IOWAY

Remember this is not just for Easter weekend!

Registration is open!

Registration for 2024-25
CA Mission Trip coming your way in the next few days!

Pass on to anyone with a family member in college! ✝️💕

Know someone heading to a college campus this fall? Connect them with an LCMS U chapter near their campus. Find a chapter at www.lcms.org/how-we-serve/national/campus-ministry/lcms-u-chapter-map.

Interesting. Thoughts?

“Restore unto me, the JOY of thy salvation”. (feel free to sing it in your head 😊)

Sometimes I fall into the pattern of just doing worship in a very rote way, and I was reminded of this sheer joy we should have in our Savior and eternal life when this stood out to me very clearly during a recent church service . 

The one and only Daniel Sanchez from Iowa District East, is leading a LERT training…

For anyone interested in helping out during times of disaster, you can attend the LERT (Lutheran Early Response Teams) Training at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Cedar Falls on Saturday, August 24!

Topics to be covered will include:

Introduction to LCMS Disaster Response and LERT
Congregation Preparedness
Christian Care in Times of Disaster
A Ministry of Presence
Proclamation of the Word During Disaster
Volunteer Opportunities
Safety

Cost is $10, and lunch is provided. The course will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, August 24, 2024. You can register at the link below! Please arrive by 8:30am to complete registration and sign in.

Basic LERT Training, Immanuel Lutheran Church, Cedar Falls IA, 8/24/2024 | LCMS Disaster Response & Training A Basic LERT Training will be held at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Cedar Falls, Iowa on August 24. We expect many first-time participants. You should be a member of the LCMS to attend this training. We will explore how Christ has shown mercy to us, and how we can show our community that same Christ-l...

With this wild weather, know the difference 😊

GHM is our spot for rolled bandages, hospice kits, newborn kits, and other medical/dental equipment.

Please pray for our GHM board of directors as they meet together with the staff this morning to prayerfully strategize for the future. God is so faithful in leading the way. Thank you to our entire community for propelling our mission into an exciting future!

May you be blessed today with God’s peace.

The Blessing • with Lyrics & Sunset hour ocean background • Kari Jobe & Cody Carnes Psalms 139:1-5Lord, you have examined my heartand know everything about me. • You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far aw...

The Spencer and Hawarden areas could still REALLY use volunteers - opportunities available next week and several weeks in August. If you can help out for a day - or multiple, please do! Prayers to lift volunteers also greatly appreciated.

https://www.lcms-lert.org/need/detail/?need_id=962701

https://www.lcms-lert.org/need/detail/?need_id=962698

LERT deployment, NW Iowa Flood relief, First English Lutheran Church, Spencer IA, summer 2024 | LCMS Disaster Response & Training Sleeping cabins, showers, and laundry will be provided at Camp Okoboji (approx 15 miles from Spencer) - but you will need to bring bedding and towels. Breakfast and supper will be provided at Camp, along with lunch provided at/by First English Lutheran in Spencer. Plenty of work opportunity to go ar...

Another example of God’s sense of humor…I’m learning how to hang drywall today through LERT! Thankfully I’m with a few volunteers who know what they’re doing.

Beautiful reminder of God’s promises.

We can definitely use some more help over the next several weeks at these two locations. 

https://www.lcms-lert.org/need/detail/?need_id=962698

https://www.lcms-lert.org/need/detail/?need_id=962701

LERT deployment, NW Iowa Flood relief, Trinity Lutheran Church, Hawarden IA, summer 2024 | LCMS Disaster Response & Training Trained LERT volunteers to work in Hawarden IA - Sleeping spots with AC and showers in a nearby church (St Paul's - Ireton) are available, however volunteers need to be self-sufficient with cots/air mattress and bedding.

God is always with us.

Casting Crowns - Praise You In This Storm (Official Lyric Video) Listen to “Praise You In This Storm” by Casting Crowns!Click to watch the new music video for “Scars In Heaven” by Casting Crowns!https://CastingCrowns.lnk.t...

This LERT crew with carpentry skills did an awesome job on helping this family in Greenfield. Beautiful new porch!

For those in the Greenfield, Iowa, area and anyone affected by the May 2024 tornado that drew a line of destruction through southwestern Iowa for nearly 44 miles, you are invited to join us for a Day Of Hope!

On Saturday, July 13th from 1-3 PM, Immanuel Lutheran Church and Lutheran Family Service will host an afternoon of hope and healing in Iowa District West-LCMS. Dr. Mark Vande Braak will be speaking on understanding grief following a traumatic event. Lutheran Family Service counselors will also facilitate conversations on healing, such as how to address children's fears and moving forward after the tornado. There will be activities for children & teens throughout the event. To RSVP, you can call the Immanuel church office at 641-745-5143 or register online here:

lutheranfamilyservice.dm.networkforgood.com

Because in the middle of the hard stuff, sometimes you just need to laugh out loud 😂

Please pass the word as we need our teams to grow. Train now - we can use all sorts of skills/gifts in LERT…organizing, tool management, food prep and distribution, carpentry, drywall, general physical labor, thank you writing, etc…

Daniel Sanchez from IDE is heading up to Spencer this weekend. The one and only Kris Schuldt (MO district)is up there right now helping to assess projects, and establish and determine deployments and resources. I will be there as well.

First up, for my friends in Iowa District West-LCMS, Daniel is leading a LERT Training at First English Lutheran Church - Spencer, IA on Saturday. Click the link to register.

Please take this training if you want to help (especially if you aren't from the community) - safety and skill is important, but so is knowing the church's role of proclaiming Christ to people in need. After the classroom training, I'm sure we'll get some actual hands on work in the community, so we'll hit the ground running. One you go through this training, you're also good to go for helping out in future disasters as well.

LCMS Disaster Response & Training

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

My heart is full of thankfulness for the outpouring of generous support by the members of Iowa District West and beyond, in response to our disaster relief fund following the tornados that damaged homes, infrastructure, and lives.

It is with a heavy heart that I find myself reaching out to you so soon with another appeal. As you are aware, calamity has struck again with the floods in western Iowa. On Monday June 24, I visited Trinty Lutheran in Hawarden, Christ the King and First English (both in Spencer). Trinty has suffered major damage to both the parsonage and church building. Christ the King also suffered major damage to their church building. It appears that First English was spared. However, both Pastor Kaldahl’s and Pastor McGinley’s homes suffered major damage. This brief assessment does not take into consideration all the families, individuals and even churches impacted by these flood waters - please keep all affected in your prayers. A major difficulty with this disaster, is that most homeowner and church insurance does not cover damage caused by flood waters.

In times like these, our faith community has an opportunity to come together and make a difference. We are reaching out to you today to request your support for our disaster relief efforts. Your generous donation will directly impact the lives of those affected by this natural disaster.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽:
1. Keep our communities in your prayers. Encourage your congregation to pray for healing, strength, and resilience during this challenging time.
2. Through financial support. You may wish to consider a door offering. Your contribution will go towards emergency supplies, shelter, and long-term recovery efforts.
3. There will be organized efforts to provide physical assistance through Iowa District West LERT (Lutheran Early Response Team). If you are trained or would like to be trained by LERT please go to www.lcms-lert.org. All LERT communication can be found on this site.
4. I encourage individual congregations to organize their own volunteer efforts. Just check with individual community leaders to find out their specific needs.

𝗪𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲:
1. By mail: send your check payable to Iowa District West with “Disaster Relief” on the memo line.
2. Online: IowaDistrictWest.org and click on “Donate” to make a secure online donation. Select the “Disaster Relief” option.
3. In person: Drop your donation off to the district office (409 Kenyon Rd., Suite 😎 during business hours (8am-4:30pm).

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗯𝗼𝘄.
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴: 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩” (𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝟫:𝟣𝟣-𝟣𝟥 𝘌𝘚𝘝).

In times like this, we remember the rainbow and the promises of God’s divine protection. But we have so much more than just a sign in the sky. The promise of the presence of Christ is found in the preaching of the Gospel and in His Sacraments. Rainbows come and are quickly gone, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.

We are deeply grateful for your compassion and willingness to stand with us during this challenging time. Your support is more than a financial gift; it is a beacon of hope for those who have lost so much.

Always in Grace,

Rev. Dr. Steven D. Turner
President, Iowa District West
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴! 𝘙𝘰𝘮 𝟣𝟢:𝟣𝟧

Iowa District West of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod The Mission of Iowa District West is Connecting, Resourcing, Optimizing, Partnering, and Serving with the member congregations for the extension of the Gospel within our communities, throughout the District, and into all the world.

Going to need lots of help with flood cleanup in the next several weeks! Please go on www.LCMS-LERT.org for updates

LCMS Disaster Response & Training

Prayers for all those affected by the rains and flooding. Please let us know if your congregation needs assistance!

It’s coming together! Registration to go help in December will be coming out in August.

Want to be part of a team? From making food, organizing items, walking fields, changing light bulbs and smoke detector batteries, and many more opportunities…Basic LERT training, Saturday, June 15 at Redeemer Lutheran in Sioux City

LCMS Disaster Response & Training