Philoxenia/Hospitality Ministry

FELLOWSHIP WITH ASIAN NEIGHBOURS

PO Box 1031, Waterloo STN Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2J 4A9

Website: https://hospitalitylcc.org

E-MAIL for General Inquiries: [email protected]

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Pentecost 2025 Newsletter 

Message from the Chairman

“Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him.  All the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him.  So shall it be!  Amen.” Revelation 1:7 (E.S.V.)

It’s curious that the apostle John would add a little detail in his description of our Lord’s return that all the tribes of the earth will mourn.  Everyone who is alive and it seems those who have died will not only see Jesus appear in the sky visibly with power, but also at that very moment they will then know that this Jesus, whom they rejected as their Saviour, is indeed God and Lord.  That knowledge that they were wrong, together with apprehension of how Jesus will judge them for their rejection of Him, seems to be the source of their mourning.

Today, Islam is the world’s second largest religion after Christianity, comprising some 25% of the world’s population.  The Islamic faith confesses that Jesus was a holy prophet but not the Son of God.  This means that Muslims do not see Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, such that when He returns, they will mourn in grief that they have been deceived as to Jesus’ true identity.

It is our mission at Hospitality Ministry to share the Gospel of Christ with Muslims in Canada and to help educate and equip Christians, congregations and seminary students to better understand Islam and be more comfortable interacting with and sharing the Good News of Christ with their Muslim neighbours, acquaintances, classmates and coworkers.  Currently we are doing this through partially financially supporting a part-time synodical lay missionary to Muslims.  The board of directors hope is that as more and more members of LC-C hear about our work and support us with their prayers and donations, we will in time be able to fully support this effective lay missionary.

Please consider sending us your email address so we can add you to our email list and send these newsletters directly to your inbox.  I also invite you to make a donation to our Ministry so that we can continue to support our lay missionary. 

In Christ, Rev. Rob Korsch

Join Us At Our June 11th Annual General Meeting

Please join us in person on June 11, 2025, at 7PM at Grace Lutheran Church, 136 Margaret Ave, Kitchener, ON N2M 1C6 for our 2025 annual general meeting.  At this meeting we will review the ministry’s progress in the last year, select a board of directors for 2025-26 by vote and vote on a commitment to financially support our lay missionary for 2026.  If you cannot join us in person, please consider joining us by Zoom with the information below.   The Zoom meeting will begin promptly at 7PM but not before so as to give us exactly 40 minutes on the first video call.  

Voting is open to individual supporters of the Ministry who are confirmed members of LC-C and 18+ as well as representatives of LC-C congregations who support the Ministry.  See you on June 11th!

Who We Are

Hospitality Ministry’s 2024-25 Board of Directors currently includes: Rev. Rob Korsch (President), Mr. Darryll Holland (Treasurer), Rev. Gerhard Wilch (Secretary), Rev. Joe Das, Rev. Michael Drews, Rev. Peter Gatluak and Rev. Dan Abraham.

Treasurer’s Report

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the following are the financial statements of Philoxenia/Hospitality Ministry as at April 30, 2025.  As you will note, our finances are small but committed to His purpose in reaching out to non-Christians with His word of forgiveness, salvation and everlasting life through Jesus Christ.  As our president has noted in previous newsletters, our ministry has taken on the responsibility to assist in financing a field missionary within the Niagara Circuit whose primary purpose is to reach out to the Muslim community.  Our ministry has very limited resources and relies solely on the generosity of its donors to support this initiative.  Donations, however great or small, play a vital role in ensuring that we can continue to meet our commitment to this LCC missionary.  We know that there are many other charities striving for your support but we simply ask that if this ministry appeals to your heart that you consider a gift, again no matter how large or small, to support our efforts.  As outlined in this newsletter there are several options by which you can make that donation.  All donations will be issued a tax receipt immediately upon receipt.  On behalf of the board of directors I want to thank you for your consideration and support. 

[Note these statements are newer and from July 2025.]

Ways to Donate

Donations may be made by mail (see mailing address above).  Due to the possibility of a mail strike we encourage you for the near future to make a donation electronically through the “Make a Donation” page on our website (see website address above).  We now accept credit card and e-transfer donations.  Philoxenia-Hospitality Ministry is a registered charity with the Canada Revenue Agency.  Charitable receipts will be issued for all donations.  Our treasurer, Darryll Holland, may be reached by mail or by email at [email protected]