Pastor Kory wrote the following letter to introduce our 2025 church pictorial directory.

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:2-6)

Have you noticed the saying on the cover of our service bulletins, “Partners in the Gospel”? That phrase is drawn from the passage above, St. Paul’s opening words in his Epistle to the Philippian Christians. Paul gave thanks to the Lord for the ways that the early Christians in Philippi partnered with him in his apostolic ministry. This partnership took the form of tangible support for Paul’s work, such as funding and supplies needed for his missionary travels. 

As Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians, he was likely under house arrest in Rome. While there, Paul needed the Phillipians to partner with him in prayer, asking the Lord to deliver him and enable him to return to the churches in person. Churches like the one in Philippi also kept in touch with Paul during his imprisonments, sending him messengers, letters, and care packages. We also know from a reference in another letter (2 Cor. 8:1-5), that Christians in Philippi and the surrounding region partnered with Paul in gathering a relief offering for famine-afflicted Christians hundreds of miles away in Jerusalem. 

“Partners in the Gospel” is a good description for fellow members of a Christian congregation. We share a common partnership through Jesus Christ, who has gathered us together into His body, the church, to share in His blessings both now and eternally. The same Gospel which makes us Christians is also the message which we, in turn, seek to make known, wherever and with whomever we can. 

We also share a partnership in the Gospel not only by supporting the ministry of our local church, but also by sharing in and supporting the work of our Circuit (Little Rock North), District (Mid-South), and Synod (The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod). Like St. Paul, we give thanks for the opportunity to share in the church’s wider mission in places both nearby and faraway. 

Speaking of nearby, though, the word “partnership” also conveys our need for one another as members of St. Matthew Lutheran Church. I wouldn’t be able to carry out my pastoral ministry without your support and partnership in the Gospel. Additionally, it takes the work of many members to carry out all the work which needs to be done – volunteering, visiting, praying for and reaching out to one another – and beyond, baking and cooking, serving in congregational offices, caring for the church’s physical property, and more.

Give thanks for all the ways Christ has made us partners together in the Gospel, and prayerfully consider how He might use you as a partner in the work of His church!

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Kory Janneke

Pastor Kory’s Page for Sunday, August 3, 2025

St. Matthew member Mark Cavender and his wife Casey are preparing to move to Concordia Seminary St. Louis for Mark to begin studying for the pastoral ministry. In the meantime, Mark will be assisting with leading worship, teaching Bible study, and making visits here at St. Matthew. Mark will also serve on our Church Council for 2025-2026. This Pastor’s Page is an interview with Mark and Casey, giving you and opportunity to get to know them and their story and how the Lord is leading them. Thank you for reading and please keep the Cavenders in your prayers as they prepare for the seminary!

     Grace & Peace,

                        Pastor Kory Janneke

Could you begin by introducing yourself and Casey to the readers? 

Mark is a retired USAF Master Sergeant, having served 25 years in the communications and training field. He is a veteran of three wars. He is currently working as a Certified Nurses Aid at Conway Regional Health System. He loves model trains, music, guitar, and trombone. He really enjoys singing in the choir. Mark has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UCA. 

Casey is a retired chemistry professor (one year at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, 35 years at UCA, and a semester at Hendrix College).  She loves reading, needlework (knitting, cross-stitch, sewing), music, and playing with/building computers.  

How has the Lord used your life experiences to prepare you for pastoral ministry?

Mark was raised in the Church of Christ while being influenced and encouraged by Gary and Mary Tumlinson of Peace Lutheran Church in Conway. After some very negative remarks during his late wife’s funeral, he moved to Conway and through friends was introduced to the Lutheran flavor of Christianity. He completed adult instruction and was confirmed on the 499th Reformation Day (2016). Mark has had service to God at a higher level on his heart for a very long time. His first wife’s passing brought him to a more dependent relationship with God. His wife told him just before she died to not be mad at God and don’t run away from Him. Mark ran to God. He took the aid of a Stephen’s Minister then became one. He then became a Stephen’s Leader when the need arose. 

What are you most looking forward to about serving in pastoral ministry?

Mark:  I am enthralled by our worship service and its liturgy in the Lutheran Church in accordance with Leviticus 23. I am excited to lead a flock of believers to God’s altar and worship our Almighty God.

Casey:  I view my first and most important job to be my husband’s helpmeet in this journey; I will support him every step of the way.  I look forward to the opportunities I’ll have for study and music while we are there, both at the Seminary, and in whichever church we end up worshiping.

What are you doing to get ready for life at Concordia Seminary St. Louis?

"Jesus said to him, ‘If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’" (Matthew 19:21)

We have been selling our things, giving a lot of things to the poor and preparing to leave and follow Him. In the spiritual arena, we have been doing what Mark calls “spiritual house cleaning.” If there are any people who are not at peace with us, we go and offer peace. It has not been refused so far.

God has facilitated ease for us in some of the physical matters. We sold our camper almost by accident in one day. We sold the truck in one day the same week as the camper sold. In both instances, we were blessed financially making it possible to increase our contribution at church.

Are there any ways we can be praying for and supporting you and Casey as you prepare for seminary?

We ask for your prayers for Mark’s studies as he prepares to take the Entry Level Competency Exams (ELCEs). Pray for a quick sale of the house next March, and for continued good health so that we are strong to take on the work of the Lord.  We also wish for prayers that as we move from Conway to St. Louis, our housing situation will fall into place as tidily as the sales of our camper and truck.

Pastor Kory's Page - June 2025

(This article was originally written for a Lutheran Women's Missionary League publication.)

Perhaps you remember the major celebration of the Reformation that took place in 2017. October 31st of that year marked the 500th anniversary of the posting of Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses. In the coming years, we’ll observe the 500th anniversaries of other significant Reformation occasions. For example, 2029 will be the 500th anniversary of the publication of Luther’s Large and Small Catechisms, and 2030 will be the 500th anniversary of the presentation of the Augsburg Confession.

This summer we remember a more personal milestone in Luther’s life. June 13, 2025 is the 500th anniversary of the marriage of Martin Luther and Katharina (“Katie”) von Bora. Their marriage was surprising on several levels. Luther was 42 and Katie was 26 when they were wed in Wittenberg, Germany. Luther was a former Augustinian monk, and just two years before their wedding, Katie had fled from a convent in a fish barrel! (Luther helped arrange for the nuns to escape.)

Martin and Katie weren’t particularly “in love.” After her escape, Katie had hoped to marry a man named Jerome, but the marriage didn’t transpire. Luther then tried to pair Katie up with another pastor, but Katie refused the match. Katie finally declared that she would only marry Luther himself or one of his best friends, Nicolaus von Amsdorf. Luther balked at Katie’s unusual proposal – after all, rebellion was raging around Europe, Luther had been branded a heretic and condemned by Rome, and he was no longer a young man.

But despite all the reasons to the contrary, Martin and Katie married anyway. Their marriage lasted over twenty years and was blessed with six children. In their large home in Wittenberg (a former cloister for monks), they also provided for orphaned relatives, theology students, and household servants. Katie was quite literally the original “Lutheran Woman in Mission” as she supported the Reformation, her husband’s ministry, and resourcefully fed all the hungry mouths in their ever-changing household. 

We give thanks in this 500th anniversary year of Martin and Katie’s marriage both for them and for what their marriage meant for the wider church. While Luther was not the first Protestant clergyman to marry, the marriage of the leading figure in the Reformation spoke volumes. Luther believe that marriage and family life are the Lord’s created gifts, not something to be avoided by pursuing “holier” callings as a celibate priest, monk, or nun. 

The Luthers pioneered the Protestant parsonage. Their return to the biblical example of marriage (1 Tim. 3:2) is one of the reasons that so many Lutheran and other Protestant pastors are married today. Katie Luther’s example of gladly serving the Lord as a wife, mother, household organizer, and member of the Wittenberg community reminds us of the importance of Christian women living out their faith in these everyday yet God-pleasing vocations.

As something to consider in your church or LWML group, can you think of some ways you can be of support or encouragement to your pastor’s wife and children (if he is married)? The same would apply to other church work households in your congregation. Perhaps your LWML group could purchase devotional materials for engaged or newly married couples, or support programs at our seminaries which benefit students’ wives and families. 

Finally, give thanks to the Lord for the simple wedding that took place in Wittenberg back in 1525, and pray to Him on behalf of the marriages and families in your congregation and extended family. And remember that marriage also points to something greater – the communion between Christ and His bride, the Church.

            Grace & Peace,

                        Pastor Kory Janneke