Courtesy photo Representatives of the Lake Superior Circuit who attended the 59th Annual Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society Convention in Rochester, N.Y. pause for a photo. Show are back row, from left, Collee Messinger and Jacky Stoll of Oconto Falls, Wis.; Joyce Czerwin, Sherry Koepp, of Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Iron Mountain. In the front row are Gail Maxwell, of Grace Church in Powers; Sylvia Rose, of Lena, Wis.; Pat Rochon, of Mt. Olive Lutheran Church; and Marie Anderson, of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Daggett.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A group of women from several churches in the Lake Superior Circuit, which is based in Northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, joined about 500 others to attend the 59th Annual Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society (LWMS) Convention held in Rochester, N.Y., the weekend of June 22-26. Members from nearly 800 Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) and Evangelical Lutheran Synod congregations met at this annual event for mission support, spiritual renewal, inspiration, and fellowship.

During the convention, attendees learned about the expanding outreach by the One Latin America mission team using the Academio Cristo app and about the continuing growth of the mission field in East Asia. In addition, home missionaries shared their experiences with outreach in New York and Pennsylvania. There were also two special virtual presentations with missionaries from Texas and Germany.

Workshops included “How to Revitalize Your Reporting,” “Being All Things to All People for the Sake of the Gospel,” “Crash Course in Church Planting,” “Connecting Campuses to Christ,” and “Finding the Lost Children of Abraham.” Convention highlights included the presentation of over $100,000 to WELS mission projects and an opportunity to hear about the latest developments from WELS Home and World Mission administrators.

This year’s convention theme was “Set Free in Christ.” The attendees were able to meet and talk with missionaries, view and purchase mission crafts, and enjoy a banquet followed by entertainment provided by Hope Sacred Steel Orchestra from Ottawa, Canada.

The 60th Annual LWMS Convention will be held at the La Crosse Center in La Crosse, Wis., June 22-25, 2023. It will be hosted by the Rock River and Crow River Circuits. The theme will be “Peace like a River.”