Concordia Nebraska church work students visit LCMS’ Mission Central

Almost 40 Concordia University, Nebraska church work students recently piled into a bus for a more than two-hour road trip that landed them at a unique destination in the middle of an Iowa cornfield: Mission Central for The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod.  

Marked by a large, lighted sign and flanked by Wayside Chapel, Mission Central is located two miles east of Mapleton, Iowa, 45 miles southeast of Sioux City and 85 miles northeast of Omaha, Nebraska. Each year, Mission Central welcomes thousands of visitors, from missionaries and their families to members of supporting congregations and others. They all come to tour the space, pray for the mission work being done and provide support for missionaries across the globe.  

Gary Thies serves as missionary and support advocate and mission development counselor at Mission Central. Thies prefers to simply be referred to as “Old Missionary Gary.”  

“What a joy and a blessing to welcome Concordia Nebraska students and staff to the Lord’s Mission Central!” said Thies. “It truly was a wonderful teaching day with these leaders of tomorrow. They enjoyed our Ministry Center, the Creation Theater and Barn Museum. It was a day I will never forget!” 

“What a joy and a blessing to welcome Concordia Nebraska students and staff to the Lord’s Mission Central! It truly was a wonderful teaching day with these leaders of tomorrow.”

Freshman Lille Douglas of Cole Camp, Missouri, went on the trip. She is majoring in church music. 

“I decided to attend the Mission Central trip because I wanted to learn more about where our missionaries are trained, and who they serve. My parents had been trained as missionaries at Mission Central 20 years ago, so I wanted to see it for myself,” she said. “Mission Central is surrounded by farms on all sides and is kind of secluded from other people. It’s like you step into a different world when you’re there.” 

At the start of the tour, Thies instructed all attending to raise their right hand, and he swore them in as missionaries.  

“He then told us that it is our duty to tell others about Jesus, and to be unafraid in our testimony,” said Douglas. “Gary is an extremely warm and caring person. I told him that my parents had been trained by him 20 years ago, and that I was saying hi from them. Right after I said my parents’ names, Gary gives me a huge hug with tears in his eyes and said, ‘you’re part of my family!’ It was truly special to experience that.” 

Douglas said the group toured the Mission Central campus and enjoyed a presentation about some of the places the LCMS has sent missionaries and the kind of people who have been served by those missionaries.  

“After this, we saw a presentation at the Creation Theater about how God made the earth and heavens. My favorite part, though, was when we went into the barn and learned about some of the rituals and religions that have a tight hold on people around the world,” she said. “It solidified for me how much we need to go and share the good news of Jesus with others.” 

Concordia University, Nebraska has prepared more future LCMS church workers than any other school in the Concordia University System.  Concordia University, Nebraska equips students to serve as the hands and feet of Christ and be His witnesses through its church work programs including pre-seminary and pre-deaconess studies, Lutheran educator preparation, Director of Christian education training, and church music and classical Lutheran educator programs.