Although 2003 was the last year for awarding congregational-outreach grants from the Marvin M. Schwan Charitable Foundation, the Synod office for that program is getting calls about how to apply for the grants in 2004. “We simply have to inform these…
Deadline nears for grants
Feb. 15 is the deadline for congregations to apply for competitive grants to help them develop support services for immigrants and refugees in their communities. The grants are from the Good Samaritan fund, a joint project of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee…
Correction
A story in last month’s issue about registration for the 2004 National LCMS Youth Gathering said that both online and mailed registrations were still being accepted. Online registration now has closed, but mail-in registration remains open. January 2004
Items wanted, available; reinstatements; position
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. Wanted Complete sound systems for missions in Ghana, West…
Meyer elected to ABS board
Dr. Dale A. Meyer, the Gregg H. Benidt Memorial Chair Professor of Homiletics and Literature at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and former speaker for “The Lutheran Hour,” has been elected to the Board of Trustees of the American Bible Society…
Fowls named 'distinguished principal'
Robert W. “Bob” Fowls, head of school at Trinity Lutheran School, Bend, Ore., is among 65 who have been named “2003 National Distinguished Principals” by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Association of Elementary School principals. He and the…
World Mission, partners plan Ablaze! event
By Paula Schlueter Ross If every Lutheran church body is already doing outreach, then what’s so special about the Ablaze! movement?, wondered Dr. David Tswaedi, bishop of the Lutheran Church in Southern Africa. Ablaze! is LCMS World Mission’s initiative to…
Church-work students getting $28.8 million in financial aid
Church-work students at Missouri Synod colleges, universities and seminaries are receiving $26,871,471 in financial aid during the 2003-04 school year. Although this is the first year for which the Synod’s Board for Higher Education has compiled financial-aid statistics for church-work students…
Community support could bring 'Luther' movie back for a week
“Luther,” the recent motion picture about the life and times of Martin Luther that ran in hundreds of theaters this fall, will be reissued for one week to theaters in communities where there is sufficient interest, according to one of…
Sems announce events for high-school youth
The Synod’s two seminaries are sponsoring events this summer for high-school students, as they have for a number of years. Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, is accepting nominations for highschool men and women to attend its July 31-Aug. 3 Exploring Church Careers…
New housing corporation seeks to help inner-city congregations receive grants
By Kim Krull and Joe Isenhower Jr. A new LCMS National Housing Support Corporation is designed to help struggling inner-city congregations receive grants and technical assistance for housing ministries — which has been difficult for them, sources say. The LCMS Board…
12 'themes' to direct education of pastors
By Joe Isenhower Jr. Twelve “themes” that grew out of suggestions from seminary faculties, board members and focus groups around the church will “be the directive for pastoral education in the LCMS,” says the Synod’s Board for Higher Education (BHE). At…
LCMS Releases New Web Site Design
The new site, launched Dec. 18, consolidates more than 20 individual departmental web sites, including LCMS World Mission, LCMS World Relief, the President’s Office, Higher Education, Black Ministry, and District and Congregational Services. Since the site was last updated in…
Mission focus in January reflects Ablaze! theme
A number of resources – most of them free — are available to help congregations observe “LCMS World Mission Month” in January. Theme of the monthlong mission celebration is Ablaze!, in recognition of the Synod’s Ablaze! initiative that seeks to…
LWF, ILC reps agree to continue to meet, talk
Representatives of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the International Lutheran Council (ILC) have agreed that their organizations should maintain contact and continue to talk with each other. LWF and ILC representatives met Oct. 30 to Nov. 2 in Jarvenpaa,…
LCMS, ELCA meet for doctrinal talks
Representatives of the Missouri Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) met Nov. 11 for their first formal theological talks since both church bodies elected new leaders in 2001. “We sat down and talked about the hard questions…
