The Coffee Hour from KFUO Radio

What's the journey to becoming a deaconess student? Virginia Schweigert, deaconess student beginning in Fall 2024, and her pastor Rev. Warren Woerth, Pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Arnold, MO, join Andy and Sarah for our Set Apart to Serve Series to talk about how Virginia learned about the deaconess vocation, why she was interested in pursuing this vocation as a second career, how her...

Where did the day of Pentecost come from, and how do we observe it today? Rev. Sean Daenzer, LCMS Director of Worship and Chaplain for the LCMS International Center, joins Andy and Pastor Cleland to talk about the history of the day of Pentecost.  We look at the origins in the biblical Feast of Weeks and the Church's observance of Pentecost today. This program originally aired May 20, 2021.

Is it possible to make idols out of good things in life? Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing, author of Overcoming Life’s Sorrows: Learning from Jeremiah, joins Andy and Sarah for Part 3 of our series on Overcoming Life's Sorrows to talk about how we define idols, how we take good gifts and twist them into idols, how we get rid of these idols, and how our ever-present God addresses our loneliness and discourage...

How does the host of Sharper Iron connect the radio ministry to his home congregation? Rev. Timothy Appel, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Godfrey, IL (KFUO Radio's Church of the Week), and host of Sharper Iron on KFUO Radio, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about what makes Faith Lutheran Church unique, how children and adults are formed in the faith, how the saints at Faith serve each other and t...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Why is this important to us as Christians, and how do we understand the national conversation about mental health? Rev. Dr. Rick Marrs — author of Making Christian Counseling More Christ Centered (WestBow Press, 2019), Senior Professor of Practical Theology at Concordia Seminary, LCMS Pastor, and Licensed Psychologist, joins Andy and Sarah for Mental Health Mo...

What is a Director of Church Ministries (DCM) program, and how are these students prepared to serve the Church? Paige Mielke — sophomore DCM student at Concordia University Wisconsin, and Grace Sugg — senior DCM student going to serve at Ascension Lutheran Church in Montreal, Quebec (Partnering with Mission of Christ Network), join Andy and Sarah for our Set Apart to Serve Series to talk about the...

What does it take to organize and prepare for a Hymn Festival? Dr. John Behnke — Organist at Trinity Lutheran Church of Southwest Florida, Composer, and Professor Emeritus of Concordia University Wisconsin, and Mark Thoelke — Director of Worship and Music at Zion Lutheran Church Harvester in St. Charles, MO, join Sarah and guest co-host Jordan Harms to talk about Dr. Behnke's journey into serving...

What does Jeremiah teach us about God’s Word? Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing, author of Overcoming Life’s Sorrows: Learning from Jeremiah, joins Andy and Sarah for Part 2 of our series on Overcoming Life's Sorrows to talk about the role of a prophet, what Jeremiah teaches us about God's Word, how Jeremiah interacts with God's Word in unique ways (see: eating a scroll), where Jesus is in the words of Jeremi...

What are the latest happenings at The Old Latin School in Wittenberg, Germany? Rev. Dr. Wilhem Weber, Managing Director of the International Lutheran Society of Wittenberg and The Old Latin School in Wittenberg, joins Andy and guest co-host Aubrey Blank (KFUO Radio intern) to talk about the purpose of The Old Latin School, how Ukrainian refugees are being served at the Old Latin School and why thi...

What work is happening in the Asia region of the LCMS Office of International Mission? Rev. Dr. Charles Ferry — Asia Regional Director with the LCMS Office of International Mission, and Sam Borgwardt — Asia Regional Business Manager with the LCMS Office of International Mission, join Andy and Sarah to talk about how big the Asia region is, the recent projects including a seminary and music conserv...

What is the Vicarage Placement Service and what's it like to experience this? Henry and Stacey Eising, second-year seminarian family at Concordia Seminary, join Andy and Sarah for our Set Apart to Serve Series to talk about what a vicarage is, what preparation happens before vicarage assignment day, how field work and classes prepared Henry to serve, the planning that happens before moving for vic...

This issue of LW encourages us to be a praying community. First Peter 2 presents Jesus as the Shepherd who gave His life for the sheep on the cross, which brings to mind two of Jesus’ prayers from the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34) and “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” (Luke 23:46; see also, Psalm 31:5). While the Righteous One suffered for s...

Who is Jeremiah, and what are we going to learn from him in this series? Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing, author of Overcoming Life’s Sorrows: Learning from Jeremiah, joins Andy and Sarah for Part 1 of our series on Overcoming Life's Sorrows to talk about how Jeremiah is, what we can understand about Babylon and Assyria, a brief overview of the timeline of Jeremiah, how the themes of hope and destruction ar...

What is a mission education team, and what is its purpose? Aaron Wade — First-year student at Concordia Theology Seminary Fort Wayne, Patrick Randolph — Fourth-year student at Concordia Theology Seminary Fort Wayne, and Erin MacKenzie — Volunteer Coordinator for the Latin America and Caribbean Region with the LCMS Office of International Mission, join Andy to talk about their service on a mission...

What is the emotion of Agency, and how do we experience it? Deaconess Heidi Goehmann, LCSW, MSW, joins Andy and Sarah in our mini-series on Emotions to talk about how "agency" is defined, where or when we experience agency, how agency is subjective and/or objective, how agency is related to accessibility, and a helpful exercise to experience agency. Find your copy of Emotions and the Gospel: Creat...

What does formation as a Director of Christian Education (DCE) student look like? Concordia University Chicago DCE students Scott Treptow, Josh Meeks, Emily Minor, Justin Weber, and Mckenna Stanley, along with Dr. Debbie Arfsten — Professor of Christian Education, DCE Program Director, Director of Synodical Placement for Concordia University Chicago, join Andy and Sarah for our Set Apart to Serve...

What happens during Christ Academy events at Concordia Theological Seminary? Rev. Matthew Wietfeldt, Assistant Vice President of Admission and Director of Christ Academy at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about how Christ Academy has become a regular part of seminary life for the seminary community, the various offerings of Christ Academy each ye...

How is Vocatio a great experience for high schoolers considering church work? Rev. Micah Glenn, Director of Recruitment and Enrollment at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about what "Vocatio" means, how students gain a clearer understanding of church work and vocation at Vocatio, what students learn and experience during this event, and how this event has made a differ...

Why have a conference on Liturgy, Preaching and Church Music? Rev. Sean Daenzer — Director of Worship for the LCMS, and Christina Roberts — Kantor at Our Savior Lutheran Church and School in Grand Rapids, MI, join Andy and Sarah to talk about the 2024 Institute on Liturgy, Preaching and Church Music happening July 9-12, 2024, at Concordia University, Nebraska (CUNE) in Seward, Nebraska. They talk...

What is the place of singing in Classical Lutheran education? Rev. Robert Paul, Associate Pastor and Headmaster at Memorial Lutheran Church and School in Houston, Texas, joins Andy and guest co-host Jordan Harms to talk about why classical Lutheran education is important to him and why he is invested in it, what happens at a CCLE conference, the place of singing in classical Lutheran education, an...

What is the emotion of anger, and how do we experience it? Deaconess Heidi Goehmann, LCSW, MSW, joins Andy and Sarah in our mini-series on Emotions to talk about what may be difficult to understand about anger, how anger is associated with justice and fairness, some anger-adjacent emotions, and how we can healthily process anger. Find your copy of Emotions and the Gospel: Created for Connection at...

How is gift planning beneficial for KFUO Radio and its donors? Mike Fischer, Senior Gift Planning Advocate with LCMS Mission Advancement, joins Andy and Sarah during Sharathon 2024 to talk about his work with Mission Advancement, what Mission Advancement's guiding theme of "Blessed to be a Blessing" means for KFUO Radio listeners, and how Mission Advancement can help KFUO listeners with planned gi...

How is KFUO Radio an essential part of prison ministry? Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Nehrt, pastor of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Greenville, IL, and Prison Ministry Coordinator for the LCMS Southern Illinois District, joins Andy and Sarah during Sharathon 2024 to share the success of the recent Prison Ministry Conference and how KFUO Radio has been helpful to him and those he serves.  Learn more about Sh...

Why is it important to tell the church’s story of how she raises up faithful church workers? Rev. Dr. James Baneck, LCMS Executive Director of Pastoral Education and Executive Director of Set Apart to Serve, joins Andy and Sarah for our Set Apart to Serve Series during Sharathon 2024 to talk about the Set Apart to Serve stories we've shared over the last two years, who these stories have shaped hi...

Why is it important to remember and teach the church’s history today? Rev. Dr. Cameron A. MacKenzie, Professor of Historical Theology at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, joins Andy and Sarah during Sharathon 2024 to talk about why learning history is so important for Christians, why it's important for laity as much as pastors and church leaders, his favorite era in church his...