The Coffee Hour from KFUO Radio

Rev. Dr. Cory Rajek, Eurasia Regional Director for the LCMS Office of International Mission joins Andy for an update on the Lord's work in Eurasia including growth at Luther Academy, the seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia.  To Learn more about Dr. Rajek's service in Eurasia visit lcms.org/rajek

Rev. J.P. and Aimee Cima join Andy for an update on the Lord's work in Cambodia. Pastor Cima travels throughout Cambodia to equip and empower the leaders of the Cambodia Lutheran Church with mentorship and theological education. Aimee serves as the Mercy Manager for the Asia region, supporting other personnel serving in this region. She also works with local church partners to coordinate mercy wor...

Rev. Bryan Roberts, joins Andy for our Set Apart to Serve Series to talk about transitioning from a military career to seminary to being a parish pastor.  Pastor Roberts shares stories of family life in the midst of transition and pastoral formation.  He also shares the stories of ministry in the lives of his congregation members that have formed him into the pastor the Lord would have him be.  Le...

Sheryl Tietz, teacher and director, Jesus Our Savior Preschool, Winnebago, Nebraska joins Andy with stories of 25 years of ministry to indigenous children and their families.  The preschool began at the request of the Ho-Chunk tribe in the late 1990's and has continued by God's grace to bring the Good News of Jesus to young hearts and their families. Ministry on the reservation has provided opport...

Beth Kramer, Marketing Manager for Concordia Publishing House, joins Andy to talk about what she loves about reading, why reading is an important part of summer break for kids, how CPH is helping kids keep up reading skills and supporting their faith this summer, and how to participate in the CPH Reads program. Learn more and sign up at cph.org/cph-reads.

The Rev. Dr. Matthew Heise, executive director of Lutheran Heritage Foundation joins Andy to provide an update on the recent political unrest in Sudan and South Sudan and it's impact on the Evangelical Lutheran Church in South Sudan and Sudan.  Sudanese are fleeing the capital city of Khartoum seeking safe refuge to the West and South. Lutheran Heritage Foundation played a key role in the developm...

Rev. Dr. Adam Filipek, pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Lidgerwood, North Dakota, joins Andy and guest co-host Jordan Harms to talk about his new book, Life in Christ: Rooted, Woven, and Grafted into God’s Story, available from Concordia Publishing House, including the state of Biblical literacy today in the wider society and within the church, what changes in us with increased Biblical lit...

Rev. Anthony Oliphant, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Elmhurst, IL, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about the “Searching Scripture” feature in the June/July 2023 issue of the Lutheran Witness titled "Receive Him in the Lord" on Philippians 2:19–3:1. This year, "Searching Scripture" will study the book of Philippians, so stay tuned each month for a new Bible study. Follow along and search Scrip...

Rev. Sam Shick, pastor of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Oviedo, Florida, a Set Apart to Serve pilot project participant, joins Andy and guest co-host Jordan Harms for our Set Apart to Serve Series to talk about his journey into pastoral ministry, how the Set Apart to Serve Pilot Project is going in his congregation, how he and the congregation encourage young people and adults to consider church w...

Rev. Dr. John Reinke, founder of Deaf Outreach, joins Andy to talk about his path to Deaf Outreach, what the hearing community might not know or understand about the Deaf community, how American Sign Language is different from other forms of communication, who can learn ASL, what hearing congregations can do to reach our Deaf neighbors with the Good News of Jesus, and the upcoming Jesus Signs Imme...

Julianna Shults, Program Manager with LCMS Youth Ministry, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about why it's important to develop leadership among youth in our churches, some misconceptions we might have about the capability of youth to serve as leaders, some proven ways to develop leadership among youth, how YouthLead works to develop young leaders in the church, and how to participate in YouthLead. Le...

John Klinger, Chief Information Officer at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis joins Andy to talk about the upcoming annual carillon concert at the Seminary, including what a carillon is and how it's played, how these concerts are a tradition at the Seminary, some of the artists that we'll hear this summer, and the best way to enjoy these summer concerts at the Sem. Learn more and find the summer sche...

Rev. Andrew Dinger, pastor of Timothy Lutheran Church in St. Louis, MO, and Dr. Jinah Yoo Knapp, Music Director at Timothy Lutheran Church, join Andy to talk about an upcoming Summer concert at Timothy, including the neighborhood where Timothy is located and how the congregation reaches out into the neighborhood, the role that music plays in the life of the congregation and their connection to the...

Rev. James Sharp, Serving the Lord in Uruguay with the LCMS Office of International Mission, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about the church fellowship talks between the LCMS and the Lutheran Church in Bolivia, the exciting updates on the mission field in Uruguay, and how the team on the ground has been growing. Learn more about the Sharp family and how to support their missionary work at lcms.org/s...

Rev. Dr. Nabil Nour, Senior Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Hartford, South Dakota, and 4th Vice President of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, joins Andy and guest co-host Jordan Harms for our Set Apart to Serve Series to talk about how he came from Nazareth to being a pastor in South Dakota, what made him decide to leave the painting business and enter the seminary, what he learned about...

Emmy Woock — Director of Parish Music at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Elmhurst, Illinois, and Dr. Charles Brown — Professor of Music, Music Education Coordinator, and Director of Choral Activities at Concordia University Chicago (CUC), joins Andy and Sarah to talk about how students at CUC are formed into Lutheran music teachers and church musicians, the skills that are unique to teaching music to...

Laura Gaskell and Joann Cizel — Volunteers with the LCMS Office of International Mission for the Africa Missionary Retreat, and Erin Alter — Director of Short-Term Missions with the LCMS Office of International Mission, join Sarah to talk about how they prepared for this volunteer opportunity, how their previous experiences prepared them to serve, what their days looked like while caring for missi...

Rev. Dr. Richard Marrs, Professor of Practical Theology at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, joins Andy and Sarah during Mental Health Awareness Month to talk about how to help your therapist understand Lutheran theology and worldview, including how professional therapists are equipped to care for clients and respect their religious beliefs, how it might be beneficial for a therapist to understand...

Deaconess Heidi Goehmann, LCSW, MSW, joins Andy and Sarah in our series on "Emotions and the Gospel" during Mental Health Awareness Month to talk about Autism, Neurodiversity, and Emotions, including what misconceptions we might have about Autism and Neurodiversity, what we need to know about how autism affects the senses, what Autism might look like and what it might feel like for the child exper...

Rev. Steve Law, pastor of Wollaston Lutheran Church in Quincy, MA, and Chairman of CLiMB, Chinese Lutherans in Mission Building, joins Andy and guest co-host Jordan Harms for our Set Apart to Serve Series to talk about his journey into pastoral ministry, his work with CLiMB, how CLiMB is addressing church work recruitment with roadblocks and successes, how he sees Set Apart to Serve resources bene...

Rev. Dr. Jon Vieker, Associate Professor of Practical Theology and Dean of Chapel at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about a brief history of the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord, where we see these observances throughout history, how we observe Ascension today, and the Scripture and hymns for this Feast.

Amanda Walker, CEO of Lutheran Federal Credit Union (LFCU), joins Andy and Sarah to talk about what LFCU is and why it was started, how Amanda came to join the team, why a credit union for Lutherans is an important thing, what services LFCU provides, and how LFCU has made a difference for those it serves. Learn more about LFCU at lutheranfcu.org.

Stephen M. Saunders, Ph. D., Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Psychology at Marquette University, joins Sarah during Mental Health Awareness Month to talk about reducing stigma associated with mental illness, including examples of this stigma, stigma affects someone living with a mental illness, what we need to know about mental illness that would help us reduce associated stigma, an...

Deaconess Heidi Goehmann, LCSW, MSW, joins Andy and Sarah during Mental Health Awareness Month to talk about the major life transition of Going to College, including what emotions a student might experience preparing for and going to college, how  boundaries can be valuable, what physical health might look like for new college students, and how caring for spiritual health in college is incredibly...

Rev. Brian Heller, Manager of Specialized Spiritual Care Ministry with the LCMS Office of National Mission, joins Andy and Sarah for our Set Apart to Serve Series to talk about who is served by professionals in Specialized Spiritual Care Ministry (formerly Specialized Pastoral Ministry), in what ways chaplains serve, how he began considering formation to be a chaplain, the special training that pr...