Greetings! My name is Rev. Lisa Heffernan, and on June 1st I began serving as coordinator for ELCA Disability Ministries. I work remotely out of South Dakota, where I am also serving as a part-time interim pastor with a congregation.
As a person with a disability (spina bifida), this ministry is especially close to my heart and I’m excited for where God is leading us in 2022 and beyond.
Read MoreDo you come home from a trip with a new best friend? Have you ever prayed with someone in line at the grocery store? Do you know the life stories of all of your Lyft drivers? Do you talk to your neighbors about Jesus? If these scenarios ring true for you, you might be a hidden evangelist!
Join ELCA’s Phil Hirsch and Louise Johnson on Zoom Tuesday, 11/9/2021 at 6 pm MST, 7 pm PST, for a lively conversation with people who have a similar passion for sharing Christ’s love. Register today.
Read MoreA worship resource for Veterans Day is available in PDF and Word formats and includes several prayers and hymn suggestions that may be incorporated in worship on the Sunday closest to Veterans Day, Nov. 11.
Congregation resources for Veterans Day and care for veterans can be found on ELCA.org.
Read MoreThe Lutheran movement has a distinctive voice. The world has been saved and redeemed through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and it’s not our effort but God’s. And it’s a gift! Bishop Eaton encourages us to revisit the small catechism this Reformation Day and recall the Lutheran exposition of the gospel.
Read MoreIn this post we share a vide of the online benefit for ELCA World Hunger, where Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton and guidebook author and travel TV host Rick Steves celebrate World Food Day! Steves interviews people on the ground who do the dynamic work of fighting hunger around the world. If you'd like to give a gift, visit ELCA.org/EndHunger.
Read MoreThe Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Foundation today announced the relaunch of its Endowment Fund Pooled Trust — also known as Fund A — under a new name, the Ministry Growth Fund, which better represents the foundation's goals for the future.
Read MoreThe October 2021 issue of Living Lutheran focuses on Intergenerational Ministry, with several articles and perspectives on the topic. The primary article shares many resources, including an interview with Linda Staats of the Generosity Project, as well as photos from the Grand Canyon Synod.
View the article online or in its magazine format, and find the study guide here.
Read MoreThe Evangelical Lutheran Church in America joins 14 other Churches and church-based organizations in a letter to Secretary of State Blinken to express concerns about the recent Israeli decision to label key Palestinian human rights and civil society organizations as “terrorist organizations.” Read the letter as PDF or in this post.
Read MoreFor candidates and voters in local elections…
For political unrest in Sudan and Tunisia…
For victims of gun violence…
For those recovering from recent severe weather…
For ecumenical and full communion partners, especially the Reformed Church in America…
For continued and increased access to Covid vaccines and treatments, and in memory of those who have died in the pandemic…
When you think of a sloth, what do you think of? I’d bet a small, furry creature. Likely clinging to a tree with incredibly long claws. Probably munching on some leaves or flowers with a glib, goofy grin that God placed on its face through millions of years of evolution.
Read MoreSince November 2020, an ongoing conflict in Tigray, a region of Ethiopia, has caused a humanitarian crisis. People have been forced to leave their homes, becoming internally displaced people (IDPs) in the neighboring regions of Amhara and Afar. There are an estimated 1.2 million IDPs, who are faced with food insecurity, COVID-19 and possible flooding.
Read MoreHow long can you spend in silence? Did you know that God appears as “sheer silence” in the Bible? Learn why Bishop Eaton’s spiritual director recommends 20 minutes of silence each day as a faith practice.
Read MoreLike many of you, I have been praying for the Reformed Church in America (RCA) as it met in General Synod, Oct. 14-19, in Tucson, Ariz. For nearly a quarter century, we have grown in full communion with the RCA, sharing in mutual ministry and mission. We have come to know each other through our common witness to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Read MoreAs you observe All Saints Sunday on November 7, 2021 or at another time near November 1 (All Saints Day), you may desire a rite that acknowledges those who have died from COVID-19 during this past year or since the beginning of this pandemic.
Read MoreELCA Advocacy shares their October, 2021 updates. The first is from the ELCA Advocacy office in Washington, D.C., and the second is the UN and state edition, updates shared from submissions of the Lutheran Office for World Community and state public policy offices (sppos) in the ELCA Advocacy Network this month. We excerpt our synod’s Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA) update in this post.
Read MoreBishop Eaton reminds us that spending time in silence is a spiritual discipline, a way of being in God’s presence. Read her October column for Living Lutheran in English at https://bit.ly/3jfr8dL and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/3n5x8ab.
Read MoreIn late September the MacArthur Foundation announced that Joshua Miele is a genius grant recipient. Miele designs adaptive technologies that allow blind and visually impaired (BVI) people to use the technologies that permeate society. For instance, Miele developed YouDescribe, which allows sighted volunteers to create audio descriptions of any video on YouTube.
Read MoreFor the newly elected leadership of the National Council of Churches…
For the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi and the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland, newly celebrating the ordination of women as pastors in the church…
For congregations and ministries discerning their futures…
For recovery efforts in India after record rainfall and flooding…
For children who have lost parents and grandparents to the Covid-19 virus…
For those who are excluded, overlooked, or unwelcome as a result of disability…
Most of you have heard of the ELCA’s goal to engage 1 million new, young, diverse members by the end of the decade. But what about the rest of us, the ones already engaged? Bishop Eaton has your answer.
Read MoreMany congregations are just now getting things ready to attend the 2022 Gathering, so if you haven’t started yet– you aren’t behind! Here are 10 things to know as you prepare to bring a congregational group to the 2022 ELCA Youth Gathering.
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