Jan. 9 is the registration deadline for the 2005 symposia series sponsored by Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne. “Who Is Jesus?  The Church’s Response to Christological Controversies” is the theme for the Jan. 18-19 exegetical-theology symposium.  The Jan. 19-21 Lutheran Confessions…

There are 19 Lutherans — 10 Democrats and nine Republicans — in the 109th Congress of the United States, according to the Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs (LOGA) in Washington, D.C. LOGA is the public-policy office of the Evangelical Lutheran Church…

The president of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) says the agency has “much to be thankful for in our work with refugees and migrants,” with resettlement efforts “on the rebound” after they declined in the wake of the Sept.…

The Synod’s Commission on Ministerial Growth and Support (CMGS) is reissuing a call for nominations for an executive director. The executive director reports to the commission and to the Synod president, and is responsible for providing principal leadership in promoting the…

Starting Jan. 15, an application packet will be available for seed grants to help congregations develop support services for immigrants and refugees in their communities. Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), Baltimore, and Wheat Ridge Ministries, Itasca, Ill., are offering the…

Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, is offering a one-day Lenten Preaching Seminar from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 17. Dr. Daniel L. Gard, associate professor of exegetical theology, and Dr. Harold L. Senkbeil, associate professor of pastoral ministry and missions,…

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is offering a free kit of educational resources to be used with the DVD and VHS versions of the motion picture “Luther.” The 300-page kit — available free only to Lutheran congregations, schools, and educational ministries —…

Dr. Rudolph H. Harm, a professor at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, from 1975 until his retirement in 1989, died Dec. 8 in St. Clair, Mo.  He was 81. A funeral service was held Dec. 13 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in…

Guidelines should be in the mail by early January to help congregations implement a 2004 Synod convention resolution that permits women to hold any congregational office that does not involve the exercise of distinctive functions of the pastoral office. The guidelines,…

Along with providing resources for the Jan. 23 “Life Sunday” observance in the United States, LCMS Life Ministries Director Maggie Karner is laying the groundwork for what she hopes will be the Missouri Synod’s first Life Ministries/Human Care project abroad. Karner…

“The Congregation’s Ministry and Mission: Who’s in Charge Here?” will be the theme for the Synod’s second “model theological conference,” set for Aug. 23-25 in Scottsdale, Ariz. The Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) at its Dec. 2-4 meeting in…

By Kim Plummer Krull This new year may hold new hope for people in the Dominican Republic, as a unique partnership strives to plant that country’s first LCMS congregation and also address the plight of people there with developmental disabilities. “This is…

By Paula Schlueter Ross How are LCMS districts responding to the challenge of LCMS World Mission’s Ablaze! initiative, that is, to share the Gospel with 100 million people — “unreached for Christ or uncommitted to Christianity” — by 2017? Synod…

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. Wanted Pews, The Lutheran Hymnal, and church nave chandeliers. …

SCOTT DAVID JANS, Fairbank, Iowa, has applied for reinstatement to the Minister of Religion-Ordained roster of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.  JOHN E. GARSKE, Seward, Neb.; CAROL ANN GRIMM, Marengo, Ill.; DOUGLAS S. MERTZ, Franklin, Wis.; and BARBARA REINDERS, Appleton, Wis.,…