Recently, I shared the following letter. It’s something worth sharing with all of you who love Lutheran Schools and have been supportive of TLSP.
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Please accept this letter as notice that I have accepted a call to serve as the gift counselor for the LCMS Foundation here in the Indiana District- LCMS. It is a decision that brings calm and direction for me as I continue to serve the Church in ways that Christ so chooses.
Leaving TLSP does not come without a sense of mourning. As its first and only executive director, there have been plenty of firsts and a major sense of ownership. TLSP has grown to be an advocate of Lutheran Education and Lutheran Schools in our region and even throughout the state. One of our first projects was to create a pseudo-system of schools called “The Lutheran Schools” to promote Lutheran Schools in northeast Indiana. This included a website presence (never in place before) and, soon after, a social media presence. We have continued to provide regional marketing resources and, as of this year, have set up an opportunity for other schools outside of the region to gain access to valuable marketing resources.
Frankly, one of my greatest joys in the past 14 years has been to share the value of Lutheran Education and encourage the support of Lutheran Schools. To that end, I have served as a member of the Indiana Non-Public Education Association and for many years served as its president. I’ve enjoyed being a guest presenter at Concordia Theological Seminary promoting Lutheran Schools and have had the privilege of writing for LCMS School Ministry for its monthly mailing. I doubt that none of these opportunities would have occurred if it weren’t for the creation of TLSP.
I thank God for the many friends that have been gained through this call with TLSP. From Indiana District friendships, school choice advocates, leaders throughout the synod and even friends in Washington DC, TLSP has been an experience of seeing God’s hand in many ways.
The move to the LCMS Foundation seems to close a loop for me. One of the first professional development opportunities that we provided with TLSP in its early days was a three day workshop led by the LCMS Foundation’s Phil Meinzen. He laid out the need for gift planning and legacy planning. Since then, TLSP has encouraged this in the advancement emphasis of TLSP. Now I will have the opportunity to be directly involved with this important area of stewardship throughout the Indiana District.
Please pray for TLSP during this time of change. I appreciate your prayers for me as well as I begin this new call on May 15.
Peace and joy to you,
Mark Muehl
