Bishop's Blast: June 2026

Would that All the Lord's People...

24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.
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26 Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” 30 And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.  Numbers 11:24-30

It is now more that a week past the Festival of Pentecost, however, the Old Testament Reading for that day from Numbers is still reverberating in my mind. Although the day is past, the message of that passage is quite pertinent to the whole season of Pentecost. It reminds us of the gift of the Holy Spirit poured out upon all of God’s people and of the importance of all of God’s people in the ministry of the church. We hear Moses praying prophetically that the Lord would put his spirit on all of his people. 

In this regard there are three things that are of importance. The first is the giving of the Holy Spirit. We see at the time of this passage Moses has already been given the Holy Spirit. Now God takes some of that Spirit given to Moses and places it upon the seventy elders gathered at the tent of meeting. Upon doing so the elders prophesied. 

The connection between this event an the one in Acts 2 it evident; the giving of the Holy Spirit to a wider number of people. Before Pentecost the Gospels tell us of the Spirit being on Jesus (the new Moses) much as it was on Moses in our passage. Jesus then, ascended into heaven and sitting at the right hand of the Father, pours out his Spirit upon his people. As a sign of this gift, the people begin to speak in tongues even as the elders had prophesied. 

In our passage we are told that the elders prophesied but they did not continue doing so. No such thing is said of those in Acts 2. In fact, the implication is that the gift continues. And so, we celebrate each and every Pentecost that God has poured out his Spirit upon his people and continues to do so. In baptism and confirmation (the confirmation of what God has done in baptism) we confess and rejoice in the gift of the Holy Spirit is given to us too.

Second, we note that two men, Eldad and Medad, who were registered as elders but did not go out to the tent of meeting also began to prophesy. Numbers does not explain why God did this or what it means, so we don’t really know. However, looking at the accounts in Acts it comes to our attention that a similar thing happened. There were also others who receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit who are not in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. In Acts 10:44-48, as Peter was preaching, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the Gentiles. What a surprise this was to the apostles and disciples back in Jerusalem! But then again, God pouring out his Spirit on Eldad and Medad was a surprise too. Perhaps the one was meant to prepare us for the other reminding us that God often works in surprising ways and is generous beyond our estimations.  

Finally, we note the alarm of Joshua as he reports to Moses and says, “My lord Moses, stop them.” No doubt Joshua thought that, by attempting to stop Eldad and Medad, he was being faithful to Moses and protecting him. But Moses by the Spirit of God saw the bigger picture. What was God doing? The burden on Moses to care for the people by himself was too great. He needed help and God was providing it in the elders as the Spirit was placed on them too. The parallel with Acts 2 is quite evident here as well. God is broadening the way for his people to participate in the ministry of the church. Moses desire for the Spirit to be upon all of God’s people is brought about on Pentecost.

Yet there is a word of caution to be observed as we apply this passage to our lives. The gift of the Holy Spirit on each of us includes each of us in the church and empowers us to ministry in the church and in our lives. But this is always in keeping with our vocation. And we do not all have the same vocation. Ephesians 4 reminds us God gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip the saints. Who are the saints? Well, that is most of us in the church. Just because we are gifted with the Holy Spirit does not mean we have the privilege of an office in the church and may assume the duties of such. No, those positions are given by the direction of God through the appointment of the church. 

So, in these days of the season of Pentecost, what does this mean? It means that we rightly rejoice in the gift of the Holy Spirit to each of us. It means that God has called and empowered you to live, serve, and speak the Word of God according to your vocation (spouse, parent, child, employee, neighbor, church member, participant in a ministry). It means that the ministry of the church is not all on the shoulders of the pastor but that God has given you as ones who can share in the work of the church. If the church of Jesus Christ is to be vital and growing in this day and age it will of necessity involve the Spirit filled people of God, it will of necessity involve you!

It is a wonderful gift! With the gift comes the responsibility to use it.

God bless this Pentecost season to us as we work together in his kingdom.

District Update

Congregational News

•  Redeemer, Westfield has received an acceptance to their call to Rev. Jaim Gann. He was installed on April 19th at 4:00pm.
•  St. Paul, Closter is considering calling options.
• Zion, Westwood has received their second call list. The first list did not result in a call.
• Holy Cross, Bordentown is considering options for their future.
• Rev. Williams Machazek – Nueva Vida, Bloomfield has entered into a colloquy mentorship

Events
Instillation.

On April 19, 2026 the Rev. Jaim Gann was installed as the Pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Westfield, NJ

​The Spring 2026 Pastor Conference was held at the Erdman Center at Princeton Theological Seminary on May 18-20th. Dr. Joseph Terry (Ph.D., University of Nottingham), philosopher-theologian and educator in New York City, where he teaches at Kingsborough and York Colleges (CUNY) at the City University of New York, was our speaker addressing the subject of AI, Intelligence and the Mystery of Personhood. Participants were challenged and enriched by the presentation. Rev. Adam Carnehl led the Bible Study on The Two Books (Scripture and Nature). Our thanks to Messiah Lutheran Church for allowing us to use their sanctuary for worship and fellowship for dinner.

Look! They are all paying attention! Yes, the subject matter was challenging.

Dr. Terry teaches on AI, Intelligence, and the Mystery of Personhood.

Rev. Adam Carnehl leads Bible study.

Worship at Messiah Lutheran Church, Princeton

Pastor Wives Retreat. The Annual NJD Pastors Wives Retreat was held on April 24 - 26, 2026 at the Harvey Cedars Bible Conference, Harvey Cedars, NJ. The speaker was Deaconess Heidi Goehmann who addressed the wives on the theme of Mental and Relational Health. 

A big thank you to congregations who supported their pastor’s wife by paying for her attendance. Thanks also to the NJD LWML, Thrivent and the NJD for giving generous grants to cover some of the costs. 
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It is important for us to not only care for our pastors but their families. The health and well being of these women are critical to our pastors and congregations.

​Mission Golf Classic.  This year was the 20th anniversary of our Mission Golf Classic! All golfers received and commemorative 20th Anniversary golf shirt. The weather was great and the event, as always, was fun. It was held once again at Heron Glenn, Ringoes, NJ on May 7th. Thank you so much for your support over the years. 

​Continuing Education On June 1-3rd thirteen people from NJ (10 pastors and 3 lay people including 2 women) met at St. Peter Lutheran Church, Hopewell Township for a Prof Insights: Faculty-Led Workshop. Dr. Joel Elowsky a professor of Historical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis was the presenter. He also is the director of the Seminary’s Center for the Study of Early Christian Texts and is a researcher for the Center for Early African Christianity at the Oden House in New Haven, Conn. He has been a faculty member at Concordia Seminary since 2014. His interests and areas of expertise include early church studies, the history of exegesis, mission work, and African Christianity.

The Apostolic Fathers was a study of the primary literature of the Apostolic Fathers with application to the life of the church today. The study primarily focused on the texts themselves, with attention given to issues of authorship, dating, the integrity of the text and the occasion for the writing, as well as major theological, ecclesiological and social issues that the writings address, such as martyrdom, church order, orthodoxy and heresy, and early Christian rituals.
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The intention is for the NJD to host another similar type class next summer for the continuing education needs of our pastors and lay people.

Participants in the 2026 continuing education class Apostolic Fathers

Initiative for Ministry Development and Strategic Plan Task Forces
At this time, it appears that most if not all of those congregations that desire to engage in Small Church Clarity or NJDU have done so. The process is still available for those congregations with new pastors or congregations that could not participate earlier upon request. Rather than participating with a cohort of congregations, though, the process will be done individually.

For all those that have completed SCC or NJDU the Annual Planning Reunions will continue. Look forward to one of these reunions this fall (November?) sporting a new and enhanced design.
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The Strategic Plan Task Forces have been meeting and working on their goals. The Healthy Congregations Task Force has completed it first task and produced a tri-fold that presents what it means to be a health congregation. The Healthy Workers Task Force and the Multi-ethnic Task Forces are finishing up their tri-folds. These products will be used to help us move forward with the work of our Strategic Plan.

Congregational Statistical Reports.  The final extended deadline for submitting Congregational Statistical Reports was June 1st. While the final results have not been published yet, it is quite possible that the NJD has attained to a 90% submittal rate! This was our goal (some Districts reached 100%!). Statistical reporting is a responsibility of each and every congregation that we have toward our shared life together in Synod. 
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Frankly, is was disappointing that some pastors and congregations had to be reminded numerous times to submit their statistics. My hope is that submitting becomes an expected part of our responsibilities and one that we undertake willingly and without procrastination each year. A special thanks to our Circuit Visitors who worked so hard to secure full compliance in their Circuits.

Synodical Convention 2026
The 2026 Synodical Convention will be held in Phoenix, AZ on July 18-23rd. 

• Housing and travel arrangements have been completed for all delegates.
• Orientation and training will be held in June 27th at Redeemer, Westfield 9:00am – 3:00pm.
• Voting for the election of the Synodical President will be online June 6-9th. This is the first round. Other rounds will be added if necessary.

Conclusion
We have now entered into the long “green season” of Pentecost. As we learn about living our lives in the Spirit of God, let us always remember that according to our vocations God’s Spirit is upon and active in us. We are each needed in the operations of the kingdom of God.

The Lord be with you,
President/Bishop Gewecke