LCMS urges hurricane volunteers to wait for first response

By Sarah Schafer LCMS Disaster Response is urging volunteers to allow emergency responders time to do their jobs before traveling to the Gulf Coast to help with relief efforts.  “It is vital to allow emergency responders such as medics, firemen and…

Ready now: Southern District prepares for Hurricane Isaac

By Sarah Schafer The LCMS Southern District is calling on support from LCMS districts and congregations as it prepares for Hurricane Isaac — expected to strike the Gulf Coast the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 28. The hurricane could drop 15 to 20…

LCMS releases $35,000 to assist Haiti, Dominican Republic

By Sarah Schafer The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod released $35,000 on Monday, Aug. 27, to assist relief efforts in Haiti and the Dominican Republic following Tropical Storm Isaac, which struck the island nations Aug. 25. The relief work will be carried…

'Isaac' slams Dominican Republic, Haiti; Lutherans tally damages

By Sarah Schafer LCMS partner churches in Haiti and the Dominican Republic report property damage, injuries and widespread flooding as a result of Tropical Storm Isaac. In Haiti, an already fragile country struggling to rebuild after the 2010 earthquake, four people lost…

Ridley installed as Lutheran Housing Support CEO

Calling her “the right person at the right time,” LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison performed the rite of installation for Nicole Ridley as chief executive officer of the LCMS National Housing Support Corporation Aug. 22 at the Synod’s…

Professor says he was fired over evangelical beliefs

(RNS) — A professor who was fired in July by the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) says the Atlanta consortium of black seminaries discriminated against his conservative Christian views. The Rev. Jamal-Dominique Hopkins, an African-American expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls, filed…

Law firm fights atheists' suit over cross at 9/11 museum

(RNS) — A lawsuit that was filed by the group American Atheists to keep a revered cross out of the National September 11 Museum is being challenged by a conservative law firm that defends the public display of religious symbols. The…

Report shows 5,000-plus 'multisite' churches

(RNS) — The number of congregations that host worship services at more than one physical location has grown to more than 5,000 in the last decade, according to a new report. Researchers say these “multisite” churches, which may share worshippers across…

Pressure Points (September 2012)

This month’s column is in response to the July “Pressure Points” concerning spiritual warfare. To read the July column online, go to http://reporter.lcms.org/?20138. One reader responded to that column with what follows. I think your answer covered a lot of…

Official notice: requests for reinstatement (September 2012)

KEITH CLARK FOX, San Antonio, Texas, has applied for reinstatement to the Ministers of Religion–Ordained roster of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.  LISA GAYE LESSING (nee RADKE), St. Louis, Mo., SONJA RUPPEL, Palatine, Ill., and SHERRIE SMITH, Justice, Ill., have applied…

Positions (September 2012)

The following institutions of the Concordia University System (CUS) are seeking candidates for positions: Concordia University, Ann Arbor, Mich., seeks to fill the following positions: Academic Resource (ARC) director; GST coordinator/FYE faculty; computer science program director and instructor. Concordia University,…

Call for nominations: president — LCMS Foundation (September 2012)

The Board of Trustees of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod Foundation herewith calls for nominations for the position of president of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod Foundation.  The president reports to the Board of Trustees of the Foundation and relates to the…

Official notice: convention reports and overtures (September 2012)

The deadline established by bylaw for the submission of reports and overtures to the 2013 convention of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod is March 2, 2013. Boards and commissions of the Synod are asked to submit their reports to the convention…

Items wanted, available (September 2012)

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. Notices may be sent to Jennifer Duffy at…

Pioneering housing in Brooklyn continues to open doors

By Kim Plummer Krull In the early 1980s, a member of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, N.Y., was bound, gagged, raped, doused in gasoline and left for dead as her house burned in an area infamous for crime and…

Hymnwriters Conference set for Jan. 27-29

To foster LCMS members in their love of faithful hymnody and in an effort to cultivate and develop aspiring writers, the LCMS Worship Department, under the auspices of the Office of National Mission, will host a Hymnwriters Conference Jan. 27-29…