Editor’s note: At this writing (6 p.m. Central on Friday, March 2), LCMS Disaster Response staff have contacted congregations in Alabama, Indiana and Kentucky. About half of them have confirmed no major LCMS damages or fatalities from March 2 storms…

A $35,000 grant from the Synod’s Office of National Mission to Lutheran Blind Mission (LBM) is being used to purchase and distribute 700 digital audio Bibles. The Talking Bibles are “very blind-friendly,” according to the Rev. Dave Andrus, LBM executive director,…

LCMS churches and members in Kansas, southern Missouri and Illinois seem to have escaped major damages in a deadly Feb. 28-29 storm that killed 12 people and injured more than 100 others. The Rev. Glenn Merritt, director of LCMS Disaster Response,…

Becca Jones and Tom Buuck began filling two leadership positions with the Lutheran Church Extension Fund’s St. Louis office in early January.   Jones became senior vice-president, Marketing and Customer Support, on Jan. 4, in the post that became vacant when…

Glenn Mahnken, former senior vice-president of marketing and customer support with the Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF), has joined Concordia Plan Services (CPS) as its chief marketing officer. In his new post, he is responsible for the oversight of CPS education,…

By Kim Plummer Krull LCMS Life and Health Ministries Director Maggie Karner said she hopes her participation in a Feb. 27 panel discussion in Washington, D.C., helps spotlight what she calls the “real issue” behind the controversial mandate recently issued by…

By James Heine ST. LOUIS — At its regular meeting Feb. 18-21, The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod Council of Presidents (COP) commended Synod President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison for the statements he made in response to the recent United States Department of…

LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison shares Lenten blessings through a video message to the church where he encourages believers to use Martin Luther’s method of praying: instruction, thanksgiving, confession and prayer, or “ITCP.” He encourages church members to lift…

LONDON (RNS) — A British High Court justice has triggered dismay and anger across England and Wales with a recent decision that declares prayers at town hall meetings are against the law. Justice Duncan Ouseley ruled Feb. 10 that local government…

TRENTON, N.J. (RNS) — Even as Gov. Chris Christie’s threat of a “swift” veto looms, gay-rights activists are celebrating after the state Assembly voted on Feb. 16 on a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in New Jersey. With supporters imploring lawmakers…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Exhibit A in the fight over President Obama’s mandate for religious institutions to provide insurance coverage for contraception: a ham sandwich. At a hearing Feb. 16 convened by House Republicans to cast opposition to the mandate as a…

FAIRHOPE, Ala. (RNS) — For the Rev. Jerry Henry, pastor of First Baptist Church of Fairhope, being Southern Baptist is a defining aspect of life. He embraces the denomination’s conservative social values, extols its evangelism — “We reach out to people…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — For the fourth year in a row, President Obama is proposing lower tax deductions for the wealthy on donations to churches and other nonprofit organizations. And for the fourth year in a row, nonprofit groups say the…

Concordia Publishing House is offering an all-inclusive Starter Kit for its 2012 vacation Bible school (VBS) program titled “Amazing Desert Journey.”  With the theme “Where Jesus Leads Us Home,” the new VBS materials provide a backdrop for a clear presentation of…