Join ELCA Coaching every Wednesday at 11am MST/PDT, 12pm MDT, as we practice Courageous Leadership. Log in info is on the ELCA Coaching website.
Join us Wednesday, April 26, 2023, as we hear from parent, author, and ELCA Coach Jamie Bruesehoff, who will share experience as a parent of a transgender young person and what it has taught her about boldly, loudly, and joyfully celebrating the young people in our midst and advocating for them in our ministry settings and beyond.
Read MoreAt the Silver Jubilee Celebration, marking 70 years of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, Richard Griffin, a Royal Protection Officer assigned to protect her, told an amazing story of two Americans’ unsuspecting brush with fame. The hikers on a walking holiday met the Queen and Griffen in a picnic area, but had no idea who they were.
Read MoreAfter forming near Australia, Cyclone Freddy traveled westward, eventually making its first landfall in Madagascar on Feb. 21 and then two more landfalls in Mozambique. In response to Cyclone Freddy, Lutheran Disaster Response is supporting the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi (ELCM) and Evangelical Lutheran Development Service (ELDS).
Read MoreFor peace in our world, especially in Sudan, Ukraine, and Israel…
For a calming of tensions between North Korea and its neighbors…
In lament over mass shootings in our nation…
For survivors of sexual assault and abuse, especially in the Archdiocese of Baltimore…
In thanksgiving for public and private agencies that provide support and care for sexual assault and abuse survivors…
In confession of the church’s complicity in sexual abuse and its failure to protect children…
In thanksgiving for our National Parks, Forests, and Wilderness Areas; and for their continued preservation…
Barbara Keller, Consultant for the Prevention of Sexual Misconduct at ELCA, is leading a one hour zoom seminar for rostered ministers on “How to Work with Sex Offenders in Your Congregation.”
Thursday, 4/27/23, 1pm MST/PDT, noon MDT. Register by emailing kate.schnaath@elca.org.
Read MoreELCA Global Mission shares their Global Links newsletter for April, 2023, featuring: The gift of goats in Nepal, news around the world, mission personnel, and how to get involved.
Read MoreThe ELCA mission support memo for March, 2023 is available as PDF, as a Word doc, or in this blog post. They also provide access to a presentation on Where is Mission Interpretation Now. Click here to view the presentation with this passcode $3xKqLkn.
Read MoreFor peace in Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, and Yemen…
For victims of gun violence, especially those who died in recent shootings in Nashville and Louisville…
For legislative bodies to summon the courage to enact meaningful gun safety laws…
For vulnerable families and adults who are losing their Medicaid and SNAP benefits…
For coastal communities threatened by rising sea levels…
For all facing the effects of natural disasters, including the volcano eruption and earthquake in eastern Russia…
For victims and those grieving following military airstrikes in Myanmar…
For all migrants, and especially for rescue operations of two migrant boats in the Mediterranean Sea…
For the work of Lutherans Caring for Creation, and for all organizations that advocate for sustainable practices…
For Muslims, Jews, Christians, and Orthodox Christians in the midst of holy observances…
“[Science] is glimpsing God’s mind and being in awe of it.” —Francis Collins, to the Templeton Foundation
Read MoreOur current news cycle is full of debates around the validity and protections of the LGBTQ+ community, particularly our transgender siblings. While no one’s lives and identities should be used for political fodder, we many shape these conversations around demonizing trans folks, and more specifically weaponizing what God thinks about the diversity God has created.
Read MoreIn an Easter Message for the Lutheran World Federation, Rev. Dr. Robin Steinke, professor and President of the Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, reflects on the familiar, yet “earthshaking news” that Christ is Risen! Read in this post, in multiple languages on the LWF site, or in this PDF.
Read MoreELCA Advocacy is hosting three listening sessions regarding the upcoming Farm Bill. Congress is preparing to reauthorize the bill in 2023. Each reauthorization provides an opportunity to improve or expand programs that ensure access to fresh and healthy food while addressing root causes of hunger.
The Mountain Time Zone focus is Tuesday, 4/25/2023, 5pm MST/PDT, 6pm MDT. Register at bit.ly/ELCAfarmbilllisteningMountain.
Read MoreBlessings as we enter holy week! Many of you have journeyed with ELCA World Hunger through Lent as we have reflected on the Psalms and what meaning that vast collection of hymns, poems, laments and prayers might have for hunger ministry today. As the season comes to a close, thank you for being part of the 40 Days of Giving!
Read MoreThis post, “Dear ELCA, We Must Speak and Act for Trans Lives,” by Jamie Bruesehoff, is reprinted in full by permission of the author, originally posted to the author’s blog on March 27, 2023.
Read MoreA study by Christian publisher Lifeway showed that while most people (66%) say they believe the biblical accounts of the physical resurrection of Jesus are completely accurate, most young people ages 18 to 34 (59%) say they don’t believe the physical resurrection really happened.
Read MoreFor the millions of people suffering from hunger and famine, especially in Nigeria, Somalia, Yemen and South Sudan…
For the joy of the resurrection to bring hope to those to whom death draws near…
For support and care for transgender people, amidst ongoing legislative actions…
For protesters and politicians in Nashville, TN…
For journalists and politicians imprisoned for seeking truth…
That the needs of the poor would be held in mind in our state and national legislatures…
For recent elections and their ramifications…
For peace in Ukraine, Palestine and Israel…
For victims of severe storms in the US Midwest and South…
For victims of the avalanche in northeastern India…
For victims of the train derailment in the Netherlands…
For ongoing recovery efforts in Tukey and Syria…
For courage among Christians to boldly proclaim love, justice, and resurrection hope…
We’ve entered Holy Week, and Bishop Eaton hopes and prays that we will not skip from the hosannas of Palm Sunday right to the hallelujahs of Easter Sunday. It’s important, as we travel through this week, to see not only incredible sacrifice and love that God has shown us in Jesus Christ, but all of the human condition that comes out during this week.
Read MoreIn the summer of 2024, young people and their adult leaders will gather in New Orleans for a week of faith formation, learning, worship and fellowship under the theme “Created to Be.” Our theme deep dive video gives you a glimpse of how the theme was created and why we feel like it so perfectly connects to our host city, New Orleans. To learn more about the 2024 Gathering, visit elca.org/Gathering and watch the video in this post.
Read MoreThank you, to those of you who have already registered! For those who haven’t, you can still register and receive the early-bird rate of $245 through April 21, 2023. You will need to book hotel and travel separately. Highlights of the gathering, and more information are available at elca.org/rmg.
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. Click here to register as a volunteer at elca.org.
Read MoreThe Great Commandment calls us to love our neighbor as ourself, and God teaches us to honor every person’s dignity. On Transgender Day of Visibility, Bishop Eaton affirms that transgender and nonbinary siblings are children of God, created in God’s image, who are embraced in God’s unconditional love. We stand together, advocating for the full humanity and dignity of all people.
Read More
