Dustin Madden and his wife Nicole came into the Lutheran Church in Susanville about 10 years ago. They both had a background in catholicism. Nicole grew up in Westwood, California, a small town between Chester and Susanville. Dustin has a position as a nutritionist for one of the prisons in Susanville. For many years, St. Paul’s in Susanville has been vacant and served by faithful retired pastors mostly from the Reno area and our Nevada Circuit. Other Northern California

Jason Pitcavage, a resident of Vacaville, graduate of Vacaville Christian High School and a Senior Pre-Medicine Student at St. Mary's College in Moraga, contacted Bethany (Vacaville) in June saying he wanted to be a Lutheran. He had read the entire Bible and had read the Gospels multiple times. He was disappointed in the theology of the large non-denominational church in Vacaville that he attended for years. What convinced him about Lutheranism was his study of the Reforma

EdgeCamp (Zion, San Francisco) is a six-week, summer program serving children entering Kindergarten through 8th grade, from 8 AM to 6 PM, Monday to Friday. What began as a vision 10 years ago to provide a Christ-centered summer experience for children has become a beautiful testimony of God’s faithfulness. Through every summer, child, volunteer, counselor, and challenge, God has continued to provide, guide, and open doors. Approximately 35% of the campers come from Zion Schoo

Grace Lutheran in Gridley, California is hosting “Cars & Coffee” with monthly gatherings on the third Saturday. The outreach, which has been going on for the past six months, has provided Grace the platform to invite their community onto the campus and build relationships that can lead to deeper conversations. Michael Doehrman, a deacon at Grace, and his wife started the event. Along with Gold Country Street Rods, a local car club they are a part of, the event has grown with

Luther Cameron (left) and Isaiah Mudge (right) have served as vicars under Pastor Rob Weller Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, pastored by Rob Weller, and First Immanuel Lutheran Church (San Jose) entered a partnership in 2023 to apply for a vicar which would serve at both congregations. First Immanuel is vacant and the vision for the partnership was to be able to provide First Immanuel with consistent pastoral care. Shepherd of the Valley had a house that wasn't being

Ten years ago, Reverend Muluneh Taye and his wife, Liya, planted a seed. They founded Reverend Muluneh Taye Ministries, a nonprofit devoted to discipling young adults and raising up the next generation of Christian leaders. A decade later, that seed has grown into a movement spanning cities across Ethiopia. This year's outreach carried a message titled, "Beyond the Scroll: From Scrolling to Building." It was a call for young adults to set aside digital distraction and root th

First, Concord Rainforest Falls VBS was an amazing week exploring the nature of God! Kids learned He's our Creator (even meeting a butterfly with teeth and a quetzal), and explored His nature through Bible Adventures, Sticky Scriptures, Imagination and Exploration stations, songs, and games. From Psalm 42:5, they discovered God is our safe place, building egg-drop "shell-ters" inspired by David hiding in a cave. The week wrapped up with extra dance parties on the final day! O

Steve Tomac comes from a family of pastors, but his path into ministry was an uncommon one. Now the pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in Yerington, Nevada, Tomac sees his journey as one that helped shape him to meet this moment. His parents had always hoped he would enter the ministry, and it wasn't hard to see why. His great-great-great-grandfather, Gottfried Schmidt, had been among the Lutheran immigrants who fled Saxony in search of religious freedom. Both Gottfried's son an

As part of Upward Bound's preschool graduation celebration, each of our fifteen graduating preschoolers received a Beginner's Bible sponsored by members of our church family. These Bibles are the same that we use daily in our classrooms and weekly in our chapels. This special gift serves as a reminder that God's Word is for everyone and that every child should have a Bible of their own. Once the three giant and heavy boxes of Bibles arrived, we put them out during church for

For 50 years, Cheryl Rawlins has faithfully dedicated her life to Lutheran education, nurturing children academically, spiritually, and personally through a ministry rooted in love, compassion, and faith in Christ. Born in Albany, California, and raised in Oakland, Cheryl grew up in a strong Lutheran home. Her father worked as a dry cleaner while her mother stayed home to care for the family. From first through eighth grade, Cheryl attended Redeemer Lutheran School in Oakland

After five decades of shaping young minds and sharing the love of Christ, longtime teacher and mentor Mike Newton is retiring, leaving behind a remarkable legacy of faith, service, and dedication. Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Mike moved to California in 1957 when his father, who served in the Air Force, died suddenly. His mother and three siblings traveled back to where she grew up. They were introduced to St. John’s Lutheran Church in Napa when two Walther League young men kno

Zion Lutheran Church has been a part of the Richmond District of San Francisco since 1905. Zion Lutheran School opened in 1947. The school has an enrollment of 155 students in kindergarten through 8th grade served by 22 faithful faculty and staff members. The principal, Jenn Lee, has been at Zion since 2004 and principal since 2016. However, Jenn is also a graduate of Zion, having attended the school from kindergarten through 8th grade, making her a legacy student, teache

Dave Levy’s journey into ministry has been anything but typical. As a child, he grew up in Northern California, moving frequently before eventually settling in Crescent City. Dave was not raised as a Christian, but that changed in high school when he met his future wife, Natalie, and her family. Through their influence, he came to faith in Christ and became deeply involved at Grace Lutheran Church in Crescent City, where he volunteered as a Sunday school teacher and assisted

Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit in the Sunset District of San Francisco has been a part of the community since 1964. In 2019, just a year before the COVID Pandemic, Holy Spirit opened a HUG Preschool in a building they own a few blocks away from the church. This building had been used for a variety of purposes by the church over the years. Although it got a rough start thanks to the pandemic, the school has grown and developed and now serves 23 three- to five-year-old s

Trinity Lutheran Preschool is a ministry of Trinity Lutheran Church in San Rafael, California. Built into the side of a hill in an old rock quarry, Trinity has been a part of the Central San Rafael community since 1938 and at their present location since 1961. The church started an elementary school early on in their development, but it closed shortly thereafter. In 1983, Trinity Lutheran Preschool opened and has been sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ daily for the past 43

Redeemer School is a ministry of Bridge City Church in Redwood City, California. Bridge City Church was originally Redeemer Lutheran Church, which was founded in 1926. In 1957, Redeemer Lutheran School was opened to serve the church and the community in and around Redwood City. The school is a TK (Transitional Kindergarten) through 8th grade program with 160 students and approximately 15 full time staff members dedicated to quality Christian education and helping students

It was years in the making though delayed by a pandemic and postponed by the busy rhythms of congregational life, but this spring, St. John's, Napa finally uncorked a vision that had been waiting patiently for its moment. The inaugural "Wine and the Word" event brought together church members and guests for a time of spiritual reflection, community building, and pure fun. For a congregation rooted in the heart of wine country, the gathering felt long overdue. "We just felt t

Zion Lutheran Preschool is a ministry of Zion Lutheran Church in Winnemucca Nevada. Zion Lutheran Church has been a part of the Winnemucca community since 1957. Zion Lutheran Preschool has been serving the families and children of Winnemucca since 1973. Today, the preschool has an enrollment of 61 three- to five-year-olds. In 2024, Zion Lutheran Academy was started by the church with Lauren Iwen as the lead teacher. The academy uses a Lutheran classical model and is a h

What does an Elko City police officer and a Lutheran pastor have in common? In the case of Jake Eisinger, they are one and the same person. Jake Eisinger has served as a police officer for the City of Elko (Nevada) for the past 16 years. He also is now the pastor at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Elko, Nevada. Jake grew up in Elko as a member of St. Mark Lutheran Church. His father, Alan Eisinger, was pastor at St. Mark from 1994-2003. He left Elko in 2003 after joining th

We witnessed the baptism of Randa—a woman currently battling a serious illness. Over the past few weeks, Pastor Muluneh Taye had the privilege of walking with her through conversations and basic teaching about the faith. At one point, she asked me a question I won’t forget: “Is there anything that would prevent me from being baptized?” And the answer was clear—nothing. What made this even more beautiful was how it came together. As an Ethiopian pastor serving in an Anglo cong