JOHN R. ASHCRAFT III, Collinsville, Ill.; CARLA J. FAGA, St. Charles, Ill.; GRETCHEN HUESMANN, Grafton, Wis.; DONALD G. HOFFMANN, Cincinnati, Ohio; SHANNON N. RITTER, Kalispell, Mont.; and SARA M. WOLFF, Wauwatosa, Wis., have applied for reinstatement to the Minister of…

The commission on fellowship between The Association of American Lutheran Churches (AALC) and The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod agreed on an initial operating agreement — concerning the movement of members between the two church bodies — during its fourth meeting, May 19 in…

Through Lutheran World Relief (LWR), Baltimore, and its overseas partner Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, U.S. Lutherans have pledged an initial emergency grant of $50,000 for victims of the May 3 cyclone in Myanmar, and that aid is “definitely…

Addressing those affected by the tornadoes, Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod President Gerald B. Kieschnick issued a statement on behalf of all LCMS members. “We are all saddened,” Kieschnick said.  “Our hearts are full with deep compassion for those losing their homes,…

The Apple of His Eye, a St. Louis-based LCMS mission society, and two of its missionaries filed a lawsuit May 1 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri seeking an injunction against the City of St.…

Dr. Joel D. Lehenbauer of Union, Mo., has accepted the call to become executive director of the Synod’s Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR), effective July 1. Lehenbauer — who has been associate executive director of the CTCR since 2004 —…

By Roland Lovstad Theological training with a mission emphasis is the thrust of the Lutheran Hispanic Missionary Institute (LHMI) that began offering classes this year in El Paso, Texas. Supported by LCMS World Mission and the LCMS Rocky Mountain District,…

Karen Sansone, director of the Tax and Compliance section of the Synod’s Accounting Department, reminds all LCMS entities that their efforts, if any, to “educate voters” must comply with Internal Revenue code requirements concerning political campaign activities. The code, Sansone…

Lutheran World Relief (LWR), Baltimore, is seeking members of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and other volunteers to travel to India this fall to build low-cost homes through the “Thrivent Builds Worldwide” program and to visit communities in which LWR works…

Dr. Jaroslav (Jary) Jan Vajda — a retired LCMS pastor, author, and editor who was known as “the dean of hymn writers in North America” — died May 10 at Laclede Groves Senior Living Community in Webster Groves, Mo., where he and…

Rev. David A. Johnson of St. Louis has accepted the call to serve as executive director of the LCMS Commission on Worship, effective June 2. In that position, Johnson succeeds Dr. Paul Grime, who began serving last fall as associate…

LCMS World Relief and Human Care awarded initial emergency grants to two Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod congregations with members and facilities affected by tornadoes that tore through Oklahoma, Missouri, and Arkansas the night of May 10. Mother’s Day weekend twisters there…

The Good Shepherd Institute of Pastoral Theology and Sacred Music at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind., has released an 80-minute DVD course on the history of Lutheran congregational song called “Singing the Faith — Living the Lutheran Musical Heritage.”…

The fifth edition of the sex-education series for children, “Learning About Sex,” is now available from Concordia Publishing House. The series provides up-to-date and medically correct information, with age-appropriate language and illustrations. Originally released in 1982, the set is designed…

“Lutheran Ecclesiology for the Third Millennium: Beyond Walther” is the title of the 19th Annual Theological Symposium, to be held Sept. 23-24 at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. The American Lutheran understanding of what it means to be the church has…