A new LCMS unit, the Mercy Operations Group, was launched July 1 to integrate the Synod’s work of mercy with its Witness and Life Together program ministries in the Offices of National and International Mission. According to its mission statement,…
Commentary: Witnessing our Christian faith in the halls of power
By Timothy S. Goeglein Tiny Woodstock, Va., is a mere 94 miles from giant Washington, D.C. It is a quiet, peaceful community. But it was the site of one of the most dramatic and effervescent Sunday morning sermons in the…
Religion at the Olympics, from ancient Greece to London
(RNS) — A 600-foot footrace was the only athletic event at the first Olympics, a festival held in 776 B.C. and dedicated to Zeus, the chief Greek god. For the next millennium, Greeks gathered every four years in Olympia to honor…
Bible museum closes $50 million deal for D.C. spot
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Planners of a Bible museum in Washington closed a $50 million deal July 26 on a building two blocks from the National Mall. The Museum of the Bible, a nonprofit group planning the, as yet, unnamed museum, announced…
Scotland to legalize gay marriage by 2015
(RNS/ENInews) — Scotland has announced it will allow same-sex weddings as early as 2015, becoming the first country in the United Kingdom (U.K.) to do so. “We are committed to a Scotland that is fair and equal, and that is why…
Should a judge prevent a man from attending his church?
MARINE, Ill. (RNS) — Joseph Haegele remembers going to the church across the road from his grandparents’ house on Windmill Street in this farm town in 1956, when he was 5 years old. Haegele has attended other Catholic churches in the…
Court upholds Georgia ban on guns in church
(RNS) — A federal appeals court has upheld Georgia’s ban on bringing guns into places of worship. The Rev. Jonathan Wilkins, a Baptist pastor, and a gun-rights group had argued that church members should have the right to carry guns into…
Poll: Majority of Americans would vote for an atheist for president
(RNS) — For the second time in less than a year, the Gallup poll reports that a majority of Americans would vote for an atheist for president. The latest survey, from June, found that 54 percent of those asked said they…
Resolution 8-07 Task Force begins study of districts
By Paula Schlueter Ross John Edson, chairman of the new LCMS Resolution 8-07 Task Force, has a message for the Synod’s 35 districts: Please don’t worry about what the task force is doing. We’ll consult with you on a regular basis…
Pressure Points (August 2012)
With Dr. Bruce Hartung Q: Again and again I see the young people in our youth group at church on their cell phones. I think they are texting because they are not doing much talking into their phones. Even when…
Black ministry's 'new song' envisions new engagement
By Joe Isenhower Jr. GREENSBORO, N.C. — Participants in the 2012 Black Ministry Family Convocation here July 11-15 heard plans for a new association of congregations and individuals in black ministry to stay connected and remain as a driving force…
Haberaecker heads Lutheran Services in America
The board of directors of Lutheran Services in America (LSA) on July 10 elected Charlotte Haberaecker of Annandale, Va., as the Baltimore-based organization’s president and chief executive officer, effective Aug. 6. LSA is a national network of more than 300 health…
Mission Advancement debuts new magazine in September
By Jeni Miller Next month, the LCMS is launching a new bimonthly publication to inform, inspire and involve church workers and contributors in the life of the church. Its title, Lutherans Engage the World™, conveys what this publication seeks to…
Positions (August 2012)
The following institutions of the Concordia University System (CUS) are seeking candidates for positions: Concordia University, St. Paul, Minn., seeks a physical therapy program director. For more information about this and other CUS positions, including complete job descriptions, qualifications and…
Official notice: requests for reinstatement (August 2012)
HEATHER CHILDRESS, Shattuc, Ill.; MELINDA JAYNE HANKE, Ballwin, Mo.; JANET B. HEIEN, Peoria, Ill.; MEREDITH MATTERN, Spring, Texas; DAWN M. MUELLER, Wheaton, Ill.; LA RAYNE NEWTON, Saginaw, Mich.; JAMES GRANT RUSH II, Flint, Mich.; JAMES A. SCHEUER, Milwaukee, Wis.; and…
Official notice: college president nominations (August 2012)
Concordia College–New York, Bronxville, N.Y., issued a call for nominations for individuals to serve as the college’s ninth president. The following 14 individuals have consented to stand for nomination: The Rev. Dr. Scott A. Ashmon, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.Dr. Eric…
