Last weekend was the first meeting of 2007 for the ULMA Commission.
Members from the member and mission congregations were in attendance,
including a visit by Rev. Mark Drevlow of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
in Tinley Park, Illinois. The Commission was pleased to see Rev.
Drevlow, again. His congregation hosted an ULMA meeting last summer.

Phil Cascione, a layman from Indianapolis, shared with us his
experiences in starting a congregation. Years ago Phil and other
laymen north of Indianapolis were looking for a confessional Lutheran
congregation in their area. So, they started one! He shared with us
the process they went through, lessons learned, and the blessing of
engaging in the Lord's work by starting a mission. The Commission
appreciated Phil sharing his experience and insight.

Pastor James Behling and layman Patrick Schiefelbein reported on the
progress at our mission congregation, Sola Scriptura Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. They are actively engaged in
promoting the church in the area and get several visitors. The
mission recently acquired a used pipe organ, much to the delight of
the members. Since Mr. Schiefelbein plays the organ, the enhancement
to their worship is a given. Pastor Behling shared with us their
enthusiasm for preaching Christ and the saving Word of the Gospel.
Not a message couched in contemporary trappings, but the eternal
message in liturgical worship with Word and Sacrament. Some
preliminary discussion took place regarding a Forum on the Means of
Grace to be held in the Milwaukee area.

Our financial report was very encouraging. Significant funding is
available for our continued work, and the Commission unanimously
approved our commitment to Sola Scriptura. Overhead for
administrative functions is a reality in all organizations, but it
needn't be excessive. The Commission members pay their own way to
meetings and donate more than just their time. For 2005 and 2006,
over 95% of ULMA's expenditures were directly for our mission
congregation.

Election of Officers took place and the current slate was reelected
to another term. The Commission is committed to continuing
uninterrupted in the New Year.

The position of Missionary at Large was finalized late last year and
the description of the position posted to the ULMA website. One of
the member congregations will be calling a pastor to act as ULMA's
missionary in starting a new mission. Any interested candidates who
would like to be considered should read through the document and
contact us. More details will be forthcoming in the next couple of
weeks.

The subcommittee for "Getting The Word Out" has been very busy on a
campaign of alerting interested parties about ULMA. Various methods
of identifying, contacting, and educating people on our mission were
reviewed. We have already been in contact with certain groups of
interested clergy and laymen, but we're seeking more. It promises to
be a very busy year for the Association.

As always, we thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement.
Please visit our website, check out the information available, and
let us hear from you. We need more member congregations as our
opportunities grow. The fields are ripe for harvest. And together we
can help preach the needed Word to a hurting world.