By Sue Sprang WYOMING, MI – I recently spent part of a day with our synod’s Sudanese mission congregation at Christ Lutheran Church, Wyoming. It was a rich, deeply moving experience that left me spiritually uplifted, humbled, and reminded of those things I take for granted. Worship, stories and conversation, a warm welcome – and […]
Monthly archives for May, 2015
Faith Practices and Stewardship
Great article reproductions from The Lutheran. The format for print out is a bit odd – but it works! View and download the booklet
Wind, fire move through assembly
By Sue Sprang LANSING – Under the banner “We Are Church”, attendees of the 2015 North/West Lower Michigan Synod Assembly were wrapped in the intense movement of the Holy Spirit through the halls of the Lansing Center on May 17-19. From Dr. Walter Taylor’s (Trinity Lutheran Seminary) keynote address, “Paul’s Newly Discovered Epistle to the […]
Want millennials back in the pews? St...
By Rachel Held Evans Bass reverberates through the auditorium floor as a heavily bearded worship leader pauses to invite the congregation, bathed in the light of two giant screens, to tweet using #JesusLives. The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafts in from the lobby, where you can order macchiatos and purchase mugs boasting a sleek […]
Queen on a mission
By Sue Sprang MOUNT PLEASANT – Amy Henderson was raised in Shepherd, MI, and was the community’s 2012 Maple Syrup Festival queen. But for those who think small town royalty are sappy, this young woman undoes the beauty queen stereotype. Okay, yes, she is beautiful. She is also smart, aware, community-minded, and non-self-absorbed. Henderson […]
Bringing it on home
By Sue Sprang RHODES – He’s been a school bus driver, police and seafarers’ chaplain, parole officer, and bartender – for starters. He is a biker, a musician who has played Dixieland and conducted Bach’s “St. Matthew’s Passion”, has experience in radio and television, and a gatherer of intriguing artifacts. He’s shared the stage with, […]
Community garden “repurposed...
By Sue Sprang BATTLE CREEK – Members of Trinity Lutheran Church, Battle Creek, came up with the plan of creating a community garden in the church’s neighborhood. Although there were several attempts to establish the garden, there always seemed to be snags that prevented the project from taking off. “No one in our neighborhood […]
Seven Reasons Some Church Members Don...
By Thom Rainer It is highly unusual to hear church members say that they don’t desire their churches to be obedient to the Great Commission. Indeed, it is common for the members of a pastor search committee to tell a prospective pastor that they are looking for a leader who will guide the church […]