Two LCMS missionaries serving in Japan were in Tokyo when the March 11 earthquake devastated the country’s east coast some 200 miles away. Career missionary Dr. Jonathan Blanke was working at his home on the campus of Japan Lutheran College…
Initial contact with LCMS missionaries and partner church staff in Japan indicates that they are safe after the devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake that struck the east coast of the island nation March 11. Also, no major property losses among Lutherans have yet…
With the elimination of the Synod’s Board for Black Ministry Services — a result of restructuring resolutions adopted at the 2010 LCMS convention — the LCMS Black Clergy Caucus is looking at ways to support black ministry in the years…
By Roland Lovstad Craig Pankow refuses to accept the notion that his small-town congregation in North Dakota will close for lack of members. In fact, he wants to encourage other rural and small-town churches to visualize outreach as a viable…
By James Heine For the first time in nearly a decade, the LCMS Council of Presidents met with its Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC) counterpart. The meeting took place Feb. 21-24 in St. Louis. While the two groups shared reports and conversations,…
Applications are being accepted for entry in the 2011 Fifth Triennial Art and Architecture Award program sponsored by the Architectural Advisory Committee of Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF). The award program recognizes exceptional religious art and architectural achievement in the…
Dr. Willy Gaspar, a 45-year-old dentist, was ordained and installed as the first pastor of the emerging Dominican Republic Lutheran Mission March 13 at Amigos de Christo Church in Las Americas, near the capital city of Santo Domingo. Gaspar, who…
As Lent begins, LCMS President Rev. Matthew C. Harrison invites the church to join him in praying “The Litany,” profound words long prayed by Christians in times of need. “Lent is a time for serious repentance, a time to get…
By Paula Schlueter Ross It wasn’t an easy assignment, but Rev. Robert Flohrs says he’s grateful for the opportunity he had to minister to U.S. servicemembers within hours of the March 2 shooting at Frankfurt Airport. “I felt very honored…
(RNS) — An Orthodox Jew has won a new trial after Maryland’s highest court ruled that a lower court erred when it denied his requests to suspend a trial so he could observe a religious holiday. Alexander Neustadter had argued…
(RNS) — Islam was the most frequent topic of religion news coverage in 2010, as the media doubled the amount of time and space devoted to religion compared to 2009. An analysis by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public…
ST. LOUIS — The Synod’s Board of Directors took several positive actions at its Feb. 17-18 meeting here — including endorsement of allocating to 28 projects of Synod units a total of $1,150,000 in funds anticipated from Thrivent Financial for…
LCMS President Emeritus Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick began serving March 1 as presidential ambassador for mission advancement at Concordia University Texas, Austin. In the newly created position, Kieschnick will “nurture and expand” existing relationships with congregations, organizations, foundations and individuals…
By James Heine St. John’s Lutheran Church, Yankton, S.D., was honored recently by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) for its support of Guard or Reserve employees called to active duty. The congregation received the DOD’s Pro Patria Award at…
Under the theme “Adopted in Christ,” Lutherans For Life (LFL) will hold its 2011 national conference Aug. 5-6 at the Sheraton Grand DFW Hotel in Dallas. Registration opens March 3 online at the LFL website, www.lutheransforlife.org, where other details about…
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, is offering a new Bible study series that’s specifically designed to help pastors with limited time and budgets. All components of the In the Word Bible Studies — four video presentations, leaders guides and student study…
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