Articles

Would St. Paul Work at Starbucks? Going Where the People Are

by Dave Ficken Living with the Gospel in church is often comfortable. But in an age when people no longer come to the church, the church has to go to the people. Living with the Gospel in the secular world can be uncomfortable. What if I don’t know the answer someone’s question? What if they

World Mission Includes the U.S.

Distinctions between U.S. and international missions are diminishing, says Dr. Robert Scudieri, LCMS World Mission associate executive director of National Mission. “In the 21st-century, we should be thinking about this as a circle, with immigrants to the United States reaching back to their homelands and then receiving gifts of talents and treasures for their work here.”

Click here to read the story and further explore this concept.

“With the Cross of Jesus”

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.

Pilots Help Tell the Story

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

“Just Bring Yourself”

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

Luther’s Journey with Paul: For Further Reading

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.

Our Seminaries: Responding to Needs, Addressing Costs

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,

Starting Anew with a Seminary Graduate

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

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