by Paula Schlueter Ross Brenda Johnson (at right in above photo), the head cook at Camp Restore, New Orleans, invites just about every volunteer group at the camp to stop by her house, which had five-and-a-half feet of floodwater post-Katrina and now “is gorgeous,” she says. Thanks to Lutheran volunteers, Johnson got back into her
by James Heine While a raging Cedar River may have forced Harlan and Marge Ketelsen to abandon the home they have lived in for 50 years, it has not dampened Ketelsen’s determination to continue producing the little walnut crosses he has been distributing for 25 years. “Harlan’s crosses have traveled around the world,” says Rev.
by Diane Strzelecki Nate Predoehl, a lifelong Lutheran, first heard about Mission Central from his mother, who had seen Gary Thies speak at an LWML event. He later met Thies at his church, Good Shepherd Lutheran, in Gretna, Neb., after Thies’ presentation there. “After he learned that I was a corporate pilot, Gary asked right
Books on Luther and Paul, or on the history of Pauline interpretation, are often quite technical (and often in German). However, here are a few possibilities for further reading that are relatively accessible and provide broader background for the topics touched on in my story that appears in this issue of The Lutheran Witness.
by Rev. Timothy C. Cartwright I am a great advocate of outreach and evangelism. As with my current congregation, Grace Lutheran in Ashland, Org., and with all the congregations I have served, at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Hudson, Ohio, where I first met Leo Mehl and his wife, Marjorie, (see the print edition of
by Roland Lovstad It’s fair to say no two ministries–or congregations–in the LCMS are alike. They may be small churches in rural America, “megachurches” in the suburbs, or historic congregations in urban settings. Surrounding these congregations are wonderful opportunities to bring God’s Word to immigrants, ethnic groups, blind or deaf people, families, children, military personnel,
by Roland Lovstad Graduating seminarians anticipate seminary “Call Day” as a time to move from preparation to active ministry. At the same time, congregations like Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Hampton, Va., anticipate the day when their hopes will be met with a new pastor. “Here we are going into 2008 after four years without a permanent
by James Heine Because we focus on pastoral recruitment, education, and support in the May issue of The Lutheran Witness, we asked our clergy contributors this question: Who first encouraged you to consider the pastoral ministry, and what effect did that encouragement have on your life and on your desire to become a Lutheran pastor?
by Roland Lovstad Regardless of whether rural or small-town communities are growing or declining in population, there is usually an increase in the number of unchurched or uncommitted people, observes Rev. Russell Sommerfeld, president of the Synod’s Nebraska District. “First of all, the challenge is connecting with many of these people,” he says. While younger
by Paula Schlueter Ross All six of Rev. Arlo Pullmann’s children–ages 14 to 22–left their home in Laurel, Mont., to attend Saint Paul Lutheran High School, halfway across the country. Pullmann, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church, Laurel, and first vice president of the LCMS Montana District, and his wife, Nanette, attended Saint Paul back
The following article is from the Q&A section of the August 1997 issue of The Lutheran Witness, p. 25. We can find no one who has the answer to this. Why do we say of Christ in the Creed that “on the third day He rose again from the dead”? Why “again”? Christ rose only once
by Roland Lovstad “We envisioned a training center that would partner with the Missouri District, a center that would touch areas of rural and small-town ministry but also assist professional church workers and lay leaders wherever they need assistance in ministry.” That’s how Dr. Ralph Geisler describes the Saint Paul Institute for Education (SPIFE). Geisler,