Jeff Cloeter, the Senior Pastor of Christ Memorial Lutheran Church in St. Louis, Missouri, will be the keynote speaker at the 73rd CNH District Convention. The Convention will be held May 15 – 17, 2025, at Hilton Sacramento Arden West, Sacramento, CA. The event will begin with dinner and opening worship at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Rocklin, CA, on Thursday evening, May 15.

Jeff has worked in youth ministry, church planting, and senior leadership in his congregation. He has served on the board of directors for the Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis, and the founding board of Momentum Academy, a charter school movement in the City of St. Louis. He founded and serves as director of The Harbor Leadership Collective, raising up young Christian leaders through a regional internship model. He currently serves on an ecumenical council called Oikos, with the Archbishop of St. Louis and eight other pastors from the region.

Jeff is the author of Loved & Sent, and blogs at sixthgen.com. More importantly, he is married to Bobbi and father to Bella, Joshua, Emily, and Jacob.

The theme for the Convention is “Fruitful Branches” (Pruned for Growth) based on John 15:1-3.

Convention information can be found at the CNH District website.

Please keep the following congregations in lifted prayer as they minister to those affected by wildfires in California:



Park Fire

Redeemer, Chico; Mt. Olive, Corning; Calvary, Oroville; Our Savior, Paradise; St. Paul, Red Bluff; Trinity, Redding

Borel Fire

Shepherd of the Hills, Lake Isabella

The two active fires highlighted here are being battled by thousands of firefighting personnel. The Park fire now has burned more than 370,000 acres and the Borel Fire in the Kern River Valley about 50,000 acres. While members of our churches there have evacuated or been advised to do so, none has yet lost their homes. (The fires are currently burning in sparsely populated areas). CNH DDRC Rev. Phil Zabell has been monitoring the fires and recommending pathways of response for congregations and pastors.

If you would like to contribute to the CNH District’s Disaster Relief Fund to assist fire victims, click here.

Dear Lord God, creator and preserver of all, we lift those before you who are affected by these fires in body and in spirit, and those who battle them to protect lives and structures. Be their strong protector. Encourage them through your word and spirit and utilize your body, the people of the church, to come alongside them with compassion and care. In the name of Jesus, our redeemer and curer of our souls, Amen!

The CNH District’s Nominating Committee is requesting nominations for the slate of candidates to be presented to the CNH District Convention, held May 15 – 17, 2025. 

Nominations are needed for several positions. Click here to view the job descriptions for these positions. (Note that Regional Vice Presidents will be nominated and voted into office at the Regional Caucus at the Convention.)

Convention Nominations FAQ page: Click here

PDF with more information and links: Click here

The island of Maui will mark the one-year anniversary of the August 8, 2023 wildfires.

See https://www.kuhiniamaui.org/ for more information.



Pastor Eddie Hosch and the members of Emmanual of Maui, Kahului, HI, will host a

Prayer Service and Time of Remembrance at the 103 Hearts of Mercy and Compassion

on Thursday, August 8 at 3 p.m. This is located right outside Lahaina. Lutheran Church Charities (an important partner in the Maui recovery), and their President, Rev. Chris Singer, will be present at the remembrance. We are grateful that the Honolulu Star will cover this event. Please pray for Emmanuel and those who still mourn and need healing.

The Conference of the Holy Cross is a free conference of Lutheran pastors serving congregations in the Bay Area and Central Valley of California, and laity in those regions. The Conference gathers to present and discuss papers written by its participants and also prove a venue for noteworthy, engaging topics.

What: The Common Good and Diversities of Practice

When: Wednesday, September 11, 10 a.m - 3 p.m.

Where: Lutheran Church of Our Savior, Cupertino, CA

To RSVP, or for more information, contact Pastor John Bestul.

Click here for a pdf ad.

In April 2024, Cross Academy middle school students competed virtually and in person at the 2024 National American Indian Science & Engineering Fair (NAISEF) at Oklahoma State University. 

Students won best of category in Environmental Sciences, Chemistry, and Microbiology. They also won special awards from the Sierra Club and the AISES (American Indian Science & Engineering Society) Heritage Award. 

The students also made it into a local weekly paper, the Midweek Leeward Voice! Click here to read the article on their success. We thank God for this opportunity!

"Precious Treasure" VBS was held from July 23 through 26 at Faith Lutheran Church (FLC) in Yerington, Nevada. Twenty-eight enthusiastic “Precious Pirates” sailed into FLC and proceeded to have a blast! 

The week was filled with fun activities including crafts, games, praise & worship, bible lessons, and a yummy lunch each day. During craft time, the children made their own paper pirate ships, painted and decorated their own wooden treasure boxes that were filled with small, wooden crosses – the TRUE treasure! During Game time, they used plastic pirate hooks in relay races, played spray bottle tag, enjoyed lots of water relay games, including water balloon activities, tumbled in the bounce house, and designed and raced wooden boats in kiddie pools. The Gospel message was shared, and the Holy Spirit was on the move all week! The sanctuary morphed into a pirate ship, complete with 3-sails! The kids dressed up as pirates, with lots of “Ahoy, Mateys,” resounding throughout the week. 

FLC is blessed and happy to be able to serve the youth in our community through this outreach effort.

Besides the titles you expect from MTC (Old Testament, New Testament, Interpreting Scripture, and Proclaiming the Faith), there are some very practical courses on tap for this fall including one that is new. Check them out!

New in 2024:  MTC 017 - Congregational Life Cycle:  Aug 15 - Sep 5, 2024, Thursdays 6-8 PM (Pacific) with Tina Jasion, DCO

MTC 014 - Church Administration: Organizing Ministry for Mission: Independent Study between Zoom Meetings on Sep 9 & Oct 5 with Rev. Tim Bayer

MTC 013 - Starting New Ministries: Oct 1-22, 2024, Tuesdays, 6-8 PM (Pacific) with  Rev. Dr. Peter Meier

For more information contact mtc@missiontrainingcenter.com.

Join Christian brothers from around the district at this year's Lutheran Men's Retreat. The retreat is designed to help you grow in your faith and become the man that God has created you to be.

What: Lutheran Men's Retreat

When: August 23-25 (Friday - Sunday)

Where: Redwood Christian Park 15000 Two Bar Road, Boulder Creek, CA

Click here for details and to register.

Enroll in this opportunity to learn the difference between “interim” ministry and “regular” ministry and to discern your gifts for intentional interim ministry. The workshop is designed for pastors and judicatory leaders. The workshop is a two-hour online learning event.

Date: Tuesday, Aug 27, 2024, 10 am PT

Fee:

• $25.00 – due at registration (no mail in payments).
• Pay via credit card through PayPal at the end of the registration process.
• The Zoom link will be sent to you prior to the event

Click here to register. A minimum of five registrants is required for the event.

The Michigan District is offering an Interim Ministry Discernment event as in-person conference over three days, September 23-25 (noon-noon). While the conference is free to those serving in the Michigan District, there is a nominal cost for materials and for those pastors attending from outside MI District, housing and food will be billed to them or to their respective District Offices. For more information, check out the Events page on the Michigan District website or contact Deb Cameron, Events Coordinator for the district.

The LCMS Interim Ministry Conference (IMC) seeks to contract a part-time Executive Director to help carry out the regularly occurring functions of their Board of Directors. The IMC promotes and coordinates the health and development of transitional interim ministry in the LCMS in coordination with the Council of Presidents. 

The Position Description is available here. To apply, send a resume and two professional references to Mark Koch at revmkoch@gmail.com.