Recently, representatives from congregations in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Haiti, and Venezuela worked together to form a new synod, called Iglesia Cristo WELS Internacional (ICWI). 
 
ICWI was founded to help facilitate collaboration throughout Latin America. It provides a destination for new groups that are starting through the Academia Cristo training program. After groups started through the Academia Cristo model have completed approximately two years of study together, they may be able to apply for membership in Iglesia Cristo WELS Internacional.
 
One of the main initiatives of this new synod is the development and operation of a seminary. Leaders who have completed 21 live courses with Academia Cristo and meet other criteria may be able to attend the seminary that Iglesia Cristo WELS Internacional is currently developing.  

Videos that describe this new synod can be found here:
Spanish Version – https://youtu.be/CJB6F67JBSs
English Version – https://vimeo.com/644909318
 
The newly installed officers are:
Henry Herrera (Colombia) – President
Tony Quintero (Colombia) – Secretary
Manuel Hierro (Dominican Republic) – Treasurer 
Julio C. Ascarrunz Martínez (Bolivia) – President of the Seminary that is in development
Mike Hartman (WELS) – Academia Cristo Representative (soon to be replaced by Andrew Johnston)

ICWI will not be ready to apply for membership in the CELC in 2023, but they look forward to that in the future, God willing.

Submitted by Missionary Matthew Behmer

 

---

If you are not subscribed and would like to receive CELC News Briefs, click subscribe
If you have news from your church to share, click here

The 66th Biennial Convention of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod was held at Luther Preparatory School, Watertown, Wisconsin, on July 26-28, 2021. Due to COVID-19, the format was changed to a include about twenty percent of the delegates as in-person delegates, with the remaining delegates participating virtually. Elections and floor committee work were done via videoconference prior to the convention.
 
The opening worship provided an inspiring start to the convention and focused on the convention theme “Here We Stand.” The convention theme recalled the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s bold stance on the Scriptures at the Diet of Worms in 1521. Rev. Joel Voss, second vice president of the synod, preached the sermon.
Some significant items of business were:
 

• Rev. James Huebner was reelected to another four-year term as the first vice president of the synod; Rev. Robert Pasbrig was reelected as the synod’s recording secretary.
• President Earle Treptow of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary delivered the convention essay reviewing the significance of Luther’s confession and its importance for the church today.
• The convention approved the synod’s Ministry Financial Plan, which outlines the financial support for the work of the synod for the next two years. Chief Financial Officer Mr. Kyle Egan reported that the synod ended last year in very good financial shape in all areas.
• The proposed change in the synod’s pension plan from a defined benefit plan to a defined contribution plan was approved and will be implemented on Jan. 1, 2022.
• The convention endorsed an ambitious plan by the Board for Home Missions to open 100 new missions over ten years, beginning in 2023.
• The convention was introduced to the new WELS hymnal and formally adopted it as the synod’s hymnal. The new hymnal will be available in early fall. The attached picture shows the new hymnal being presented to President Mark Schroeder.

Other reports outlined and celebrated the many blessings that God has graciously given to WELS during the past two years and the many opportunities he is giving WELS for continuing to spread the message of Christ to the world. 

The next convention is scheduled to be held at Michigan Lutheran Seminary, Saginaw, Michigan, in 2023.

Find all the convention news, archived livestream video, and photos at wels.net/2021synodconvention.

 

Pastors of the European Region of the CELC gathered for a series of four webinars this past June and July, 2021. The webinars focused on God’s universal judgment and deliverance during the time of Noah, and application for ourselves as we endure various consequences of the worldwide pandemic.

Professor Seth Erlandsson (Sweden) began the series with a study of “God’s Dealings with Fallen Man Before the Flood.”

Professor Gottfried Herrmann (Germany) continued the series under the theme “God’s Judgment and Deliverance During the Flood.”

Next Rector Holger Weiss (Germany) led a Bible study entitled “A Fresh Start: God’s Dealing with Fallen Man after the Flood.”

Missionary Luke Wolfgramm (Russia) concluded the series with a study of the first verses of Genesis chapter 11: “The Curse of Babel: God’s Worldwide Judgment Continues.”

You can find written documents and video lectures at this site: https://seminar-elfk.de/start-des-celc-webinar/

After each lecture, pastors were able to share news and pray for each other. We were thankful for the opportunity to gather and encourage each other, and we pray that these lectures will be a blessing for others too.

Submitted by Luke Wolfgramm

 

Last summer the Planning Committee of the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference started circulating some CELC “news briefs,” but we encountered technical problems and had to stop temporarily. Now those problems are solved, and we want to start sending news briefs again.

You should receive the first of these news brief in a matter of minutes. You will see that this news item comes from last summer. That will be the case with a few other soon-to-come news briefs—they are left over from 2021.

If you know of others who may appreciate these news briefs, please forward a news brief and suggest they subscribe by clicking on the subscribe link at the bottom. Of course if you prefer not to receive them, you may unsubscribe, also with a link at the bottom.

We hope that these news items will help to keep us connected in the CELC fellowship—thinking about one another and praying for one another. Please watch for them on Wednesdays in 2022. 

In addition, we hope that many of you will submit information that can be shared from your churches. The address where items can be shared is:  president@celc.info.  

 

---

If you are not subscribed and would like to receive CELC News Briefs, click subscribe
If you have news from your church to share, click here