[m-m-online] February 2, 2007

[Minister to Minister online]

OUR CHRISTIAN LOVE AND SYMPATHY TO...

Bruce Schaller (Principal, Lutheran High, Houston) and family on the 
death of his mother, Mabel Schneider, on January 29th. A memorial 
service will be held on Sunday, February 4th at St. Mark in Houston.

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MINISTRY CALLS

P A S T O R S

ACCEPTED
Thomas W. Winter, Ft. Wayne Seminary Graduate, to St. Peter, Pearsall, TX
Sherman D. Stenson, Ft. Wayne Seminary Graduate, to St. Paul, Austin TX

UNDECIDED
Kenneth J. Bersche, Zion, Vernon, TX to First, Lufkin, TX
John De Young, Cross of Christ, De Soto, TX to Concordia, Houston, TX
James Menke, Holy Cross, North Canton, OH to Trinity, Waco, TX


C O M M I S S I O N E D M I N I S T E R S

ACCEPTED
Jeff Fink, Orange County, Orange, CA to Cross, New Braunfels, TX

UNDECIDED
Peter Bergman, Candidate to DCE, Family of Faith, Houston, TX

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RETIREMENT

Rev. Donald Berg, Bethel, Dallas
Rev. Dwayne Johnson, McAllen
Lay Minister, John Kaster, Shepherd of the Hills, San Antonio

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2007 PASTORS' THEOLOGICAL CONVOCATION

Monday, April 16 through Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Omni Austin Hotel Southpark

Information packets were mailed to all Texas District Pastors this week. 
For more information or to register online go to www.txdistlcms.org and 
click 2007 Theological Convocation.

Questions? Call Lois Wolf at the Texas District office, 1-800-951-3478, 
or email nswolf at txdistlcms.org.

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DISCERNMENT FOR INTENTIONAL INTERIM MINISTRY EVENT

"Do I have the experience, the leadership gifts, and the calling to 
Intentional Interim Ministry?"

To assist in answering this question, the Texas District will sponsor a 
24 hour meeting for interested pastors to be held in Waco, TX in 
February, 2007. The gathering will begin at 1:00 pm on Monday, February 
12 and end at Noon on Tuesday, February 13.

This Discernment Event is specifically designed to identify personal and 
pastoral gifts needed for this rewarding ministry, and to help a pastor 
become aware of the professional and lifestyle challenges involved. In 
the process a pastor will also work with District staff to discern 
whether they can affirm and use his gifts for Intentional Interim Ministry.

The registration cost is $125.00 and may be completed online. Go to the 
Texas District home page (txdistlcms.org) and click Interim Ministry 
Discernment Event. This event will be held at the Fairfield Inn and 
Suites, 4257 North I-35 in Waco, TX. Reservations for accommodations at 
the hotel will be done by each participant by phoning 254-412-2535.

Questions? Call John Hirsch at 1-800-951-3478 or (cell) 512-769-6736 or 
send e-mail to jhirsch at txdistlcms.org.

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2007 CHANGE IN ACCOUNTABILITY OF CASH CONTRIBUTIONS

TIGHTENED RULES IN 2007 FOR DEDUCTION OF CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS

A change that was legislated last fall in the Pension Protection Act of 
2006 will have an impact on your CASH contributions in 2007. None of 
your "cash" contributions are deductible unless you have a receipt for 
them from the organization receiving your cash gift. Some of the ways 
this will impact an individual in the church is that cash plate 
offerings, regardless of amount, will not be deductible without a 
written acknowledgment from the church. Same is true for cash you put in 
the basket at Sunday School, or cash you put into a door offering. This 
pertains to loose cash not inside an offering envelope; cash inside an 
offering envelope is identifiable by the envelope number and can be 
recorded as in the past.

Churches may want to provide advance notice of the Sundays where there 
will be special door offerings taken so people can plan ahead and have a 
check along if they plan to participate. Members of congregations may 
want to consider contributing their Sunday School offerings monthly or 
quarterly by check instead of making weekly cash gifts.

Please feel free to contact me by phone or e-mail with any questions you 
may have.

In His Service,

Marlys Erickson, Treasurer
Texas District, LCMS
merickson at txdistlcms.org
1-800-951-3478
512-926-4272

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Ablaze! Texas

KEEP TRACK OF ABLAZE! TEXAS
 > A new video will be added by Wednesday of each week! Seven video 
segments are now available for viewing:

* Introducing Ablaze! Texas - Segment 1 - December 4, 2006
* Growth All Around - Segment 2 - December 15, 2006
* All Wrapped Up - Segment 3 - December 20, 2006
* All Nations Christmas Celebration - Segment 4 - December 27, 2006
* Reaching Young Adults - Segment 5 - January 3, 2007
* Launching a New Church – Segment 6 – January 10, 2007
* One-to-one Catechesis - Segment 7 - January 17, 2007
* Sharing Your Faith - Segment 8 – January 24, 2007
* Meeting Jesus at Texas Tech – Segment 9 – January 31, 2007

(view the videos by going to www.txdistlcms.org/ablaze)

 > New weekly "reflections" are available (these are weekly thoughts for 
faith sharing and faith growing) (go to www.txdistlcms.org/ablaze for 
the Jottings)

 > What can you do?

* Keep updated on Ablaze! Texas
* Share the site with others
* Share your faith sharing stories

All the Ablaze! Texas resources can be seen by visiting 
www.txdistlcms.org/ablaze.

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Lutheran Deaf Ministries

Do you know....
...that a congregation in the Texas District offers the largest programs 
for deaf children and youth in the United States?
...that of the 176 deaf students in the program, only 5 are Lutherans? 
Many are from other denominations and religions but the majority have no 
religious background at all. Regardless, they all receive the same 
Gospel message: Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone.

Deaf ministries in Texas provide opportunities to deaf adults and 
children to learn about Jesus Christ. Their mission includes organized 
weekly programs and they support dozens of disadvantaged deaf children 
every Christmas, take deaf teenagers on youth service trips to 
California, New York, many cities in between, and they provide VBS for 
over 80 deaf and hearing impaired children every summer.

If you would like more information on deaf ministry in Texas, please 
contact Rev. Mark Seeger, Jesus Church of the Deaf, 1307 Newton Avenue, 
Austin, TX, 78704, (512) 442-1715 or email Pastor Seeger at 
MarkJLCD at aol.com.

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MARK YOUR CALENDARS...

Interim Ministry Discernment Event
February 12-13, 2007 | Fairfield Inn and Suites Waco North, Waco, Texas

The Theological Convocation
April 16-18, 2007 | Omni South, Austin, Texas

DCE Spiritual Renewal Retreat
April 23-25, 2007 | Camp Lone Star, La Grange, Texas

Synodical Convention
July 14-19, 2007 | George Brown Convention Center, Houston, Texas

Professional Church Workers Conference
November 18-20, 2007 | Redeemer, Austin, Texas

For more information on Texas District events visit the District's 
website at www.txdistlcms.org.