The Coffee Hour from KFUO Radio

How do servant leaders in Lutheran schools model leadership for future church workers? The Rev. Mark Bushuiakovish, pastor at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Nashville, TN, joins Andy and Sarah for our Set Apart to Serve Series to talk about his journey into pastoral ministry, how his faith was formed as a child and through Lutheran schools, the servant leaders who served as models through his years in Lutheran school, his experiences at seminary, and how his congregation forms and encourages both youth and adults to consider full-time church work.Christ’s church will continue until He returns, and that church will continue to need church workers.Set Apart to Serve (SAS) is an initiative of the LCMS to recruit church workers. Together, we pray for workers for the Kingdom of God and encourage children to consider church work vocations.Here are three easy ways you can participate in SAS:1. Pray with your children for God to provide church workers.2. Talk to your children about becoming church workers.3. Thank God for the people who work in your congregation.To learn more about Set Apart to Serve, visit lcms.org/set-apart-to-serve.Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

How can Lutherans faithfully respond to an increasingly pagan society? The Rev. Dr. Matt Richard, pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Minot, North Dakota, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about a recent insightful visit to his local post office and what he witnessed there. He shares what this experience brought to light for him regarding America's spiritual condition, how atheism and spirituality play a role in American culture, what syncretism is and why it's problematic, and how Lutherans can faithfully respond to an increasingly pagan society. Read about Pastor Richard's experience at facebook.com/share/p/15e6sxnrpH and find more from Pastor Richard at pastormattrichard.com/2025/06/let-world-rage-christ-is-enough.html.As you grab your morning coffee (and pastry, let’s be honest), join hosts Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth as they bring you stories of the intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Catch real-life stories of mercy work of the LCMS and partners, updates from missionaries across the ocean, and practical talk about how to live boldly Lutheran. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

Why does worker wellness matter—and how can your congregation get involved in a pilot project to support it? Deaconess Dr. Tiffany Manor (Managing Director of the LCMS Office of National Mission) joins Andy and Sarah to talk about why congregational leaders should care about the well-being of church workers. She shares who we consider to be church workers, what “worker wellness” really means, what participation in the pilot project looks like, how it benefits both congregations and workers, and what steps leaders can take to get started.Visit https://reporter.lcms.org/2025/congregations-needed-for-worker-wellness-pilot-project to find more information as well as the questionnaire for the Pilot Program.Please email workerwellness@lcms.org if you have any questions.As you grab your morning coffee (and pastry, let’s be honest), join hosts Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth as they bring you stories of the intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Catch real-life stories of mercy work of the LCMS and partners, updates from missionaries across the ocean, and practical talk about how to live boldly Lutheran. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

How does understanding archaeology help us to understand Biblical history? The Rev. Dr. Kevin Golden (Associate Professor of Exegetical Theology, Dean of Theological Research and Publication, Director of Resident Field Education, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis) joins Andy and Sarah to talk about an upcoming lecture in Biblical Archaeology at Concordia Seminary titled "Judah in the Time of David." They discuss the time frame being considered in the lecture, what was unique about the context of David's reign, how an archeological understanding of Judah is helpful in understanding Biblical history, and who the expert lecturer will be for this event. You can learn more and register by visiting csl.edu/event/these-stones-will-shout-annual-lecture-in-biblical-archaeology.As you grab your morning coffee (and pastry, let’s be honest), join hosts Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth as they bring you stories of the intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Catch real-life stories of mercy work of the LCMS and partners, updates from missionaries across the ocean, and practical talk about how to live boldly Lutheran. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

Rev. Dr. John Sias gives today's sermon based on John 3:1-15 (16-17).>> The broadcast of chapel services is brought to you by LCMS International Mission and Ministry to Armed Forces.>> Learn more at international.lcms.org and lcms.org/armedforces.>> To learn more about long and short-term opportunities to serve, visit servenow.lcms.org.Tune in weekdays at 10:00 a.m. CT to hear daily chapel services from the LCMS International Center. Find service information including the lectionary, hymn, and homilist for the day at kfuo.org/daily-chapel-schedule.

The 69th Regular Convention of the LCMS is next summer! Rev. Dr. John Sias, Secretary of the LCMS, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about where we are in the convention cycle, including the details for nominations across various synodical positions, the offices nominations are being sought for, how nominations are submitted, and encouragement for nominations. Visit lcms.org/nominate for nominations and documents, and lcms.org/convention/governance for convention overtures.As you grab your morning coffee (and pastry, let’s be honest), join hosts Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth as they bring you stories of the intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Catch real-life stories of mercy work of the LCMS and partners, updates from missionaries across the ocean, and practical talk about how to live boldly Lutheran. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

How is church worker formation cemented as culture in the church? The Rev. Dr. Mike Von Behren (President of the LCMS Northwest District and Regent at Concordia University Irvine) and the Rev. Dr. Bill Harmon (President of the LCMS Southeastern District and Assistant Pastor of King of Glory Lutheran Church in Williamsburg, VA) join Andy for our Set Apart to Serve series to talk about their journeys to becoming pastors and then District Presidents, their chief duties as a District President, what each of their districts are doing to form and recruit church workers and why this work is so important to each of them, and what they think will cement church worker formation and recruitment into the culture of our LCMS congregations, schools, districts, and entities.Christ’s church will continue until He returns, and that church will continue to need church workers.Set Apart to Serve (SAS) is an initiative of the LCMS to recruit church workers. Together, we pray for workers for the Kingdom of God and encourage children to consider church work vocations.Here are three easy ways you can participate in SAS:1. Pray with your children for God to provide church workers.2. Talk to your children about becoming church workers.3. Thank God for the people who work in your congregation.To learn more about Set Apart to Serve, visit lcms.org/set-apart-to-serve.

How does a church family care for a community in the name of Jesus after a disaster? The Rev. Dr. Gerard Bolling (Lead Pastor, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, St Louis, MO) and the Rev. Chris Knepper (Pastor of Community Engagement, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, St. Louis, MO) join Andy and Sarah to talk about the recent tornado that impacted the St. Louis community, how community members and the area around Bethlehem Lutheran were affected, how Bethlehem Lutheran has been able to meet the needs of the community, what new things have come out of the disaster response, and how they've ben able to bring the comfort of Christ to those who are hurting. Learn more about how you can help at bethlehemstlouis.org.

What does it truly mean to live a receptive life? The Rev. Dr. Joel Biermann, Waldemar A. and June Schuette Professor of Systematic Theology and author of Day 7: For Work, Rest, or Play from Concordia Publishing House, joins Andy and Sarah for a series on what Sabbath means for us. In this final episode on chapter 7, they discuss what re-enchantment in God’s Word looks like, how we can appreciate the metaphysical realities of this world, what truth, goodness, and beauty have to do with living a receptive life, and what it means to live in the fullness of God’s Sabbath.Find Day 7: For Work, Rest, or Play at cph.org/day-7-for-work-rest-or-play.As you grab your morning coffee (and pastry, let’s be honest), join hosts Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth as they bring you stories of the intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Catch real-life stories of mercy work of the LCMS and partners, updates from missionaries across the ocean, and practical talk about how to live boldly Lutheran. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

The 2025 LWML National Convention is coming up June 26-29 in Omaha, NE, under the theme “Growing in God’s Grace” (2 Peter 3:18). President of the LWML Eden Keefe joins Andy and Sarah to talk about what the 2025 LWML Convention will look like this summer, the story behind the theme “Growing in God’s Grace,” what this theme means for her and all Lutheran women, how planning happens for the National conventions every other year, the objectives for the convention, and what we can expect this summer in Omaha. Learn more at lwml.org/convention.