Rev. Ronald Paul Hilmer was called home to Jesus on Sunday, March 3rd, 2019. He is survived by his wife Margaret “Maggie” Todd Hilmer, children Jonathan Hilmer, Lorri Hilmer Hackett, Jim Bone, Lisa Todd Van Buren, Andrea Todd Schneider and brother, Gary Hilmer. He was known as a loving grandfather,...

For the middle part of the Twentieth Century, people in our country streamed into our churches. New churches were planted as people from rural communities left the farm for sprawling cities and new suburbs and subdivisions that began to spring up everywhere. The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod grew to 2.8 million...

Pray for Bourbon! Do I have your attention? I’m not talking about “spirits” you can bottle, but the Spirit at work among the saints in the small town of Bourbon, Missouri, population 1601. About an hour southwest of St. Louis, I-44 zooms past their quaint community where Concordia Lutheran Church...

Church worker care begins from a place of shared weakness. It begins as we are found vulnerable together in Christ. Paul expressed this shared need to the Corinthians: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts...

Whether it’s a big church or a small church, a rural or city church, it appears there is a genuine reluctance to address stewardship. This hesitancy can be found both in pastors and laity. It seems there is a pattern across many of our congregations. There is an aspect of...

There’s still time to register for Tell the Next Generation: A Family Ministry Conference on March 9, in St. Charles. Jolene Siebarth, DCE at Immanuel Lutheran Church, has been working with families and youth for almost 20 years. In that time, much has changed, but much has also stayed the...

Lutheran schools are vibrant, diverse learning communities thriving in a Christ-centered environment where Christ’s love and mercy abounds. During the month of February, LCMS schools throughout the Missouri District are celebrating in our diversity and commonality as they celebrate Black History Month. During this time of celebration Lutheran schools are...

When communities change, it can be hard to notice from the inside. For example, Kathryne Chapin asked members of Trinity Lutheran Church how many babies would likely be born in an upcoming year. The estimates were approximately 30 times smaller than the real number. Most members estimated (on average) that...

We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children...

On Feb. 8, 2019, cameras flashed on red carpets across the country, as people walked through crowds of cheering fans. These were not celebrities, but people with special needs who were honored guests for an event called Night to Shine, a prom night experience for people with special needs. Night...