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…

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…

In an e-mail to the LCMS, Rev. Manabu Wakabayashi, a pastor of the Japan Lutheran Church (JLC), an LCMS partner church, said many people are still searching for loved ones and living without basic necessities in the wake of 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…

As of March 15, monetary gifts approaching $100,000 have been given for the Synod’s response to help those affected by the Japan earthquake and tsunami, according to Hans Springer, associate executive director for fund development with LCMS World Relief and…

The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod is making available an initial $200,000 to two Lutheran church bodies in Japan, to be used as they decide for disaster relief after the historic March 11 magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami that is resulting in rising death tolls…

In a March 12 e-mail sent to LCMS leaders, Rev. Yutaka Kumei, president of the Japan Lutheran Church (JLC), thanked the Synod for its “many messages of concern and support.  We feel very comforted knowing that there are so many…