Hi everyone! I’m Kris Bjorke and I am excited to serve as the Service Learning Project Manager for the 2021 ELCA Youth Gathering. The Gathering has been a formative thread throughout my career.
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Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas with devastating force, lingering over the islands for over 24 hours. One month later, over 50 people have been reported dead with hundreds still missing and thousands left homeless in the Bahamas. Crippled infrastructure, closed businesses, and a tainted water supply are exacerbating. In North Carolina, many homes have been damaged and assessments are ongoing.
In this post, Bishop Elizabeth Eaton shares an overview of the last two years of hurricane relief, and Lutheran Disaster Response provides a situation update on Hurricane Dorian.
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Carol Josefowski, coordinator for ELCA Disability Ministries, shares this personal story about what is meant by a divested community…
“As a child, I grew up in Harvey, Ill., a diverse yet segregated town 20 miles south of Chicago. Each week on my way to church I passed by a weathered historical marker honoring Amanda Berry Smith, an African American woman freed by her formerly enslaved father.”
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I’m so excited that the Minneapolis Area Synod will host the 2021 ELCA Youth Gathering. Minnesota, home of 10,000 lakes and more shoreline than California is filled with Lutherans – nearly 700,000 to be exact. We have 300 congregations within an hour drive of the Convention Center – each one eager to welcome you with a ready smile.
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Want to live longer? It turns out that looking on the bright side could save your life. A study recently published in the medical journal, JAMA, found that people who look at life from a positive perspective have about a 35% lower risk of major heart complications, such as a cardiac death, stroke, or a heart attack, compared to those whose outlooks were pessimistic.
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Held on October 25 and 26, 2019 at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Silver Spring, MD, this symposium might be of particular interest to anyone interested in the challenges of global engagements. More info at www.fliii.us.
Importantly, for your convenience, this symposium will have a live-streaming capacity. Write to ForgottenLuther@saintluke.us and/or contacting Deacon Kyle Warfield at kwarfield@saintluke.us to find out about live streaming.
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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and Life With Dignity (LWD) — the ELCA’s partner development organization in Cambodia — convened a three-day conference in Cambodia on ”Migration and the Human Trafficking Crisis in Asia: Prevention, Protection, Prosecution and Partnership.”
The conference aimed to assist the ELCA in developing strategies for policy and implementation with churches and faith-based organizations to address migration and human trafficking issues, and how to work together in the future, in Asia, and across the world. Read the whole story »
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With gratitude for those who have gone before and hope for the future, the ELCA gives thanks to God for the ministry of women. Watch this moving video as we celebrate 50 years of Lutheran women being ordained in the United States.
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In this article in Living Lutheran, Kimberly Knowle-Zeller reflects on the rally.
It goes by many names: Rally Sunday, Kickoff Sunday, Celebration Sunday, Beginning of Sunday School Sunday and a host of others. Whatever you call it, come September there’s a day in congregations when members anticipate renewed enthusiasm for ministries, increased attendance and a new beginning.
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We have so much to celebrate as we complete Always Being Made New: The Campaign for the ELCA, the first comprehensive campaign for this church.
Through the generosity of members and congregations across this church, ELCA ministries received $250 million to continue their work. The final impact report will give you a glimpse of the campaign’s impact on these crucial ministries.
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The ELCA Conference of Bishops participates in the Thursdays in Black Campaign, raising awareness of the possibility of a world free from rape and violence.
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In my time as bishop of the Northeastern Ohio Synod, I have been blessed to attend two ELCA Youth Gatherings – Detroit in 2015 and Houston in 2018. On both occasions, we worshipped, rejoiced, served, and celebrated God’s wonderful gifts of love, grace, and hope.
In both Detroit and Houston, I came away with a renewed feeling of hope for the church.
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Just a couple weeks ago, at 22 years of age, singer/pianist Kodi Lee was named the winner of season 14 of America’s Got Talent. Early in the season, Kodi earned a Golden Buzzerto put him directly to the live shows in a performance that went viral online.
Kodi Lee was born with optic nerve hypoplasia, which causes his blindness, and was diagnosed with autism at age 4. Early in life, he discovered a love of music that, according to his mom, gave him the ability to “withstand living in this world.”
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Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas as a category five hurricane, the people of Grand Bahama, and particularly the members of Our Saviours Lutheran Church in Freeport, are still struggling with basic needs like water and power. They’re also still processing the trauma associated with two days of 185 mph winds and 20-foot storm surges that carried off many a loved one.
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In her September/October column for Living Lutheran, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reflects on the 2019 Churchwide Assembly, saying the actions taken were based on “our scriptural and confessional understanding of who God chooses us to be.” In Milwaukee, she says, “we stepped out in faith.” Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/2mjiMYj and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/2oDR5KK.
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These petitions are offered as guides to prayer for the global, social and outreach ministries of the ELCA, as well as for the needs and circumstances of our neighbors, communities and world. Thank you for your continued prayers for the life and mission of this church. Download a Word doc, or PDF for letter size printout or legal size printout, or view the ELCA resource page.
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Registration is open for the Youth Ministry Extravaganza in Anaheim, CA, January 31-February 3, 2020.
The “E" is for all engaged in faith formation with children and youth. The goal of the Youth Ministry Network is to connect, learn and educate. The location for this year’s gathering is CA, so consider sending your volunteers and paid staff who work with children, teens and young adults in your congregation.
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Pray for the ministry of ELCA Advocacy, its Washington office and its state public policy offices as they work with ELCA members to develop and advance legislation that will overcome poverty, defend God’s creation and promote peace, dignity and justice.
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Pray for the 15 ELCA missionaries serving in parish ministry and education as they work alongside our companions in Slovakia and Russia.
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Remember in prayer ministry candidates who have responded to God’s call to ministry and leadership through the church and are involved in the process of preparation, discernment and waiting for assignment. Pray for candidates and their families during this time that can be both joyful and anxious; and pray that leaders and ELCA staff involved in the assignment process will be guided by the Holy Spirit in their discernment and decision-making.
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