Pastor’s Perch
Ephesians 3:12 “In him we can freely approach God with confidence through faith in him.”
Do you ever wonder why weather forecasters deal with percentages? There is a 90% chance of snow, rain, sun, clouds, etc… The reason they deal with percentages is that the weather forecaster cannot be 100% certain. The weather can change without notice. There cannot be 100% confidence in knowing the weather because of all the variables that come with it.
The devil would also like us to think of our relationship with God in percentages. He does not want us to be certain and confident in our relationship with God. The easiest way for the devil to get us thinking in percentages is by focusing on ourselves. If we are dependent on ourselves to determine our relationship with God, then we cannot be 100% confident. No matter how hard we try to be perfect, sin is right there. Even our best attempts fall short of God’s demands. Therefore, we still question our eternal status. It brings us fear as we think of approaching our Holy God because we have not lived up to his expectations. But look at the Star! It shines in the East as a beacon of Hope! There would be no reason why the Wisemen should approach the house where the Lord lived. They were not Israelites. They did not have the Law of Moses to follow. They were Gentiles. But they were able to approach God and with confidence as they lay their treasures at his feet. Their confidence to approach God came not from within themselves but from God himself.
This is the God who took on human flesh to give us confidence to approach the Holy God through his death on the cross. Jesus is the promised Savior for all people! Through Jesus, we can be 100% confident in our relationship with God. We can approach him in confidence because Jesus took all our sins away, the very thing that separates us from God. Since our sins have been removed, there is nothing to come between us and God. We can be 100% confident in our eternal future in heaven because Jesus has secured it for us. We may not be 100% confident of the weather, but we are 100% confident to approach our God, all thanks to Jesus!
Jesus, Savior of all people, continue to work powerfully on our hearts and remove any doubts about our relationship with our heavenly Father. Make us confident to approach our God and be confident that we will live with you forever in heaven. In your name we pray! AMEN!
A Servant of Christ,
Rev. Patrick Feldhus
Grace’s News
We are offering a Family bible study on familiar Sunday school stories, after worship on Sundays.
Our online bible class will continue on Tuesday nights at 7:30 pm. We will focus our bible study on the topic of Jesus revealing his glory.
The council will meet on January 11th after worship.
The Women of Grace will meet on January 21st at 10:30 am.
The annual voters meeting will be after worship on January 25th.
Synod News
The anniversary ends, but the history continues
During 2025, WELS has commemorated the 175th anniversary of its founding, 175 years of God’s work among us and through us. Resources have been produced and presentations given. This year of celebration has come to an end, but the history continues. Each year is another year added to the annals of what God is accomplishing in his grace through WELS.
So our focus on what he has done for us—and continues to do for us—does not have to end. You can still make use of the anniversary resources during 2026 and beyond.
Resources include the following:
- Christ Through Us: A Pictorial History of the Wisconsin Synod, 1850-2025,on sale from Northwestern Publishing House
- The Wisconsin Synod Lutherans, Second Edition,the updated telling of the synod’s history, on sale from Northwestern Publishing House
- A Bible studyon WELS history that coordinates with Christ Through Us: A Pictorial History of the Wisconsin Synod, 1850–2025. Each lesson closely correlates with a chapter from the book and comes with leader guides, student handouts, and PowerPoint presentations.
- An interactive timelinefor individuals and teachers
- Twelve bulletin insertson major events in WELS history
- Videos about WELS history on the WELS History YouTube channel. Consider subscribing to stay updated when videos are added. Various other presentations are available on the WELS Historical Institute website.
- Anniversary swag (clothing, mug, commemorative Christmas ornament, etc.) at the WELS Store
- Worship resources through The Foundationfor a special three-Sunday series
- Resourcesto assist congregations in preserving and telling their history
We are thankful that God’s people have given more than $325,000 for the WELS 175th anniversary offering. This opportunity to contribute continues. Join WELS in this special anniversary offering to give thanks to our Lord for the blessings of our history and to support future gospel ministry work.
Perhaps this anniversary year has sparked an interest in WELS history. Please consider becoming a member of the WELS Historical Institute.
Many thanks to the planning committee members and others who organized and produced the resources that have been made available.
May God continue to shower his grace on WELS as the message of Christ for us comes to us and goes out through us to others.
Prof. Joel D. Otto
Chairman, WELS 175th Anniversary Planning Committee
Reaching every nation
The synod’s new long-range plan, entitled “Christ through us,” has four main priorities. One of those four involves bringing Christ to the nations through our world mission efforts. Rev. Larry Schlomer, administrator of WELS World Missions, provides the following summary of how we plan, under God, to carry out those efforts in the next ten years.
Serving with you in Christ,
WELS President Mark Schroeder
As part of Christ’s church on earth, we believe that God has commissioned us as his ambassadors, sending us out with a purpose: to proclaim the saving message of Jesus Christ to every nation under heaven. Through us, Christ reaches the nations.
Reflecting on 175 years of grace-filled ministry in WELS, we are filled with gratitude for the countless lives transformed by the gospel. WELS now has working partnerships with churches and missions in 49 countries around the world.
Yet, the mission is still unfinished. With renewed urgency and prayerful confidence in Christ, we look to the future, asking God to continue using us to reach lost souls with His Word of salvation.
Borderless support network
To expand the reach of the gospel, we are forging a borderless support network, built on international ministry partnerships.
Read more about WELS’ partnership with a new Latin American synod (scroll to the bottom to “A growing sister church”).
A global missionary force
Historically, WELS has sent missionaries from the United States to plant the gospel in new lands. This model has borne much fruit, but the present reality demands more workers than ever before. The solution lies in empowering pastors and evangelists from our global sister churches. These leaders are uniquely equipped to bring the gospel to their own people, cultures, and regions.
Read more about Juan Reyes, a new church planter in Tenancingo, Mexico, who learned not only what God’s Word teaches but also how to share it through Academia Cristo.
Confessional Lutheran seminaries
As the gospel gains ground in new regions, emerging Lutheran church bodies recognize the need for seminaries grounded in the authority of Scripture and the clarity of the Lutheran Confessions. Our goal is to establish confessional Lutheran seminaries in key global locations.
See recent graduates from Asia Lutheran Seminary, a confessional Lutheran seminary located in Hong Kong.
Multi-language mission efforts
By producing and translating gospel resources, training materials, and worship aids, we aim to make God’s Word accessible to all people, regardless of their language.
Missions in high-risk and unreached areas
Despite progress, vast regions of the world remain unreached, places where sharing Christ’s love is not only challenging but sometimes dangerous. Our vision is to pioneer WELS missions in these difficult contexts, working diligently to identify and develop approaches tailored to each unique situation.
Read more about how WELS is sending missionaries to share the gospel with two unreached people groups: the Wolof people of Senegal in West Africa and the Hindi-speaking population of India.
With hope, humility, and boldness, we entrust our efforts to the Lord of the harvest, confident that he will accomplish far more than we could ever ask or imagine. This is Christ through us!
Adapted from “Christ through us: Commission,” Forward in Christ, December 2025.