The April 2017 issue of Reaching Rural America for Christ shares the reflections of Craig Rinkus, a seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind. Rinkus and four fellow seminary students got a taste of rural life and ministry during a week-long immersion experience in western Missouri.

The newsletter also offers information about ongoing free monthly webinars and other events.

Read April 2017 RSTM newsletter

Visit lcms.org/rstm to learn more about this ministry and the resources it provides. Also, mark your calendars and pray for the following upcoming events offered through RSTM:

  • Engaging the Wandering (ETW) event in Green Valley, Ill. – Saturday, April 22, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Central time at St. John’s (Sand Prairie) Lutheran Church. The LCMS Central Illinois District will help with the presentations. View schedule and register online.
  • re:Vitality for Rural and Small Town Congregations” free webinar presented by Rev. Mark Wood, director, LCMS Witness & Outreach Ministry – Thursday, April 27, from 1 to 2 p.m. Central time. Visit lcms.org/rstm if you are interested in participating.
  • “Teaching the Faith: Sunday School” free webinar presented by Angela Kollbaum, youth director, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Concordia, Mo. – Thursday, May 25, from 1 to 2 p.m. Central time. Visit lcms.org/rstm if you are interested in participating.
  • 2017 National Rural & Small Town Mission Conference in Kansas City, Mo., at the Hilton Kansas City Airport – Thursday, Nov. 9, through Saturday, Nov. 11. Keynote speakers include the Rev. Todd Kollbaum, director, LCMS Rural & Small Town Mission; the Rev. Heath Trampe, senior pastor, Faith Lutheran Church, York, Neb.; Benjamin Winchester, senior research fellow, University of Minnesota Extension; and the Rev. Benjamin Meyer, pastor, Hope Lutheran Church, Sunbury, Ohio. More information and online registration can be found at lcms.org/rstm/conference.