WASHINGTON (RNS) — The number of Americans struggling with hunger remained stable in 2009 despite the economic downturn, but remained at the highest recorded level, according to new federal figures. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released statistics Nov.15 that…

WARSAW (RNS/ENInews) — A Polish bishop has invited fellow Catholics from around the world to attend an unveiling on Nov. 21 of the world’s largest statue of Christ. The statue, located about 20 miles from Poland’s western border with Germany,…

Missionaries and teachers are applauding the Chinese-language publication of a Greek lexicon that The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod helped publish in English 53 years ago. The Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature represents a giant step…

By Kim Plummer Krull As the cholera outbreak grows ever more deadly, Willy Gaspar, LCMS World Relief and Human Care projects manager in Haiti, is working with Lutheran partners in the neighboring Dominican Republic to buy desperately needed medicines and…

By Paula Schlueter Ross It’s said that nothing is certain except death and taxes, but perhaps it’s time to add to that list “Concordia University System enrollment growth.” This fall marks the 18th consecutive year that total enrollment at the…

Dr. Norman E. Barth, who led Baltimore-based Lutheran World Relief (LWR) for 12 years, died Nov. 15 in Sioux Falls, S.D.  He was 83. A memorial service was held Nov. 19 at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls, a congregation of the Evangelical…

Concordia Historical Institute (CHI) recently gave “Awards of Commendation” for 14 works published in 2009. The awards for unique contributions to Lutheran literature or for personal service in the field of Lutheran archival and historical work were presented at CHI’s…

(RNS) — Lawyers for the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office have two weeks to convince a federal judge to remove a temporary hold on a voter-approved state constitutional amendment that prohibits courts from considering Islamic law. U.S. District Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange…

GENEVA (RNS/ENInews) — Global Christian and Muslim leaders have called for a new group that can be mobilized whenever a crisis threatens to fuel conflict between Christians and Muslims. “Religion is often invoked in conflict creation, even when other factors,…

(RNS) — Most Americans have a desire for more forgiveness in their lives, but they are more critical when choosing who to forgive, according to a new survey. Sixty-two percent of American adults said they need more forgiveness in their…

The newly forming Evangelical Lutheran Church of Spain celebrated this fall 10 years of mission and ministry that is being carried out jointly by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Argentina (IELA) and the LCMS, and the installation of its first…

By Kim Plummer Krull When a 60-foot shipping container filled with much needed medical equipment arrived at the Malagasy Lutheran Hospital in Madagascar, “it was just like Christmas,” says Rev. Jeffrey Kuddes. “Maybe some people would look at some of…

By Joe Isenhower Jr. The Synod’s two new Boards for National and International Mission (BNM and BIM, respectively) are starting their work together by studying and discussing the theological “foundation” that will support and direct the policies they develop for…

St. Louis-based Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM) will be hosting its first Regional Outreach Conference Feb. 18-19 in Tempe, Ariz., a suburb of Phoenix. The conference will offer inspirational and practical information that’s designed to “take individual ministry outreach to new…

In his new book The Calling: Live a Life of Significance, Dr. Kurt Senske offers a new perspective on living a fuller life through service to others. “Other self-help books are designed to help us help ourselves to get what…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Is a state law that allows tax credits for donations to scholarship programs unconstitutional if most of the recipients attend religious schools? That’s the question the U.S. Supreme Court wrestled with Nov. 3, centered around an Arizona…