“Live by the Spirit,” from Gal. 5:16, is the theme of the 91st International Convention of the International Lutheran Laymen’s League.  The convention will be held July 24-27 in Lexington, Ky. This year’s convention will offer motivational speakers, including: two-time…

Wheat Ridge Ministries is holding a second “Living Well” symposium Oct. 2-4 in Milwaukee, on the heels of a 2005 symposium which organizers termed a success.  Registration for the upcoming symposium, with the sub-theme “The Body Language of Faith,” is…

Sekolah Pelita Harapan, a Christian school in Indonesia, is seeking qualified and certified teachers for the 2008-09 academic year. Teachers are needed to teach high-school biology, physics, mathematics, English, and history.  Also needed are curriculum specialists and elementary school teachers.…

Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod missionaries returned to Kenya in early February to resume their work, just days after LCMS World Mission asked them to remain in Ethiopia after regularly scheduled meetings there. The missionaries — Dr. Paul and Joy Mueller and…

Concordia Publishing House has released a new children’s Bible and is offering savings on Easter products and school items. The ESV Children’s Bible is aimed at children ages 6 to 12 and features more than 200 color illustrations, a timeline…

Rev. Ken Klaus, speaker of “The Lutheran Hour,” addresses the senselessness of the Feb. 14 shootings at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, in a 14-minute video message that’s designed to provide a message of hope to young people and their parents.…

Registration is open for a number of off-campus continuing-education workshops both LCMS seminaries are offering around the country this summer. The cost for each of 11 workshops offered by Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, is $125.  Taught by seminary faculty, the…

Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, is hosting two training conferences for parish nurses, congregational health workers, pastors, and others interested in congregational health. The 16th annual “Concordia Conference for Parish Nurse and Congregational Health Ministries” will be held May 29-30 under…

This summer, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind., will offer two five-day workshops for organists: A “Primer” course June 16-20 is a beginning workshop for organists who do not use pedals, use only one foot, or want to learn more…

The Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) Program Committee has published foundational documents for the program, paving the way for SMP students to begin their studies as early as this fall. The committee has been meeting to design the details of the…

Northern Illinois University (NIU) graduate and LCMS Pastor Marty Marks and nearly a dozen fellow alumni and current students continued to reach out to the campus community by offering “free Huskie hugs” as classes resumed Feb. 25. The group enjoyed…

Meeting with the LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations Feb. 18-19, a consulting group of eight men and eight women reviewed the first draft of a document on the scriptural relationship of men and women that was developed from…

Wheat Ridge Ministries of Itasca, Ill., is awarding grants totaling $73,844 to support sabbatical experiences for professional church workers from 14 congregations, including three from The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. According to Wheat Ridge, “sabbatical leave for rest and renewal is…

In February, the Synod’s Board for University Education mailed to all LCMS congregations a brochure promoting “Concordia Sunday,” suggested for April 20. The special observance, which may be held that day or any Sunday of the year, is designed to…

James H. Heine of St. Louis and Vicki Biggs of Eureka, Mo., are serving in new positions with the Synod’s Board for Communication Services (BCS). Heine, 57, is the new managing editor of the LCMS magazine, The Lutheran Witness. Heine…

COVENANT CONGREGATIONS Rev. Yohannes Mengsteab’s response in last month’s Reporter “Letters” to the two pastors writing about the Covenant Congregations story in the January issue does not address the matter of the declining birthrate and viewing children as a blessing…