WELS Kingdom Workers (WKW), a parasynodical organization that funds approved WELS mission projects and encourages volunteer efforts in mission fields, has named Mr. Bill Meier as its new national executive director. He will start Nov. 1.

"I see it as being a facilitator," says Meier of his work. "We provide people with an opportunity to serve, and at the same time we provide a ministry service to Christians everywhere in the world."

Having served as a WKW lay worker in the African nations of Malawi, Zambia, and Cameroon, and also as a called lay missionary in Malawi and Mozambique, Meier is no stranger to WKW or mission work. He sees his biggest challenge—or "opportunity" as he calls it—in making sure people know how they can serve in as well as support missions. "We have to ensure that people understand how easy it can be to become involved," he says.

Meier will be replacing Mr. David Timm, who is retiring after serving as executive director for 18 years. Meier says that he hopes to continue a spirit of unity in the synod so "we can continue to act on the opportunities that the Lord has provided us as WELS to spread the gospel and to take full advantage of the gifts and talents that we have in the synod."

Meier, a member at St. Mark's, Watertown, Wis., is a 1997 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee. He and his wife, Cathy, have three children.