Pastor’s Perch
Mark 10:27- 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “For people, it is impossible, but not for God, because all things are possible for God.” (EHV)
Two questions were asked of Jesus. What must I do to be saved…and who then can be saved? The rich man was hoping for a positive response to his question…a to-do list so he could be sure he would have eternal life. That to-do list exposed him to the impossible. He had to give up his riches to the poor and follow Jesus. This response from Jesus exposed his true god of wealth which only led to death and destruction. He could never enter eternal life by doing…it was impossible. This is why he left Jesus sad and grieving. Now when Jesus turned to his disciples, they came to the same conclusion that eternal life and salvation is impossible. If a rich man who was blessed with these riches could not enter eternal life, then there would be no hope for the poor who are not blessed in such a way. Who then can be saved? The logical conclusion is no one!
They would end in the same place as that rich man, sad and grieving because it would be impossible for them to be saved by human means. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man/anyone to enter the kingdom of God. This would include you and me! We tend to point out the good things we do for the Lord as reasons why we are worthy of the Lord’s salvation. However, those good things we love to point out become our God that leads us to death and destruction. It is impossible for us to save ourselves. But before you become sad and grieving, Jesus makes a bold statement. Jesus looked at them and said, “For people, it is impossible, but not for God, because all things are possible for God.”
This is exactly what Jesus wanted to give the rich man. This is what he gave to his disciples. This is what Jesus gave to you and me! God makes the impossible possible and he used his own Son to accomplish this impossible task. Jesus emptied himself from all this glory and took on himself our flesh and blood, only to offer it up on the cross. He brought us into his kingdom and he gifted us eternal life. This is why we are no longer sad and grieving. God has done the impossible and saved us by his grace!
Dear Father, thank you for doing the impossible and saving us from our sin and giving us eternal life through your Son. Help us turn away from ourselves and follow Jesus so that we remain confident that we belong to your kingdom now and forever. In Jesus’ name we pray! Amen!
A Servant of Christ,
Rev. Patrick Feldhus
Grace’s News
We offer a Family bible study on familiar Sunday school stories, after Sunday worship.
Please note that the Pastor is offering an online topical bible study on Tuesday nights at 7:30 pm. If you are interested, please let Pastor know. He is also looking for topics that are interesting to you.
The LWMS circuit Fall Rally will be on October 5th beginning at 9 am at St. John Fairfax.
The Women of Grace will next meet on October 16th at 10:30 am. All women are welcome to join us.
Our next Jesus Cares program will be Thursday, October 17th at 6:30 pm.
The church council will meet on Sunday, October 20th after bible study.
The Voters will meet on Sunday, October 27th after Bible Study.
Synod News
Kids Connection celebrates 30 years
Nearly 30 years ago, Kids Connection was born out of a desire to encourage young children to “stay connected to Jesus.” Modeled after its adult counterpart WELS Connection, this monthly video gives school children a glimpse into interesting ministries, stories, people, and programs from around the synod—with the goal of illustrating how kids too can live lives of faith in Jesus.
A ministry of WELS Discipleship, Kids Connection is produced by Mr. Steve Boettcher and Mrs. Kris Snyder, each of whom has been with the program since the very beginning. When they were just getting started, Snyder explains, “We wanted to provide a way for kids to see other kids serving Jesus by serving others and to use the gospel to connect them to each other, to others in WELS, and, most importantly, to Jesus.”
Together with Rev. Tony Schultz, who has been creating and sharing memorable Scripture lessons on-screen since the very beginning, the Kids Connection team has reached kids across multiple generations. Now, as this unique children’s ministry embarks on its milestone 30th season, the team is eager to continue encouraging kids in their walks of faith.
The newest season of Kids Connection introduces two new teen hosts—Ty and Erika. Both are looking forward to acting as role models for their younger peers. “I am most excited about the fact that I get to share God’s Word with students through humor and videos,” says Ty. “It is an awesome opportunity to let my light shine and share the good news with others.” Erika adds, “Having the opportunity to be a role model for Christian kids brings me so much joy just thinking about it. To know that the work that I am doing will help kids connect to their Savior is so special to me.”
While the program currently reaches about 95 percent of WELS schools, the producers ultimately hope to be in every WELS church, school, and early childhood center. They share multiple ways this seven-minute video can be used:
• Play it during an all-school chapel.
• Play it in each classroom or at the early childhood center during lunch.
• View it in church on a different week from WELS Connection.
• Share it with families with young children who do not attend a WELS school.
• Share it with homeschooling families.
• Keep a copy in the church or school library for families to check out for home use.
• Watch it in after-school programs and youth group gatherings.
Says Snyder, “We pray our audience is using Kids Connection to share the love of Jesus, to inspire each other, to learn, to produce fruit of faith, to grow in faith, to be encouraged, and to ‘stay connected to Jesus.’ ”
Learn more and subscribe at wels.net/kidsconnection.
Encouraging opening enrollment numbers at WELS synodical schools
Fall classes have begun at the four synodical schools. The opening enrollments at the schools are encouraging.
The best news comes from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, Wis., which opened with a total enrollment of 154, compared to 134 last year. First-year student enrollment is 49, a significant increase from last year’s total of 37.
The enrollment at Martin Luther College, New Ulm, Minn., showed only a slight decrease in total enrollment. This year’s enrollment is 614 compared to 620 last year. But the 2024–25 freshman class of 174 is significantly larger than last year’s class of 150, an encouraging sign for a growing enrollment in the coming years.
Luther Preparatory School, Watertown, Wis., began the school year with 415, a small increase compared to last year’s opening enrollment of 412. The size of the freshman class increased from last year’s 102 to 112 this year. For the first time in some time, the boys in the freshman class outnumber the girls (63 boys and 49 girls). This is significant because that high number of boys is likely to translate into more candidates for the pastoral ministry.
Finally, enrollment at Michigan Lutheran Seminary, Saginaw, Mich., is at 190, down only slightly from 192 in 2023. This year’s freshman enrollment is 49, the same as last year.
These numbers are evidence of God’s blessings on our recruitment efforts—efforts not only undertaken by the four synodical schools but also by pastors, teachers, parents, and grandparents in our congregations. Given the significant shortage of both pastors and teachers, our commitment to encourage young people to prepare for the public ministry needs to continue and increase in the years to come. Continue to ask God to send workers into his harvest field. He will hear and answer those prayers.
Serving with you in Christ,
WELS President Mark Schroeder