Two Hmong men—a father and his son—will be reaching out to the Hmong in Sheboygan, Wis., as well as exploring the possibility of establishing a new Hmong ministry in Milwaukee.

Wattzai and Titus Lee graduated from the Pastoral Studies Institute (PSI) at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary this May.

"I am very pleased to graduate in the same class as my firstborn son," says Wattzai. "Thank the Lord for his goodness and making this happen to us.”

Originally from Laos, Wattzai moved to Sheboygan in 1991. After hearing the gospel from another Hmong PSI student in 2002, he became a member of WELS and began studying for the ministry. "A good number of Hmong within the Sheboygan community, United States, and Thailand knew me well, and I wanted to bring these people to the Lord," says Wattzai. Titus has been in the PSI program since 2005.

Now the Lees will be serving a team tent ministry—both working part time while ministering to the Hmong congregation at Calvary, Sheboygan.

"I feel that it is a privilege for me to work with my dad as a team," says Titus. "He has always been my teacher in the past and will always to the end. No matter where I go I will always depend on his wisdom."

Leon Piepenbrink, the Hmong ministry coordinator, says Wattzai and Titus will make a great team because they can serve two generations of Hmong—the older, more traditional elders and the younger, more Americanized youth.

"Wattzai will have all the respect of the Hmong elders. They will listen to him because he's been there," says Piepenbrink. "But the young people will relate to Titus."

While continuing the ministry in Sheboygan, Wattzai and Titus will also be working with their many unchurched contacts in Milwaukee. "We've wanted to do Hmong ministry in Milwaukee for a long time," says Piepenbrink. "But [the Hmong] are not going to go to Anglo worship services. To start Hmong ministry you really need to have a Hmong pastor ready. Between these two men, we do."

Piepenbrink says that if the Lord blesses their efforts in Milwaukee, the Hmong/Lao Committee will work with an existing congregation in the area to establish a Hmong ministry.

Find out more about how our ministerial education schools are training students for cross-cultural outreach in the August WELS Connection, available online after Aug. 1 at www.wels.net/welsconnection.