More than 300 WELS teachers and other school leaders gathered June 25-28 in Waukesha, Wis., for the WELS National School Leadership Conference hosted by the Commission on Lutheran Schools. New to this conference were specialized strands for both early childhood and urban educators.

Early childhood educators also had the opportunity to attend a full-day pre-conference class for credit. Early childhood education is a growing ministry in WELS. Approximately 11,000 children, age birth to kindergarten, are served by WELS early childhood ministries—about double the enrollment from a decade ago. Thirty early childhood educators attended the pre-conference class taught by Martin Luther College professor Susan Haar.

Attendee Brigetta Guelker, an early childhood educator at Reformation, San Diego, Calif., says, “I left the conference so rejuvenated and swimming with information and ideas. I will share all that I have learned with my staff and work with them to change some of the things that we have been doing, and to implement many of the ideas that I was given. I hope that I will be able to rejuvenate them so that they have as much passion for sharing God's Word with the little ones and their parents as I now have. It was so wonderful to have such simple ideas given that I know when we implement them in the classrooms they will make a huge difference for us as teachers, for the children we care for, and for the parents we serve.”

Guelker’s experience was exactly what Mr. David A. Schroeder, chairman of the conference steering committee, was striving for as he helped organize the conference. As Schroeder explains, “Our focus passage was 1 Corinthians 9:23, ‘I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.’ There is nothing more exciting in Lutheran education than to share blessings with colleagues.”