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Statement on Anti-Asian Racism

Statement on Anti-Asian Racism

We have watched with horror recent news reports of attacks on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders – fueled by racist rhetoric which has attempted to lay blame for the cause of the Coronavirus on Asian Peoples. The Conference of Bishops, meeting on March 4th, voted to affirm the “Statement on Anti-Asian Racism,” and to encourage the congregations and leaders of our synods to take action. A Day of Lament has been set for Sunday, March 21, 2021.

Please consider the points of encouragement in the statement as ways your congregation or ministry can stand in solidarity with our Asian and Pacific Islander brothers and sisters.

ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardMarch 7, 2021Asian and Pacific Islander Association of the ELCA, Racial Justice, Conference of BishopsComment

Louise Johnson named Executive for Administration

Louise Johnson named Executive for Administration

Louise N. Johnson, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has been elected by the ELCA Church Council as the executive for administration, a position that is coterminous with the term of the presiding bishop. She begins in this role on March 15, 2021.

ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardMarch 6, 2021Comment

ELCA leaders call on Congress to pass U.S. Citizenship Act

ELCA leaders call on Congress to pass U.S. Citizenship Act

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has joined more than 500 ELCA rostered ministers and the CEOs of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) and Lutheran Services in America (LSA) in calling on Congress to support the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021. In a March 4 letter, the leaders urge lawmakers to work collaboratively to advance legislation "around a long overdue solution that reflects our shared values as a nation."

Bishop Eaton, ELCA, News, LettersBrian FlatgardMarch 5, 2021Lutheran Services in America (LSA), Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, Advocacy, Immigration and RefugeesComment

A Letter of Solidarity from Brazil

A Letter of Solidarity from Brazil

In the spirit of accompaniment, ELCA companion church Igreja Evangélica de Confissão Luterana no Brasil (IECLB) sent a gift to Lutheran Disaster Response to support our response to the winter storms in Texas. The following excerpt is from a letter written by Mauro B. de Souza, the vice president of IECLB.

ELCA, LettersBrian FlatgardMarch 4, 2021Lutheran Disaster ResponseComment

Bishop Eaton: Be vigilant, help is on the way

Bishop Eaton: Be vigilant, help is on the way

As vaccines continue to become available, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton encourages us to continue to be vigilant, be safe, and to trust the science of the vaccines.

Bishop Eaton, ELCA, LettersBrian FlatgardMarch 4, 2021Bishop Elizabeth EatonComment

Lenten Reflection 3: What Will It Take to End Hunger? Justice

Lenten Reflection 3: What Will It Take to End Hunger? Justice

As part of ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving, this post and accompanying video continue a series weekly reflections.

The direct service of providing filter pitchers and the organizing work of bringing demands to our alderpersons, health department and mayor all lead us back to the font, where we stand with people at the holy water that makes us God’s children and sends us out to serve God’s justice.

ELCA, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardMarch 3, 2021Hunger, ELCA World Hunger, 2021 LentComment

Lutheran musician leads string ministry to soothe souls numb to gun violence

Lutheran musician leads string ministry to soothe souls numb to gun violence

Black String Triage Ensemble, lead by Dayvin Hallmon, is “an all-volunteer ensemble composed of Black and Latinx string musicians who … deliver healing music shortly after a fatal shooting,” writes Erin Strybis in the January/February issue of Living Lutheran.

Stories of Hope, ELCABrian FlatgardFebruary 25, 2021Living LutheranComment

Kwame Pitts: Reflection on racial justice and social equity

Kwame Pitts: Reflection on racial justice and social equity

Pastor Kwame Pitts believes a transfiguration moment occurred when George Floyd was killed last summer.

Here, she share what she believes the church is called to do in the wake of a time “when something broke open,” and how the future of the church is transformation.

ELCA, LettersBrian FlatgardFebruary 24, 20212021 Black History Month, Racial JusticeComment

Give now for Texas storm relief

Give now for Texas storm relief

Beginning Feb. 14, a polar vortex descended over the United States, severely impacting states like as Texas, which lack the infrastructure to handle the freezing temperatures and record-setting snow and ice. This has led to power, food and water shortages throughout the region.

ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardFebruary 24, 2021Lutheran Disaster ResponseComment

Lenten Reflection 2 - Honesty: What Will It Take to End Hunger?

Lenten Reflection 2 - Honesty: What Will It Take to End Hunger?

As part of ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving, this post and accompanying video continue a series weekly reflections.

If we are going to end hunger, we have to start by being honest about the stories of pain, exploitation, injustice and violence that lie behind it. We must start with honesty about what hunger is and what it is not.

ELCA, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardFebruary 24, 2021Hunger, ELCA World Hunger, 2021 LentComment

Faith Lens: Mary Houck, Seeing Clearly

Faith Lens: Mary Houck, Seeing Clearly

According to a recent article, by Ruth Graham of the New York Times, there has been a big surge in the popularity of prophecy among some Evangelical Christians.

While it’s true that God is always listening and cares deeply about our prayers, God is not an automated service that caters to our desires like Siri or Alexa.

ELCA, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardFebruary 23, 2021Faith LensComment

Bishop Eaton: Open in me the desire to desire

Bishop Eaton: Open in me the desire to desire

As we travel through the first week of our Lenten journey, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton shares this simple prayer from her spiritual director.

Bishop Eaton, ELCA, LettersBrian FlatgardFebruary 23, 2021Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, 2021 LentComment

Join the ELCA-LIRS Letter in support of the US Citizenship Act of 2021

Join the ELCA-LIRS Letter in support of the US Citizenship Act of 2021

All ELCA rostered faith leaders are invited to join a letter, drafted by the ELCA and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), which will be sent to members of Congress in support of the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021.

View the letter and more info in this post, or visit this page to sign on to the letter. Deadline to sign on is Friday, February 26, 2021.

ELCA, News, LettersBrian FlatgardFebruary 23, 2021Immigration and Refugees, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), AdvocacyComment

February 2021 Update: Advocacy Connections

February 2021 Update: Advocacy Connections

From the ELCA Witnessing in Society office in Washington, D.C., we have updates on Covid-19, International Pandemic Relief, TPS Update, Yemen, and the White House Office.

ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardFebruary 22, 2021ELCA Advocacy, AdvocacyComment

Taina Diaz-Reyes: Justice Alongside Indigenous Peoples

Taina Diaz-Reyes: Justice Alongside Indigenous Peoples

It’s important for me to converse with white folks about the reality of rewritten or rejected history by colonizers and how that affects what they believe about indigenous peoples and land use. One of my goals is decolonizing educational spaces and reclaiming history as part of the work of environmental justice.

ELCA, LettersBrian FlatgardFebruary 22, 2021Climate ChangeComment

Ryan Cumming: Cut child poverty in half? It could happen

Ryan Cumming: Cut child poverty in half? It could happen

The United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, and its economy is by far the largest. Yet, the U.S. has one of the highest rates of child poverty among developed countries.

In 2019 (the most recent year for data), 14.4% of children – about 10.5 million children – in the U.S. were living in poverty. This is tremendous progress from 2010, when 22% of U.S. children were living in poverty.

ELCA, LettersBrian FlatgardFebruary 21, 2021Hunger, ELCA World Hunger, AdvocacyComment

Singing at the Vigil of Easter with All Creation Sings

Singing at the Vigil of Easter with All Creation Sings

New Fire. Easter Proclamation. Ancient stories. Baptismal waters. Bread and wine. This is the night. As you plan worship for the Vigil of Easter, All Creation Sings offers many and various ways for us to sing the centrality of our faith.

2021, like its 2020 counterpart, will be unique in how the Easter Vigil liturgy is offered.

ELCA, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardFebruary 19, 20212021 Easter, All Creation Sings, Augsburg FortressComment

Denise Rector: The Work of Lamenting Racism in All Creation Sings

Denise Rector: The Work of Lamenting Racism in All Creation Sings

Why a lament, as opposed to a prayer or litany? This lament is intended as an action that acknowledges what has been broken in our relationship with our neighbor – the neighbor that we as the ELCA are called to love as we love ourselves. Specifically this lament is a way to recognize points of brokenness in the relationship between the ELCA and African Americans.

ELCA, Letters, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardFebruary 18, 20212021 Black History Month, ELCA Worship, Racial Justice, All Creation Sings, Augsburg FortressComment

The catechism in a new context: Lutheran scholars of African descent add their experience

The catechism in a new context: Lutheran scholars of African descent add their experience

In 2014, during the lead-up to the commemoration of the Reformation’s 500th anniversary, a group of African descent Lutheran theologians gathered to explore and reflect on Martin Luther’s Small Catechism. While affirming the catechism’s gift in the life of the church, they recognized the importance of broadening its explanations of Christian faith to address the experience of Lutherans of African descent.

ELCA, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardFebruary 18, 20212021 Black History Month, Augsburg Fortress, Living LutheranComment

Paycheck Protection Program loans available through the ELCA Federal Credit Union

Paycheck Protection Program loans available through the ELCA Federal Credit Union

With partnership and support from the Mission Investment Fund of the ELCA, the ELCA Federal Credit Union (FCU) is now offering the second round of Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loans to congregations and ministries.

To review eligibility requirements and apply for a PPP loan, please visit the ELCA FCU’s website, www.elcafcu.org/PPP. The ELCA FCU will be accepting loan applications through March 31, 2021, or until funding is exhausted.

ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardFebruary 18, 2021ELCA Mission Investment Fund, ELCA Federal Credit UnionComment