With Dr. Bruce Hartung Q: Schools are terminating long-standing teachers as a way to balance their budgets. In addition, teachers are being encouraged to obtain master’s degrees, although teachers with advanced degrees risk being too high on the pay scale.…
Youth Ministry offers Gathering items for sale
If a group from your congregation was at July’s National LCMS Youth Gathering in New Orleans, chances are they enjoyed it. But in-between Servant Events, worship services and workshops, they may not have had time (or the money) to purchase…
'God prepared me,' says pastor in shooting photo
By Paula Schlueter Ross The photo is striking. A minister kneels on the ground, clutching the hands of three women as he leads them in prayer after a shooting Aug. 3 in Manchester, Conn. Rev. Dana Hallenbeck, the minister in…
Buchholz begins work as interim director of World Mission
Kurt Buchholz began serving Aug. 1 as interim executive director of LCMS World Mission. Buchholz succeeds Dr. Thomas R. Zehnder, who stepped down July 31 after serving 21 months in the post — as interim executive director from November 2008…
Dr. Walter ''Ted'' Janzow, former DP, educator, dies
Dr. Walter Theophilus “Ted” Janzow, former LCMS district president and college and seminary president, died Aug. 21 in Lincoln, Neb., at the age of 91. His funeral will be held Aug. 26 at St. John Lutheran Church in Seward, Neb.…
CPH releases devotional for caregivers
Blessings and Prayers for Caregivers, a devotional designed to encourage and equip those who care for others, is now available from Concordia Publishing House. “Our research showed that at any given time, 26.6 percent of the U.S. population is in…
Books challenge consumer-driven church model
(RNS) — Two new books challenge Christians to restore their faith to its true mission and forsake a consumerist mentality that some churches adapt in a bid to meet members’ needs. “Churches can better shape the faithful by recovering a…
Religious groups push action on prison rape
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Six months before she was scheduled to be released on drug charges, Marilyn Shirley was raped in 2000 by a guard at the Texas prison where she was serving time. “I am still haunted by the words…
Sept. 11 installation to be 'streamed' live
The installation of those elected at the Synod’s national convention — including the president, vice-presidents, other officers of the Synod and members of all boards and commissions — will be streamed live on video, beginning at 10 a.m. Sept. 11. …
Disaster grants help people from Tennessee to Haiti
By Kim Plummer Krull Earthquake survivors in Haiti and Tennessee families with flood damage are among the many people who will be assisted by a number of disaster grants awarded in August by LCMS World Relief and Human Care (WR-HC).…
RAI Ministries marks fifth anniversary of Katrina
By Linda C. Hoops Five years after Hurricane Katrina devastated more than 90,000 square miles, killed nearly 2,000 and changed the lives and futures of countless people along the Gulf Coast, Recovery Assistance Inc. Ministries (RAI) continues to house and…
Rutt joins LHM as director of International Ministries
Dr. Douglas L. Rutt of Fort Wayne, Ind., began work July 30 as director of the International Ministries division at Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM). As director, Rutt will oversee the International Ministries division in St. Louis, as well as the…
Helen Morris, past LWML president, dies
Helen Morris, who served as president of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League from 1975 to 1979, died Aug. 14 at St. John’s Lutheran Home in Albert Lea, Minn. Mrs. Morris, 92, had suffered from congestive heart failure and Alzheimer’s disease.…
Seminaries offer free visits to prospective students
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind., have scheduled free visitation events for prospective students: “Contemplate” is the St. Louis seminary’s structured visitation event designed for men interested in the pastoral ministry and women considering deaconess…
'Lutherans want to help' in flooded Iowa
By Kim Plummer Krull A university student living in a mold-infested mobile home and congregation members struggling to clean up preschool classrooms are among the people an LCMS disaster-response team met while assessing damages from central Iowa’s severe flooding. “People…
Age-old Amish experience 21st century boom
ELIZABETHVILLE, Pa. (RNS) — Paul “Chubby” Chubb cranks up the engine of his big Dodge pickup and sets off on his daily rounds, running errands for the Amish, taking them shopping, delivering goods and making friends along the way. “People…
