Delegates to the 2012 LCMS Southern District’s 73rd convention re-elected the Rev. Kurtis D. Schultz of Slidell, La., on the first ballot to his fourth three-year term as district president.   The convention, June 14-16 in Metairie, La., had as its…

The historic Saxon Lutheran Memorial in Frohna, Mo., will host its Second Annual Bluegrass Music Fest on Saturday, June 30. The event starts at 10 a.m. and ends after dark with a fireworks show. Frohna is located in Perry County, Mo.,…

Mark Kreklau, husband of Lutheran Women’s Missionary League President Kay Kreklau, died June 13 at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, N.D., with his family by his side. Kreklau, 70, died of recently diagnosed lung cancer. A celebration of his life was held…

The Rev. Dr. John C. Wille of West Bend, Wis., was elected to his third term as president of the Synod’s South Wisconsin District at the district’s 53rd convention, June 10-12 in Mequon, Wis. Also re-elected were: the Rev. David B.…

The Rev. Dwayne Lueck of Wausau, Wis., is the new president of the LCMS North Wisconsin District.  Delegates to the district’s 50th convention, meeting June 10-11 in Rothschild, Wis., on the third presidential ballot elected Lueck — who served the…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — An appeal over Christmas sweets turned bitter June 11 when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the so-called “Christian candy cane” case. The case out of Texas has become a rallying point for conservative Christians concerned about…

(RNS) — A coalition of nearly 150 religious leaders, led by conservative Protestants, have petitioned the Obama administration to broaden the exemption that allows churches and some religious organizations to avoid a controversial new mandate that all health care insurers…

The Rev. Dr. David H. Benke, pastor of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, N.Y., was elected to his eighth consecutive term as president of the Synod’s Atlantic District during the district’s 58th convention, June 8-9 in Bronxville, N.Y. Benke…

The Rev. Keith Kohlmeier was re-elected to his fourth term as president during the 71st regular convention of the LCMS Kansas District, held June 7-9 in Topeka. Kohlmeier, 59, a resident of Topeka, Kan., was elected on the first ballot of…

The Rev. Dr. Russell Sommerfeld of Seward, Neb., was elected to his fourth term as president of the LCMS Nebraska District by delegates to the district’s 17th convention, meeting June 8-9 at Concordia University in Seward.  Delegates also elected four…

Delegates to the 2012 LCMS Rocky Mountain District convention, meeting June 7-9 in Denver, elected the Rev. Allen D. Anderson of Boulder, Colo., as the district’s new president. This was the 49th convention of the district, which covers Colorado, New Mexico…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Hundreds gathered on Capitol Hill and at rallies across the nation June 8 in a double-barreled attack on President Obama’s health-care law and a mandate to require employers to provide insurance coverage of birth control. Speakers such as…

The LCMS South Wisconsin District, meeting in convention June 10-12 in Mequon, Wis., has adopted a resolution that “commends the Roman Catholic Church for its stance on religious freedoms and defense of the rights of the unborn.” The resolution —…

(RNS) — In a building swap, the Crystal Cathedral has announced it will move its congregation to a smaller Roman Catholic church after the iconic Protestant megachurch was sold to the Catholic Diocese of Orange, Calif. The cathedral, plagued by huge…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Attorneys for a Christian wedding photographer say they will appeal a New Mexico court decision that ruled she violated anti-discrimination laws by refusing to photograph a lesbian commitment ceremony. The case has become a cause célèbre among some…