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From Vicar Josiah Junkin, Planting Team Chair Our Bible study on the Gospel of John continues, though attendance has been a bit lower this past month due to illness and travel. We're looking forward to having a larger crew back together tomorrow as those obstacles have cleared, and even with a smaller group, it's been good to dwell in the Word together. We were blessed to be given a set of communionware and Lutheran Service Books, which sets us up nicely to start worshipping together later this year. Thank you to Immanuel in Cass Lake, MN, for handing down these items! We've also continued discussing what to name the new church, but we haven't quite pinned it down yet. Beyond that, we've continued working on long-range plans, such as getting ready for the next vicar to take over after I finish my vicarage at the end of June and looking into some outreach opportunities, but you'll have to stay tuned to hear how those things play out in the future. For now, just keep praying that the Lord would continue to be present with is in Word and Spirit, and that he would guide our plans and decisions!

From Vicar Josiah Junkin, Church Planting Team Chair Things with the church plant are chugging along. Tomorrow night will mark our sixth meeting for Bible study in Viroqua. After three meetings to discuss God the Father and human fatherhood and motherhood, we switched gears and started talking through the Gospel of John. We've had up to 14 attendees and some very interesting discussion, including some of the hardest questions we're faced with in this life (things like, "What happens to people who never get a chance to hear the Gospel?"). John's Gospel has been said to be deep enough for an elephant to swim in (as we're discovering), yet shallow enough for an infant to wade in. That means it's a perfect fit for anyone and everyone! As we get the word out about this study and other goings on, join us in praying that the Lord would bring people to his Word and give them the words of eternal life. Fourteen Bible study participants (one behind the camera) engage in discussion of the first verses of the Gospel of John. Speaking of getting the word out, Pastor Eichers and I had the opportunity to speak on WDRT (for those abroad, that's a local radio station in Viroqua). We were interviewed by Karen Dahl, who helped us spread the word about the church plant and also decided to pop some tricky questions on us, such as, "Aren't [women and homosexuals] also made in the image of God?" (Answer: yes, but that image is fallen and broken, just like it is for every other sinner.) We're thankful for the opportunity to proclaim and practice God's truth publicly, as John writes, "But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God” (John 3:21). Pray that we would always remain steadfast in our confession and joyful in carrying out God's work!

From Vicar Josiah Junkin, Church Planting Team Chair Exciting news: our first two Bible studies were a success! Nine or ten people met at AmericInn by Wyndham in Viroqua to learn about God and family. We discussed our concept of what a father is, and then dug into a selection of Bible verses about God the Father to see what we can learn about fatherhood (and motherhood!) from him. After all, we’re made in his image! Our fatherhood flows from his nature, and his goodness permeates the holy calling of being a father or mother. The studies were fun and edifying, and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here. If you’re in the area, join us at 6:30pm on Tuesdays in the AmericInn breakfast room to find out! Either way, please join us in praying that this study would be a time of growing together in the Word and wisdom of the Lord, that the people attending would develop strong bonds of true Christian brotherhood, and that the Father would bring to these meetings those of his children who would benefit most from a renewed understanding of God’s design for family. First week of Bible Study at AmericInn There’s also still plenty of behind-the-scenes work being done by our Planting Team. We’re documenting plans to work up to opening for public worship in an orderly fashion, with an eye towards minimizing and managing risk and ensuring that the process continues smoothly when the baton inevitably has to be passed to new team members. Pray that the Lord would send us people with talent in this area and guide our decisions for the extension of his kingdom!

Good news: we've settled on the details for our new Bible study! We'll be meeting on Tuesday evenings, 6:30pm, starting January 7th. Come to the AmericInn on the north end of town (1325 N Main St, Viroqua, WI 54665) to learn God's Word in a study called "Like Father, Like Son: Family in the Image of God." Snacks and coffee provided. Merry Christmas, and I hope to see you in the new year!

From Vicar Josiah Junkin, Church Planting Team Chair The highlight of the past month has been making preparations to initiate a weekly, in-person Bible study in Viroqua. After months of research and planning, the Viroqua Church Plant is just on the verge of enjoying the beginning of close fellowship around the Lord’s Word. By the end of the first full week in January 2025, we will have made a giant leap towards planting a lively and active church grounded in God’s Word. This Bible study is, first of all, a way for the core group who will help seed the new congregation to get used to meeting together and to be strengthened and encouraged for the work that lies ahead. It’s a helpful precursor to holding weekly worship services. We hope and pray, though, that it will also be an opportunity to invite and engage those who are not yet involved in our church or any church at all. Since we’re planning on having a family-focused outreach ministry in the future, this initial Bible study will be about the theology of family, especially as it relates to the nature of God as Father and Son, and the Church as Christ’s Bride. Our Mission is, “Learn God’s Word. Live with Christ. Love our neighbor.” Pray with us that our Lord would give us understanding as we study his Word, that he would be present among us to enliven our spirits, and that his blessings would flow from this gathering out to our neighbors in Viroqua!

From Vicar Josiah Junkin, Planting Team Chairman Work on the church plant in Viroqua continues with planning meetings as well as social engagements. Our Planting Team is working on pinning down what our particular identity and ministries will be and how we are going to get there. Thanks to good training, helpful materials, and diligent team members, we have been able to document four Core Values, a Purpose Statement, and a Mission Statement. Our mission: “Learn God’s Word. Live with Christ. Love our neighbors.” What more could we ask for in life than that? With these thoughts set down to guide us, we are already beginning to look ahead to how those values will play out in practice. Pray that the Lord would work to make these plans bear fruit pleasing to him! “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Prov 16:9).  At the same time, I have continued to build relationships with the people of Viroqua. I was (finally!) officially inducted into the Viroqua Lions Club (see photo) and also enjoyed a morning of cleaning up a segment of a local highway with them. Some local pastors are also getting used to my regular presence at monthly prayer breakfast. Most recently, I listened with interest to their perspectives on election-related preaching and learned that they do not observe days like Reformation Day and All Saints’ Day. All the more reason to plant a distinctively Lutheran church! In addition, I continue to sit at Wonderstate, where I have good coffee and great conversation with a variety of people. Recently, I met a fellow who takes special interest in the ancient Chinese Tao Te Ching, and I look forward to meeting him again to discuss it and compare it with the words of Jesus. The Word of God is living and active; pray that the Spirit would come and bring true enlightenment through such conversations!

I thank God in my prayers for providing workers to enter the harvest field at the Vernon County Fair! 18 volunteers were able to step up and provide 48 hours of community engagement at our booth. That amounted to about 75 man-hours of work in the field—a generous offering, supplemented by additional support from others who provided materials and other aids. All this was not in vain! We found the field to be ripe for harvest indeed, just as the Lord has promised that his word will not return empty. We asked fairgoers to fill out a short survey in exchange for a chance to win one of three high-value prize baskets. A total of 281 people returned surveys to the booth, 30 of whom indicated that they would be interested in a new church in Viroqua, and half of these do not currently belong to any church. What an opportunity to minister to the lost! 37 surveys also indicated interest in a new Bible study in Viroqua; if even a fraction of these attend when I get a study going, it will make for a robust group. Several handwritten comments also offer great encouragement in the Lord, including at least four expressing explicit desire for an LCMS church to come to Viroqua. Join me in praying for wisdom and courage as we follow up on these responses, all to the glory of God!

Our Planting Team of six members continues to investigate the feasibility of the Viroqua church plant as currently conceived. We're using the Church Planting Simplified program provided by the LCMS. We've gathered a good deal of helpful information about Viroqua, both quantitative and qualitative. Much of our data, especially on the qualitative side, comes from the interactions I (Vicar Junkin) have had in person with the people of Viroqua. For several weeks, I've been spending two days every week in Viroqua, either sitting in the coffee shop with a sign inviting conversation, interviewing key community members, especially the local clergy, or attending community events. I've had over a dozen good random encounters and interviewed eight local church leaders, as well as the mayor, who was very helpful and supportive. I've also begun attending the Viroqua Lions Club chapter meetings in order to integrate with the community and form mutually beneficial relationships. Meanwhile, other team members have assembled some of the more quantitative, numerical data. A preliminary look at the data indicates that there will be some real challenges with the church plant, but it seems to be a good opportunity to pursue. There is some interest in a church that will offer both traditional teaching and traditional liturgy, which is otherwise not readily available in the area. However, space in Viroqua is hard to find and expensive, and there are already a lot of churches in Viroqua, which makes some people wonder why we would want another one; these are two of the major challenges we might face. Two team members are also beginning to draft a preliminary budget for the church plant. Once that's complete, we will be able to move on to Phase 3: Planning of Church Planting Simplified , which, as I understand it, starts dealing with more of the nuts and bolts.

Efforts to plant a church in Viroqua, WI are making progress. Vicar Junkin and the other five members of his Planting Team are scouting out the land, something like Joshua and Caleb going into the Promised Land. While some team members have been gathering numerical data, Vicar Junkin has been setting up shop in Wonderstate, the town's coffee shop, with a sign reading "ASK A PASTOR (in training)," as well as lining up interviews with several local ministers and attending some community events. These interviews and over a dozen coffee shop conversations (including one with the town's mayor!) have provided lots of useful intel and contacts. While there will certainly be big challenges down the road, many people seem to welcome the idea of another church. There is some interest in a church that will offer both traditional teaching and traditional liturgy, which is otherwise not readily available in the area. Faith's Planting Team has more research and outreach to do, though, and to that end, Faith is planning to dedicate at least 48 hours to hosting a booth at the Vernon County Fair in Viroqua, administering surveys in exchange for prize drawing entries. There are an estimated 21,000 attendees to the fair, so pray that many people stop by the booth and many seeds are planted!