By Vicki J. Biggs In response to increasing intrusions by government into the realm of the church, the LCMS is launching “Religious Liberty: Free to Be Faithful,” an education and awareness campaign aimed at inspiring LCMS rostered members and laity to…
Few spots remain for National Disaster Response Conference
If you’re a member of an LCMS congregation who’s involved in disaster response, you might want to consider attending the Synod’s Fourth Annual National Disaster Response Conference, Oct. 8-10 at the LCMS International Center in St. Louis. A limited number of…
Germany's Voigt elected chairman of ILC
By Adriane Dorr Bishop Hans-Jörg Voigt of the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany was elected chairman of the International Lutheran Council (ILC) during the council’s most recent meeting Sept. 16-21 in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. The Rev. Dr. Albert B.…
After shooting, Sikhs push for more legal protections
(RNS) — U.S. Sikhs are taking heart in a widely publicized Senate hearing on hate crimes and a pledge by the Justice Department to consider tracking hate crimes directed at their community. The Sept. 19 hearing featured Harpreet Singh Saini,…
Texas cheerleaders clamor for G-O-D at football games
(RNS) — Cheerleaders at an East Texas high school are fighting their school district’s orders to stop using Bible quotes on their signs at football games. In August, a school with fewer than 500 students 30 miles north of Beaumont, Texas,…
Positions (October 2012)
The following institutions of the Concordia University System (CUS) are seeking candidates for positions: Concordia College Alabama, Selma, Ala., seeks to fill a position in biology. Concordia University, Ann Arbor, Mich., seeks a center director (Dearborn Heights). Concordia University, Nebraska, Seward,…
Official notice: requests for reinstatement (October 2012)
JOE C. FAIRCHILD, Huntsville, Ala., has applied for reinstatement to the Ministers of Religion–Ordained roster of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. JAN BRENNAN, Spring, Texas; JILL RACHELLE DURAN (nee STEVENS), Broken Arrow, Okla.; THEODORE L. HENN, Reisterstown, Md.; LINDA M. MCGAW,…
Call for nominations: president — LCMS Foundation (October 2012)
The Board of Trustees of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod Foundation herewith calls for nominations for the position of president of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod Foundation. The president reports to the Board of Trustees of the Foundation and relates to the…
Official notice: convention reports and overtures (October 2012)
The deadline established by bylaw for the submission of reports and overtures to the 2013 convention of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod is March 2, 2013. Boards and commissions of the Synod are asked to submit their reports to the convention…
Official notice: Committee for Convention Nominations (October 2012)
Bylaw 3.3.3.1 (c) calls upon the secretary of the Synod to “publish the names of the members of the Committee for Convention Nominations (CCN) in an official periodical of the Synod as soon as possible after they have been elected.” …
Items wanted, available (October 2012)
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. Notices may be sent to Jennifer Duffy at…
Conservative Christian leaders focus on Romney's policies, not faith
(RNS) — More than two dozen Christian conservatives are trying to put theological debates about presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s Mormonism to rest by focusing on the policies outlined in the Republican Party’s new national platform. In a letter delivered Sept. 7…
How the Lord's Prayer saved a 9/11 survivor
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (RNS) — For John Mahony, a retired U.S. Army colonel who was managing projects for Blue Cross/Blue Shield, instinct came before analysis as he fought to stay on his feet the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. “The building jerked…
Pope urges peace in 3-day trip to Lebanon
(RNS) — Pope Benedict XVI Sept. 16 took the unusual step of directly appealing to Arab countries to find “workable solutions” to the conflict in Syria and tensions throughout the Middle East. The appeal came at the end of an open-air…
Bishops blast Coptic Christians behind anti-Muslim film
(RNS) — Coptic Christian leaders in the United States distanced themselves from an anti-Muslim film that has sparked protests in more than 24 countries, and denounced the Copts who reportedly produced and promoted the film. “We reject any allegation that the…
CTCR staff: NIV gender-neutral language a 'serious weakness'
By Adriane Dorr Calling the gender-neutral language found in the New International Version (2011) translation of the Bible “a serious theological weakness and a misguided attempt to make the truth of God’s Word more easily understood,” the executive staff of…