A Note from Les Stroh, KINDLE’s Executive Director:
In Wishful Thinking, Frederick Buechner observes, “True repentance spends less time looking to the past and saying, ‘I’m sorry,’ than to the future and saying, ‘Wow!'” In other words, while being sorry for our sins is an essential part of a life of repentance, it falls short unless we are willing to look at the next moment and recognize what God has called us to be and to do in His kingdom. And, recognizing what God intends to do through us with the gifts He has given us, the only appropriate response is, “Wow!” KINDLE is dedicated to “fostering and multiplying Christ-like servant leaders to enhance the ministry of congregations in their communities and the world.” And, as part of the KINDLE community, you are helping to make that happen.
More and more people are gaining knowledge, learning new skills, and developing a greater awareness of the call that each and every Christian has to be a Christ-like Servant Leader. For your involvement, KINDLE says “Thank you.” You are making a difference!
Take a moment and listen to some lay people from Trinity Lutheran in Clinton Township, Michigan, testify to the impact of KINDLE clusters in their lives. Just go to kindleservantleaders.org to watch the short video (on the home page).
While on this continuing KINDLE journey, we encounter new opportunities and continued expenses. Your generosity in this last year helped KINDLE to:
- Finish in the black for the 14th year.
- Train 19 new Associates in Classic KINDLE and 16 in KINDLE: Finishing Well, who will lead congregational lay people to greater understanding and commitment to Christ-like servant leadership.
- Gather 145 participants in KINDLE: Servant Leader Workshops.
Best of all, some 1,200 lay people were involved in 2012-2014 Classic KINDLE congregational experiences.
You made all of that possible this last year and I would be so bold as to ask you to make it possible in the current year—the 14th programmatic year of KINDLE.