Bishop's Blast: Summer 2025

​Love Your Neighbor: Freedom to Love

​Part 4 in a Series of Four

​13  For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an
opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.  14  For the whole law is
fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Galatians 5:13-14

This month and the months leading up to our District Convention I have used this “Blast” to talk about our convention theme Grace from Grace: Loving Your Neighbor.

• The first part featured a Scribe who asked Jesus what was the greatest commandment of all. Jesus said that loving our neighbor, along with loving God, is the greatest of all the commandments.
• In the second part Jesus again taught about the importance of loving God and loving neighbor. But when challenged with the question “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus explained that it is anyone who needs our help including those who are different from us ( parable of the Good Samaritan).
• The third part from the letter of James taught us that, like God, we are not to show partiality but to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Our final installment in this series is from Paul’s letter to the Galatians and reminds us that loving our neighbor is the exercising of our Christian freedom. Not quite two months ago we celebrated the freedoms that we have in this country as we observed the Fourth of July, Independence Day. While cherished, we must recognize that those freedoms are something different from our Christian freedom. Biblically speaking our Christian freedom is

• Freedom from sin and its consequences
• Freedom from being controlled and dominated by our sinful nature and Satan
• Freedom to be empowered and led by the Holy Spirit
• Freedom to love and do the things of God.

In the chapters leading up to this passage in chapter 5 Paul explains that we have this freedom because of Christ and the forgiveness he gained for us by his death on the cross. You are set free from sin and its control over you so you can walk by the Spirit. “For freedom Christ has set you free.” (5:1).

What does freedom look like? Perhaps we can compare it to the Garden of Eden. God said you are free to enjoy, live in, and use the Garden just don’t eat of the tree at the center of the Garden. There was a whole lot of freedom, beautiful freedom there! So also with us, God has set some parameters with his commandments but beyond that there is a whole lot of beautiful freedom!

So, what does freedom look like? It is going to have as many expressions as there are circumstances of life and demonstrations of love.

For us as a District, coming out of our convention, the freedom to love our neighbor is going to look like our Strategic Plan. That Plan has three targets:

•  Healthy Workers
• Healthy Congregations
• Expanded Multi-ethnic Ministry

(Please see the district Website for the full Plan and its details
https://www.njdistrict.org/district-documents.html ).

Having healthy workers will mean congregations loving and caring for their pastors and other called workers. As our workers are healthy and cared for, they in turn will be better equipped to love and care for those in their congregations.

Having healthy congregations will mean loving one another in the congregation where God has placed us. Because we care for one another and we love God we will strive to put in place effective systems (governance, planning, financial, disciplinary, educational etc.) to make for a harmonious life together and a dynamic gospel ministry.

Having expanded multi-ethnic ministries will mean having eyes toward the wellbeing not only of our members but also of others who are around us in the community and beyond. It will mean being aware of who is in our community, doing demographics, and keeping abreast of the changes happening around us. It will mean caring enough to take the initiative to bridge the gap between us and others.

The freedom in Christ to love your neighbor as yourself is permission giving. God gives you the permission to be creative, to think outside the box, to be a little crazy, to be extraordinary. For freedom Christ has set you free.

District Convention 2025
Our District Convention, as note in the devotion above, was held June 12-14th at the Crowne Plaza, Edison. Our theme was Grace from Grace: Loving Your Neighbor. Highlights included

• A three session Bible Study on Loving Your Neighbor led by Rev. Dr. Josh HollmannPastor of True Light Lutheran Church, Manhattan, NY
• The unveiling of our new strategic plan
• The Report of the Synodical President delivered by Rev. Christopher Esget, East andSoutheast Regional Vice President. He also preached at the Convention Worship Serviceand installed the newly elected President.
• Reports from staff and ministries as well as greetings from guests and ministry partners
• The Convention Worship Service
• Fellowship times on Thursday and Friday evenings.
• Election of officers, Board members, and committee members.
• The passing of seven resolutions.

Thank you to the Convention Team, all who helped with the preparations, and all who served asdelegates. We pray God will use and bless our efforts.

Convention Hall, NJ District Convention

Installation of Rev. Stephen Gewecke as NJ District President by Rev. Christopher Esget, Regional Vice Presedent

Installation of NJ District Vice Presidents Rev. Deric Taylor, Rev. Jon Dunbar, Rev. Jon Hodges

Congregational News

• Luther Memorial, Tinton Falls has received their second call list.
• Redeemer, Westfield is working with an amended fourth call list.
• Good Shepherd, Old Bridge has received an acceptance to their call to the Rev. Garrett Knudson. Previously Pastor Knudson had served in NJ at Holy Cross Bordentown. He will be installed on September 14th .
• St. Paul, Closter has asked for a 4 th call list.
• Clifford Powers (Zion, Maywood), Brandon Chornobroff (Prince of Peace Howell) and Ranjan George (Rutgers Campus Ministry) have all received letters of acceptance into the Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) program. They will start classes in September.
• Rev. Jason Kiefer was ordained and installed as Pastor at Good Shepherd, Blairstown on June 8th .
• Rev. Luke Elowsky was installed as pastor at Christ Memorial, East Brunswick on June 29th .
• The Rev. Thomas Pranschke has announced his retirement to be effective January 1 st .

Kiefer Ordination and Installation

Ordination and Installation of Rev. Jason Kiefer

Installation of Rev. Luke Elowsky

Upcoming SCC and NJDU Events
Of those events scheduled for the summer and fall, the Planning Reunion and the Small Church Clarity Preparatory meeting have been successfully completed. Our next event will be the first session of a new cohort for Small Church Clarity. Please call the District Office if you are interested in participating but have not yet signed up.

• SCC/NJDU Reunion: Tues July 1 6:00 pm. Completed.
• SCC/NJDU New Entry Preparation Zoom: Tues July 8 7:00pm. Completed.
• SCC/NJDU Session 1: Saturday August 16 9:00 am – 1:30 pm, location TBD
• SCC/NJDU Zoom Session: Tues Sept 23 7:00 pm
• SCC/NJDU Session 2: Saturday Oct 25 9:00am – 1:30 pm, location TBD
• SCC/NJDU Zoom Session: Tues Dec 2 7:00 pm

Fall Pastor Conference
The NJD Fall Pastor Conference will be a one-day event held on Tuesday October 28th. Registration will begin at 8:00 am at a location to be announced. Our speaker will be the Rev. Dan Galchutt, Executive Director, LCMS National Mission. He will be speaking to us regarding specific resources that Synod can provide to help pastors and congregations enhance congregational ministry especially relating to the District Strategic Plan. More on this in the months to come leading up to our conference.

Synodical Convention 2026
We have barely caught our breath after the District Convention but now it is time to start preparing for the next Synodical Convention in July 2026. There are two immediate items upon which we need to act.

• Nominations for Synodical positions that will be part of the convention elections. We hope to have a healthy slate of nominees from NJ this time. A couple of conventions ago we worked hard to submit nominations and saw a few from NJ elected. We hope for the same this time around.
• Circuit Visitors will need to call for their Circuit Forums to meet in September or October to elect Pastoral and Lay delegates and alternates. Last convention our Forums did very poorly with a number of positions being left unfilled or having to be appointed later by the DP. This work is important and every Circuit should have both a pastoral and lay delegate as well as alternates elected. Let’s start now to identify willing and dedicated delegates.

Conclusion
The words “love your neighbor” are not only doctrine but words to be lived. It is not enough for us to talk about loving our neighbor we want to be doing it out of our love for Christ. Let us then spur one another on to faith, love, and good works.

​The Lord be with you,
President/Bishop Gewecke