The Coffee Hour from KFUO Radio

Mrs. Offiong Ekong— Wife of Archbishop, the Most Reverend Christian Ekong, and leader of pastors’ wives conferences, and Deaconess Uduak Effiong Essien— Deaconess & Secretary of Lutheran Women Fellowship of Lutheran Church of Nigeria, join Sarah to talk about the Lutheran Women Fellowship in Nigeria, the role of women and Deaconesses in mercy work, and how pastors’ wives conferences build up with group of women in the church. The Lutheran Church of Nigeria started in 1936 and has grown to 339 congregations in 38 districts with over 80,000 baptized members and 72 pastors. Deaconesses play an important role in the mercy work of the church, and there are 438 commissioned deaconesses in the Lutheran Church of Nigeria. They are working with Deaconess Grace Rao at the The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod to receive theological training for all 438 women. The Lutheran Church of Nigeria’s Lutheran Women Fellowship is similar to the LWML in the LCMS. The Lutheran Church in Nigeria has the Jonathan Ekong Memorial Lutheran Seminary, which is incredibly important to the church body and is supported by various Lutheran organizations, including the LCMS, International Lutheran Council, Lutheran Heritage Foundation and the LWML.

Rev. Greg Truwe, pastor of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cole Camp, Missouri, joins Sarah to talk about what a family altar is, why it’s important in a Christian home, and ways to start using a family altar in your own home. Find resources like Bibles, hymnals, and devotional books at cph.org.

Nikki Kueck, principal at Faith Lutheran High School of Central Texas, joins Sarah to talk about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) activities for kids, why these activities benefit all kids, and how parents can do fun STEM activities at home with their kids. Find STEM books at your local library or search online to find great activities!

Rachel Bomberger, former editor of the Lutheran Witness and now Navy Chaplain’s wife, joins Sarah to talk about the vocation of wife, how this changes throughout life, and her experiences through different stages of life with her husband, Ken. Join us in wishing God’s blessing to them and their children as they embark on a new journey in service to God.

Kristen Whirrett, blogger at joyfullythriving.com, joins Sarah to talk about how family budgets can be affected over the summer, ways to prepare for additional summer expenses, and great tips for free or inexpensive summer activities for families. Read more from Kristen at joyfullythriving.com.

Rev. Merritt Demski, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Waterloo, Illinois, joins Sarah to talk about the role of social media in a congregation, some common pitfalls that pastors and congregations can fall into, and examples of how to do social media well while staying focused on Christ crucified.

J.P. and Aimee Cima, who serve the Lord in the Kingdom of Cambodia along with their 3 children, join Sarah to talk about the work they do with the Cambodia Lutheran Church and mission work at large in the Asia region, what life is like in Cambodia, and what is most enjoyable about working on the mission field for 12 years. Learn more about them at lcms.org/cima and follow their story at cimafam.com.

Rev. William Weedon, Director of Worship with the LCMS Office of National Mission, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about the green season of the church year, a.k.a. The Time of the Church, a.k.a the Season after Pentecost, a.k.a the Season after Trinity – you pick. Hear why we have so many names for it and what highlights to look for! Find insights into worship planning and the church year at lcms.org/worship/planning-resources. This is a rebroadcast from May 31, 2018.

Meredith Whitefield, Communications Specialist—Youth Ministry with the LCMS Office of National Mission, joins Sarah to talk about all of the digital resources for the LCMS National Youth Gathering, including why and how to follow all @LCMSNYG social media channels, what’s available on the website lcmsgathering.com (including Livestreams), and the app that’s now available for download for both iOS and Android. Find @LCMSNYG on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and YouTube.

Rev. Dr. Joel Lehenbauer, Director of the LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about the text of the Bible study at the National Youth Gathering this year, what sets the Psalms apart from other Scripture, and what themes will be studied during these Bible studies. Find the Bible study at lcmsgathering.com/biblestudy.