By Kim Plummer Krull LCMS Life and Health Ministries Director Maggie Karner drew multiple standing ovations when she spoke at the “Rally for Religious Liberty” March 27 at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City. “It was great seeing all these people…

Gregg A. Pinick, executive director of Orange Lutheran High School, Orange, Calif., will begin serving July 1 as head of school at Concordia International School Shanghai (CISS) in Shanghai, China. The 13-year-old CISS — which provides a Christian education to the…

By Kim Plummer Krull One week after an EF3 tornado hit southeastern Michigan, the Rev. Larry Courson and members of Peace Lutheran Church, Ann Arbor, Mich., were busy coordinating volunteers to tackle a second weekend of cleanup in the hard-hit suburb…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Ever since their mad dash out of Egypt bound for the Promised Land, Jews have been on the move — and they continue to be, far more than any other religious group, according to a new study. One…

ST. LOUIS (RNS) — Wading into sensitive church-state territory, a Missouri judge has ruled in favor of an independent-minded Catholic church that claims ownership of its property and autonomy from the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Judge Bryan Hettenbach’s 50-page ruling in…

(RNS) — Radio evangelist Harold Camping has called his erroneous prediction that the world would end last May 21 an “incorrect and sinful statement” and said his ministry is out of the prediction business. “We have learned the very painful lesson…

LONDON (RNS) — Christianity is waning in England and could be outnumbered by nonbelievers within 20 years, according to a new study. The study conducted by the British Parliament showed there were 41 million Christians in Britain, down nearly 8 percent…

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Pope Benedict XVI on March 9 denounced the “powerful political and cultural currents” that are working to “alter the legal definition of marriage” in the United States. The pope’s condemnation of same-sex marriage came in an address…

(RNS) — The Obama administration is offering to expand the number of faith-based groups that can be exempt from the controversial contraception mandate, and proposing that third-party companies administer coverage for self-insured faith-based groups at no cost. At its heart, the…

CLEVELAND (RNS) — A pair of scissors transported across state lines has emerged as a controversial element in Ohio’s first case under a landmark 2009 federal law that expanded government powers to prosecute hate crimes. The case involves a dozen members…

Seven LCMS schools were selected in March to receive the National Lutheran School Accreditation’s (NLSA) “exemplary status” recognition out of the 115 schools that it accredited or re-accredited in 2011. The schools are: Bethany Lutheran School, Parma, Ohio, Principal Ken…

By Kim Plummer Krull More than 20 years ago, Linda Husfeld picked up a Laborers For Christ brochure at a Lutheran Women’s Missionary League conference and showed it to her husband, Rich. “This is something we would like to do when…

Both of the Missouri Synod’s seminaries will hold visitation events for high-school students this summer. Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, will host its 14th annual Vocatio June 23-28 on the seminary campus. The event is designed to identify, inform and encourage…

Two LCMS church properties were damaged in fires over a three-day period in March. Both fires are reported to have been set by arsonists during early-morning hours. No injuries were reported. Information about possible motives is not available. In Buffalo,…

In response to the earthquake in central Mexico March 20, the LCMS established telephone and email contact March 21 with President Alvaro Lopez of the Lutheran Synod of Mexico, a partner church of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. Lopez told the…

TORONTO (RNS) — Two political parties in Quebec are speaking out against the ritual slaughter of meat, saying the practice runs counter to the province’s secular “values.” The opposition Parti Quebecois (PQ) on March 14 declared concerns about halal meat,…