Reports - Central Illinois District - Lutheran Church Missouri Synod

Here is the listing of our Central Illinois District missions supported by the mission dollarsfrom our congregations.Christ the King Lutheran Church (Hispanic), East Moline. This church is telling peopleabout Jesus Christ also in Moline, Rock Island, and Silvis, Illinois (it also reaches into Iowa).There are as many as 30,000 Hispanics in this area. Over 90% of these people are unchurched.Very few of them know that faith in Jesus Christ saves. Pastor Pablo Dominguez has becomewell known in the community and has many opportunities to share God’s Word. That work isbeginning to bear fruit. Three children were recently baptized. Adults are also being reachedfor Christ.Risen Savior Lutheran Church, Buffalo is a mission which is 10 miles east of Springfield.Risen Savior is served by President David Bueltmann and Vicar Wade Turner.Grace Lutheran Church, Canton, is being served by Vicar Ken Serr. Christ’s FamilyLutheran Mission, Mahomet is served part-time by Rev. James Bloch. Our Savior LutheranChurch, St. Joseph (10 miles east of Champaign-Urbana), started in 2006, now numbers 49members. They currently worship in a rented school band room on Sundays. Rev. ScottWeiler serves this mission.Exciting work is being done in our prisons by volunteers and the two district paid prisonpastors (Rev. Chuck Olander and Rev. Stephen Southward). Gains are being made by ourdeaf mission in Jacksonville. Pastor Tom Phillips is sharing Christ with the students from theIllinois School for the Deaf and people in the community. We continue to serve those who aredevelopmentally disabled through a number of Bible studies and outreach efforts with theservice of Deaconess Linda Schaefer.Always a bright spot in our district is our work in campus ministry. Church workers (Rev.Rick Milas, Vicar William Jensen, Rev. Michael Burdick, Rev. Kenneth Hoover, and Directorof Young Adult Ministry Greg Witto) in Champaign, Normal, Macomb and Charleston cantell many stories of young people’s lives changed by God’s Word.In 2008 we looked at the possibility of beginning a new mission in Princeton. A missioncongregation did not begin at that time, but the outreach effort in Princeton did bring 6unchurched adults into area LCMS churches.With all the missions our churches support we should realize that in the last fifteen yearseleven mission congregations have became self-supporting (Friendship Champaign, GoodShepherd Bloomington, Ascension East Peoria, Flora, Lexington, Mt. Zion, Newton,Robinson, Casey, Eureka, and Colona).Our district is blessed to support a foreign mission, The Evangelical Lutheran Church ofLatvia. Our brothers and sisters in Christ at this partner church are benefiting from thegenerous support of our congregations. A number of our churches are matched with churchesand pastors in Latvia. Our people are learning about the trials and joys of a church emergingfrom communism.2009 Convention Section B – Reports Page 16