In her January/February column for Living Lutheran, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reflects on the past year and looks toward 2021. The pandemic has taught us a lot about our church and about ourselves. We are connected. We are generous. We are freed to serve. Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/38FNErx and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/2N4Lcm9.
Read MoreAs congregations and worship leaders prepare for Ash Wednesday in this most challenging year, the ELCA Worship team offers this set of reflections by those serving the church as scholars, pastors, and bishops. Our hope is that their perspectives will provide thinking points as you reflect and prepare worship in your context.
Read MoreThe Weekly Online Gathering for ELCA Leaders continues Wednesday, 1/27/2021, 12pm MST, 11am PST. Links to the meeting at elcacoaching.org, as well as archives. Join Zoom meeting here.
This week is a showing of the Welcome Strangers documentary, with a Q&A with Sarah Jackson (Casa de Paz) and others.
Read MoreWe invite you to study, pray, reflect and give with us during ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving — for our families, our neighbors and communities around the world.
Order or download a week-by-week guide for congregational leaders to make it easier to engage your congregation in ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving.
Read MorePaul as described in Acts 21 arrived in Jerusalem to some strong responses. Buoyed by a crowd incensed by rumors that he was encouraging Jews to no longer observe Jewish law, a Roman tribune arrested and interrogated Paul to determine his crime.
We’ve heard a lot of rhetoric about our laws recently – from politicians, from pulpits, and most recently, from angry mobs of people rallying around a cry to hold fast as a country to tradition or law and order.
Read MoreIn this webinar for ELCA rostered ministers, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton — along with the Rev. Philip Hirsch, executive director of Domestic Mission, and Mikka McCracken, executive for Innovation ― explains: • What is Future Church? • What specific hopes do we have for our ministries? • What are our next steps?
Read MoreThe Weekly Online Gathering for ELCA Leaders continues this Wednesday, 1/20/2021,, 12pm MST, 11am PST. Links to the meeting at elcacoaching.org, as well as archives. Join Zoom meeting here.
Join us this Wednesday as we gather together and unpack our reactions to all that has taken place since January 6, as well as to what may take place through and beyond the inauguration. What does it mean for us to Be Church in a time such as this?
Read MoreBishop Eaton spoke ahead of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day about the importance of recognizing and addressing systemic inequalities before healing and unity can begin.
Read MoreSimilar to how God brought Jonah to Nineveh, I felt dragged to the 2015 ELCA Youth Gathering in Detroit. I loved church, but doubted whether the ELCA was right for me. I was one of the only young Lutherans regularly active in my congregation and community. Older members dominated the conversation. Could I be a leader in this church?
Read MoreLast Wednesday afternoon, after a day of virtually meeting and planning with Metro Chicago Synod (MCS) pastoral staff, I closed the Zoom window on my computer.
After a few moments, I glanced at my phone. Friends, family, and colleagues, many of whom are of African descent, had reached out to me, shocked. Many texted me similar words. “They would have shot us,” they said, again and again.
Read MoreIn the days since the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, the words of the 61st chapter of Isaiah have accompanied me as a prayer and as a promise. It is one of the texts I turned to as I fearfully watched the violent mob of President Trump’s supporters, bent on overturning the election results, breach the doors on January 6 and overrun the seat of American democracy.
I prayed the words as the fuller horror emerged, including the tragic death of a Capitol Police officer and of rioters, details about the imminent danger to people I care about and destruction in a place that I love.
Read MoreRenee reflects on her international service year in the Jerusalem & the West Bank country program with Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM). If you are a young adult ages 21 to 29, you can apply for YAGM. The deadline to apply is Jan. 15, 2021, for service beginning in August 2021. Learn more at ELCA.org/YAGM.
Read MoreOver the last year, as the world has reeled from the effects of a deadly pandemic, we long for the time when we “will hunger no more, and thirst no more … and God will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes” (Revelation 7:16-17).
We invite you and your congregation to join the church’s global work to end hunger and poverty during ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving, which begins on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17. To prepare, visit ELCA.org/40Days and download or order resources today.
Read MoreA few months ago I was privileged to present a webinar on trauma-informed pastoral care (TIpC) for the Southeastern Synod.
One may wonder how trauma impacts our faith life and why LGBTQ+ people are in desperate need of a trauma-informed approach when seeking pastoral care.
Read More“Advocacy 101 for Young Adults: When Faith Meets Policy” is a new guide prepared by Hunger Advocacy Fellows in tandem with ELCA Advocacy and ELCA World Hunger. The easy-to-use resource is divided into four sessions and is designed for use with young adult groups on college campuses, in congregations and in other settings.
Read MoreBeliever and non-believer. Educated and uneducated. Rich and poor. Democrat and Republican. Male and female… How numerous are the binaries with which we live!
In many ways 2020 was the year of binaries. Our world seems to be turning-in on itself. Yet we know we are inextricably connected.
Read MoreAs the final election results in Georgia have been resolved, the 117th Congress has begun. Members were sworn into office on January 3, 2021. Check out some of the Lutheran legislators who will serve our country in this new Congress.
“Make Sure Your Member of Congress Knows YOU!” shares ideas from the Washington Interfaith Staff Community (prepared in 2019). Find a full list of lawmakers and their religious affiliations at Pew Research Center.
Read MoreIn Honduras and Nicaragua, Lutheran Disaster Response is engaging with ACT Alliance and local partners in relief activities, such as providing hygiene kits, cash assistance, and food packages.
Read MoreThe Network of ELCA Colleges and Universities (NECU) will partner with Augsburg University’s Interfaith Institute to hold a Zoom webinar on January 26, 2021, 3pm MST, 2pm PST, titled Neighbors Together in a Divided Nation: An Inter-Religious Conversation. Register here.
Students, faculty, administrators and staff at our member institutions across North America are invited to join in this important conversation.
Read MoreReflecting on the Day of Epiphany and events in Washington, Bishop Eaton asks that we consider our own epiphany, recognizing the brokenness of our country and how we can become part of the solution.
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