`Fan Into Flame` raises $10.2 million in mission funds

By Paula Schlueter Ross “Fan Into Flame” — the Synodwide campaign to raise $100 million by 2010 to support the worldwide evangelism effort known as Ablaze! — is officially off and running. Rolled out early this year as a pilot…

Graduate programs push `headcount` at Synod colleges to record

By Paula Schlueter Ross Thank God for graduate programs, which are continuing to draw ever-increasing numbers of students to the Synod’s universities with each passing year. This fall’s total undergraduate and graduate enrollment of 20,091 for the 10 Concordia University…

Plans to introduce new health programs next year

Concordia Plan Services (CPS) says it will introduce several new health and wellness programs as part of the Concordia Health Plan (CHP), starting March 1. Free to all CHP members, those programs will consist of Health Risk Assessment (HRA), Health Advisors…

Lutherans, Roman Catholics discuss funeral liturgies

Funeral liturgies and prayers for the dead were among topics discussed during the recent session of the U.S. Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue, which met Oct. 12-15 in Baltimore.  The theme for this round of discussions is “The Hope of Eternal Life.” Regarding…

Fort Wayne sem offers CDs on love, marriage

Almost two dozen presentations from the “In the Image of God” love and marriage conference — held this fall on the campus of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne — are now available on compact disk. The conference was sponsored by…

Lay Institute offers free audio files from forum

The Institute on Lay Vocation at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, is offering audio files from its Nov. 3-4 forum, “Called to Engage the Postmodern World: The Lutheran Voice in Contemporary America.” The audio files in MP3 format are available free…

St. Louis sem to host choir workshop

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, has scheduled its 15th Annual “Schola Cantorum: An Adult Choir Member Workshop” for Saturday, Jan. 20. The daylong workshop is open to all choir members, choir directors, and ministers of music. Dr. Timothy Peter, professor of…

Ziegler named `Distinguished Principal`

Robert J. Ziegler, principal of St. Michael Lutheran School, Fort Myers, Fla., has been named a “National Distinguished Principal” for 2006.  He received the award along with 64 other principals at an Oct. 27 ceremony in Washington, D.C. Ziegler is the…

Brazil`s Winterle serving in Kenya

Dr. Carlos Walter Winterle, former president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil, is now serving as a missionary in Kenya, East Africa. Winterle was installed Nov. 5 as English-speaking pastor of Uhuru Highway Lutheran Cathedral in downtown Nairobi, Kenya. …

Three LCMS schools get `Blue Ribbon` award

Three schools operated by LCMS congregations — one in Minnesota and two in Texas — are among 50 private “No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools” named by the U.S. Department of Education for this year.  They are Trinity Lone Oak Lutheran…

LCMS congregations get Health, Hope Grants

Seven Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod churches are among 29 Lutheran congregations that received a total of $48,318 in the latest round of Wheat Ridge Ministries’ Congregation Health and Hope Grants. Open to all Lutheran congregations — individually or in partnerships — the grants…

Study: 23 percent of church workers `uncomfortable` with debt

By Roland Lovstad While three out of four LCMS-rostered workers are comfortable with their current levels of debt, about one-third of them say debt has negatively affected their personal lives or ministries sometime during their careers. Rising health insurance costs was…

LFL offers DVD, resources on stem-cell research

Lutherans For Life (LFL) has produced a DVD that’s designed to help people understand the basics of stem-cell research and cloning, and how God’s Word can be applied to those technologies. Hosted by LFL Executive Director Dr. James I. Lamb,…

St. Louis sem announces art exhibit, free reception

“Reflections on Water,” an art exhibit by Karl Fay, will open Dec. 1 at the library art gallery of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and will be on display through Feb. 16. An opening reception with wine and refreshments will be…

LFL prepares for march, offers free lodging

If you don’t live in the Washington, D.C., area but you’d like to take part in the 34th national “March for Life” on Monday, Jan. 22, all you have to do is get there — members of the Lutherans For…

Gathering registration remains open beyond Nov. 8 cutoff

Although a two-week “priority window” ended Nov. 8 for registrations for next year’s LCMS National Youth Gathering, registrations will continue to be accepted beyond that date. “We want to assure those who still want to register for the Youth Gathering and…