran Ministries. (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford)

In Galatians 6:10, St. Paul says, “Do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” The Fall 2023 issue of Lutherans Engage the World shows how Lutherans are doing just that — for residents of retirement communities, for children in Kenya, for homeowners in need of a little extra help, and in many other ways.

The issue also includes a feature story about St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Federal Way, Wash., and Camp Concordia in Gowen, Mich. The two were part of the Synod’s Set Apart to Serve pilot program, which included the development of resources designed to help LCMS congregations, schools and other organizations raise up future workers for the church.

“This is the church saying, ‘We should pray to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers.’ And we are not just being passive about that,” said the Rev. Dan Weber, lead pastor of St. Luke’s. “God could call through a burning bush if He wanted, but it’s more likely He’s going to speak to that kid through an adult. [With] Set Apart to Serve … there’s intentionality to say, ‘What can we do?’ And there are a bunch of resources that help answer that question.”

“When we as the church confess that we, too, believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son, we pull Peter’s bold assertion into view,” writes Rev. Kevin Robson, LCMS chief mission officer, regarding Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16. “With love and eagerness and the peace which passes all understanding, we pursue our labors in His name.”

The Fall 2023 issue started arriving in mailboxes in mid-September. Read it online at engage.lcms.org. If you aren’t currently receiving the magazine but would like to, visit engage.lcms.org/subscribe to sign up for a free subscription. Both individual and bulk subscriptions (for congregations) are available.

Posted Oct. 17, 2023