Ringing and singing into the future
Posted: October 5, 2015By Sue Sprang MIDLAND – “It only takes a spark to get a fire going” says the first line of an old church camp song – and Trinity Lutheran Church, […]
Read more →Top Ten Marks of a Missional Congregation
Posted: September 28, 2015By David E. Sprang 1) Always Listening – to God, each other and the community. Creates space and hospitality for others to tell their story 2) Mentors and Trains Leaders […]
Read more →Bringing others to Jesus, Part 1
Posted: September 22, 2015By Sue Sprang SYNOD – In this three-part series, we’ll take a look at Living Water Ministries. Part 1 will be a look back on summer camp 2015. Part 2 […]
Read more →A Grand Rapids church chooses people over historic space
Posted: August 30, 2015Eight years ago, a Grand Rapids congregation left its stately but deteriorating church for a plain, empty building in a tough part of town. Today, the risk has paid off […]
Read more →Speed for need
Posted:By Sue Sprang AUBURN – Two “Mitten Synod” pastors “revved it up” on July 24 as they participated in the annual Faster Pastor race at the Tri-City Motor Speedway in […]
Read more →A call for community engagement
Posted: August 17, 2015By Sue Sprang From the writer: Generally, reporters don’t write in first person, so writing this article was a real challenge. I once served as associate in ministry for education […]
Read more →Food backpacks help kids learn
Posted:By Sue Sprang GLADWIN/BEAVERTON – First it was a mobile food pantry, beginning in 2012 and feeding over 200 families once or twice a month. Then came “Backpack Buddies,” a […]
Read more →What It Takes to Revitalize the Mainline
Posted: July 26, 2015By Bishop Bruce Ough and Rev. Susan Nienaber It is possible to revitalize our mainline congregations and denominational structures. And it is happening all around us, in spite of the […]
Read more →The task of transformation
Posted:By Sue Sprang PORTAGE/KALAMAZOO – There are congregations where mission seems to be the norm – and Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Portage is one of them. One of […]
Read more →Pinpricks of hope, part 2
Posted:By Sue Sprang LANSING/PINE RIDGE – “Pinpricks of hope” is a two-part article about a mission trip made by members of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Lansing to the Pine Ridge […]
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