Sometimes parents resist the news that their child is, or may be, autistic. Why do we need to label children so young? What good could possibly come of it?
As an autistic adult who was diagnosed at age 22, I wish my diagnosis had come much earlier in my life, because so much good has come of it. Getting diagnosed with autism is, quite simply, one of the best things that has ever happened to me.
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ELCA Advocacy shares updates in their UN and state edition, as well as from the ELCA Advocacy office in Washington, D.C.
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In addition to a situation report on Pacific typhoons, Lutheran Disaster Response provides a wrap-up and infographic on the record-breaking 2020 Atlantic hurricane season.
Thank you for your continual support for Lutheran Disaster Response as they continue to accompany impacted communities through the East Coast, Gulf Coast, and Central America.
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The ELCA joined 16 Christian denominations and organizations in calling for the incoming Biden administration to change the course of U.S. policy and undertake renewed efforts to bring peace to the Holy Land.
The letter requests that the administration take six concrete steps to “build towards a future where human rights violations are ended and there is equality between Palestinians and Israelis.”
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The ELCA Systems Academy is a four-year structured engagement with family systems theory, theology, and clinical work. For more info, read more in this post and this introductory PDF.
Pastor Steve Beyer, Lord of Life Lutheran in Sun City West, is our synod representative. Through the academy he’ll learn more about family systems and conflict, and assist our synod after he’s been trained.
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An earthquake, mass displacement, low-latitude tropical cyclones, COVID-19, a plague of locusts – 2020 has been a year of calamities in East Africa like no other. Among the most destructive and widespread for ELCA companions in the region was flooding, explored here in this letter by Daudi Msseemmaa.
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Searching for the perfect gift? Choose from more than 50 life-changing, charitable gifts in lieu of traditional Christmas presents. Even in a year when the needs can seem overwhelming, ELCA Good Gifts provide an easy way to make a real impact.
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Bishop Eaton shares a Christmas message with children as she reads the book The Little Shepherd. In the book, the birth of Jesus is told from the perspective of a shepherd boy. Each of us, no matter how small, can tell the story of Jesus’ birth and how God loves us. Merry Christmas!
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Ensuring that children have access to education and educational support, though, is a difficult goal to reach, and the COVID-19 pandemic has created even more obstacles for communities in need.
In Romania, the Evangelical Parish in Sibu has been hard at work adapting to these new challenges.
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Palestine is a very dear place to my heart. Visiting Palestine became a reality for me when I was trained to be a Peace Not Walls trip leader.
As a Black man in America I have experienced a great deal of oppression. While in Palestine I quickly learned that their oppression mirrors my own on many levels.
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What do a Malayan Tiger, Santa Catalina Island Rattlesnake, Ridgeway Hawk, Hawksbill Turtle and Eastern Black Rhino have in common? Each of these animals is classified as critically endangered – that is, facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild due in large part to human activity.
In the ELCA resource, “Why Lutherans Care for Creation,” we are reminded that the key tenet of Lutheran ethics has been faith active in love. More »
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A thriving church is one so convinced of the resurrection that we’re free to give our lives in service to others. Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton shares how the ELCA continues to thrive in country churches, cityscapes and places with no walls in this message for 2020 Synod Assemblies. Watch in our blog post, YouTube or Facebook.
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A few months ago, the Netflix docu-series Cheer dropped and instantly the hardworking college cheerleading team it profiles became famous and world-followed. Maybe the breakout star is Jerry Harris, a young man who has had a tough life, but projects incredible positivity. He’s magnetic in the series and has drawn a huge following because of his story and energizing “mat talks.”
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With many people’s travel plans on hold across the country, the hospitality industry has been left with millions of empty hotel rooms. Many are concerned that the spread of the corona virus poses an inherent danger to the homeless, who stay in cramped shelters.
Many immigrants who are seeking asylum or citizenship in the United States have been put in detention centers and are also in danger of contracting the corona virus, by simply being placed in close proximity to others who are detained. Large cities are finding creative ways to use these empty hotel rooms to house the homeless or those recovering from corona virus.
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In this time of uncertainty, a fundamental truth gives us hope — that together, through Christ, we can do extraordinary things.
Today is #GivingTuesdayNow, a global day of giving and unity as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19. Will you show your support with a gift today?
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While you’re on the Internet so much, why not follow the ELCA on social media? Keep informed with church news, events, pictures and video across many platforms. Look for us at Facebook.com/Lutherans; @ELCA on Twitter; @ELCA on Instagram and YouTube.com/ELCA. We are church together! Engage your faith through these online communities of Lutherans.
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At the August 2019 Churchwide Assembly, the ELCA became a sanctuary church body. If you have had the opportunity to read the text of the memorial, you will see that it contains important information about what is meant by “sanctuary.”
The memorial directed the ELCA Church Council to provide guidance to all three expressions of the ELCA on sanctuary. Here is your opportunity to give your input. Results from this survey are anonymous. Visit surveymonkey.com/r/PMWFTY6 to participate.
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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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O God our shepherd, you know your sheep by name and lead us to safety through the valleys of death. Guide us by your voice, that we may walk in certainty and security to the joyous feast prepared in your house, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
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