Seminaries offer Lent-related workshops

Both LCMS seminaries are offering Lent-related workshops for pastors in January. Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, has planned a pre-Lenten workshop, “Seeing is Not Believing: The Passion Story in Mark,” for Jan. 20. In a news release about the workshop, the seminary notes…

Fort Wayne sem readies annual symposia

Concordia Theological Seminary will present its annual symposia on exegetical and confessional theology Jan. 17-20 on its campus in Fort Wayne, Ind., and in a live webcast. The theme for the Exegetical Theology Symposium, Jan. 17-18, is “In Search of Jesus:…

Baltic Lutherans give thanks, share need, for theological education

By Adriane Dorr Hearing the stories of Lutheran pastors caring for their flocks in the Baltic region has been “personally heartwarming,” says the Rev. Dr. Timothy C. Quill, director of theological education for The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and a professor at Concordia Theological…

Charitable giving up slightly but still ailing

(RNS) — Charitable giving is trickling back up as the economy heals, but it could take years to return to pre-recession levels, nonprofit leaders say. Giving totaled $291 billion in 2010, according to the 2011 annual report by the Center on…

One-third of shelter residents are newly homeless

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Nearly one in five clients of Christian rescue missions said they were victims of physical violence within the past year, a 6 percent jump from the previous year, according to a new survey. “It’s quite possible that the…

D.C. tosses complaint against Catholic University dorms

WASHINGTON (RNS) — The District of Columbia has dismissed a complaint against The Catholic University of America (CUA) that charged the school’s return to same-gender student housing discriminates against women. In an order issued Nov. 29, the city’s Office of Human…

PBS series to feature Lutheran Indian Ministries

Lutheran Indian Ministries of Brookfield, Wis., will be profiled in the upcoming 17th season of “The Visionaries,” an award-winning public-television series hosted by actor Sam Waterston. Lutheran Indian Ministries is a ministry of the Lutheran Association of Missionaries and Pilots…

Multi-Ethnic Symposium to explore 'Gifts of Hope'

The third LCMS Multi-Ethnic Symposium is planned for Jan. 30-31 at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. This year’s topic is “Gifts of Hope,” a discussion of the “gifts of cultural diversity that inform and enliven the fullness of the body of…

CTCR meeting focuses on prayer report

The subject of prayer was the focus of the Nov. 10-12 meeting of the Synod’s Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR). CTCR Executive Director Rev. Dr. Joel Lehenbauer noted that every meeting of the commission includes set times for…

Native American ministry gets boost from EIIT

By Paula Schlueter Ross Thanks to the Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology (EIIT), the number of Native American pastors now serving The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod has doubled: from two to four. The two newest Native American pastors are the Rev. Will Main…