In Orchard Farm and surrounding communities, evidence of this spring’s monster flood is both everywhere and nowhere. The water line is still visible on many homes, some of which bear orange stickers that designate the insurance company’s order to raise the home. However, in other spots, the impact of the...
Some church members communicate with some sense of disappointment that they are not having their expectations met by their respective congregations. From buildings and parking lots to music and programs, people often express their dissatisfaction at what they find at their congregation. Pastors are not professional enough and programs are...
Rev. Herbert E. Muench of Saint Charles, MO was called home to glory Wed. Sept. 25, 2019 at the age of 86. Loving husband of the late Melba Carol Muench; beloved son of the late John B. and Norma Muench; devoted father of Norma Muench, Loren Muench, and Mark (Karen) Muench;...
“For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” —2 Corinthians 4:5 One faithful Lutheran school teacher once told me that everyday he would tell the students in his classroom that Jesus died on the cross and rose again for the forgiveness...
“Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” —John 12:21Pastors are not called to be change agents. They are not called to be visionary leaders. They are not...
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.–2 Timothy 3:14-15The Baptismal rite...
“Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry come to you!” —Psalm 102:1 Hurts and brokenness among the chosen people of God is nothing new. While there is much more attention given to church worker health, the anguish of God’s servants fills the Psalms. Psalm 102 begins with a preface that notes,...
In May of 2018 Bethlehem Lutheran Church held an upbeat street ministry event, Taking Jesus to the Streets, in Ferguson. They met more than 100 people a block from the Canfield Apartment complex, the epicenter of the unrest that made the St. Louis suburb infamous. The residents asked them a...
When Todd Barnes, an active member and former president of Zion Lutheran Church, needed a new model for his work with the homeless, he looked at the success of many areas in the country. Lancaster, PA in particular had a model he thought would work in the areas he serves....
“O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old.” —Psalm 44:1What is one thing that congregations can do to strengthen both the church and our communities today? The answer is simple, but not easy....