Students at Plano's Faith Lutheran School often support the work of missionaries through their chapel offerings. But this semester, they are gathering funds to help the son of the school's own fourth grade teacher.

Rev. Micah Wildauer, son of Faith Lutheran School fourth grade teacher Cheryl Wildauer of Allen, was most recently the Pastor of Hope Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Rev. Wildauer visited with faculty, staff, students and guests at Faith Lutheran School on Monday, May 19 to speak about his upcoming mission work and to share with students what life will be like in the area where he will be living.

"Over the past seven plus years of my ministry in the Milwaukee area, my family has had the opportunity to work in a rather cross-cultural setting," said Rev. Wildauer. "We are looking forward to this new opportunity!"

Rev. Wildauer accepted a call from The Lutheran Church-Missouri Board for International Mission to become a theological educator at the French Language Seminary in Dapaong, Togo, Africa.

Rev. Wildauer and his wife Robin recently attended orientation meetings to prepare them for their work and are now working to obtain financial support for deployment in 2014.

"Our staff is thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to teach about Christ and to serve the students and families of Faith Lutheran School. It is a special blessing for us to see Rev. Wildauer embark on this exciting journey and enter this new, exciting phase in his service to the Lord. We are fortunate to be a part of his journey," said Faith Lutheran School Headmaster Timothy Merritt of Plano.

Working alongside another Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod pastor Rev. Wildauer will be teaching courses in doctrine and theology to men who wish to become pastors among the people of Togo and surrounding French-speaking countries in West Africa.

“The face of mission work is changing in Africa," said Rev. Wildauer. "Many small emerging church bodies are desiring our pastors and theological educators to train their own men to be pastors, rather than the former concept of church planting among people who are completely unfamiliar with the Gospel. Teaching at the seminary in Togo will provide an answer for many neighboring church bodies who long for such. Their pastors will then return equipped with the theological foundation to lead their congregations. In essence, the students of Faith Lutheran are supporting the proclamation of the Gospel in Africa so that generations yet to be born know the Lord.”

The Wildauer family will be sharing updates about their work at http://wildauersgototogo.blogspot.com/. Those interested in pledging financial support or who are interested in learning more about mission work in West Africa can also visit www.lcms.org/wildauer

About Faith Lutheran School
In 1971, the congregation of Faith Lutheran Church in Plano, Texas established a four-year-old preschool for children of the congregation. Since then, the school has grown and opened enrollment to others in the community on a tuition basis. Faith Lutheran School is fully accredited and currently provides classes from pre-school three-year-olds through the twelfth grade. School curriculum is based on the classical model of education. The school's educational program also includes both sports and the fine arts. To learn more about Faith Lutheran School, please visit the school's web site at www.flsplano.org
or call 972.423.7448.