The Coffee Hour from KFUO Radio

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.

Subha Kumpaty, D.Min., Ph.D. — Engineering Program Chair for Concordia University Wisconsin/Concordia University Ann Arbor, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about his journey to doctoral degrees in theology and engineering, what he loves about both of these areas, how his faith informs his teaching as a professor and engineer, the new engineering degrees at CUW/AA, the outlook for engineering careers today, and how the engineering programs at CUW/AA will prepare students for successful careers. Learn more about these programs at cuw.edu.

Dr. Thaddeus Warren, DCE — Chair of Human and Social Sciences at Concordia University, Nebraska, and Maria Devenport, DCE — Director of Discipleship Ministries at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Fort Collins, Colorado, join Andy for our Set Apart to Serve Series to talk about their journeys to becoming church workers, what their formation as DCEs looked like, who supported and encouraged them to become church workers, and how they serve today. Learn more about the National Association of Directors of Christian Education at nadce.wildapricot.org.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. Chris Hull, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Tomball, TX, joins Andy and Sarah at the Higher Things conference in Carbondale, IL, to talk about the breakaway session he taught to the young adults about dating within the faith, including the purpose of dating, how young adults should approach dating, the importance of dating someone of the same faith, and some questions he answered from the youth. Learn more about Higher Things at higherthings.org.

Rev. Steven and Martha Mahlburg, serving the Lord as missionaries in Sri Lanka, join Andy and Sarah at the Higher Things conference in Carbondale, IL, to talk about their journey to the mission field, the work they do as missionaries in Sri Lanka, the state of the Lutheran church in Sri Lanka, and exciting things happening in the future of the Ceylon Evangelical Lutheran Church. Read the Mahlburgs' story and how to support their work at lcms.org/mahlburg.Read the Reporter article on the new church partner fellowship with the Ceylon Evangelical Lutheran Church (and four other international church bodies) at reporter.lcms.org/2023/synod-convention-welcomes-new-partners-in-proclaiming-the-gospel.

Seminarian James Gramzow, summer vicar with Higher Things, joins Andy and Sarah from the Higher Things conference in Carbondale, IL, to talk about what a summer vicar does with Higher Things, how have hymns been a part of his faith formation and daily vocation, how hymns teach the faith, and some insights he shared with youth and adults in his breakaway session "Hymnody: The Sung Apologetic." Learn more about Higher Things at higherthings.org.