Two alleged Dorner victims graduated from Concordia, Irvine

Concordia University in Irvine, Calif. — one of the 10 Concordia University System schools operated by the LCMS nationwide — will be the site of a memorial service for two graduates who were killed by suspect Christopher Dorner. The bodies…

LCMS awards grant for Hattiesburg cleanup; volunteers needed

By Sarah Schafer The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod approved a $7,000 grant Feb. 15 to aid volunteers removing trees from houses and property and to provide tarps for damaged roofs in Hattiesburg, Miss., following a tornado that struck the city Feb.…

Needed: 'Full-court press' on missionary recruitment

By Laura J. Seaman ST. LOUIS — The LCMS continues to face a dire need to recruit church workers, including missionaries — a topic of concern addressed by the Board for International Mission (BIM) at its meeting here Feb. 8-9.…

Missionary's photo album shows typical week

Children excited about their first day of school; spying a monkey in a tree; eating fresh mangoes; making amaquinas — deep-fried donuts — at a local “tuck shop,” or grocery; distributing school uniforms and shoes to students; painting a home;…

Harrison shares Lenten message in new video

In a new video available online for viewing and sharing, LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison offers a blessing and encourages the church to pray the Litany during this Lenten season. “Prayer is a great blessing,” Harrison says in…

Ethiopian Lutheran church breaks fellowship with ELCA

By Adriane Dorr One of the largest Lutheran church bodies in the world, the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY), announced Feb. 5 that it had broken fellowship with “those churches who have openly accepted same-sex marriage,” namely, the Evangelical Lutheran…

Commentary: Black History Month — diversity that's not divisive

By John Nunes The starting point for celebrations of African-American history month in February begins with the recognition of the unique struggles and toilsome successes of people of African descent. For Lutheran Christians, however, the celebrations do not end there.…

Physical, spiritual outreach continues to Sandy survivors

By Kim Plummer Krull Nearly three months after Superstorm Sandy, eight elderly, single women struggling to resume their lives along the hard-hit New Jersey Shore were among those offered a helping hand with debris and tree removal by Shepherd’s Heart…

Senske receives ALDE's 'Outstanding Executive Award'

Dr. Kurt Senske, chief executive officer of Lutheran Social Services of the South Inc. in Austin, Texas, has received the “Outstanding Executive Award” from the Association of Lutheran Development Executives (ALDE). The award was presented to Senske during ALDE’s International…

February's 'Lutheran Witness' is for young adults

By Adriane Dorr The Church rightly spends a great deal of time speaking to and about married couples, families, grandparents and babies, but too often, it forgets about the youth. That is why the February special issue of The Lutheran…

March 12 is order deadline for ‘Armed Forces Sunday’

LCMS congregations with email addresses should have received an email in late January from the Synod’s Ministry to the Armed Forces regarding “Armed Forces Sunday” on May 19. The email is intended to let congregations know that if they want…

CPH, LHM offer resources for Lent

Concordia Publishing House and Lutheran Hour Ministries are offering new Lenten resources for 2013. “Restore the Roar!,” by the Rev. Dr. R. Reed Lessing, is described by CPH as a “complete resource for Lent and Easter preaching and worship that…

Harrison shares Lenten message in new video

In a new video available online for viewing and sharing, LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison offers a blessing and encourages the church to pray the Litany during this Lenten season. “Prayer is a great blessing,” Harrison says in the…

Evangelicals embrace a like-minded pope

(RNS) — Not all Catholics appreciated Pope Benedict XVI’s staunch defense of Christian orthodoxy, traditional marriage and life from conception to natural death. But American evangelicals sure did. As word spread Feb. 11 of Benedict’s resignation, many evangelicals lamented the impending…

Catholic hospital says fetus defense was 'morally wrong'

(RNS) — Legal advice trumped church teaching when a Catholic hospital in Colorado tried to defend itself in a wrongful death lawsuit by claiming that twin fetuses who died at the hospital in 2006, along with the mother, should not…

Religious sponsors loom large in Boy Scouts' policy debate

(RNS) — The decision by Boy Scouts of America (BSA) to postpone any change in policy about gay membership was fueled by an “outpouring of feedback.” Much of that reaction came from a sector with strength in numbers: the religious…