Dear Brothers in Christ:

Greetings, grace, and blessing from the Christ who has, for our salvation, conquered sin, death, and Satan.

I know you receive a lot of mass mailings from Lutheran Hour Ministries and myself. If you are among those who read everything sent to you, wonderful! If you toss most things, I hope you'll make an exception and take the time necessary to read this one-page epistle.

During my years in the parish, I was saddened by the many men who were content to remain on the periphery of church life. The last six years have shown me the problem was not uniquely mine. Many places I visit have more women's groups than men's; more women teaching in Sunday School, singing in the choir, and worshipping with their children.

Without wishing to oversimplify, I believe the reasons for this are threefold:

1. For more than a century, the world has encouraged churches to emphasize the gentler qualities of Jesus (e.g., His kindness and care) and downplay characteristics men would emulate (e.g., His power and commitment).

2. Men wish to be actively involved where their work makes a difference. That is why we see men involved in building and emergency relief programs, but who fade away when things get "normal."

3. Men wish to take a stand against Satan's attacks. Before they do so, they want to be educated and organized.

If you agree, allow me to point you to a new program developed by Lutheran Hour Ministries. It is called the Men's NetWork. Authorized in convention, endorsed by the Int'l LLL Governors, fleshed out by Bruce Wurdeman (Director of U.S. Ministries) and his team, the Men's NetWork is free and is delivered on the Web. It has been designed as an innovative and Christ-centered resource for you and active laymen in taking a stand for the Savior and against Satan.

There is one other thing you need to know about the Men's NetWork: it is not finished. What we offer on our Web site is a beginning-things we believe might help you. But here in St. Louis we know we don't have all the answers. That is why future direction will be determined by your ideas, input, and requests. We want to know what you need and how we can help. Because of budget limitations we may not be able to implement every idea, but I guarantee you will be heard, and someone will respond. We are committed to making the Men's NetWork a powerful tool for the servants of the Savior.

You may have already received a Men's NetWork mailing that provides additional details on this important initiative. If you do not receive this mailing within the next few weeks, e-mail us at mensnetwork@lhm.org for a copy. In the meantime, you can access the Web site at www.lhmmen.com. Then, please register to take full advantage of the Men's NetWork.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Pastor Ken Klaus
Ephesians 3: 7-9