Pastor's Desk
“One Generation Commends Your Works to Another”
By Pastor Neil Wehmas
“One Generation Commends Your Works to Another” (Psalm 145:4). This was the theme for the 42nd Convention of Iowa District West of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. It was indeed a fitting theme.
It is no secret, our churches are getting older, the hair on our heads are getting whiter. We may be so very tempted to throw in the towel and decide we are doomed. However, we are called to pass on the good news of Jesus’ works of salvation to the next generations.
Sometimes I wonder if I’d like to be a pastor in a large city, and someday that might happen. However, I greatly love being a pastor in a small community like Ida Grove. It is humbling, and quite awesome that on the same day I can be teaching about Joseph to preschoolers through 5th grade, and two hours later preaching about Isaiah to nursing home residents. I love that I get to preach to multiple generations of the same family in our congregation. In other words, here at St. Paul Lutheran Church, the opportunity to Commend the works of Christ to the next generation is right in front of our face.
As many of you know, Pastor Paul Egger was elected District President for Iowa District West. He has been the pastor at St. John Lutheran Church in Galva for 24 ½ years. From my observation he was a pastor that understood this. He worked much with his older members, but he worked with the youth as well. He regularly attended the Higher Things youth conference with them, and I sat with him a few times during Ridgeview vs. OABCIG games. I pray for him as God uses him as District President.
What can we do to pass the works of Christ from one generation to the next? Here are a few ideas:
Be an Example to Youth:
Attend worship, and sing openly whether it is the Praise Band or the organ. Don’t grumble, if a song is tough, do your best. Youth will see, and the learn best from the example of the parents and grandparents and other elders.
Attend an in-person Bible Study regularly. Show that the faith is important enough to give that extra 45 minutes to an hour of your time.
Read your Bible every day, and pray every day.
Sunday School/Midweek
Send your children to Sunday School and midweek that they can find church friends, and learn about the faith. Teach them to embrace everyone who attends, whether they attend every week or only on occasion.
Send your Teen to Youth Retreats, Gatherings, or Conferences
Next summer, hopefully we can bring a good sized group to the Higher Things Conference (location TBD). In sports, it is common for athletes to take part in camps or traveling teams in order to hone in their skills. Attending Higher Things or the district Youth Gatherings help in the same way to develop a person’s faith. (If you don’t have teen, support these events and fundraisers. Thank you to all who have supported the youth on their trip to New Orleans for the National Youth Gathering.)
Support Lutheran Camps like CAMP OKOBOJI
Support Your Camp. That is right, it is your camp. Every church in Iowa District West of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod has partial ownership of Camp Okoboji. We offer $100 scholarships to those who attend. However, those funds are running dry. We need to be sending our kids to this camp, and helping make it financially possible to do so. (There are also options for Lutheran camps in Nebraska, Minnesota, and near Iowa City.)
Send Graduates to our Concordia Universities and Seminaries and support our Concordias
Within 7 hours there are four Concordia Universities. (Concordia-Nebraska: 3-hours; Concordia-St. Paul: 4 ½ hours; Concordia Wisconsin (my alma mater): 6 ½ hours; Concordia Chicago: 7 hours)
They offer all sorts of majors. When I went to Concordia Wisconsin here is what some of my classmates were studying for: Lay Ministry, Pastor, teacher (public and private), police officer, nurse, computer engineer, philosophy, pharmacy, and others. And if you think it is only for boys, typically 70% of the school is female. The great thing is that you learn your specified field through the lens of the same faith that you confessed at your confirmation.
I realize that cost is a major concern. Our district offers very generous financial aid for those attending a Concordia. Our congregation also has special financial support for those attending a Concordia. (Although, it does need to be grown.) Ask me for a cost comparison, after financial aid it isn’t a major difference. However, Concordia University in St. Paul is much cheaper than most other private schools.
There are many other ways to pass on the faith to the next generation. I will be talking about a mentoring program with our LWML and other leaders of our congregation. We can talk about developing more family nights and activities. However, it starts at the home, it continues into the sanctuary. May we all look to the ways that God is calling us to pass on his gracious gifts to the next generations.
Last Updated: 7/11/2025