Reservations are required by July 1 for a 12-day tour of Germany hosted by Synod President Dr. Matthew C. Harrison and Rev. Jon Vieker, senior assistant to the president. Produced by LutherTours, the Nov. 30-Dec. 11 tour coincides with the…
Needed: medical volunteers for Immanuel, Joplin, clinic
Medical volunteers are urgently needed to work at the clinic operated by Immanuel Lutheran Church in Joplin, to treat those injured by the devastating May 22 tornado in the southwest Missouri town. At the request of the congregation, LCMS World…
LCMS member elected president of national life committee
Carol Tobias, a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Albuquerque, N.M., is the new president of the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the national federation of 50 state affiliates and more than 3,000 local chapters. Tobias, the eighth NRLC president…
Konkel succeeds Rynearson as Deaf Mission Society director
Rev. Dennis Konkel of Des Moines, Iowa, is the new executive director of the Lutheran Deaf Mission Society (LDMS). He is the first deaf director of the LDMS. Konkel, 62, was elected by the society’s Board of Directors May 5. …
Veteran responder: 'exceptionally long' recovery in Joplin
By Kim Plummer Krull Even a disaster-response veteran like LCMS World Relief and Human Care’s (WR-HC) Rev. Glenn F. Merritt says the devastation after the deadly tornado in Joplin, Mo., surpasses what he has seen after most other disasters. “This…
Canadian parents sue over religion in daycare centers
TORONTO (RNS) — A group of Catholic and Jewish parents is taking the province of Quebec to court to challenge a government ban on religious teachings at subsidized daycare centers. The parents say a Quebec policy that prohibits religious instruction…
Religious leaders call a strike on tobacco
(RNS) — Religious leaders are hoping to hit a home run in a campaign to get Major League Baseball players to ban tobacco use on fields and dugouts of the national pastime. More than two dozen members of the coalition…
New LCEF program to aid disaster recovery in LCMS
Responding to the recent onslaught of natural disasters, Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) has put in place a new program to help LCMS rostered church workers (RCW), congregations, schools and other official Synod-related organizations affected by such disasters with loan…
COP assigns first calls, hears updates
By James Heine Acting as the Board of Assignments, the LCMS Council of Presidents (COP) April 30 assigned first calls to 149 candidates certified for ministry by Concordia Seminary, St. Louis; Concordia Theological Seminary (CTS), Fort Wayne, Ind.; Concordia Lutheran…
Board adopts $76.7 million Synod budget
By Joe Isenhower Jr. FORT WAYNE, Ind. — At its May 18-19 meeting here on the campus of Concordia Theological Seminary, the Synod’s Board of Directors adopted a national-Synod operating budget of $76,748,812 for the 2011-12 fiscal year that starts…
Joplin church serves as hub for disaster volunteers
By Sarah Schafer Harold and Harriet Fritz were two of dozens of volunteers from across the country to help with tornado relief at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Martin Luther School in Joplin, Mo., over Memorial Day weekend. “It’s the least…
Commentary: Celebrating 50 years of LCMS lay ministry
By John Oberdeck “I personally had no idea how far or in what direction my training as a lay minister would take me. I simply know that it would not have all happened without my training and experience at Concordia.”…
Pressure Points (June 2011)
With Dr. Bruce Hartung Thanks to alert readers for pointing out that a Web address for Internet accountability software in May’s column actually led to the online opportunity to purchase watches. I apologize. The correct site address is www.x3watch.com. This…
Official Notice — Requests for Reinstatement (June 2011)
LARRY R. GORLITZ, St. Cloud, Minn.; MAX L. GERTZ, Purvis, Miss.; and FREDERICK C. HILL, Arlington Heights, Ill., have applied for reinstatement to the Ministers of Religion–Ordained roster of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. KELLY SINGER, Billings, Mont., has applied for reinstatement…
Positions (June 2011)
The following institutions of the Concordia University System are seeking candidates for positions: Concordia College–New York, Bronxville, N.Y., seeks to fill the following position: director of Graduate Program in Childhood Special Education. Other part-time positions include health care financing, bioethics,…
Items wanted, available (June 2011)
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. Email notices to karen.higgins@lcms.org. Wanted Chair lift or…
