Beloved,

Blessed Christmas greetings to all.

We who celebrate with joy the 2,018th (or so) birthday of Jesus of Nazareth, the Palestinian Jew, believe that God is revealed not in the spectacle of wealth and power, but in a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes (Luke 2:12).

In the Christmas story, unchanged for two millennia, we encounter The Child, along with his young, unmarried mother and adoptive father, depending on the kindness of strangers, because there was no room in the inn (Luke 2:7). The Birth was meager, with The Child sleeping in an animal’s feeding trough (Luke 2:16).

When Herod decided to slaughter the children, The Child, Mary and Joseph sought asylum in Egypt (Matthew 2:13-18). The story of refugees and asylum-seekers is the history of the world. It is as old as humanity.

Those who seek Christ today need look no further than than the children in swaddling clothes who today are seeking refuge. Followers of Christ find him in the faces of the refugees, more than half of which are children, fleeing violence in Yemen, Syria, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador…

In a world of increasing complexity, Jesus offers moral clarity: “When I was a stranger, you welcomed me,” (Matthew 25:35) and “whatsoever you do to the least of these, you do to me,” (Matthew 25:40). It may be that kindness to strangers is the greatest act of moral selflessness.

May you encounter the joy of Christ this Christmas, like a lump in your throat, a pit in your stomach, coming in unexpected ways, like selfless giving, the kindness of strangers, the frightened faces of children, babies in swaddling clothes, and homeless refugees fleeing the Herods of this world.

Gloria in Excelsis Deo, and on earth, peace, goodwill to all,

Bishop Mike

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Born and raised in Taiwan, moved to Houston in 2014, Evangeline speaks Mandarin, Taiwanese, and English. She joined Faith Lutheran Church in Bellaire in 2015, moved to Berkeley for seminary in 2018, and recently returned to Houston after one year internship in Torrance and obtained her MDiv degree with Evangelism and Justice concentration. She had multiple work experiences for administrative tasks, including part-time assistant in TEEM office at PLTS. She embraces diversity, has passion for justice and service work, and commits to support the ministries of the Church.

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Chris is passionate about networking and identifying new ways to support individuals and congregations as they grow a deeper, bolder, more consequential faith. Chris maintains the LEAD website, supports LEAD's signature coaching, and collaborates on the 10 Minute Toolbox.

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Peggy Hahn serves as the Executive Director for LEAD, aligning passionate leaders, resources, and practices to grow Christian leaders who grow faith communities in our world. Peggy is a frequent speaker and author who is never without a pile of books to read and seeks coaches and mentors for herself in an ongoing quest to learn and grow. Peggy is committed to listening to pastors and leaders of all ages for insight into the ways they are growing in their own faith and what LEAD can do to support them in their development as leaders.

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Lizbeth began her work in the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod in the fall of 2014 as the gift planner with Lutheran Foundation of the Southwest.

Lizbeth received her undergraduate degree at Texas State, and master degree and doctorate from the University of Houston. She resides in Houston with her husband Gary and has one daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren living in San Antonio. As deployed staff living in Magnolia, she participates in worship at a different synod church each Sunday.

The ministry is partnered with the ELCA Foundation to help congregation establish new revenue streams through endowments that provide a quarterly distribution for ministry. The gift planner helps to build the endowment with the generosity of congregation members who leave legacy gifts for ministry in their wills or estate planning. The gift planner facilitates tax-advantaged ways to bless family and the church.

Resources from Lutheran Foundation of the Southwest
Gift Planning Bulletin Insert
Ways to Give During Challenging Times LFSW Webinar 4.21.2020 - Watch | Download

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I have been an office administrator for 15+ years, with a great amount of time in the health industry. I love making organizations organized and running smoothly.

I have lived in Texas most of my life. My husband Ernie and I have 3 grown daughters and 2 grandchildren. Outside of work I love to work on our small farm, crochet, cook and spend time with family and friends.

A native Houstonian, Chris graduated from Concordia University in Austin and went to seminary in Berkeley. His first call was in Philadelphia. In 2003, he moved to New Orleans to serve as Mission Redeveloper for House of Prayer in Harvey. Following Hurricane Katrina, Chris relocated to Houston where he was called as Mission Developer and founding pastor of Celebration in Cypress, where he served for over 7 years. Chris is a member of the Order of Lutheran Franciscans. He enjoys traveling and joining friends for trivia at local venues.

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Prior to serving on Synod Staff, Tracey Breashears Schultz served Zion Lutheran Church in Houston, Texas. Prior to that, she served at MacArthur Park Lutheran Church in San Antonio. A graduate of The University of Arkansas, Tracey received her Masters of Divinity from Wartburg Theological Seminary, and her Doctor of Ministry from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

Before her journey toward ordained ministry, Tracey was a Spanish teacher and a trainer for a medical software company.

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Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Serving as bishop of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America since 2007 is an honor, a challenge, and a joy. It has given me the opportunity to work with many gifted pastors and committed people of faith. We’re creating communities that make disciples who serve the world in Jesus’ name.

For information updated weekly (sometimes daily) on news, events, ideas, books, schedules, and so on, visit my blog.

Evangelism is one of my passions, and our synod’s highest priority. Evangelism is making fully devoted followers of Christ, who taught love of God and neighbor as the greatest commandments. Every congregation is a mission, and every pastor is a missionary.

Together we plant new congregations, send missionaries, prepare rostered leaders, support companion synods, camps, campus ministries, and more. Our vision is to be a network of growing, Christ-centered, outwardly-focused congregations passing the faith to the next generation.

Biographical Information

Born: August 2, 1961, Columbus, Ohio

Wife: Susan

Children: John and Yuliana

Parents: Warren and Patricia Rinehart

Undergraduate studies: Bachelor of Music in organ performance from Valparaiso University, a Lutheran university in northern Indiana, 1983

Seminary: Masters of Divinity from Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio, 1988.

Calls:

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Davenport, Iowa (1988-1994)
Christ Lutheran Church, Charlotte, North Carolina (1994-1997)
Grace Lutheran Church, Conroe, Texas (1997-2007)
Bishop, Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod (2007-present)

Currently Serving:

Texas Lutheran University Corporation Board
Houston Coalition for Immigration Reform
Board of the Houston Coalition for Mutual Respect

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