By Kim Plummer Krull As he waits for the insurance company to assess damages, the Rev. Joel Kotila says he knows many people are dealing with far greater losses since Hurricane Irene. Still, the pastor at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church,…

By Kim Plummer Krull While many are giving thanks that Hurricane Irene packed less force than forecasters feared, LCMS leaders are learning about pockets of destruction as they check on congregations and communities along the battered Eastern Seaboard. By Tuesday…

Nine Lutheran college fairs are planned for Midwestern sites this fall. Representatives from Lutheran colleges and universities nationwide will be at the fairs to share information and answer questions. Sponsored by the Lutheran Educational Conference of North America (LECNA), the…

(RNS) — A new study reporting that white Americans without college degrees are dropping out of church faster than their higher-educated counterparts has several possible explanations, according to researchers. The study, by University of Virginia sociologist W. Bradford Wilcox, found…

The first of 18 different postcards updating congregations about their role in necessary procedures leading up to and including their 2012 district conventions and the 2013 Synod convention will be arriving in their mail early this month. The postcards from…

By Kim Plummer Krull After a surprise visit from a Kenyan Lutheran friend, the Rev. Kevin Vogts now sees a blessing in the midst of those “enormous black columns” of mosquitoes swirling over floodwaters that forced about 70 percent of…

CHRISTOPHER JOHN IRELAN, Arlington Heights, Ill., has applied for reinstatement to the Ministers of Religion–Ordained roster of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. SARAH KATHERINE JOHNSON, Four Seasons, Mo.; RACHEL BRAUNERSREUTHER, Tomball, Texas; KIMBERLY A. NEWMAN, Sterling Heights, Mich.; and RHONDA A.…

REV. ERIC ASH, Monroeville, Pa., has submitted an application for the Pastoral Colloquy Program through The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. Correspondence regarding his application should be directed within four weeks after publication of this notice to: Reverend Herbert C. Mueller Jr.,…

Lutheran Services of Georgia, a statewide social services agency with an annual budget of over $12 million, is searching for a chief executive officer (CEO) to succeed its retiring CEO.  The ideal candidate should have a proven record of strategic…

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.  Notices may be sent to Karen Higgins at…

In honor of the bicentennial celebration in October of the birth of the Synod’s first president, the Rev. Dr. C.F.W. Walther, Concordia Publishing House is taking pre-orders for a 3-inch bronze commemorative medallion. The front of the medallion features Walther’s…

By Paula Schlueter Ross The transition from seminary (where students enjoy ready friendships and camaraderie) to congregation (a sometimes lonely place with a host of daily challenges) can be difficult for new pastors. There are church finances to deal with,…

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, will host a special concert in memory of Rev. Robert Bergt, the late conductor and music director of the seminary’s “Bach at the Sem” concerts and its artist-in-residence. The concert is planned for 3 p.m. Sept.…

By Herbert C. Mueller Jr. At the invitation of the Rev. Dr. Mark Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), I attended the second half of the ELCA’s 12th Churchwide Assembly, held Aug. 15-19 in Orlando,…

By Kim Plummer Krull As students prepared to start classes at Concordia College, Selma, Ala., on Aug. 17, administrators and faculty say work they tackled earlier in the month will help the country’s only historically black Lutheran college continue to…