The Rev. Dr. Martin Fredrick Saarinen died peacefully at his Newberry SC home on April 1, 2023, after a brief illness with pancreatic cancer. Son of Pastor John and Tekla (Toppari) Saarinen, Martti was born in Portland OR on July 6, 1929. He was predeceased by his...
By The Rev. Lisa Isenhower First-Call ministers from across the Southeast recently traveled to Lutheridge in Arden, North Carolina, for the Region 9 Stewardship Gathering, held on February 6-8, 2023. The gathering, which is usually held once every three years, had...
“The best help you hope you’ll never need” might well describe the ministry of Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR). While the coast and mountains of the Carolinas are beautiful and popular vacation destinations, they are vulnerable to disaster. Hurricanes, floods,...
The Rev. Everette Lewis Lineberger, age 93, of Inman passed peacefully into eternal life on February 11, 2023. Pastor Lineberger served 27 years as pastor of Saint John’s Lutheran Church in Spartanburg, SC. He was named Pastor Emeritus of Saint John’s in 1992. He...
That the Walls Might Come Tumbling Down: God’s Mission to Remove the Barriers That Divide Us God created humans to be in loving relationship with each other and our creator. However, sin plays upon greed, jealousy and fear to build walls between us, which separate us...
OPEN NOMINATION At the 2022 Churchwide Assembly, voting members adopted a memorial concerning restructuring the ELCA’s governance. The assembly adopted the following action: To direct the Church Council to establish a Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church comprised...
