Concordia University Ann Arbor gives monthly updates on church work programs including Applied Theology, Biblical Studies, Christian Thought, Family Life Ministry, Lutheran Teaching Diploma, Parish Music, Pre-seminary, Pre-deaconess, and Theological Languages.
Dear friends of CUAA and fellow ministers of the Gospel,
In just a few days, CUAA will be hosting our annual Trinity Time retreat, a time for high school students to worship together, enjoy Christian fellowship, learn about CUAA, and most centrally to explore church work vocations. I ask that you pray for the 15 students who are signed up, for the leaders and helpers on the retreat, and above all for God to send workers to his harvest fields. As many of you are already doing, please think about who might be a good director of family life ministry, director of youth ministry, parish musician, Lutheran school teacher, deaconess, or pastor, pray for them and encourage them to consider church work in their future. We’d love to see them at next year’s Trinity Time.
For my own personal sense of calling into holy ministry, personal encouragement from my congregation to become a pastor was invaluable, but I also think it’s important that we emphasize the beauty of serving Jesus in his church. Of course, there are downsides and challenges to being in church work, but you and I have the awesome responsibility and great joy of telling others about what the Lord of the world has done for all in his death and resurrection.
There is no better calling than this: to be with people in their most difficult and most joyous moments, being a visible reminder of the Gospel of Jesus, to be stewards of God’s mysteries wherein the Creator saves sinners by Word and water, bread and wine, and to be witnesses with all Christians to the great love of God that sent his only begotten Son Jesus into the flesh to become a curse so that the world might be blessed.
I pray that the Spirit will remind you and me of what a joy it is to be part of God’s mission and ministry in his world.
Your brother in Christ,
Rev. Ted Hopkins, Ph.D.
Program Director: Pre-Seminary and Family Life Ministry
Previous CUAA church work updates:
So, you want to become a church worker? Learn more about CUAA’s Church Work programs.
— Rachel Thoms served on Concordia University's Strategic Communications team from 2015-2022. Any inquiries about this story can be sent to news@cuaa.edu.
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