I’m sitting at Newark Liberty International Airport as I write this, en route to the U.S. for a biennial stretch of “home service.” About a week ago, I had the foresight to request a few books at the public library in the St. Louis suburb where my parents live. Real, print books. I can already hear the protective plastic coating crinkling as I crack the spine, feel the creamy paper beneath the pads of my fingers, and smell the comforting must engendered by the raw materials of bookbindery and heightened by years of metal shelving in climate-controlled air.

In recent decades, Christianity has continued to decline across the United States. Many factors go into the decreasing rate of those who have heard and accepted the Gospel message, including the secularization of society as well as the disconnect that sometimes happens between the church and underserved groups, such as single mothers and economically disadvantaged families.

During the summer of 2023, Concordia Gospel Outreach (CGO) had the opportunity to provide resources to a group of students and teachers from Lutheran High School South in St. Louis for their mission trip to the Dominican Republic. This group took children’s resources to share with the local Lutheran school, church, and seminary and to help put the Gospel into empty hands.

There are many ways to share God’s Word with those who need it during struggles or challenges in life. A simple method to spread the Good News to those in need is to provide Bibles in easy-to-read and guided formats.

There are many effective ways to share the Gospel message. One of the most practical and powerful ways to start is by directly providing Scripture resources to congregations and ministries.

At the LCMS Youth Gathering this past July, more than 20,000 youth gathered to worship Jesus and study His Word. There were also daily opportunities to serve the Church in a variety of capacities. Concordia Gospel Outreach (CGO), a ministry of Concordia Publishing House, hosted a servant event on the exhibit floor where volunteers assembled boxes filled with a set of resources tailored to help churches and schools evangelize in their communities.

The Church has been blessed, but those blessings must spread outside its walls. The Church has a ministry in its neighborhood. We reach out as believers, eager to share our lives with others. Here is a practical example.

Dr. Steven Schave shares news on vital mission work by the Lutheran Association of Missionaries and Pilots (LAMP) in Northern Canada throughout the past few years of the pandemic.

As your church prepares for a likely influx of visitors during the Christmas season, now is a great time to refresh everyone on ways to welcome new faces. Here are a few ideas to help your church create a welcoming environment during this busy season.