Tuesday, September 3, 2019

WELS "Connection" Propaganda Tapes - Part of the Synod Worship Service?
The Congregation Pays To Play the Tape? Har. Har.
They Openly Lied about Everybunny Loving the New NIV

 WELS Discussions on Facebook



WELS Connection should never be played during the service: fact.
Comments

  • Luke John Willitz Just have an extra benediction beforehand and an extra invocation afterward. Problem solved.
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  • Pat Buzzard Isn’t it customarily played after service has concluded, but prior to dismissal?
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  • David Locklair Somebody plays it DURING the service? I've always seen it after the benediction or before the invocation
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  • Marianne Comings Butler What's "WELS Connection"? Is it related to the Rainbow Connection? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEnC5gwNAN0 (Seriously, though, I have no idea what this is)
    The Muppet Movie - Rainbow Connection
    YOUTUBE.COM
    The Muppet Movie - Rainbow Connection
    The Muppet Movie - Rainbow Connection
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  • Joel Gaertner What’s wrong with playing it during the service?
  • Blake Tonn II Our church plays it after the service. I’ve been to a church where they play it during collection
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  • Robert Broring We sometimes play it during the offering. I am not a fan. The entire service has a theme and usually the WELS Connection does not support that theme hence distracting from the service. Either show it before or after the service. I prefer after.
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    • Joel Gaertner It helps people see what their synod Mission offerings are supporting. Practically speaking, showing it during the offering also allows everyone to see it if they came late or have to leave early
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    • Griffin Finnestad Robert Broring We always show it after the service, which is what I prefer.
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  • Erin Hardy Dahle Our church plays it before.
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  • Rachel Zoellner Schulz We play it during the offering the last weekend of the month.
  • Scott Ehlke Some things are worth complaining about and most aren't. fact.
  • Joe Jewell My family leaves when it’s played.
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    • Jim Baur Joe Jewell aren't you the guy who reads all the BORAMs and RTTTD reports?
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    • Jerod Butt I used to leave before it started as well. I always hated it, even if there was closed captioning, which was still too small, rendering it absolutely useless.

      I don't watch TV if the subtitles or closed captions are not turned on. 
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    • Joe Jewell Jim Baur yes, those contain some quantity of real news about the synod occasionally (at minimum, the financials). WELS Connection generally not.
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    • Joe Jewell Joel Gaertner the main reason is because it is propaganda, by which I mean, intentionally misleading and, at least on some *very* key issues, not reflective of reality. I stopped paying attention completely (and started encouraging others to do the samSee More
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    • Joe Jewell cf. Daniel Baker, who was a delegate that year. Did you ever see that WELS Connection? I could’ve laughed at how slanted it was—except that I know lots of folks in the pews probably trusted it, which is a shame.
    • Joel Gaertner Joe, I would agree with you on that one topic as I chaired one of the committees which dealt with the translation issue at the synod convention 8 years ago. However the vast majority of the WELS Connection material gives God's people keen insights into what their mission dollars are doing and other important work of the synod. For that reason I wouldn't throw the baby out with bath water.
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    • Joe Jewell Joel Gaertner other than that, what IS it, really? Pretty video from some picturesque world mission site? A row of graduates from one of the schools, filing across the stage? There’s no substance, no information really. “Keen insights”?!
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  • Heinz Kirstein At JEL Morton Grove IL. We go after and before Pastor dismisses
  • Joyce Ann Johnson We never show it
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  • Marianne Comings Butler This is played during the service? I don't understand how this would fit into the liturgy. Rather it seems that it would be a jarring distraction. If this is something people ought to see, send them a link in an email, or something like that. But don't disrupt the Divine Service.
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    • Howard Blank We used to play these after the service in some congregations. It's a good way for us to keep up with what's going on in the synod. Never heard of anyone playing these during the service.
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  • Bob Herbon Ours is after the benediction and closing him. It is part of the announcements. I only rarely see people leave before it's shown.
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  • Bob Herbon Didn't Luther do announcements during worship? Like shortly after the sermon?
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  • David Liebhard OP - Opinion: Fact
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  • Janet Sherman Ours is usually before Sunday School.....BUT if the WELS Connection has to do with the sermon or service theme- I don’t see a problem it being played during the service.
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  • Alanna Richards My pastor plays the WELS Connection videos just before
    we’re dismissed.
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  • Helen Brashear We do ours before church starts
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  • Devin Ellinghuysen We play it during collection. I think it is fitting to remind us we’re a portion of our gift goes
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  • Griffin Finnestad We do the WELS Connection after the whole service.
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  • Ben Wink I was okay with ending that sentence with "...should never be played."
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    • Dar Tiede I'll take that comment to be about as serious as your FB profile.
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    • Sara Mae Schneider Ben Wink what do you have against it?
    • Ben Wink Dar Tiede imagine if Facebook were to be taken seriously! What a dire world it would be.

      Actually, I encourage playing the Connection at the end of the service...so I can skip it and beat the rush out of the parking lot.
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    • Ben Wink Sara Mae Schneider they aren't informative and they are just puff pieces. Pieces consist of either "How wonderful the synodical ministerial schools are!" or "How wonderful the synod is in a foreign nation!"

      Nothing beyond that. No real news. Just pablum and items where the synod pats itself on the back. 
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    • Joel Gaertner Ben - that seems to be a rather exaggerated view. Please see what I said to Joe above. For many WELS lay people, the WELS Connection is the primary source of information they have on what is going on in their church body. WELS Communication Services does a fantastic job in make sure that they information is timely and accurate!
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    • Ben Wink Joel Gaertner if people want to watch it, good for them. It does nothing for me beyond giving my family a healthy headstart for the car. Unless my congregation starts playing it before the service. Of course this would mean that we can be late without worrying about missing anything.
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  • Sandy Kanavel Augustine I enjoy the WELS Connection. It keeps me informed of what the wider church body is doing in the world. I've attended three WELS churches in my life -- The WELS Connection was played after the service for all three.

    I would find viewing a video during 
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  • Donald Hochmuth After the benediction.
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  • Scott Parent After the service only
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  • Lee Liermann I don't understand why it would be played before the service. Isn't that the time where you should be preparing for the service? I would not count the WELS connection as being useful in preparation for the Divine Service. Now if you are just killing time....
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  • David Moseley As a parent with young children, WELS connection can be the straw that breaks the camel's back. Better to play it during Bible Study Hour.
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  • Rebecca Fischer It's a shame to hear that some dislike it or never see it. WELS members need the reminder that our Synod is more than just the local congregations. I am always amazed to learn how God's Word has been spreading throughout the world. It's a great visual reminder of the Great Commission in action. Please keep that in mind, because we ALL have work to do!
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    • Simon Johnson Rebecca Fischer the synod makes you pay for the WELS Connection videos so this might be why some church’s don’t play it. I was once at a WELS church were they were thinking about not paying for it anymore and some members were okay with that.
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    • Laurie Martin Rebecca Fischer I agree! I look fwd to seeing how our outreach is affecting people💕
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    • Rebecca Fischer Simon Johnson I would hope that members are directed to the WELS website to view it online. Perhaps that could be streamed during Bible class. A lack of money should never stand in the way.
    • Joe Jewell Simon Johnson they CHARGE for that?! ðŸ™„
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    • Jerod Butt Joe Jewell I remember seeing it on the budget. I believe that congregation actually split the cost with another congregation.
    • Joe Jewell Jerod Butt well, that would explain why we never had it at my last congregation. We definitely didn’t send in money for it (I was the treasurer so I would have known), so I guess we didn’t get it!
    Write a reply...

  • Jessica Lynn We do ours during the offering.
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  • Allan Bunt Good Shepherd Lutheran Church also plays it during offering but only one service a month. Rebecca, I agree with you that it is a shame that some miss it. Pastor and I discussed with Elders and agree that during offering is best time "for us"
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  • Michaela Johnson We play it during fellowship hour while everyone is enjoying coffee and donuts. We pause our conversations for a minute to watch
  • Corey Dettmann I'll never forget the time the WELS connection started talking about the decline in WELS members. And then rather than discuss what was happening and possible solutions, it immediately went to compare to how some other Christian denominations were doing worse than the WELS so really it wasn't THAT bad. Just plain annoying and unintelligent propaganda in those videos.
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  • Keith Schmidt Ours is played before the service starts.
  • Susan Waldhuetter We play it right before the service starts. It has no place during the service.

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