MetroLutheran

What if a faith community approached ministry by going out into the community, finding excited and passionate people, and asking them, “How can we, the church, become relevant to you?”
Two distinct Lutheran-based, faith communities are exploring just that. Spirit of Truth, in St. Paul, and Project F-M, in Fargo-Moorhead, both have gone into their communities, read on ..

In Tanzania, less than 13 percent of graduates from the primary school system pass the national exam allowing entrance into secondary school, said Diane Jacoby, interim director of Operation Bootstrap Africa. “Many of the people who pass the exam do not go on to secondary school because they have nowhere to go,” Jacoby said.
Fewer of read on ..

The City of Minneapolis has been named the “number one bike-friendly city in America.” (Sorry, Portland; you are second.) Observers of the local urban scene will have noticed bikers everywhere — on the trails, in bike lanes, wherever it is safe to ride.
And bicycle shops abound in Minneapolis … except on the Northside.
North Minneapolis has read on ..

What compels a mother to leave her children at home while she crosses the U.S. border from Mexico in search of work? This is one of the questions to be posed in an upcoming U.S. theatre tour by the Mexican organization El Taller A.C. (pronounced /el TA-yer/, meaning “the workshop, a non-profit”).
El Taller A.C.’s Theatre read on ..

Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, St. Paul, recently announced its vote to call the Rev. Bradley Schmeling as its new senior pastor. He will join the Gloria Dei pastoral staff June 17, according to Claire Hoyum, congregation council president.
“Pastor Schmeling is an extraordinary pastor and an ideal match for our congregation’s needs,” Hoyum said. “He is read on ..

The Mass for Job is not a typical “church” composition. “It is not intended to be sung at a worship service,” explained the Rev. Wayne Peterson, pastor at St. Barnabas Lutheran Church, Plymouth, Minnesota. “It might be better described as a theater piece, along the lines of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass.”
Jeff Whitmill, composer of the Mass read on ..

When Concordia University, St. Paul, holds its 11th annual Poehler Lecture on Faith and Learning Tuesday, April 24, there will be two lecturers rather than one. However, they do share the same last name. The Trapp brothers were selected for this honor based on excellence in academic disciplines as well as their maturity in the read on ..

Hope can be elusive sometimes. Certainly it can feel that way.
So, it makes sense to wonder where a safe place for holding on to hope might be. Who is the person whose life experience regenerates her or his sense of hope?
The first response to these questions likely wouldn’t be to talk to a read on ..

Faith Lutheran Church (ELCA), once the largest Lutheran congregation in St. Paul, now greets only 130 for worship each week. At its centennial in 2014, the congregation, located at 499 Charles Avenue, faces still more change. It just doesn’t know what.
As it happens, 2014 is the very year when Light Rail Transit trains start running read on ..

Lutherans seem to enjoy at least two things: They are very loyal to their church colleges, and they do relish a good controversy.

You’ve waited your whole life and now it is finally here — retirement. You did what you needed — savings, 401(k)s, investments — to get to the finish line. So now what?
Determining how to manage your nest egg during retirement can seem daunting without proper guidance. Here are some tips to get you thinking about read on ..

Top researchers in biogeochemistry, oceanography, deep-sea biology, molecular genetics, and coral ecology are coming together on October 2-3, 2012, for “Our Global Ocean,” the 48th annual Nobel Conference at Gustavus Adolphus College. They will meet to discuss the marine realm: What we know, what we don’t know, and how humans rely upon healthy vibrant seas.
The read on ..

Former Viking tight end Stu Voigt (left), mascot Ragnar, Vikings cheerleaders Jenna and Blair join Tom O’Neill, Lutheran engagement specialist for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, in delivering baskets of toys, games, art supplies, and books, including a Bible, to children at the Shriners Hospital in Minneapolis. Nationally, Thrivent worked with all 32 NFL teams as read on ..

A student came into the office, troubled. She had the opportunity to take an internship in Washington D.C., but her grandmother was dying in Minneapolis. “What should I do?,” she wondered.
We talked into that late fall afternoon, outlining possible courses of action, sorting through potential consequences, and watching golden mountain ash leaves swirl in the read on ..

Members of East Union Lutheran Church, Carver, Minnesota, saw a toilet paper need at the Chaska Food Shelf. Paper products cannot be purchased with donations for food, so the food shelf faced a shortage. East Union (ELCA) held a toilet paper drive around the time of the Super Bowl, calling it “Super Roll Sunday.” A total read on ..

Metro Lutheran will hold its annual Hymn Festival at 4 p.m., on May 20, 2012, at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, 3045 Chicago Avenue, Minneapolis, according to the Rev. Michael Edwins, Metro Lutheran board member and chair of its annual dinner committee.
“We are very pleased to be back at Mount Olive Lutheran Church,” said Edwins. read on ..

The annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum has grown into a major event in Minnesota and Iowa during the past quarter-century. This year’s March 1-3 conference at Augsburg College and the University of Minnesota gives promise of becoming a mega-event.
There are a couple reasons for that, according to event coordinator Maureen Reed. “We listened to our read on ..

Lutheran camping offer a wide variety of experiences, but all share a common commitment to experiencing the wilderness, the beauty of God’s creation, and the excitement of a life of faith. For more information on Lutheran camp ministries, visit Voyageurs Lutheran Ministry, Camp Amnicon, Lutheran Outdoors of South Dakota’s Joy Ranch, Inspiration Point, Dorian Lutheran Music read on ..

It slathered through the hair and beards of the kings of Israel and Judah as they were anointed by the prophets. Now it fries your burgers. Some of it may actually be good for you, but not all of it. In fact, you might give it up for Lent — of course, after you first read on ..

It sounds a bit crazy when you first hear about it: a group of people choosing to pay more for a gallon of gas than the price at the pump … through a voluntary tax … where the payers get to decide how the money is spent. But this is exactly what a couple of read on ..

They have been sending their healing, calming tones over the airwaves for the past two decades. The Minnesota Compline Choir, a churchly version of the Energizer Bunny, just keeps on going, Sunday after Sunday, as it has since 1992.
Thousands of listeners in Minnesota — and now, through the miracle of Internet streaming, around the world read on ..

Isn’t it rather strange that we American Lutherans tend to refer to our hymnals by the color of their covers? Just gather with any group of Lutherans, and pretty soon they will start talking about, and critiquing, the hymnals that they have used in their life. “Why, I remember the old [insert your favorite read on ..