Living in a global society has put unimaginable strain on our concept of "neighbor." You can fly to anyone in the world within hours and connect to anyone's suffering online in a matter of seconds. Our hearts are overwhelmed by the thought of loving our entire metropolitan area, and thus are paralyzed into inaction. Let's scale back today to the person next to you. How can we (and our congregations) meaningfully connect with the people right around us and connect them to Jesus? I hope to share some experiences and principles to help each participant and congregation to better serve their neighbor in any setting.

Ryan Kolander is a pastor at Riverview Lutheran Church in Appleton. Prior to that he served as a mission pastor in Detroit, where he worked to raise up a multicultural, bilingual congregation.

Our culture tells us a lot about what it means to be a man, from the woke deconstruction of gender to red-pill reactions. But how does the Bible define manhood, and what practices does the Bible give us for encouraging Biblically manly behavior? Join us as we develop a biblical philosophy of manhood, and see how God turns our expectations upside and gives us more than we could ever ask for.

Pastor Luke Thompson teaches theology, history, and philosophy at Martin Luther College. He also leads a “film and philosophy” club and a Great Books club. He is the author of Your Life Has Meaning and co-author of Quick to Listen.

Building healthy habits will greatly enhance our own health and our ability to “serve one another humbly in love.” Our habits greatly influence our character, our resilience, and the energy that we bring to our service to others. NOW is the best time to develop a Keystone Habit for lives of service! This “Habits 101” session will provide vital insights on habit formation and lead to each participant identifying and locking in on a Keystone Habit. Ways to grow this Keystone Habit will also be discussed. Let’s work to be “Built to Serve” by building a healthy habit foundation!

Greg Schmill supports and encourages WELS school and church leaders as a facilitator and leadership coach with Grace in Action. Previously he was a teacher and principal in WELS elementary and high schools in Minnesota, Florida, and Wisconsin.