Walter William Kayser, who served as a member of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod Board of Directors from 1981 to 1984, died April 21 of natural causes. Kayser, of Grand Rapids, Mich., was 94. A funeral service is scheduled for 10 a.m.…

By Paula Schlueter Ross The blessings of the Synod’s Fan into Flame campaign are many: $1.45 million to help 29 new “career” missionaries begin ministries in far-flung locations including Germany, Guinea, Hong Kong, Kenya, Macau, Peru and Slovakia. $1.22 million to…

Delegates to the 47th convention of the LCMS Oklahoma District re-elected the Rev. Barrie E. Henke to his second term as district president. The convention gathered April 20-21 at the National Center for Employee Development (NCED) in Norman, Okla.  Henke…

Delegates to the 59th convention of the LCMS South Dakota District elected President Rev. Dr. Dale L. Sattgast on the first ballot to his third three-year term. The convention met April 18-21 in Sioux Falls, S.D., under the theme “Called into…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — The Vatican has launched a crackdown on the umbrella group that represents most of America’s 55,000 Catholic nuns, saying that the group was not speaking out strongly enough against gay marriage, abortion and women’s ordination. Rome also chided…

At the LCMS Minnesota North District convention, meeting April 16-18 in Alexandria, Minn., delegates re-elected on the first ballot the Rev. Dr. Donald J. Fondow of Park Rapids, Minn., as district president. Fondow, 58, was re-elected to his fourth three-year term.…

By Paula Schlueter Ross Roman Catholic Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades told news reporters he was “really overwhelmed” when a group of some 250 people — mostly pastors and members of Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod congregations in the Fort Wayne, Ind., area —…

By Kim Plummer Krull Three days after a tornado slammed into Creston, Iowa, so fast that emergency management officials had no time to sound warning sirens, the Rev. Jonathan C. Watt said people are “so grateful that God had mercy and…

By Sarah Schafer Concordia Publishing House (CPH) received the 2011 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award April 15, culminating an 11-year journey toward earning the nation’s highest presidential honor for performance excellence through innovation, process improvement, customer focus and visionary leadership. LCMS President…

The Synod’s two seminaries are offering continuing-education courses in various cities, beginning in April. The courses are designed for pastors, commissioned ministers and laypeople, and Continuing Education Units are available. Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind., is offering 23 courses: April 24-26…

By Kim Plummer Krull The Rev. Gregory Brown spent part of Sunday morning, April 15, checking on members of Trinity Lutheran Church, Woodward, Okla., after a deadly tornado outbreak in the Midwest that caused at least five reported fatalities in Woodward and…

By Kim Plummer Krull Sharing of plans to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017 was among the many updates addressed when representatives of the International Lutheran Council (ILC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) gathered March 27-29 in…

The fourth triennial National Lutheran Hispanic Convention will be held June 19-22 at Concordia University, Ann Arbor, Mich. The theme for the convention is “Celebrating Our Vocation.” The “family friendly” event — which will be conducted primarily in Spanish — includes…

Under the theme “Equipping the Saints For Life” (based on Eph. 4:11-12), Lutherans For Life (LFL) will hold its 2012 national conference Aug. 3-4 in Chicago. Registration is open now at the LFL website at www.lutheransforlife.org. The event is open…

By Kim Plummer Krull As Dave Ricks, a member of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, Arlington, and the congregation’s Disaster Care committee, checked on congregants the day after the powerful April 3 tornadoes in North Texas, he came across a man sitting…