By Paula Schlueter Ross The photo is striking.  A minister kneels on the ground, clutching the hands of three women as he leads them in prayer after a shooting Aug. 3 in Manchester, Conn. Rev. Dana Hallenbeck, the minister in…

Kurt Buchholz began serving Aug. 1 as interim executive director of LCMS World Mission. Buchholz succeeds Dr. Thomas R. Zehnder, who stepped down July 31 after serving 21 months in the post — as interim executive director from November 2008…

Dr. Walter Theophilus “Ted” Janzow, former LCMS district president and college and seminary president, died Aug. 21 in Lincoln, Neb., at the age of 91. His funeral will be held Aug. 26 at St. John Lutheran Church in Seward, Neb.…

Blessings and Prayers for Caregivers, a devotional designed to encourage and equip those who care for others, is now available from Concordia Publishing House. “Our research showed that at any given time, 26.6 percent of the U.S. population is in…

(RNS) — Two new books challenge Christians to restore their faith to its true mission and forsake a consumerist mentality that some churches adapt in a bid to meet members’ needs. “Churches can better shape the faithful by recovering a…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Six months before she was scheduled to be released on drug charges, Marilyn Shirley was raped in 2000 by a guard at the Texas prison where she was serving time. “I am still haunted by the words…

The installation of those elected at the Synod’s national convention — including the president, vice-presidents, other officers of the Synod and members of all boards and commissions — will be streamed live on video, beginning at 10 a.m. Sept. 11. …

By Kim Plummer Krull Earthquake survivors in Haiti and Tennessee families with flood damage are among the many people who will be assisted by a number of disaster grants awarded in August by LCMS World Relief and Human Care (WR-HC).…

By Linda C. Hoops Five years after Hurricane Katrina devastated more than 90,000 square miles, killed nearly 2,000 and changed the lives and futures of countless people along the Gulf Coast, Recovery Assistance Inc. Ministries (RAI) continues to house and…

Dr. Douglas L. Rutt of Fort Wayne, Ind., began work July 30 as director of the International Ministries division at Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM). As director, Rutt will oversee the International Ministries division in St. Louis, as well as the…

Helen Morris, who served as president of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League from 1975 to 1979, died Aug. 14 at St. John’s Lutheran Home in Albert Lea, Minn.  Mrs. Morris, 92, had suffered from congestive heart failure and Alzheimer’s disease.…

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind., have scheduled free visitation events for prospective students: “Contemplate” is the St. Louis seminary’s structured visitation event designed for men interested in the pastoral ministry and women considering deaconess…

By Kim Plummer Krull A university student living in a mold-infested mobile home and congregation members struggling to clean up preschool classrooms are among the people an LCMS disaster-response team met while assessing damages from central Iowa’s severe flooding. “People…

ELIZABETHVILLE, Pa. (RNS) — Paul “Chubby” Chubb cranks up the engine of his big Dodge pickup and sets off on his daily rounds, running errands for the Amish, taking them shopping, delivering goods and making friends along the way. “People…

(RNS) — Catholic and other church-run health care systems in the U.S. are more efficient and provide higher quality care than their secular counterparts, according to a new Thomson Reuters study. The study looked at 255 health care systems and…

LONDON (RNS) — A top priest at London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral, where Prince Charles and Princess Diana were married in 1981, says fancy, multi-million-dollar weddings are now posing “a threat to marriage itself.” The Rev. Giles Fraser told BBC Radio’s…