LERT certifies volunteers to FEMA standards, and makes them eligible for access to federal disaster sites. Across Missouri, these trained volunteers are ready to step in when the unthinkable happens. The district’s goal is to have teams in every pocket of Missouri, so LERT volunteers can serve locally, without the...

Lutheran Early Response Teams (LERT) are LCMS volunteers around the country, trained to respond in the wake of natural disasters, such as flooding, earthquakes and tornadoes. Kent Kunkel, a member of the MO LERT team, helped organize volunteers in the immediate aftermath of the tornado. Kunkel has seen many people...

When Rev. John Perling first traveled to Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church in St. Robert, MO, he was working on his Ph.D. at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. He was not seeking a Call at the congregation. However, as he continued to preach there as part of the seminary’s Pulpit Supply,...

Ten years ago, things were very different at St. Trinity Lutheran Church. With about 35 members, it had come down to a vote of whether to close the congregation. The vote tied. Fast forward a decade, and you’ll find a vibrant congregation of approximately 70 members always looking for ways...