Articles & Presentations

Everyone Makes Mistakes Evan Maki, Carter Dean, Sten Keplinger, Blake Dean, Ian Simonson, Jake Wittenberg | The Voice of Zion October 2026 - Round the Table article -- Everyone makes mistakes and fails. Sometimes our failures can leave us feeling ashamed, humiliated and full of doubt. Shame makes us want to hide our faults and failings. It causes us to feel too embarrassed to seek the comfort of the gospel, and to cover up our sins. But God’s forgiveness gives us hope when

Kris Ylioja | The Voice of Zion October 2026 - The Sabbath Word 4 -- Therefore thus saith the Lord, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them. And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save t

Adrian Pirness | The Voice of Zion October 2026 - Mission Work Field Notes -- The first mission trips to Togo in Africa and Ecuador took place in 2000. God has blessed and guided the work throughout the years. In 2022 and 2023, discussions were held about how to organize the growing work, and a new organizational model began functioning in 2024. Kimmo Puolitaival, chair of the organization’s Steering Group, reflects on the work today: “We have experienced God’s great blessi

Taryn Laulainen | The Voice of Zion September 2026 - Round the Table articles -- Youth from the Utah Valley congregation share reflections about using social media with a believing heart. I’ve been an active social media user for the past ten or so years, and during this time, social media has changed many times over. In the early days of being online, it was much easier to manage our social media feeds. Now, with the never-ending scroll, we are never more than a tap or sc

Adeline Moll | The Voice of Zion September 2026 - Camp Matters article -- The LLC Language Camp was held at Kamp Kipa in Arizona July 7–13. The camp welcomed a group of 53 youth and leaders from Finland, along with North American participants, directors, teachers, and counselors, for a total attendance of 73. The Finnish group was accompanied by Mauno and Heli Soronen and Hannu and Kaisa Kinnunen as group leaders. Following participation in LLC Summer Services in Minnesot

Gary Hoikka | The Voice of Zion September 2026 - The Sabbath Word 4 -- Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, And not holding the Head, from which

Tanner Collette | The Voice of Zion August 2026 -The Sabbath Word 2 -- Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. Hear, O earth: behold,

Tommi Kinnunen | The Voice of Zion August 2026 - Round the Table article -- From the youngest children in Sunday school to elders in quieter stations of life, all of us are called to serve one another using the gifts God has given us. Service involves showing care and reflecting God’s love, particularly in our interactions with others. Every gathering is an opportunity to make others feel welcome, especially newcomers, and to remind one another that each of us is valued and

The Voice of Zion August 2026 - Editorial -- As children, many of us spend years simply receiving. We come to church and services, sit beside our families, attend camps and gatherings, and receive care and teaching from those around us. Others prepare lessons, organize events, care for practical needs, and carry responsibilities we may hardly notice. There is nothing wrong with this. Children are meant to receive. Jesus Himself said of little children, “Of such is the kingdom

Allen Pirness | The Voice of Zion June/July 2026 - Bilingual Article -- At the beginning of Luther’s Small Catechism, the Ten Commandments and their explanations are presented. Since believers are no longer under the condemnation of the law, we might wonder why Luther arranged it in this way. The reason is twofold, mirroring the two purposes of the Law given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. The first purpose is to reveal what sin is and to show how a person’s life should be

Home & Family Committee Workgroup | The Voice of Zion June/July 2026 -- We began our work together in prayer, asking our heavenly Father for wisdom, clarity, and guidance in our work together. Six fruitful meetings later, we are still praying those same words, but perhaps we have a deeper understanding of just how much we need them. As a workgroup assigned by the LLC Home and Family Committee, our small group – representing many walks of life – was asked to gather and prep

Carey Simonson | The Voice of Zion June/July 2026 -- A camp for LLC ministers was held at Stony Lake Camp April 10–12, 2026. God richly blessed the camp from the opening devotion at 3 p.m. on Friday to the closing devotion at noon on Sunday. I have attended ministers camps for more than 20 years, but to better understand the history of ministers camps, I asked Keith Waaranimi and Walt Lampi, both ministers in the Rockford, Minn., congregation, to share their thoughts and re

Art Harju | The Voice of Zion May 2026 - The Sabbath Word 4 -- Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of

Adeline Moll | The Voice of Zion May 2026 - Camp Matters Article -- The 2026 Camp Theme follows the LLC Operating Theme for the year and comes from Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, do it with all your heart, as unto God.” This was the focus of the 2026 Camp Work presentation shared with congregations. In that presentation, we are reminded why we have camps and how we serve one another with the gifts God has given. Service Belongs to Everyone When we think of serving at ca

Daren Hendrickson | The Voice of Zion May 2026 - Doctrine and Life Article -- Righteousness of life is seen in a life shaped by truthfulness and integrity – where one speaks honestly, acts uprightly, and lives with a clear conscience before God and others. In this way, truthfulness and integrity are fruits of faith that reflect a life seeking to walk rightly before God, even in the unseen moments. Truthfulness Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfull

The Voice of Zion April 2026 - Round the Table -- Youth from the Cokato, Minn., congregation contributed these reflections and questions. In the life of a believer, the word calling or vocation can sometimes sound large or distant, as if it refers only to life’s biggest decisions – career, family, or positions of responsibility. Yet the Christian understanding of calling is both simpler and deeper. Before anything else, God calls us to be His own: to believe the gospel, to

The Voice of Zion April 2026 - The Book of Books -- The Bible begins with the simple yet profound words, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” With His Word, God called all things into being. Light pierced the darkness, waters were separated, land appeared, and living creatures filled the earth. The refrain “And God said…and it was so” shows the power of His Word to create order and beauty out of nothing. Creation was declared “very good.” Humanity was gi

Brian Johnson | The Voice of Zion April 2026 - The Sabbath Word 2 -- Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the Lord of hosts. Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God

Tommi Kinnunen | The Voice of Zion February 2026 - Doctrine and Life Article -- The just shall live by faith. – Romans 1:17 Every person who has ever lived on this earth has been a recipient of God’s goodness and gifts. These blessings are too many to count, and we cannot even begin to know them all, but some include our homes, good health, the beauty of nature, our senses and relationships. We often take many of these blessings for granted, even perceiving them as somethi

The Voice of Zion February 2026 - Editorial -- Much of life today happens quickly and online. We read in fragments – headlines, captions, short updates – often moving on before a thought has time to settle. Over time, this shapes how we read and how we listen. Deep, sustained reading becomes harder, and with it the quiet attentiveness that faith itself invites. This matters because Scripture is not meant to be skimmed. God’s Word is not simply information about God; it is the