“Bach at the Sem,” the Sunday afternoon concert series at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, begins its 19th season this fall. Four concerts will be performed in the seminary’s Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus — all begin at 3…

From now through Reformation Day (Oct. 31) Concordia Publishing House is offering Lutheranism 101 at a special introductory Web-only price of $14.99, plus shipping.  The book’s regular price is $24.99. Whether you’re a lifelong Lutheran, a newcomer to the faith…

Convention Proceedings 2010 — the official record of the 64th Regular Convention of the Synod that met July 10-17 in Houston — is online in downloadable PDF format at http://www.lcms.org/proceedings. In line with Synod Bylaw 3.1.10.1, the printed Proceedings will…

(RNS) — The basic text used for Alcoholics Anonymous programs, known as “The Big Book,” initially used stronger religious language but was reduced to appeal to a wider audience, The Washington Post is reporting. Hazelden, a nonprofit addiction treatment center,…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Religious minorities — especially Muslims — figure prominently in religious freedom investigations by the Justice Department, a new report shows.  “Jewish synagogues and schools, African-American churches, and, increasingly, Muslim mosques and schools are particularly vulnerable to discriminatory…

Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Ind., invites nominations and applications for the position of executive director of Campus Ministries. The executive director of Valparaiso University Campus Ministries is responsible for the management and direction of the various campus ministries of the university,…

At its Sept. 10-11 meeting in St. Louis, the Synod’s Board of Directors began its work in the new triennium by electing Board officers and organizing its subcommittees, hearing reports and taking several actions that included revising the national church…

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, has exceeded by more than $3 million the $77 million goal set in 2005 for its “How Will They Hear?” campaign. As of the campaign’s end on June 30, the five-year effort has received $80,010,613 in…

By Joe Isenhower Jr. and Paula Schlueter Ross  The two new mission boards formed out of sweeping structure changes adopted by this summer’s Synod convention met for the first time during a Sept. 9-10 orientation in St. Louis for all…

Robert “Bob” Uthoff of St. Louis joined the Lutheran Church Extension Fund staff Aug. 23 as vice-president of its new Loan Resolution Group — a component of the LCEF Loan Department. According to an Aug. 25 LCEF news release, the…

Dr. Gerhard F. Bode, president of the LCMS Oklahoma District from 1978 to 1988, died Sept. 15 at the age of 96. Dr. Bode died in Houston at the retirement home where he lived, after suffering complications from a stroke.  …

(RNS) — The United States tied with Switzerland for fifth place in a “world giving index” by the British-based Charities Aid Foundation that measured charitable behavior across the globe. The ranking in the “World Giving Index 2010” was based on…

(RNS) — It’s a question that has perplexed philosophers, theologians and scientists for thousands of years. Pythagorean Greeks, early Christian church fathers, Talmudic rabbis, Sunni and Shia scholars, Hindu Brahmin and modern bioethicists have grappled with the fundamental, ultimately unknowable,…

Registration is open online and by mail for the Lutheran Education Association (LEA) 2011 convocation March 24-26 at the Duke Energy Center in Cincinnati. Expected to draw several thousand participants, the triennial national convocation is open to Lutheran teachers, school administrators,…

As the Synod’s newly elected leaders begin their service in a church body that is facing structural changes, another PRAY2010 event is planned for Oct. 21-22 in St. Louis. The first PRAY event was held last fall, and two others…

LCMS Campus Ministry is offering several events for students, ministry leaders, faculty and staff from colleges and universities nationwide. “Texas Underground,” Jan. 2-7 in San Antonio, is a six-day “servant-outreach gathering” conducted in partnership with Can-Do Missions and Acts 1:8…