“Christ, Our Hope for Unity” was the theme for an April 18 prayer service led by Pope Benedict XVI at St. Joseph Parish, a German Roman Catholic congregation in the Yorkville section of Manhattan, N.Y., with some 350 ecumenical guests…

This year marks the 85th anniversary of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod’s ministry to blind and visually impaired people, “who are everywhere, in every community,” according to Rev. Dave Andrus, executive director of Lutheran Blind Mission. Mandated by convention action in…

LCMS World Mission is offering a number of resources to help congregations celebrate “Armed Forces Sunday” on May 18.  The theme of this year’s materials is “Strength for a Troubled World.” The special observance, held annually the week before Memorial…

If you’re planning a family vacation this summer but not set on where to go or what to do, Jim Lohman of LCMS District and Congregational Services — Youth Ministry has an idea. “Don’t overlook the opportunities for your family to…

The Lutheran Witness, the official magazine of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, won four awards in this year’s Associated Church Press (ACP) religious journalism competition for work done in 2007. The awards were announced at the ACP’s annual convention, April 20-23…

Buoyed by the success of two similar events it sponsored in the past, the Synod’s Commission on Worship is presenting the third triennial Institute on Liturgy, Preaching, and Church Music July 22-25 on the campus of Concordia University Nebraska (CUN),…

Concordia Publishing House is releasing this month Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions in digital format for computers as a CD-ROM.  Based on the second or “reader’s edition” of the Confessions, the resource includes introductions, notes, annotations, tools, and guides to aid…

Rev. David Maffett of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, has accepted a call to serve as executive director of Lutheran Bible Translators of Canada. Maffett, 49, currently serves as a mission developer with the East District of Lutheran Church–Canada.  He will…

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, is sponsoring three on-campus summer workshops for pastors, professional church workers, and interested laypeople. “Technology in the Parish,” June 2-4, with Rev. Anthony Cook, assistant professor of practical theology and director of educational technology.  The workshop…

By Paula Schlueter Ross Five new “outreach centers for the blind” have opened this year, bringing to 54 the number of centers started by LCMS congregations in 23 states since 1999. The newest centers are operating at Holy Cross, Kansas…

Planners of the 2010 National LCMS Youth Gathering in April announced its theme, “We Believe,” and that for the first time youth registration will be open to those who are 14 years old or entering their freshman year of high…

(RNS) — The Bible is the favorite book of all time for American adults, regardless of demographic group, according to a new 2008 Harris Interactive Poll. Researchers said it’s rare to find such consensus among Americans, regardless of gender, education…

Faculty, staff, students, and friends of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, will fasten their helmets and put on their bike shorts Saturday, May 3, for the fourth annual Tour de Sem cycling event.  Participants will bicycle 95 miles from St. Paul…

“Christian Law Enforcement Chaplaincy — Theology and Practice” is the topic of a workshop that will be presented May 19-23 at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, in cooperation with Peace Officer Ministries. The workshop will offer accredited training for chaplains, peace…

LCMS World Mission is seeking 20 volunteers to teach conversational English in Asia for two to four weeks this summer. Volunteers do not need a formal teaching degree, but “do need a heart to serve people and share with them…

Cynthia “Cyndi” Sawyer, an LCMS missionary to Hong Kong, died of a heart attack March 7 in Hong Kong.  A funeral service was held March 19 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Pleasant Dale, Neb. Sawyer, 49, was a second-grade teacher…