Welcome to Episode 2 of the series, Talks at the Desk, season 2. We travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands and visit several of the oldest Lutheran churches in the Western hemisphere. This episode explores the history and impact of colonialism both past and present.
We meet wise and courageous people of faith who remind us about sacred struggles of the past and the presence of God and ancestors today in the work that remains to be done.
Read MoreWe had an AMAZING response to our most recent opportunity to receive a grant from ELCA Disability Ministries! Our review team will soon begin the process of narrowing down the first 30 applications we received to the top 5 that will receive grants of up to $10,000.
We also wanted to share that the Youth Gathering will waive fees for the first 200 registrants who attend the tAble.
Read MoreGod, our refuge, come to the aid of all in need following the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Give strength to those who search and wait, heal the injured, and soothe with your tender care all who cry out in grief. Merciful God, receive our prayer.
Read more resources in this post.
Read MoreImagine measuring congregational vitality by how alive people and faith communities feel in their gathering and in their interactions with their neighbors, instead of determining success by counting the number of people attending worship or the number of dollars collected.
That’s what congregations are doing, or learning to do, throughout the ELCA in programs funded through grants awarded by Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Thriving Congregations Initiative. Congregations can apply for the Nourishing Vocation Project.
Read MoreIn this post from Lutheran World Relief, find a suite of resources to help you guide your congregation in their response, and more info at lwr.org/quake.
Read MoreA new poll by Morning Consult, released in January, showed that only 16% of Generation Z adults (ages 18-25) said they were proud to live in America.
Looking at all adult age groups, 52% said they were proud to live in America and 73% of the oldest generation, Baby Boomers, said they were proud to live in the U.S. Even millennials, the next closest age group to Gen Z, saw 20% more of its members saying they were proud to live in America, although still a minority at 36%.
Read MoreThe Extravaganza, an annual gathering of children, youth and family ministry leaders from across the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, took place Feb. 3-6 in Anaheim, Calif. The event was hosted by the ELCA's Youth Ministry Network.
Read MoreOver the weekend, the ELCA Youth Gathering team announced that "the registration fees for the first 1,000 registrants for the ELCA MYLE and the first 200 registrants for the tAble will be waived by the Gathering for the 2024 cycle." These events are in New Orleans, 7/13-7/16/2024.
The Multicultural Youth Leadership Event (MYLE) is a gathering for youth of color that happens just before the ELCA Gathering, and The tAble is a gathering for young people who live with a range of physical, cognitive and emotional disabilities. Be on the lookout for more details coming soon!
Read MoreELCA Disability Ministries began accepting grant applications on 12/12/2022, and will officially close the application process on 2/15/2023, for funding to ministries that are committed to inclusion and accessibility. Read more about these grants in this letter from coordinator Rev. Lisa Heffernan.
Read MoreAs part of the latest Stories of Faith in Action, we share UP Wild Brings Worship Outdoors (view online or as PDF). Located in the town of Marquette in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, UP Wild Church is among the newest ministries in the growing movement of “wild” outdoor worship communities.
View all the Stories of Faith in Action here, and how your offering becomes mission support.
Read MoreHow Is God’s invitation to discipleship lived out in a democracy?
The ELCA invites you and your congregation to explore this and other questions by using "A Study Curriculum on Civic Life and Faith." View a video on this question in this post, along with a PDF guide.
Read MoreELCA Global Mission shares their Global Links newsletter for January, 2023, featuring: new family ties in Senegal, news around the world, mission personnel, and how to get involved.
Read MoreThe 11th Asian Lutheran International Conference (ALIC) was held in Chiang Rai, Thailand, Jan. 12-17, with the theme “Comfort, Comfort My People: Prophetic Justice and Healing.” Sivin Kit, Lutheran World Federation interim director for the Department for Theology, Mission and Justice, spoke to this theme by asking, “Have we lost touch with the experience of pain and suffering in our churches and our world?”
Read MoreAt its November 2022 meeting, the ELCA Church Council authorized the establishment of a Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church (CRLC) to consist of no more than 35 voting members and directed the Executive Committee of the Church Council to initiate the process of forming the Commission.
Each synod is being asked to submit two nominees. Read more in this post about this process and how to nominate yourself or others.
Read MoreDeanna Branch is an activist for lead-poisoning awareness. She is a mother, a member of Hephatha Lutheran Church (ELCA) and a resident of Milwaukee, Wis. Vice President Kamala Harris invited Deanna to attend the recent White House Lead Pipe Summit.
Deanna Branch and her sons, Jaidyn and Aidan are featured in "Blessed are the peacemakers," the first episode of the new season of "Talks at the Desk" video series.
Read MoreLutheran women will gather via Zoom for Living Faithful: Called and Thriving, a new online leadership event, February 16-18, 2023.
The four-hour sessions from Women of the ELCA on both Friday and Saturday will include worship, Bible study presentations, breakout time, Q&A and much more. Prior registration is required. Spanish language translation services will be provided. Learn more and register here.
Read MoreFor the family of Tyre Nichols and the city of Memphis as they experience the trauma of police brutality…
For the city of Jerusalem as it mourns those killed in the recent synagogue shooting…
For victims and families following a mosque bombing in Pakistan…
For labor strikes in the U.K. and for fair working conditions for all…
For the UN, NATO, and all world leaders working in global collaboration…
For warmth and safety following ice storms in the southern and central USA…
For a renewed commitment to seeking racial justice as we enter Black History Month…
For free access to education, and in thanksgiving for all educators…
For anyone in our ELCA interested in telling stories—stories of God, ourselves and others—join the ELCA Mission Support Team on Tuesday, 2/7/2023 5-6:15pm MST, 4-5:15pm PST, for “The Story Became Flesh and Dwelt Among Us.” Info flyer here, and access the Zoom link here.
Read MoreAs we enter Black History Month, be sure to visit the ELCA Justice Portal and find worship resources, educational tools and ways you can work toward racial justice in our church and our society.
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