Did you know World Water Day is March 22? Use ELCA World Hunger’s Walk for Water to educate yourself and your community about the link between clean water and a just world where all are fed. View this Walk for Water guide.
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With daily developments in the spread and scope of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), our anxiety and uncertainty tempt us to curve inward and fixate on self-preservation.
As a church for the sake of the world, committed to God’s call to love and serve our neighbor, we must turn our attention to those who will be most impacted by what may be massive disruptions.
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Lent is a time in which we see God’s creations of nature change and show their seasonal differences. As nature’s seasons change, so do the seasons of the human life.
Different in the seasonal human change, unlike nature, especially Lent when all things appear new again, our bodies age. Hopefully, our minds are renewed each season to the point of maturity revealing the beauty of Godly wisdom.
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ELCA Advocacy has many updates, including our first ever update from Solveig Muus and the newly formed Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA).
The March update includes: U.N. | Arizona | California | Colorado | Delaware | Kansas | Minnesota | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Southeastern | Texas | Washington | Wisconsin. Advocacy connections include COVID-19 | Landmines | Hmong and Laotian Deportations | FY2021 Budget | Fair housing rule.
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We often see what we expect to see and miss other things because we are not looking for them. A famous experiment illustrates this. A group of people is passing balls around. Observers are asked to count the number of passes made. During the time the group is passing the balls around, a person in a gorilla suit walks into the group, struts around, then moves away. About half the observers say they did not see a gorilla. You can see an illustration of this experiment here.
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Can you name a ministry that, using a comprehensive approach, draws on the strengths of its community to break the cycle of poverty and hunger — for good?
Invite that ministry to apply for a 2020 ELCA World Hunger Domestic Hunger Grant! Registration: March 18 – May 20. Application: April 1 – May 22.
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As we enter this election year, we remember our call to conversation and prayer around our role as U.S. residents and as people of faith in ensuring our election systems promote dignity and respect for all.
We are called to act by speaking out as advocates and engaging in local efforts to guarantee the right to vote to all citizens. More info at: elca.org/Our-Work/Publicly-Engaged-Church/ELCAVotes
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We live in the time of COVID-19.
Daily, sometimes hourly, we hear of more cases of the virus, more cancellations of events, more closing of schools.
This is a time of disruption. It is also a time to live and act as faithful people of God.
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With the outbreaks of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States and around the world, congregations and houses of worship need to be well-informed and well-prepared. The ELCA and Grand Canyon Synod have created pages with information that offers guidance as we minister to and engage with each other, and within our communities, as the body of Christ. Visit elca.org/publichealth and gcsynod.org/coronavirus for more info.
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Time to plan for summer fun! "On Earth As in Heaven" is a free vacation Bible school study linking the Lord's Prayer to the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals through stories and activities related to hunger. Check out the guide’s sample schedules, music, skits, snacks and craft ideas — including a certificate to celebrate everyone’s participation in VBS! Download and order via the ELCA resources page.
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On February 24th, Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of rape and a lessor crime. He has been accused by over 80 women of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape. While he is not the only powerful man to have such behavior exposed, he is a famous example and his accusers were instrumental in starting what we now call the #Metoo Era.
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Hello! My name is Matthew Felbein and I am thrilled to be able to serve as one of the Gathering Hosts for the 2021 ELCA Youth Gathering in Minneapolis. This will be my second Gathering, and even though it is still about 450 days away (I might be counting already…) I couldn’t be more excited!
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This Lent, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reflects on Paul’s stormy journey to Rome and the Lord’s Supper. In her March column, she reminds us that our Lord’s holy meal is an act of faith, trust, love, strength for the journey, forgiveness and resistance—it’s an intimate communion with God and each other. Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/3cKxNIc and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/2xnTn54.
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As our nation responds to COVID-19 with public health measures to test and contain the outbreak, we are also confronted by an outbreak of xenophobic attacks on Asian Americans, adults and children, with reports of similar aggressions around the world.
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The ELCA Church Council voted today to remove "Vision and Expectations" from use in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Disciplinary standards for rostered ministers are outlined in "Definitions and Guidelines for Discipline."
The council encourages people to read the document, which states: "As an expression of its life in the gospel of Jesus Christ, this church embraces disciplinary processes of counseling, admonition and correction, with the objective of forgiveness, reconciliation and healing. Simultaneously, out of deep concern for effective extension of the gospel, this church remains alert to the high calling of discipleship in Jesus Christ."
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At every ecumenical and inter-religious meeting or event I attend, the conversation invariably turns to the rapidly changing ecumenical and inter-religious landscape. At times it is raised as a caution: we cannot continue down the same path because it will no longer lead us to where we thought we were going.
At other times, the conversation itself feeds circular thinking: we cannot effectively engage in new ways until we have a clear view of our new context.
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In 1527 the plague returned to Wittenberg, Germany. Two hundred years earlier the plague had swept across Europe killing up to 40% of the population. Understandably, people were anxious and wondered what a safe and faithful response might be.
In answer to this, Martin Luther wrote "Whether One May Flee From a Deadly Plague." In it, he emphasized the duty to care for the neighbor, the responsibility of government to protect and provide services to its citizens, a caution about recklessness, and the importance of science, medicine and common sense.
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The first full class of International Women Leaders scholarship recipients graduated in 2019. Today, in this video, we celebrate their dreams and accomplishments. Learn how you can support this program at ELCA.org/SupportIWL. See all the graduates messages in full on the ELCA Youtube page.
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Our communities are significantly shaped by census data, and Census 2020 will update these numbers for the first time in 10 years. The ELCA is an official partner of the 2020 Census to encourage the most accurate count possible.
Posters placed in your congregation’s common areas and social ministry locations can raise awareness and encourage all to follow-up when their invitation to complete the census arrives by National Census Day on April 1, 2020. A toolkit with additional tools and bulletin inserts as well as the posters can be downloaded from the “Civic Engagement” tab at ELCA.org/resources/advocacy.
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