Paul and Wendi Schroeder with sons Joshua and Moses (file photo).

Lutheran Bible Translator (LBT) Paul Schroeder returned to the United States from Nigeria for medical evaluation after being diagnosed with reactive arthritis. As he seeks treatment, the Schroeders are staying with family in Lafayette, Ind. The Schroeder family were members of Mission of Christ, Milwaukee, at the time they were commissioned for LBT ministry.

The LWML group from Trinity, Milwaukee, is sponsoring a fundraiser to assist the Schroeder family during this time. You are invited to a salad fest Saturday, May 31, 2008, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The requested donation for this event is $8 per adult or student 13 and older, $3 per child 4-12. Children 3 and under are free. There will be a guest speaker at 12:30 p.m. and a church tour at 11:30 a.m. Please contact Theresa Miles at (414) 442-1430 for tickets and information.

This year participants in A Place of Refuge Ministries annual fundraiser, LifeWalk, will be able to enjoy Trinity-Freistadt's beautiful 40 acres during the many events of the day on June 21, 2008. These include continental breakfast, entertainment, children's activities and lunch. The highlight of the event is the 1.5 mile family-friendly walk past Trinity's many historical buildings and a cemetery established in 1839. All events are free, but participants are asked to collect pledges sponsoring their participation in the walk. Registration and breakfast begin at 9 a.m. and the walk at 10:30 a.m. with lunch to follow. Trinity is located at 10729 W. Freistadt Road in Mequon. To register and obtain a pledge sheet please call (262) 238-1374 or register online at aporonline.org. All pledges will benefit pregnant women and their children served by A Place of Refuge Ministries of Wisconsin. A Place of Refuge provides advocacy services for women in need and Refuge House, a shelter for pregnant women. Supplemental funds provided by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

Rev. Tim Lamkin at Zion, Menomonee Falls, where free tuition to nonmembers is being offered to increase school enrollment and fulfill the church's mission.

"[I]n an effort to stem a steady decline in enrollment and to fulfill what they see as a primary mission of their church, [Menomonee Falls]church members overwhelmingly voted this month to let families send their children to Zion Lutheran School for free whether they are members of the church or not.

"'We wanted to do something to stimulate some enthusiasm and excitement for enrollment,' said Zion Pastor Tim Lamkin, who took over leadership of the 500-member church last summer. 'We're stepping out in faith. It's part of our mission and our ministry'" (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).  Read more  

For 11 years Rev. Eberhard Klatt (retired from Bethany, Milwaukee) and Rev. Don Hougard (Benediction, Milwaukee) have offered German worship services at Benediction. This year Rev. Edmund Schafer was welcomed as a fellow worker. The services have been bimonthly, but because of an increase in attendance they will be tried every month starting this fall. Young and old, people born in Germany, and others who are just learning German have attended. There is also an English translation with every service. Benediction is located at 8475 W. Fond du Lac Ave., Milwaukee; (414) 463-9158.  Schedule 

Every Saturday afternoon a German radio program airs at 4:30 p.m. on WJYI, 1340 AM in Milwaukee and can be heard live online at joy1340.com. About 4,000 people listen each week. Visit evangelischeandacht.org for more information.

You are invited to a workshop on catechesis Saturday, April 19, 2008, from 9 a.m. to noon, at First Immanuel, Cedarburg. Registration is at 8:30. There is no cost for this workshop. Rev. Randy Raasch and First Immanuel have graciously offered to host this event.  The workshop will be divided into three parts: "A Lutheran Approach to Catechesis: A Change in Thinking"; "Nuts and Bolts of Catechetical Material"; and "Q & A Open Forum moderated by Pastor Raasch."  Flyer 

The Lutheran radio committee's annual meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 5, 2008. Taking place at Wisconsin Lutheran College, the meeting will be in the fine arts building lecture hall located at 8800 W. Bluemound Rd., Milwaukee. For more information, contact Lois Brunner at (262) 251-7159.

As Lutheran Special School & Education Service (LSSES) heads into its 50th year of ministry to students, their families, and teachers, it continues to be an advocate and resource for students from all backgrounds with specific educational needs. As a tax-exempt organization operating independently from any congregation, LSSES relies solely on donations, grants, fundraisers and fees to finance its programs.

Many of these needed funds come from the annual golf outing, this year slated for Monday, May 19. The golf committee at LSSES is hoping for a repeat of last year’s sunny, warm weather when the 19th annual “Play A-Round for Special Kid”s golf tournament is held at North Hills Country Club in Menomone Falls.

The 15th Annual Symposium on Catechesis:
The Sanctity of Life: Catechesis under the Fifth Commandment 
Country Springs Hotel, Waukesha
June 18-20, 2008

For more information or to register go to peacesussex.org/CCA/sympos08.html or call (262) 246-3200. Sponsored by the Concordia Catechetical Academy of Peace, Sussex, and the LCMS sanctity of human life committee. 

Rev. Mark A. Wenzel was installed as pastor of Peace, Beaver Dam, at a special celebratory service Feb. 3, 2008. Wenzel is a 1996 master of divinity graduate from Concordia Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Mo., and has previously served at four congregations in Wisconsin and Illinois. He comes to Peace from Trinity in Herscher, Ill., where he served for the last five years. Wenzel is married and has three children, ages 9-13. As a former native of the Mayville/Horicon area, he and his family look forward to their ministry at Peace and to their life in Beaver Dam.

St. Andrew, West Bend, will host their vacation Bible school July 14-18, 2008.  The CPH program "Friendship Trek," has been chosen, focusing on Jesus, our forever friend.  Duplicate morning and an evening sessions are planned, with an evaluation at the VBS' conclusion to determine when the majority of unchurched children attended. For more information, contact VBS codirectors Darrell Cronkright and Diane Osberg.