The Coffee Hour from KFUO Radio

Rev. Dr. James Baneck — LCMS Executive Director of Pastoral Education and the Set Apart to Serve Initiative, and Michael Ten Clay — Manager with Standing Partnership, join Andy and Sarah for our Set Apart to Serve Series to talk about why we invest in recruiting future church workers, how Set Apart to Serve provides a framework for all LCMS members to encourage youth and adults to consider church work, what we've learned with the pilot partners that will be shared in the Set Apart to Serve Town Hall, where we've already seen Set Apart to Serve taking root and bearing fruit, some of the resources and tools we’ll learn about in the Town Hall, and how to attend the virtual Set Apart to Serve Town Hall on September 27.Learn more about the Set Apart to Serve Initiative and register for the Town Hall at lcms.org/setaparttoserve.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.

Rev. Roy Askins, managing editor of The Lutheran Witness, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about some of the heresies explained in the August 2023 LW “Heresies: Ancient and Modern,” including Gnosticism, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, and Prosperity Gospel. Pick up a copy to read more about these heresies and also Arianism, Nestorianism, Eutychianism, Pelagianism, and Double Predestination. Find it at witness.lcms.org/2023/lutheran-witness-august-2023.Find online exclusives of the Lutheran Witness at witness.lcms.org and subscribe to the Lutheran Witness at cph.org/witness.

Rev. Dr. Jamison Hardy, Bishop of the LCMS English District and author of Pastoral Leadership, Shepherding and Caring for God’s People available from Concordia Publishing House, joins Andy and Sarah for our series on Leadership to talk about the story of Jethro and Moses, how this story shows us a Biblical perspective for leadership structure, how we steward the resources God has provided, and what selfish pride or perfectionism can do to leadership.Find Bishop Hardy's book from CPH at cph.org/pastoral-leadership-shepherding-and-caring-for-gods-people.

Anne Gonzalez, DCE — Manager of Short-term Mission Training & Engagement with the LCMS Office of International Mission, and Stephanie Hovland — Deaconess Intern with the LCMS Office of International Mission, join Andy and Sarah to talk about "Missions Unpacked for Kids: The Church Lives!" including how students are immersed in the life of the Church around the world through Missions Unpacked, who kids will meet in Missions Unpacked, what they'll learn about our international friends, how the curriculum can be used, and tips and tricks for using the curriculum. Find Missions Unpacked for Kids at international.lcms.org/missions-unpacked-for-kids.

Emily Sitzes, Director of Community Wellness at LSS Laclede Groves in Webster Groves, Missouri, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about the new Harmony Garden at LSS Laclede Groves, including how music plays a role in wellness for the members of the LSS community, what prompted the idea for a harmony garden, what can be found in the harmony garden at Laclede Groves, and how residents are making use of this new feature. Read more at lssliving.org/news/resources/music-for-all-in-harmony-garden.Diane Sinclair, Director of Volunteer and Community Engagement with Lutheran Senior Services, then talks about volunteer opportunities with Senior Connections Plus, including how volunteering with LSS Senior Connections Plus makes a difference both for LSS residents and for the volunteers, examples of relationships that grew out of this volunteer opportunity, qualifications and training for volunteers, and how to apply. Learn more at lssliving.org/news/resources/building-connections-one-life-at-a-time-volunteer-with-senior-connections-plus.

Rev. Dr. Daniel Jastram, serving the Lord in Asia in Tokyo, Japan, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about his journey to serving as a missionary, the work he does while in Japan, how his time growing up in Japan influences the work he does now, the need for theology and worship resources in Japan, the current state of Lutheranism in Japan, and what family life is like in Tokyo. Learn more about the Jastram family and how to support their work at lcms.org/jastram.

Rev. Juan Zamora — Assistant Pastor and Apostolic Missionary at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Irving, TX, Lead Mission Developer for T2C2 (Together Transforming Churches and Communities), and President of the Hispanic Missionary League, joins Andy and Sarah for our Set Apart to Serve Series to talk about his work in Hispanic Ministry, what Hispanic / Spanish-speaking ministry looks like across the United States, how people can reach out to those around them who may not know the Gospel of Jesus, how the Hispanic Missionary League is addressing church worker recruitment, and how the Set Apart to Serve resources benefit Hispanic Ministry. Learn more about the Hispanic Missionary League at hispanoslcms.com.Learn more about the Set Apart to Serve Initiative at lcms.org/setaparttoserve.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.

Rev. Richard Woelmer — pastor of University Lutheran Church at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, and Julianna Shults, DCE — Program Manager with LCMS Youth Ministry, join Andy and Sarah to talk about the importance of campus ministry for college students, why it is critical in this stage of life to stay connected to Word and Sacrament ministry, what is essential to campus ministry, how LCMS campus ministry works, and how to get connected to an LCMSU chapter. Learn more about University Lutheran Church at indianalutheran.com/home.Campus ministry resources:LCMSU Student Information Form: lcms.org/campus-ministry/lcms-u-campus-linkLCMSU Chapter Locator: lcms.org/how-we-serve/national/campus-ministry/lcms-u-chapter-mapLCMS Church Locator: locator.lcms.org/church (Advanced Search > Ministry Type to find campus ministry churches)

Rev. Dr. Jamison Hardy, Bishop of the LCMS English District and author of Pastoral Leadership, Shepherding and Caring for God’s People available from Concordia Publishing House, joins Andy and Sarah for our series on Leadership to talk about why and where leadership is important, who benefits from talking about leadership, what Biblical leadership is and where we see leadership styles in Scripture, and what we'll cover in this series.Find Bishop Hardy's book from CPH at cph.org/pastoral-leadership-shepherding-and-caring-for-gods-people.

Deaconess Kristin Wassilak — Interim Dean of the College of Theology, Assistant Professor of Theology, and Program Lead for Deaconess Studies at Concordia University Chicago, Katie Kaufmann — deaconess graduate from Concordia University Chicago, and Deaconess Danelle Putnam — serving as a career missionary through the LCMS in the Dominican Republic, join Andy and Sarah to talk about the recent Deaconess student trip to the Dominican Republic, including how they prepared for the trip, the people they met and worked alongside, they they learned on this trip, and how this experience shaped their understanding of deaconess ministry. Find how you can serve on short-term mission trips at servenow.lcms.org. Learn more about the Deaconess program at Concordia University Chicago at cuchicago.edu/deaconess and how to support the work of Deaconess Putnam at lcms.org/putnam.