The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau (ALPB) would like to hear from those interested in buying a series of nine commemorative medallions it plans to offer “to begin a countdown of the years to the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in…
October focuses on 'Clergy Appreciation'
In a September mailing from LCMS Ministerial Growth and Support, Synod congregations received a poster and a suggested bulletin insert to help them observe “Clergy Appreciation Month” and “Clergy Appreciation Sunday” in October. Clergy appreciation observances have gained momentum throughout…
10 minutes with … Marilyn Mellowes
(RNS) – PBS’ “American Experience” and “Frontline” explore the role of religion in American life across more than 400 years in the six-hour series “God in America,” which will air over three consecutive nights starting Oct. 11. The journey interweaves…
Poll: Unbelievers know most about religion
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Who can best answer questions about religion in America? Based on a new survey released Sept. 28 by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, it’s your atheist or agnostic neighbor, followed by the Jew or…
Israeli court rules against segregated sidewalks
JERUSALEM (RNS) — Ultra-Orthodox leaders on Sept. 28 removed barriers separating men and women from a Jerusalem street after Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled that the tall screens were illegal. Representatives of the Eda Haredit, an ultra-Orthodox organization that…
Young Christians seek intentional community among poor
GRESHAM, Ore. (RNS) — In the two years since David Knepprath and Josh Guisinger moved into the rough-and-tumble Barberry Village complex, roughly a dozen young Christian men and women have made Barberry Village their home. Their goal: Create a sense…
Shootings at Ohio, Texas churches stir concerns
(RNS) — Three outbursts of violence in or near churches, including one during worship services, are raising safety concerns for church leaders. Eddie Contreras, youth pastor at Walnut Park Casa De Mi Gloria Church in Garland, Texas, was speaking to…
Requests for Reinstatement (October 2010)
LAURIE B. ERIKSEN, Delray Beach, Fla.; REBECCA RUTH HILLMAN, Cheney, Kan.; NADINE L. HOGER, Matteson, Ill.; MICHELLE URBAN, Columbia City, Ind.; and CAREN MEYER VOGT, Hamburg, N.J., have applied for reinstatement to the Ministers of Religion-Commissioned roster of The Lutheran…
Pressure Points (October 2010)
With Dr. Bruce Hartung Last month’s column addressing a reader’s question about what the Synod is “doing to help teachers who have dedicated many years to Lutheran education and now find themselves unemployed” has opened something of a floodgate of…
Small following keeps shape-note singing alive
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (RNS) — The archaic sounds that fill the historic former church sanctuary echo, hauntingly, like a whispering ghost from the past. Inside the 1902 building that once housed the Second Presbyterian Church, the elaborate archways bounce back the…
Items wanted, available (October 2010)
Note: Reporter cannot accept notices about items offered for sale or that people wish to purchase. Items described as “Wanted” or “Available” are sought or may be obtained for shipping costs only. Wanted Pastor’s Companion Agenda, the style used in the…
Positions (October 2010)
The Religious Life and Church Relations Department of Bethesda Lutheran Communities has a full-time position available for a ministry consultant in the Pacific Northwest Region, based in Portland, Ore. Empowered by the love of Christ, a ministry consultant advocates for and…
Twisters damage two LCMS schools in NYC
Two tornadoes with winds of up to 125 miles per hour struck parts of Brooklyn and Queens in New York City Sept. 16, damaging structures at two LCMS schools and churches. They were just the ninth and 10th tornadoes to…
Churches find empty pews at Sunday evening services
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (RNS) — Doug De Vries describes Sunday evening worship as “a lot less formal” than the morning service at Plymouth Heights Christian Reformed Church. It’s also a lot less crowded. Plymouth Heights is in step with a…
COP approves 214 placements, discusses 'revitalization'
By James Heine The LCMS Council of Presidents (COP) has approved the placement of 214 church workers. The number includes 34 pastors and 180 commissioned ministers. Also, the council assigned 29 men to vicarages, including 23 men engaged in the…
'Bach at Sem' begins 19th season this fall
“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…