By Kim Plummer Krull The day after one Mercy Medical Team (MMT) returned from leading first-ever, much-needed diabetes education seminars requested by the India Evangelical Lutheran Church, another group of quickly organized medical volunteers headed to Haiti to answer an…

After four years — and hundreds of hours of research — Concordia Publishing House has produced The Story Bible for children ages 3 to 8. The new Bible features lifelike illustrations, Christ-centered stories and resources designed to enhance learning.  It…

By Melanie Ave The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod commissioned 34 new career and long-term missionaries and educators into global service with a special “sending service” July 15 at the LCMS International Center chapel in St. Louis. The 2011 career and GEO…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Christian missionaries should renounce all “deception and coercive means” of winning converts, according to an agreement released June 28 by a broad coalition of evangelicals, the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Vatican. The document, “Christian…

By Paula Schlueter Ross PEORIA, Ill. — Delegates to the 34th Biennial Convention of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, meeting here June 23-26, adopted a new mission goal of $1.825 million for the 2011-2013 biennium. The goal is the same…

By Kim Plummer Krull Two children, ages 6 and 8, from a member family at First Lutheran Church in nearby Neosho, Mo., are among 132 confirmed deaths from the devastating twister that ripped through Joplin, Mo., on May 22.  The…

By Kim Plummer Krull Members of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and School in Cullman, Ala., are among the masses dealing with major damages after powerful storms cut a wide swath through the South on April 27, killing more than 250…

The Synod’s two seminaries are offering continuing-education courses this summer in a variety of North American locations. The courses are open to clergy and laypeople. Following is a list of dates, sites, courses, instructors and contact information for each seminary.…

By James Heine Japan is a nation of some 126.5 million people. It is one of the leading democracies in the Pacific Rim and a major world economic power. While it is well-prepared for natural disasters (perhaps better prepared than…

By James Heine For the first time in nearly a decade, the LCMS Council of Presidents met with its Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC) counterpart. The meeting took place Feb. 21-24 in St. Louis. While the two groups shared reports and conversations,…

By Kim Plummer Krull In case of turbulence during a flight, passengers who are caregivers are told to put on their oxygen masks first so they can assist others. Similar advice comes from Grace Place Lutheran Wellness Ministries Executive Director…

By Paula Schlueter Ross LCMS World Mission would like to place 130 GEO missionaries and 100 short-term mission teams in overseas mission fields during 2011. The Globally Engaged in Outreach, or GEO, missionaries typically serve a year or two, sharing…

Nine Lutheran educators have been named as recipients of Lutheran Education Association’s (LEA) 2011 awards.  They include Dr. Steven Arnold of St. Paul, Minn., a retired teacher and director of Christian education (DCE) who is receiving the Christus Magister (Teacher…

By Kim Plummer Krull One year after a catastrophic earthquake hit Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010, nearly 1 million people still live in tents, 95 percent of the rubble remains and cholera has killed more than 2,500, according to news…

By Gene Edward Veith Do atheists know more about religion than religious people do?  That was the conclusion of recent news reports on the U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, which released…

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (RNS) — Harvard University scholar Robert Putnam has earned a reputation as an expert on the threads that hold America’s social fabric intact. His 2001 bestseller, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, drew national attention…