For 75 years, God's grace has been at work in a small coastal community nestled between the towering redwoods and the Pacific Ocean. This fall, Grace Lutheran Church in Crescent City celebrated a remarkable milestone—not simply by looking back, but by asking an important question: Where is God calling us for the next 25 years? Grace's story began in the late 1920s when Rev. Dr. R. T. Du Brau traveled north from Oakland, seeking scattered Lutheran families along California's N

MAP West Coast was held last week at the CNH District Ministry Center. The annual event is for pastors in their first two years from the West Coast districts (California-Nevada-Hawaii, Northwest and Pacific Southwest) to gather in fellowship, mentoring from experienced leaders, practical discussions on ministry in local congregations and communities and insights into best practices in mission-focused leadership. We were also excited for the 3rd year program this year focused

Thank you to all of the attenders, speakers and volunteers at this year's Pastors' Conference. We are so grateful for the chance to gather and re-connect with those around our District! The Monday Opening Worship was a wonderful way to begin the time together. Thank you to St. Matthew's, Rocklin for being wonderful hosts! Thank you to those who helped shepherd the event, provide updates from the District and to Good Shepherd, Hayward for leading a wondeful worship time! Also,

Theodore (Ted) Hartman was born January 28, 1946, in Fargo, North Dakota. He attended Valparaiso University, Valparaiso IN, receiving his BA in 1968; and he received his MDiv from Concordia Seminary, Springfield, IL, in 1975. His first call was to First Lutheran in Temple City, CA, 1975-1985. The rest of his ministry was in the CNH District, serving at St. John’s, Bakersfield, CA, 1985-1995; Our Savior, Livermore, CA, 1995 – 2005; and Mission Counselor for the CNH District, 2

Dustin Madden and his wife Nicole came into the Lutheran Church in Susanville about 10 years ago. They both had a background in catholicism. Nicole grew up in Westwood, California, a small town between Chester and Susanville. Dustin has a position as a nutritionist for one of the prisons in Susanville. For many years, St. Paul’s in Susanville has been vacant and served by faithful retired pastors mostly from the Reno area and our Nevada Circuit. Other Northern California

Pastor Andrew Jones, serving First Lutheran Church in Concord, CA has released a new book: 10 Treasures of Learning to Pray. Unlock the profound riches hiding within the simple act of talking to God. Ten Treasures of Learning to Pray is not a book about how to pray but a beautiful exploration of what God does in prayer. Drawing from Scripture’s narratives on prayer—David’s laments, Jesus’ teachings, Moses’ doubts at the burning bush, Hannah’s silent longing—the author leads r

Pastoral ministry keeps us moving. There is always another Sunday coming, another meeting, another person who needs care, and another thing that needs our attention. The Pastors Conference gives us a few days to step out of that regular rhythm and gather with brothers who understand the work. This year, Rev. Dr. Leo Sánchez from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, will be with us for our keynote and breakout sessions. Along with his time with us, we will worship together, share me

Join Holy Cross in Rocklin on September 19 & 20 with special guest speaker Chad Bird. Saturday, Sept 19th: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Chad Bird presents his bestseller, Limping with God in Meyer Hall. Lunch will be provided. Sunday, Sept 20th: 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM Bible Study with Chad Bird in Meyer Hall RSVP at staff@holycrossrocklin.org More Event Information: https://www.1517.org/events/bird-rocklinca Chad Bird is a Scholar in Residence with 1517. He has served as a pastor, professor

Steve Tomac comes from a family of pastors, but his path into ministry was an uncommon one. Now the pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in Yerington, Nevada, Tomac sees his journey as one that helped shape him to meet this moment. His parents had always hoped he would enter the ministry, and it wasn't hard to see why. His great-great-great-grandfather, Gottfried Schmidt, had been among the Lutheran immigrants who fled Saxony in search of religious freedom. Both Gottfried's son an

Pastor Brad Cusson is finishing his time at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Rocklin (CA), which began in October 2005, with joy for what God has accomplished and excitement for what is to come with Pastor Luke Timm and the congregation. "Ken Semmler, now with the Lord, called me three times before I actually took the call. The third time, I was literally walking out the door to a meeting at church. He introduced himself and said they were from Roseville, California and thought t

Luke Timm was installed as Sr. Pastor of St. Matthew’s Rocklin. Luke and his wife, Joni, and their six children were welcomed by a grateful and enthusiastic St. Matthew congregation and a bounty of circuit 4 & 19 pastors, including a couple of “extras”. Welcome to the Timm family!

Dave Levy’s journey into ministry has been anything but typical. As a child, he grew up in Northern California, moving frequently before eventually settling in Crescent City. Dave was not raised as a Christian, but that changed in high school when he met his future wife, Natalie, and her family. Through their influence, he came to faith in Christ and became deeply involved at Grace Lutheran Church in Crescent City, where he volunteered as a Sunday school teacher and assisted

Dayton Dangel (right) received his first call to Trinity Lutheran in Redding, CA at the St. Louis Seminary placement service on Tuesday, April 28. He was the only candidate placed in the CNH this year. Seminarian Ben Wagner, a Concordia University Irvine graduate, and his fiancée Aubrey received a vicarage assignment to Shepherd of the Valley and First Immanuel Lutheran Churches, both in San Jose, CA. Six congregations from the CNH requested candidates from the two seminaries

What does an Elko City police officer and a Lutheran pastor have in common? In the case of Jake Eisinger, they are one and the same person. Jake Eisinger has served as a police officer for the City of Elko (Nevada) for the past 16 years. He also is now the pastor at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Elko, Nevada. Jake grew up in Elko as a member of St. Mark Lutheran Church. His father, Alan Eisinger, was pastor at St. Mark from 1994-2003. He left Elko in 2003 after joining th

"Welcoming the Unchurched" Tuesday, May 19, 2026–Thursday, May 21, 2026 Location: Holy Cross Lutheran Church (4701 Grove St. Rocklin, CA 95677) As our culture continues the slide towards secularization and we see the growth of the "nones" (those who have no faith at all), how does the church's voice welcome and teach those with no theological background? How do we practice hospitality? How do we catechize from ground zero? How do we set the arc of the Bible's story of redemp

Tom Norris was installed as pastor at Bethany in Menlo Park on March 22, 2026. Pastor Robert Weller, second vice president of the district, installed Pastor Norris. Also participating in the service were Pastor Stewart Crown, Pastor Martin Noland, and Pastor Kevin Hempe.

Pastor James Pevy was installed as the pastor at Benecia Lutheran (Benecia, CA) and Trinity Lutheran (Fairfield, CA) on Sunday February 15, 2026

Pastors’ wives had a wonderful weekend together at the annual retreat. It was a lovely time of rest, renewal, and friendship. Save the date for next year: February 5-7, 2027.

David Singer was ordained and installed as an SMP associate pastor at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Clovis. Singer and Jake Eisinger of St. Mark Lutheran Church in Elko completed the same SMP cohort at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and both continue to serve in law enforcement. Eisinger and his father, Alan—a retired pastor—traveled from Elko, Nevada, to take part in the service.

Get to Know Your Community with the Mission Insite Demographics Tools The more we understand those who live in our neighborhoods and communities, the more we increase our likelihood of succeeding with our invitation both personally and collectively as a congregation or school. As we understand who we are serving, we can tailor a ministry plan around their needs. The truth of God’s word and the Gospel message never change, however our packaging or style or approach to sharing