After a two-year pause, the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program is preparing to send volunteers out into the world again! Applications are now open, and you can invite young adults on this journey abroad for the 2022-2023 program year.
Encourage them to apply for YAGM by the deadline of Feb.1, 2022. (Priority deadline is Jan. 15, 2022.) Learn more at ELCA.org/YAGM.
Read MoreSince the beginning of November, refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria have been stuck at the Belarus-Poland border. They are experiencing a lack of food, medical supplies and shelter and are facing winter weather with no place to go.
Read MoreBring your grief, fear and loss to WELCA’s second annual Blue Christmas service via Zoom, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021 at 6pm MST, 5pm PST.
As a community of women, we have committed ourselves to promote healing and wholeness in the church, the society and the world. We will gather for prayer, reflection, and quiet music on the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere—the Winter Solstice—December 21. Register now to participate in the Blue Christmas Service.
Read MoreWomen of the ELCA is offering scholarshipsfor Lutheran laywomen and ordained ministry. Scholarship applications are due before 4/5/2022. Learn more about Women of the ELCA Scholarships.
Read MoreWe are very excited to see you next July for the 2022 Multicultural Youth Leadership Event (MYLE) and happy that we get to lead the brand new MYLE team called Cultural Awareness.
We have heard stories about microaggressions and other harms that have happened at past MYLEs. These stories break our hearts, and we are working hard to help people do better and for everyone to have a better experience at MYLE, in their faith communities and in the world.
Read MoreLutheran Disaster Response is collaborating with the Indiana-Kentucky Synod and other partners in the area to assess the damage and develop an immediate and a long-term response plan. Your gifts to support these response efforts will empower our partners to meet survivors’ immediate and long-term needs.
Read MoreFor all who lack warm shelter or adequate clothing…
For all impacted by inclement weather and severe winter storms…
For all experiencing loneliness or exacerbated grief this holiday season…
For the moments of joy and hope that illumine the shadows of our soul…
For victims of gun violence…
For rescue and recovery efforts following the eruption of Mount Semeru in Indonesia…
Right off the bat we see why Hallmark has a robust industry in Christmas cards and not Advent cards. “Happy Advent, You Brood of Vipers” might not sell too well as a holiday card, but these words are certainly a wake-up call for the audience of John the Baptizer.
Read MoreAfter a two-year pause during the COVID-19 pandemic, ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program is getting ready to send volunteers out into the world again!
Young adults aged 21 to 29 can apply now for an international service year that will shape their faith, career, identity and understanding of how they fit into God’s work in the world. Watch the video in this post and then more and apply at ELCA.org/YAGM.
Read MoreYou are invited to join ELCA Coaching at 1pm Central on Wednesday, December 15, as we host faith leaders (both rostered and lay) across the nation for a unique experience exploring Courageous Leadership with two faith leaders with over 60 years between them! We are honored to have Rev. Arne Jessen and Baird Linke as ELCA Coaches as well. Log-in info here.
Read MoreThe ELCA has posted guidance for congregations who received ballots or who are otherwise entitled to vote on the Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy plan. Please note that this is not legal advice and that, due to the nature of our polity, the ELCA cannot dictate what congregations do.
Click here for the Summary of Select Information about the Boy Scouts of America Bankruptcy Case, updated December 6, 2021. You can find this and more sexual misconduct resources on the ELCA legal resource page.
Read MoreFeeling stressed? Stressful times often lead to unkind words and actions toward one another. Bishop Eaton reminds us to consider Luther’s explanation to the 8th commandment: We are to fear and love God so that we don’t tell lies about our neighbors, betray or slander them or destroy their reputation. Instead we are to come to their defense, speak well of them and interpret everything they do in the best possible light.
Read MoreEighty years ago, on a beautiful Sunday morning, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, was tragically transformed from an island paradise into a bloody battlefield. After the Japanese bombed the U.S. Navy, war was declared and tragedy ensued. During times like these, the Lutheran church has always trusted our chaplains to bring a ministry of Word and Sacrament — to remind people that, no matter how difficult the circumstances, there is always a way toward peace.
Read MoreWe pray for Rev. William Phillips and the people of Christ Lutheran Church in Las Vegas, part of the Colorado River Conference. Visit their site at christlasvegas.org, and their social media pages on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
Read MoreIn a July 30, 2021, news release, the IRS issued a call for entities with an Employer Identification Number (EIN) to ensure that the IRS has the entity’s current “responsible party” on file. The IRS believes maintaining current responsible party contact information is critical to its efforts to fight identity theft and other fraud related to EINs. View the form here.
Read MoreBishop Eaton offers a prayer for World AIDS Day, December 1, 2021.
Read MoreThis Gathering webinar provides information about one of the program days at the Gathering, Synod Day. For more information about the 2022 Gathering, “boundless: God beyond measure,” visit elca.org/Gathering.
Read MoreI am thrilled to share with you that at the close of our early-bird registration we crossed over the 10,000-person mark for the 2022 ELCA Youth Gathering. It’s exciting and hopeful to know that even during an unusual and tough couple of years, thousands of you are preparing for the Gathering next summer.
Questions? Our Grand Canyon Synod Gathering Coordinator is Pastor Shari Bernau, with Living Water Lutheran in Scottsdale: pastorshari@lwlcaz.org.
Read More"Hunger and Poverty by the Numbers: Where Are We at Now?" is a webinar with Ryan Cumming (ELCA World Hunger) on December 9, 2021, at 5pm MST, 4 pm PST. Registration for this webinar is at forms.office.com/r/iN8KcajcJ4.
The webinars are open to anyone passionate about ending hunger and eager to learn more. In each session, we will dive deeply into the topic, with presentations from ELCA World Hunger staff and partners and time for questions and conversation.
Read MoreFor the victims of the Oxford High School shooting and all victims of gun violence…
For peace between nations…
For equity and justice for all peoples…
For all affected by flooding in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia…
For human rights activists and organizations…
For judges, lawyers, and all who make far-reaching and life-impacting decisions…
