Tragically, several acts of anti-Semitic hatred, bigotry and violence in New York during these days have marred the joyful festivities in Jewish communities across this country and around the world. Within the last year, we have witnessed the broader surge of anti-Semitism from Pittsburgh to Poway in which these most recent incidents have occurred. Our Jewish neighbors are living in pain, grief and fear.
Read MoreI founded Seedlings Braille Books for Children 35 years ago because I heard that braille books for children were scarce and expensive (more than $100 for a Hardy Boys book, for example). This tugged at my heart and started me on the path to making free and low-cost braille books for children. We now produce about 35,000 books per year. The best part is that, thanks to generous grants and donations, we’ve been able to keep the cost to an average of just $10 per book.
Read MoreI have always loved Mary, the mother of our Lord, and each year she becomes more important to me. But my love for Mary does not come from admiration of her supposed meekness, about which we have often heard. She is wild and powerful, whole and free, confident and intense. She is woman, in its most beautiful and holy sense.
Read MoreMembers of the Happy Joes, a carpentry ministry of Mount Morris Holden Lutheran Church in Wautoma, Wis., handcraft toys for a community Christmas project that distributes them as presents to children in the area. This year they made 500 toys.
Read MoreNow through December 31, 2019, your tax-deductible donation is worth TWICE as much to end suffering among God’s most vulnerable children. Give to ELCA World Hunger, give to Lutheran World Relief, or both!
Read MoreOur Bible reading centers on the story of a family having to flee their homes to find safety in another land. This is still a familiar story for many families today. Those of us living in the United States are aware of the crisis at our southern border as migrants travel here seeking safety, but all around the world people are forced to leave their homes hoping to find safety in a foreign land.
Read MoreThese 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.
Read MoreWhen the men’s basketball team from Stephen F. Austin arrived in Durham, NC on November 26, 2019 to play the number one ranked Duke Blue Devils, no one outside of Stephen F. Austin’s players and fans expected the game to be close.
Read MoreChristmas ornaments are available from the ELCA that include the beloved expression “You Belong” in four different languages, in braille, in sign language, and accompanied by the LGBTQ symbol. Your purchase supports grants being paid to congregations and synods as they work toward greater engagement of members living with disabilities. Visit our online store to order the star or round ornament.
Read More“Stories of Faith in Action” is an annual publication highlighting how God changes lives through the ministries funded by your congregation’s unrestricted offering of Mission Support.
The publication and the resources that go along with it are designed to share how important your weekly congregational offering is in sustaining and growing God’s mission. Stories, videos, bulletin inserts and an infographic explaining “Where Does My Offering Go?” are available at ELCA.org/SOFIA.
Read MoreView a Christmas video message from Bishop Eaton, or download a PDF in Spanish or in English.
Read MoreIn this video, high school students share about their experience learning at the Lutheran Schools in the Holy Land. The 4 ELCJHL schools (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land) start with preschool and continue to Grade 12.
Read More“Don’t go wishing your life away.” I can remember how hard my eyes rolled when my mom said this to me for the umpteenth time. She was driving me home from driver’s ed and I was laying out my life plan with clarity and ease. I was sure that once I had my driver’s license the problems of 15.75 year-old me would go away completely! Isn’t that how it works? Driver’s license = freedom and freedom = doing whatever I wanted!
Read MoreELCA Advocacy brings their December Update: U.N. and State Edition, with news from: U.N. | Colorado | Minnesota | New Mexico | Pennsylvania | Texas | Washington | Wisconsin.
Read MoreThe ELCA is responding as stewards of God’s good creation, and we need more #CreationCareAmbassadors. You can learn more on Dec. 11 from the free webinar “ELCA Caring for God’s Creation Today: Pass It On!”
The moment is now. The opportunities are many. The resources exist and are expanding. Learn how you can make a difference through this webinar hosted by ELCA Advocacy on Wednesday, Dec. 11, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM MST. Maybe being a #CreationCareAmbassador is for you: facebook.com/pg/elcaadvocacy/events/.
Read MoreThe 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) is underway in Madrid, Spain, and an unprecedented number of people from the ELCA are present as part of an ELCA Advocacy delegation – including Lutheran state public policy office directors, young adult leaders, global companions and members of the Lutherans Restoring Creation network.
Read MoreToday, many scientists see our changing weather patterns, diminished arctic ice, increasing ocean temperatures, 500-year floods every four years, mass extinctions, and forest fires as desperate calls to action. Just a century ago, miners kept caged birds in the tunnels to warn of deadly mine gasses. According to climate activists, nations and industries are ignoring the warning signs and heading deeper into the mine.
Read MoreIn her December column for Living Lutheran, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reflects on the mystery of the season: the expectation and longing of Advent and the true gifts of Christmas—“the helpless baby in a wooden manger, a broken man on a cross.” Read her column in English and in Spanish.
Read MoreThe circuit preacher was an idea of the frontier past. Now it’s the cutting-edge response to shrinking churches.
Read MoreMichael Martin was serving as a Mennonite youth pastor when news of the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School came as a “breaking news” story on his car radio. The news touched and troubled Pastor Martin deeply. As he went about his ministry he couldn’t shake the story and a feeling that he had to do something. A short time later Martin knew what he had to do.
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