The Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) will soon be accepting applications for Kaleidoscope Grants for the third consecutive year. With funds between the amounts of $15,000 and $75,000, these grants are available to Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) K-8 elementary schools. LCEF Articles of Incorporation and Synod Bylaws prohibit LCEF from distributing...
When the Lord called to Moses from the Burning Bush, He did not give him mighty armies and weapons to lead the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. He only gave Moses His Word to speak. Likewise, the Lord calls to Isaiah, He sends the one whom He...
What fortifies a parent’s resolve to take their kids to church before they can sit still? What empowers those same parents to take the lead on teaching the faith, to ensure their kids feel comfortable praying, reading scripture and asking questions? The answers will vary as greatly as every family...
This past February, 65 people from 20 congregations and mission stations gathered in Springfield to discuss mission opportunities in the region through ministry partnerships. They represented rural and city, small and large churches, pastors and laity, all putting their hands together in prayer seeking ways to engage their communities. The...
Last month, we wrote about how pastors can embrace stewardship with their congregations. As a follow-up, we spoke with Rev. Nathan Meador, Senior Pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Plymouth, WI and the Assistant Coordinator of Stewardship for the Office of National Mission-LCMS. Rev. Meador says the first step...
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. —1 John 1:8-9 Our lives are lived in a most uncertain world. We grow accustomed...
It’s not easy to juggle a church work career, family obligations, and unexpected life events. That means if finances are a source of stress, you’re hardly alone. Most people learn how to manage their personal finance through old-fashioned life experience. It’s deceptively easy to slip into bad habits or to...
Growing up in a military family means many things, including getting familiar with the unfamiliar. When kids from military families enroll in Our Savior Christian Academy, some of them have moved as many as 13 times already. Many times, they’re new to the Midwest, though they may have lived on...
In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. —Luke 6:12 After Jesus healed a lame man on the Sabbath, the reaction of the Pharisees and scribes, writing, “they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what...
In the spring of 2018, a few people noticed a slight dip in the ceiling of the sanctuary of Immanuel Lutheran Church in St. Charles. The past year had marked the congregation’s 150th anniversary, which coincided with the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. The spot on the ceiling was barely...