By March 18, donors had given more than $250,000 for The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and its partners in Japan to aid those affected by the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck there March 11. Rev. John Fale, interim director of…

(RNS) — Wolfgang Langhans, a Tokyo-based field director for missionaries, calls the week since the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan “the busiest and most stressful week of my life.” But when those twin crises created a third — the threat…

Synod Secretary Dr. Raymond L. Hartwig announced March 17 that two amendments to the church body’s Constitution that were adopted by  2010 LCMS convention delegates have been ratified by the required two-thirds majority of Synod congregations that participated in the…

James Domingo typically sits in the pew at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Solon, Ohio. On Sunday, March 20, he plans to stand at the front of the sanctuary and ask his congregation to join him in helping suffering Japanese through…

Besides their homework after school this week, fifth- and sixth-graders at Martin Luther School in Joplin, Mo., baked cookies to sell to raise funds for earthquake and tsunami relief in Japan. “The students were concerned about the people of Japan and…

According to Rev. Manabu Wakabayashi, “Our greatest concern is the nuclear power plant crisis in Fukushima.” Wakabayashi is pastor of Shirone Lutheran Christ Church in Niigata, Japan, and a 2002 graduate of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne. Niigata is about…

By Kim Plummer Krull Acknowledging the frustration of watching the growing crisis in Japan unfold, LCMS World Relief and Human Care Interim Executive Director Rev. John Fale said the LCMS  must wait for the appropriate time to deploy LCMS disaster…

In a March 17 interview on KFUO Radio, Dr. Albert B. Collver III, the Synod’s director of Church Relations — assistant to the president, provides an update on the LCMS response to the crisis in Japan. In the interview with…

LCMS World Mission moved a career missionary family and three GEO missionaries and their spouses out of the Tokyo area March 17 as a precautionary measure. Temporarily out of Tokyo is career missionary Dr. Jonathan Blanke, his wife, Juli, and…

By Kim Plummer Krull Printed e-mail messages and pictures from the congregation’s many friends in Japan cover the bulletin board outside the International Ministry office at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Walled Lake, Mich., updating how they are faring since…

Thanking concerned volunteers for their many offers to serve in Japan, Maggie Karner, director of Life and Health Ministries with LCMS World Relief and Human Care, says the Synod’s response to the March 11 earthquake and tsunami differs from its…

As people in Japan adjust to “a new reality” after the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami there, what they need most is prayers from others. Dr. Jonathan Blanke, an LCMS career missionary in Tokyo, told listeners of KFUO Radio’s…

Free materials are available from the Concordia University System (CUS) to celebrate “Concordia Sunday,” a recognition of the 147-year history of the Synod’s 10 universities and colleges.  The date of May 15 is suggested, but congregations may select any Sunday…

A PDF of “frequently asked questions” — and answers — related to the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan is now available from LCMS Communications. “FAQ: Japan Disaster” explains the Synod’s presence and activities in Japan prior to the…

By James Heine Japan is a nation of some 126.5 million people. It is one of the leading democracies in the Pacific Rim and a major world economic power. While it is well-prepared for natural disasters (perhaps better prepared than…

The Japan Earthquake Relief “help page” — located online at www.lcms.org/help — offers a variety of information and resources. Visitors to the site will find: news stories produced by staff from LCMS Communications, LCMS World Mission, and LCMS World Relief…