Saturday, February 9, 2013
The president of the Kirkwood-based Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod asked for an apology from a pastor who participated in an interfaith vigil after the shootings.
A few days after the shooting in Newtown, CT, that killed 20 children and six adults, the community gathered with a variety of clergy leaders representing a number of faiths for a prayer service and vigil. That didn't sit well with the president of the conservative, Kirkwood-based Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. A pastor from Christ the King Lutheran Church, a Missouri Synod church in Newtown, was among those who participated. And the president of the synod, The Rev. Matthew Harrison, asked that pastor to apologize, as reported in an article by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Saturday. The Post's coverage summarizes the issue thusly: The synod forbids "worship services that blend the beliefs and practices of Lutherans with those of other …
Saturday, December 22, 2012
We live in a broken culture . . . There is much goodness out there but there is just as much bad.
3 a.m. comes awfully early. When that alarm goes off like that it doesn’t wake you up, it scares you up. My wife and I got out of bed barely into December 15 and proceeded to get ready for our flight to Florida. We were flying to Orlando to interview for a position in Gainesville. Our flight left St. Louis at 6:25 A.M. and so we got up earlier than anyone should be made to. I also made the strongest cup of coffee in the history of coffee. We had an uneventful flight to Florida. We went to pick up our rental car for the 2 hour drive north and as we headed onto the turnpike we made phone calls home. During the drive we heard just glimpses on the radio about another school shooting. Our hearts sank at the scattered news reports that we were …
Monday, December 17, 2012
Superintendent Grayling Tobias says the district has plans in place for each buildings to deal with emergency situations, including those similar to what occurred Friday.
In the wake of the unimaginable tragedy at Sandy Hook School Friday, Hazelwood School District Superintendent Grayling Tobias, expresses his grief regarding the horrible events which took place, but also wants to ensure parents know about district measures to prevent and also deal with the situation should it occur here in the City of Hazelwood. Here is Tobias' message: Dear HSD Parents and Guardians: We are all extremely saddened by the events that took place in a Connecticut school this morning. The loss of life that took place is truly a tragedy. Our thoughts are with those who have been personally impacted by this horrific incident. During times like this, it is only natural to think of our own children. As educators, we think of …
Amy E.
3:37 pm on Sunday, February 17, 2013
I also watched it on television, and I agree that I saw nothing in that memorial gathering that indicated that any of the clergy present were endorsing the faiths of any of the others. They were all simply trying to offer comfort to the grieving. I felt the same way some 11 years earlier when the LCMS pastor David Benke participated in an interfaith memorial gathering at Yankee Stadium following … more ›