By Kim Plummer Krull It was around 1997 when yet another family told the Rev. John Schmidtke that the lack of decent, affordable housing was forcing them to leave their crumbling inner-city North St. Louis, Mo., neighborhood. “Where was this family…
Wyoming delegates re-elect Boche president
The Rev. Richard Boche was elected on the first ballot to his third term as president of the LCMS Wyoming District at the district’s May 10-12 convention in Casper, Wyo. Boche was unopposed. Also elected were: the Rev. John Hill, senior…
LCMS enters fellowship with church in Liberia
By Adriane Dorr LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison declared fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Liberia (ELCL) May 10. This declaration followed the Commission on Theology and Church Relations’ (CTCR) action on April 26 in which recognition…
Chilean Lutherans build 'faith foundation' in quake-prone communities
By Kim Plummer Krull A tsunami wave triggered by a powerful earthquake hit Constitucion, Chile, especially hard in 2010, killing some 350 people in the coastal community alone and causing so much damage that survivors feared their town was all…
Concordia Seminary, Argentina, celebrates 70th anniversary
By Pamela Nielsen Nearly 1,000 Lutherans gathered May 1 on the campus of Concordia Seminary in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to celebrate and thank God for its 70 years of preparing pastors and other church workers. Participants included pastors and other…
Why the United Methodist Church canceled votes on same-sex marriage and gay clergy
(RNS) — United Methodists (UMC) concluded their General Conference May 4 without voting on gay clergy or same-sex marriage, a surprising end to a disappointing week for gay activists. On May 3, the nearly 1,000 delegates gathered in Tampa, Fla.,…
'The Voice': New Bible translation focuses on dialogue
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — The name Jesus Christ doesn’t appear in The Voice, a new translation of the Bible. Nor do words such as angel or apostle. Instead, angel is rendered as “messenger” and apostle as “emissary.” Jesus Christ is “Jesus…
Methodists agree: homosexuality 'incompatible with Christian teaching'
(RNS) — Despite emotional protests and fierce lobbying from gay-rights groups, United Methodists (UMC) voted May 2 to maintain their denomination’s stance that homosexual acts are “incompatible with Christian teaching.” Two “agree to disagree” proposals were soundly defeated during separate votes…
'Reporter,' 'Lutheran Witness' win seven ACP awards
The Synod’s two official periodicals — Reporter and The Lutheran Witness — received a total of seven awards from the Associated Church Press (ACP) for work done in 2011. The awards were presented at the ACP’s annual convention, April 30-May…
'Call day' services place 139 pastors, assign 114 vicars
A total of 139 pastoral candidates were placed into their first calls during “call day” services May 1 at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and May 2 at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind. Those called included one student from Concordia…
CTCR responds to ELCA statement, plans conference
By Adriane Dorr During its April 26-27 meeting in St. Louis, the LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) adopted a formal response to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s (ELCA) social statement, “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust” (HSGT). The…
LCMS reps, Indonesian church leaders hold talks
By Adriane Dorr The Rev. Dr. Albert B. Collver III, LCMS director of Church Relations, and Darin Storkson, LCMS regional director for Southern Asia and Oceania, recently visited with officials from the Indonesian Lutheran Christian Church (ILCC) to discuss potential…
Fire destroys church in Flat Rock, Mich.
A cigarette butt tossed into a flower cart that sat outside the front doors of Hope Lutheran Church, Flat Rock, Mich., is suspected of causing a fire that destroyed the church on April 26. No one was injured in the…
Students, LCEF call first marketing competition a win-win
By Kim Plummer KrullJose Elizondo admits he never heard of the Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) before he began researching the organization for its inaugural national marketing competition for Concordia University students. But the more the Concordia University Texas, Austin,…
Walther League plans 28th annual reunion
Former Walther League members from throughout the United States are invited to attend the 28th annual Walther League and Lutheran Young Adult Reunion on Saturday, Sept. 29, in Frankenmuth, Mich., as part of a “Heritage Weekend” of activities. On Friday,…
CNH delegates re-elect Newton president
Delegates to the 69th convention of the LCMS California-Nevada-Hawaii (CNH) District re-elected by acclamation on the first ballot the Rev. Dr. Robert D. Newton of San Jose, Calif., to his fourth term as district president. Meeting April 27-29 in Burlingame, Calif., the convention…
