The Summer 2021 issue of TimeLine newsletter celebrates the work of present and past ministry giants who have shared the Lutheran faith.

Thanking God for His many blessings, we seek His guidance in finding and inspiring young men and women to enter Lutheran ministry as pastors, teachers, deaconesses and missionaries.

This issue of TimeLine newsletter features the stories of:

  • The Rev. Philip S. Saywrayne and Christ Assembly Lutheran Church on Staten Island, N.Y.;
  • The life and ministry of the Rev. Byron Williams Sr., pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church and Christian Academy in Dallas;
  • Concordia Seminary’s Vocatio retreat, a program designed for high school students who are considering church work vocations;
  • The life and ministry of Jeffrey Howell, who served as a teacher and principal and now serves as pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church and School on Chicago’s South Side;
  • Awards given at the commencement ceremony at Concordia, Saint Paul, to Rev. Dr. James (Jim) McDaniels and his wife, Janis (Grant) McDaniels, a former Lutheran school teacher; and
  • The legacy of the ministry of Charles Sheppard of Dallas County, Selma, Ala., through two of his grandsons: the Rev. Cleveland A. Lewis and the Rev. Bertram B. Lewis Sr.

In addition, information is provided about the 2022 LCMS Black Ministry Family Convocation, which is scheduled for July 27-30 in Mobile, Ala.

We want to hear from you! If you have ideas for future issues, or comments or feedback on articles you’ve read in TimeLine, please contact the Rev. Dr. Roosevelt Gray Jr. at roosevelt.gray@lcms.org.


LCMS Black Ministry