Dr. Neil Sandfort of St. Charles, Mo., is the 2008 recipient of the Lutheran Education Association’s (LEA) Christus Magister (Christ the Master Teacher) Award, the most prestigious of eight recognition awards LEA announced Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. Sandfort is the…

Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod pastors, congregations, and related agencies are reaching out to comfort their neighbors after a gunman killed five people, wounded two, and was himself shot dead by police Feb. 7 at Kirkwood City Hall.  The Synod’s International Center…

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…

Registration is open for the 2008 National LCMS Children’s Ministry Conference — for anyone who works with kids ranging in age from early childhood through fifth-grade-age in the Synod. Each LCMS congregation should have received by mail from LCMS District and…

Concordia Publishing House in St. Louis has slashed prices by as much as 60 percent on more than two dozen Christ-centered books for children, youth, and adults. Among sale items are: the Happy Easter board book (item no. 56-2390WEB) by…

In the wake of the Feb. 7 Kirkwood City Hall shootings, The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod has placed two half-page ads in St. Louis-area newspapers to encourage residents to look to Christ for healing. The first ad ran in the Sunday,…

Dr. Harald Tomesch, president of Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary in St. Catharines, Ontario, resigned from the post Feb. 5. Tomesch had served as president of the Lutheran Church–Canada’s eastern seminary since Sept. 1, 2005.  Prior to that, he served eight…

ST. LOUIS—In response to the Feb. 7 shootings at Kirkwood City Hall, Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick, president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, has issued this statement: “Last night at around 7 o’clock, a man shot and killed a Kirkwood, Mo.,…

Rev. Wayne J. Knolhoff of Fenton, Mo., was installed and began serving Feb. 1 as director of Stewardship Ministry, with the staff of the LCMS Board for District and Congregational Services (DCS). In that position, Knolhoff “has specific responsibility for…

By Paula Schlueter Ross LCMS World Mission has asked its missionaries to Kenya to remain indefinitely in Ethiopia after they attend regularly scheduled meetings there, according to Travis Torblaa, the mission board’s personnel care manager. The move came in the…

By Kim Plummer Krull Kathy Wendling’s eyes filled with tears over the significance of fellow LCMS members joining forces to develop a timely, compassionate response to disasters that turn lives upside down. “I am so touched that this is an…

James F. Sanft will begin serving March 3 as president of Concordia Plan Services, administrator of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod’s health, disability, life, and retirement benefit programs. Sanft, 45, succeeds Paul W. Middeke, who is retiring after serving four-and-a-half years…

A new “DCS Online Store” at the LCMS District and Congregational Services Web site features an inventory of resources for congregational ministry — most available for the first time in downloadable format. For the store, visit www.lcms.org/dcsstore or go to the…

The Lutheran Campus Mission Association (LCMA) is sponsoring two training events that focus on outreach on college campuses.  LCMA is in partnership with LCMS World Mission to support, promote, and expand campus missions Synodwide. The upcoming training conferences are: the…

Laborers For Christ, a ministry service of the Lutheran Church Extension Fund–Missouri Synod, is recruiting construction laborers to work for LCMS congregations and organizations, helping them build their own facilities. Construction experience (labor and/or project management) is preferred but not…

LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) seeks nominations for executive director.  The executive director reports to the CTCR and is responsible for supervising the administration of the CTCR according to Commission decisions, delegating responsibilities according to Commission policies,…