Dear church,
Whatever personal perspective one might take on the June 24, 2022 abortion ruling from the Supreme Court, it is the legal framework in which we now minister, and I wish to speak a pastoral word at this time.
Read More
For those grieving, injured, and displaced after the earthquake in Afghanistan, and for all relief and aid efforts…
For the people of Ethiopia, as their nation is torn apart by civil war…
For those whose lives have been upended by the war in Ukraine, including civilians trapped in their homes, prisoners of war held behind enemy lines, and those grieving loved ones who’ve been killed…
For those organizing and attending Pride celebrations…
For LGBTQIA+ siblings who cannot yet feel safe coming out…
In thanksgiving for the life and work of Clela Rorex, the first county clerk in the U.S. to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple, in Boulder in 1975…
Participate in “Housing and Hunger” with Brooke De Jong (ELCA World Hunger) and get a new resource on housing – June 29, 2022, 3pm MST/PDT, 4pm MDT. Click here to register.
Questions about “Hunger at the Crossroads” can be sent to hunger@elca.org.
Read More
The ELCA Youth Gathering is planned and led by amazing, dedicated volunteers who serve on 10 different teams and a small staff from the ELCA Churchwide Office. Applications to serve on one of our planning teams will close on June 24, 2022. Learn more, and apply now!
Read More
In this ELCA Advocacy update, we highlight the update from LAMA, who shares news of their $20,000 Spark grant, photos and visits to Washington DC, and the first birthday of the Hunger Leaders Network.
Read More
The Rev. Stacie R. Fidlar of Rock Island, Ill., was elected June 18 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Northern Illinois Synod of the ELCA.
Read More
In the video we shared at our 2022 Synod Assembly, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton urges us to follow Luther's example and use modern tools to spread the gospel, just as Luther shared the good news with the help of Gutenberg's printing press. 500 years ago this year, Martin Luther published his first translation of the New Testament into German vernacular.
Read More
Lutheran Disaster Response Western Regions shares their latest newsletter, Upsurge, with climate news and what to expect in Region 2.
Read More
ELCA Worship shares their June news in this newsletter, highlighting All Creation Sings, Spanish resources, and many summer resources and events.
“During the summer months, worship leaders often plan for fall and the next liturgical year. As part of this looking ahead, there can also be an intentional looking back to what has nurtured and shaped your congregation’s worship in the past months.”
Read More
ELCA shares their June, 2022 update, viewable on this web page. Highlights include the Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind, providing God’s Word in American Sign Language, Evangelical Lutheran Deaf Association 2022 conference, and the ELCA Disability Ministries blog.
Read More
A well-written mission statement should clearly and concisely communicate the congregation’s purpose for existing and can provide the focus and motivation it needs to carry out its mission. View this PDF at ELCA.org.
Read More
Rostered ministers are heading to Phoenix in July, 2023! If you like to welcome people, help with registration, or have the gift of hospitality, please connect with Pastor Doug Dill: pastordoug@centrallutheranaz.org or 402-235-6969. More info about the gathering at elca.org/rmg.
Read More
In her sermon, my pastor lamented that “each person killed was a precious and irreplaceable child of God,” on the Sunday following the racially motivated massacre of 10 shoppers and workers at the Tops supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y. The irreplaceability of each person made in God’s image stands in marked contrast to so-called “Great Replacement” theory, the fear that stoked the White shooter’s hatred and motivation to target and gun down people of African descent.
Read More
Watch the virtual celebration of the 2022 graduating class of International Women Leaders scholars.
These scholars are graduating from Augsburg University, Concordia College, Lenoir-Rhyne University, Luther College, Newberry College, St. Olaf College, Wartburg College and Wittenburg University.
Read More
The prolific and prophetic voices of Black people, Indigenous people and people of color in this denomination remind white folks such as myself that being a faithful Lutheran has very little to do with being polite. The Holy Spirit empowers us to tell the truth.
Read More
On Wednesday, June 22, 2022, 11am PDT/MST, noon MDT, ELCA Coaching welcomes author and poet Daniel Bowman, Jr., (MFA, Seattle Pacific University) who is associate professor of English at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, where he codirects the Making Literature Conference. The login information can be on the ELCA Coaching website.
Read More
For students of all ages, as another academic year comes to a close…
For new high school and college graduates, as they navigate their next steps forward…
For citizens of this nation, as we re-visit the events of January 6…
For all who gather this weekend to mark Juneteenth…
For all victims of gun violence and race-based aggression, especially remembering the Emmanuel Nine…For those affected by record heatwaves, rainfall, and extreme weather and for renewed commitment in working toward climate justice…
For all struggling to make ends meet amidst skyrocketing costs for daily necessities…
For fathers and all who offer compassionate, parental care…
For ELCA synod assemblies and for other denominations meeting in their respective conferences and assemblies…
With so many lives in danger, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) call Lutherans on this World Refugee Day, June 20, to continue to honor our legacy of generous and compassionate welcome and advocacy for those who seek refuge and safety, including those who have resettled in the United States.
Read More
The Rev. William O. Gafkjen, Indianapolis, was reelected June 9 to serve a third six-year term as bishop of the Indiana-Kentucky Synod of the ELCA.
Read More
Bishop Elizabeth Eaton will join faith and government leaders on June 17, 2022, to mark the seventh anniversary of the racially motivated shootings at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. Watch the event here.
The leaders will participate in a commemorative Bible study event that will kick off a yearlong Bible study across the country. The theme for the event, "What Kind of Soil Are We?," is taken from Mark 4:1-20, the Bible passage the Emanuel Nine were studying on the night they were murdered by Dylann Roof (who was raised in an ELCA congregation).
Read More