The Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) has launched an in-depth study on indebtedness of LCMS church workers — especially how indebtedness affects their lives and if they are aware of LCMS-sponsored money-management programs and services. For that study, Behavior Research Center…

By Kim Plummer Krull As the death toll continues to climb and radiation worries persist, disaster survivors along the coast of Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures began receiving the first of weekly emergency shipments from Japanese Lutheran partners who say assistance…

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, is seeking qualified applicants for a full-time director of Library Services.  The seminary serves students and pastors of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod as well as the general academic community, and equips individuals for ministry in the…

RALPH L. WOEHRMANN, Springfield, Ill., has applied for reinstatement to the Ministers of Religion–Ordained roster of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. BROOKE BARINGER, St. Joseph, Mich.; JULIE MARIE ENGELHARDT, Lee’s Summit, Mo.; NATALIE ANN LEVY, San Rafael, Calif.; and LA DONNA…

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 Purple paraments, Pascal candle and candlestick for…

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, launched a major renovation project with a brief ceremony March 18 outside its Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus. Urged by a crowd of students, faculty, staff and others to “tear down this wall,” seminary…

Rev. Carlos Nagel was elected president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Argentina (known by its Spanish acronym, IELA) at its March 26-27 convention in Santa Elena, Argentina.  The theme of the IELA’s 79th convention was “Servants in Mission.” The following…

(RNS) — Tennessee lawmakers are rewriting a bill that described Islamic law as a threat to U.S. security and seemed to equate peaceful Muslim practices with terrorism. State Sen. Bill Ketron and House Speaker Pro Tempore Judd Matheny, both Republicans,…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — U.S. Catholic bishops are urging federal housing officials not to adopt proposed rules that would bar groups that receive federal funds from discriminating against gays, lesbians or transgender (LGBT) persons in housing programs. The Department of Housing…

ITHACA, N.Y. (RNS) — When Jainal Bhuiyan attended Cornell University, he and his fellow Muslim students were mentored and led in religious prayers by a collection of Muslim professors, graduate students and staff. “That was our network that filled the…

By Kim Plummer Krull Our Japanese Lutheran partners are appreciative of LCMS support and our “ministry of presence,” LCMS World Mission’s Rev. John Mehl told LCMS President Matthew C. Harrison the day after LCMS and Japanese ministry leaders met in…

After 46 years of cooperation between the Japan Lutheran Church and the LCMS, the Volunteer Youth Ministry (VYM) program has come to an end.  The two partner churches had decided in fall 2010 — before the March 11 earthquake and…

The Synod’s two seminaries are offering continuing-education courses this summer in a variety of North American locations. The courses are open to clergy and laypeople. Following is a list of dates, sites, courses, instructors and contact information for each seminary.…

Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) will host the second in its series of school branding webinars at 4:30 p.m. (CT) on April 5. The series is part of LCEF’s new Project School Zone campaign to support Lutheran school marketing and…

(RNS) — Charities are seeing improvements in fundraising, with fewer charities reporting declines in 2010 compared with 2009, according to a report released March 22. But a larger percentage of organizations reported bringing in about the same amount of revenue…