2021–2023 LWML Mission Grant #24
Reaching the Homebound with God’s Word
Lutheran Ministries Media, Inc. (DBA Worship Anew) — $100,000
Watch the video about this mission grant!
About This Mission Grant
Lutheran Ministries Media reaches the homebound and aging with the life-saving message of the Gospel through the weekly broadcast ministry of Worship Anew. With an aging population, the need exists to have accessibility to faithful teaching and understanding of the Bible as taught in our creeds and Lutheran confessions. The broadcast currently reaches areas of New York, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, and Iowa. Lutheran Ministries Media wants to expand their broadcast area by securing on-the air broadcast time on a new nationwide station and also enhance their online presence. The grant funds will be used to pay the broadcast fees and the internet expansion.
Mission Grant Resources
featured February 2023
Bulletin Flyer (b/w half page insert, 2 per page)
Prayer Guide & Story (combined)
Large Print Resources for Grant #24
Worship Anew has six regular pastors who appear on Worship Anew plus guest appearances from church leaders and the speaker of The Lutheran Hour. These homilies are about 10 minutes and bringing a message of comfort to those who hear. We find ourselves in extremely tumultuous times. It seems so easy to be filled with anxiousness and uncertainty. For those unable to attend church, this ministry is a source of great comfort. And even for many who still attend church, it is another great opportunity to be built up in the faith. This is why, even with the significant growth and success of Worship Anew, there is still an incredible challenge to reach people in many other areas around the United States, where the program does not currently go. Support from the LWML will be vital in ensuring thousands more each week will hear God's Word proclaimed on Worship Anew.
Worship Anew has come alongside many people in 2020 to proclaim the Gospel and thus strengthening faith through the work of the Holy Spirit. In these unique and trying times, viewers find such comfort in hearing the beautiful and much loved hymns as shared every week on Worship Anew. Pictured here is a men's chorus, another form of choir our viewers love to hear. And since every program is closed caption and all the songs are sub-titled, viewers also love to sing along to their favorite hymns if they are able.
Approved Resolution at the LWML Convention
WHEREAS, the Great Commission moves us in Mark 16:15 to “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation”; and
WHEREAS, a growing number of people in America are aging and unable to attend church; and
WHEREAS, Worship Anew is uniquely positioned for this very time to share the proclamation of God's Word with the homebound; and
WHEREAS, Worship Anew will reach millions of homes each week in the United States with the bold proclamation of our Lutheran doctrine through the use of broadcast television and the internet; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the delegates of the 2021 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League Convention scheduled for Lexington, Kentucky, vote the sum of $100,000 to help fund Reaching the Homebound with God's Word.
More Mission Grant Photos
Worship Anew celebrates the new life all people have in Jesus with a 30-minute broadcast service. Christ's love is shared through weekly scripture readings, favorite church hymns, prayers, and a pastor's message that reveals God's grace and truth. Each program is opened and closed by our host, Eric Kashinske (pictured here). Every program has a Lutheran pastor delivering a message that is designed to feel one-on-one to the viewer. Each program is closed captioned for the hearing impaired. Weekly programs are distributed in three different ways. Firstly, programs are broadcast on television through the purchase of airtime on over 100 local TV stations, including the Total Christian Television (TCT) network. Secondly, programs are available to watch online on the homepage and in the "Online Viewing" portion of the website. Lastly, DVDs are available for individual purchase and subscription. All programs can be viewed at www.WorshipAnew.org.
For many viewers, their favorite part of Worship Anew are the hymns that are shared each week. Especially school choirs as pictured here. Viewers love seeing the faith being passed on to future generations. Our Lutheran community helps with the production and distribution of the Worship Anew program. Also, many congregations, schools, and church groups send gifts of support for the ministry. Pastors who appear on the program are all from the LCMS, as are most of the choirs that come from LCMS churches and schools. To those who are homebound, Worship Anew is a great source of comfort while they face life's most difficult circumstances.
New camera equipment has recently been installed and used in production starting with the April 5, 2020 Palm Sunday program. The ministry was able to purchase new equipment for the control room and four new video cameras to be used in the Wolf Chapel, including one that is mounted on a Jib. The Jib is a camera attached to a crane and allows for wider shots, especially when larger choirs come to record. All the cameras are in 4K resolution which gives a clearer picture with a higher quality image. The old video cameras had reached the end of their lifespan and the production staff was having to troubleshoot significant technical issues. It had become necessary that new equipment be purchased to maintain the vital work of proclaiming the Gospel. The new equipment will allow Worship Anew to continue to share Christ with thousands of viewers each week through the ongoing programming of Worship Anew, Moments of Comfort, and much more for years to come!
Worship Anew is recorded at a state-of-the-art media center on the campus of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In October of 2003 Ken Schilf, formerly the minister of Christian education at Holy Cross since 1985, became the executive director of Lutheran Ministries Media. Although Holy Cross Lutheran Church (Fort Wayne, IN) had been home to the ministry for more than two decades, the ministry's growth soon necessitated a move to a larger facility. An $800,000 construction project soon began on Concordia Theological Seminary Campus in Fort Wayne, Indiana, funded by major donations from the Rossman and Wolf families, the Lutheran Foundation, and a Worship for Shut-Ins Global Mission Fund. On April 28, 2009, Lutheran Ministries Media broke ground on their new facilities: the Elsie Rossman Media Center and Wolf Chapel. The opening of the facilities was celebrated in October of 2010.
The Wolf Chapel Studio is where every program is recorded. Having a dedicated studio ensures every program is completed professionally. The program can be found on DirectTV every Sunday on Channel 377 at 11:30 a.m. (Eastern Time)/8:30 a.m. (Pacific Time). Being seen on TCT, a Christian broadcast station means Worship Anew can be viewed on multiple over-the-air broadcast stations like Buffalo, Atlanta, Nashville, Des Moines, several locations throughout Michigan, and many more places around the country. In the Chicago television market, Worship Anew is seen on the over-the-air station WPWR MyTV channel 50, Sunday mornings at 8:00 a.m. (CT). And now, Worship Anew is seen in Tampa and Fort Myers, Florida, on Sunday mornings. Worship Anew is also incredibly blessed to be airing on American Forces Network Television, reaching those who serve our country overseas with the vital message of God's Word.
