Called, Equipped and Sent

The following program is sponsored by evangelical life

Ministries. Welcome to engaging truth, the manifestation of God's word and the lives of people around us. Join us each week. As we explore the impact of his message of spiritual renewal from the lesson of forgiveness forges in the crucible of divorce, to the message of salvation by an executioner, from a condemned killer to the gift of freedom found in the rescue of victims of human trafficking. This is God's truth in action.

Welcome to engaging truth. This is Dave Schultzer host for this particular program, and I have a guest that I've had on before. And I can't remember how long ago it's Ben, but I welcome to the mic on the other end is Barry. Samsel welcome, Barry.

Thank you very much for having me today. I appreciate the opportunity. Barry

Barry is the president of Lutheran layman's league of the Texas district LCMS. Um, the elect, uh, every couple years, new president, and you've been the chair for how long Al Barry,

Uh, coming up in September would be my third year, third

Year, uh, kind of an exciting ministry because of, especially because of the COVID last year and, and what technology has done to turn everything upside down. But I wanna, first of all, begin Barry, by telling me a little bit about your family. I know nothing about that. So tell me in the listening audience.

Absolutely. I've been married to my wife, Patty now for 26 years. Uh, we've had a son, Jonathan, um, who's helping me in the family business right now, which I'm tickled about and, uh, daughter Taylor who's, uh, two years his junior, um, she's been a blessing to our family. She has some special needs, but, uh, God has been great in, uh, providing support and the people in place to help, uh, provide an education and opportunities.

You have been president of the Texas district, uh, LCMS for going on three years. Tell me what does that position demand of you?

Well, uh, I have some great support team. Uh, I have four, uh, district by vice presidents in different areas of the state, uh, areas, a, B, C, and D of the state of Texas, um, and area a Harvey hour and area B. I have Paul BFE up in the Fort worth area and area C I have TC Lippi who's, uh, down closer to San Antonio. And then I have an area D John Berg. Um, he's the vice president in the Houston area or the coastal district.

I'm sure that, uh, your leadership gets together and chooses the direction that you want to go. What would be the focus now, uh, of the Luther Lehmans Lee, Texas district L CMS.

We've had so many challenges over the past three years, uh, with COVID. Um, we have sought after, uh, COVID supports for some ministries, uh, like our Lutheran schools. Um, we just see a, a huge need for supporting our pastors. Uh, the laity has to combine to really with prayer and, and diligent giving support our pastors and, uh, a time where it's getting harder to get young pastors into the ministry. And we're losing a lot of pastors due to God's calling them home and other various, uh, challenges they're facing.

I know you mentioned to me the other day, the importance of prayer for the pastors. Talk about that for just a little bit. Um, you know, sometimes we put prayer as something that's kind of on the, the last resort when everything else seems to go wrong, but why have you put it at the top? Um, as part of the ministry of the league,

I pray from my personal pastor and pastors in the state every day. Um, I just know that we're under a spiritual warfare to where there's so many things that can, uh, I guess, take away from their ministry or, or create, uh, uh, doubt and, and troubled times. Um, of course the they're probably throttled back. Uh, some congregations, the givings dropped all off. Um, of course, with zoom, with, um, technology, we can have services still functioning over the internet, but, um, it still provides, uh, challenges for the pastors contact and connect with their congregations. Uh, we just pray constantly in diligently that they'll be encouraged, um, that God has a plan and, and technology has definitely trained changed, uh, the way we look at ministry. Uh, I know that Luther, our ministries has, uh, stepped up, uh, with a spiritually vibrant household, uh, project and the, uh, digital, uh, presence in the, of the Christian community. Um, I have a couple of packets that Rob about the spiritually vibrant household. Um, they partnered with barn and have a package called, um, households of faith kit, where we encourage to go out and, uh, the lay needs to contact, uh, fellow members and their community and, and get the word out through different means than we've been used to really getting, uh, taking what the pastors have taught us over the years and putting it into practice

What's been difficult is that I can recall beginning in the ministry almost 60 years ago, and it was not difficult to do ministry because you can to get a, a list of names of people moving into new communities, and you could go wrap on doors and it was just okay, but today that's not possible. Uh, you can't do that anymore. It's very difficult because of the fact that both work and most people isolate themselves inside their home. And some don't even answer the door. So technology has permitted you to do things differently and it will change again tomorrow and the next day to make us change even more dramatically. Can you, can you see around the corner at all to, to see what you're looking at, um, as a ministry for the future?

Well, I think social media has provided tremendous opportunities. Uh, Lutheran ministries has a, a project called the thread program where, um, the, the, uh, pastoral community can connect with the community at large over different topics. Uh, the thread, uh, website, if you go to it, uh, they'll ask separate different questions of spiritual challenges that they may have in their family life and give opportunities to comment where they can expound in private with the, the responder and have a spiritual dialogue that they wouldn't necessarily have the opportunity to have a lot of people aren't willing to come to church to talk to a pastor where they're a captive audience at the home. Uh, they feel more comfortable to open up, uh, in private.

I know that COVID has created, uh, a new opportunity for ministry. How have you had to adjust? And this is really somewhat the same question, but a little different, um, how have you learned to adjust your ministry and make it more relevant to, um, the audience, uh, that you have?

It's been very difficult, not being able to have contact with COVID problem. What we've done is expanded our, uh, gatherings or conventions during the year to zoom meetings, or, um, we'll do, uh, I think Luther and I ministries is doing an actual, um, live stream of their convention in, in September. It'll be toward last week, the last Saturday in September. So, uh, we see the, the Internet's really unfolding and, and bringing some great opportunities to connect with some that would not necessarily be able to make the conventions. And, uh, we see a larger audience even though, uh, our, our different members of the organization are all across the state.

I mean, just to teach people who, for instance cannot make it to church anymore because of the fact that, uh, they are immobile or they are, um, their hospitalizations over the past have made it difficult for them to, to make movements to going to church, but just to teach the simple thing of zooming a Bible class into their home is a very difficult project. And maybe that would be one of the major projects that, that, that we, as, as people who know this and use it, uh, can be a benefit to those who don't, uh, use it and would like to have a greater relationship with, uh, the church itself

Luther our ministries has done, uh, just a stellar job. Uh, they've opened up blogs, devotions, and various means of Bible studies. Uh, if you click on LHM org, uh, just a amazing amount of materials that they have to enrich the, the Christian life and, and growth, um, lhm.org/learn. Uh, they have a, several videos set up where you can, uh, just take you at various points of your Christian growth and, and grow you into what you need to do to effectively communicate the gospel message. Uh, you take people where they are in their faith walk and expound from there.

Let me just pause for just a moment and kind of tell the listening audience, uh, about who it is that's doing these broadcasts, and who's doing, um, the messaging with, uh, people such as yourself. I'm glad you've tuned into engaging truth programming today. Let me tell you for a moment about evangelical life ministry. It's a, it's a group of volunteers in the Houston area. You who not only plan each of these broadcasts, but also produce the programming. Each broadcast is Christ centered Christ centered on the word of God. And in particular, the saving grace of Jesus Christ, you can help us with our programming. First of all, you can pray for the volunteer team who love to see each broadcast sent by a new broadcast delivery technologies to our country and even to the world. Secondly, you can support what we do with your dollar giving, go to the website, Elm houston.org, press to donate button. Many opportunities are there to help you give. You can also send your support to E L M P O box 5 68, Cypress, Texas, 77, 410. Every gift is receded. Every gift is truly appreciated and used to send the gospel to the world. Thanks for your help. Jesus bless you.

I'd like to take a moment to, uh, to turn Barry to, um, the Lutheran layman's league international. It really is, can connected to you in all the states in, in tech, in, in the United States, but how are you in particular, uh, the chairman and also, uh, the league leader connecting the league to what's being done internationally.

Uh, the district president have opportunities to have each district participate in missions. Uh, worldwide Lutheran arm ministries has 30 different, uh, strategy points around the globe that offer various things from programming to seminaries, um, opportunities, uh, for schools, um, and just Christian growth in the communities at large are where they're placed, uh, to share the gospel with areas that weren't necessarily available in the past, uh, due to language barriers or, or whatever means logistics. Um, for example, we're doing, uh, television and radio broadcasting in the middle east, which is, uh, really a rare opportunity. Uh, the S a T program has really expanded the gospel in that area, and surprisingly has taken, uh, taken and, and really, uh, grown fast and popularity also in China. Um, the Luther I has, uh, ministry point seminaries in that area now that, uh, we haven't had that opportunity, uh, in several years to be able to plant and, and share the gospel message in that area of the world and, uh, programs like event C and, uh, Latin America and central America. Uh, it's a new program, Spanish speaking, and Portuguese speaking people can, uh, be brought to gospel and really taught the grace of our Lord and Jesus Christ. Uh, so many heritage areas, or it's really sensitive when you start talking about Jesus Christ, uh, traditionally have not opened up, uh, to the Lutheran community, but we're, I think, uh, making an impact and sharing the gospel and showing that our Lord does it expands grace cause of his love. It's not because of anything we've earned or can do on our own behalf.

Well, we truly covet the prayers of all, um, for the growth of, uh, the gospel outreach. Um, we ask that you pray for, or Luther our ministries and their endeavors all across the globe, uh, to share the gospel and help everyone grow in their faith. Um, also financial giving can be done online through lhm.org. Uh, there's areas opportunities for giving there's opportunities for giving and our loans star district. Uh, but we truly encourage that, uh, the members would focus on their own communities cause where we can make the most impact usually is at our doorstep. I live in the Austin area. And, uh, if you look at some of the statistics, we have less than 27% of the population that's actually planted in any Christian faith church in this town. So there, the areas for outreach are on our old backyard. Um, the, the growth overseas in Africa and in the middle east, uh, it just shows that there's, there's a time that there's a shift in the, uh, the way that our people are thinking and, and reaching out to God. And I, I see, uh, the relevance of what we're doing right now and, and how that's being absorbed by the listener. Um, it's very encouraging to see it take, take root. I've

Well, I think, um, kind of what we've talked about with, uh, the internet is getting into social media more and, uh, sharing opportunities to communicate, communicate with area pastors, uh, connecting people. Uh, I think connection is gonna be huge if they can find somebody they trust and can speak to locally, they're more apt to open up to than someone across the country. Um, and I think, uh, just showing faithfulness and what we're doing and being diligent and showing that the gospel is what we're about, not about trying to, uh, raise funds or, or, uh, communicate anything other than we love Jesus. And Jesus is the way

Let's say a young man or young men are looking at the opportunity for being in ministry in some such a way that, that you could capture their, their passion, their giving, um, their, their willingness to reach the community of the millennials or the Z. What would you say to those young people? What would you say to that young man who is, who is seeing his, his neighbors and friends falling away from truth, how would you help him to find a way to bring them to the truth?

I'm, I'm glad you asked the question, Dave, uh, the men's network is, uh, Luther our ministry's project that was actually developed, uh, by Bruce Wordham in the late Bruce Wordman, uh, was a pastor. Uh, he was actually president of the Luther our ministries organization for a period of time, but, uh, he has done, uh, his legacy is, is really, I think the men's network, it's where we connect, uh, individuals with congregations in their area. Um, the men's network provides opportunities for affiliated organizations, uh, like congregation groups, men's groups that, uh, connect and go and do ministry in their areas. They'll do, uh, projects for the community. Um, say an oil change for widows and, and single parents, uh, weekend, or they'll do, uh, rebuilding construction of ADA ramps for the elderly and, and the handicap. There's just the, if you, uh, go to, uh, men's network.org and click on the affiliated groups, it actually gives you a list and the congregations are affiliated with and what, uh, areas of the state they're in, which is a great way for individuals to find and latch on to, uh, strong Christian mentoring would that

Young man have to be a member of the league to be able to do the things that you've just talked about?

Absolutely not. Um, all comers are welcome. And I think once that the, uh, person that is maybe not a, a member of a congregation connects with this type of group, uh, I think they're gonna really be, uh, captivated by what's going on and, and get, uh, more endeared to the actual, uh, outreach of the gospel and what's happening.

You know, I mean, no matter what happens in the church at large, uh, Matthew 24 is first 14 is still the answer to the, the end of time the gospel shall be preached in all the world as a witness to many, and then shall the income. That's our focus, that's our philosophy. That's our willingness of heart. Um, give me a, um, give me a website to which people can come, uh, wanting to connect with you,

Uh, for the lone star district. We have, um, lone star L L l.org is our website. Uh, we can connect you with Lu our ministries. We can connect you with, uh, a men's network, uh, where you can go to their sites and actually get connected to, uh, someone closer in your area. Um, it's going to be, um, individual to individual and, and really where you touch someone that has not heard about Jesus Christ or that is disheartened by the church, or, um, maybe has never, never heard the gospel mess and has a different faith when you touch that life. Um, the holy spirit takes over and you just share the word and it's amazing what the holy spirit can do.

Well, I am excited about what is happening with the league and how technology has changed so much from just a year ago to make it more relevant to the people are listening and hearing today. And may there be a young man, uh, who is listening to this particular broadcast who says this is exciting. I think I would like to become involved with that as well. May he go to then, to the website, look up men's network and find his way Barry, I wanna say thank you. You've been a very vocal person for the Luther layman's league, and I just wanna say continued blessings and thank you for praying for the pastors. We desperately need your uplifting and prayers of all the people we'll close with prayer. Have any father, thank you for your loving kindness in all that you do be faithful. May we be faithful to you in all the things that we do or say, and the precious and holy name of Jesus? Amen. Amen. Thank you, Barry. And may your, uh, can continued work be blessed beyond measure. Thank you, Barry. You Dave. Thank you as well. Thank you. And goodnight.

Thank you for listening to this broadcast of engaging truth. Be sure to join us each week at this time, to help support our ministry, contact evangelical life ministries, post office Fox five six, a Cypress Texas 77, 410, or visit our website Elm houston.org, or find us on Facebook evangelical life ministries. You.