Give thanks that God is attentive and responsive to us. Pray that we will never be timid about bringing to God our every matter, need, hope, question, sorrow and joy.
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Remember in prayer the 10 young people working alongside our companions in Mexico as part of the ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission program. Remember also the Rev. Meghan Brown Saavedra, YAGM country coordinator, and the Rev. David and Alicia Brondos, ELCA missionaries teaching at the Seminario Luterano Augsburgo in Mexico City.
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These petitions are offered as guides to prayer for the global, social and outreach ministries of the ELCA, as well as for the needs and circumstances of our neighbors, communities and world. Thank you for your continued prayers for the life and mission of this church. Download a Word doc, or PDF for letter size printout or legal size printout, or view the ELCA resource page.
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Pastors, deacons and council of the Grand Canyon Synod are cordially invited to the Bishop’s Fall Gathering, October 21-22, 2019 in Chandler, Arizona.
We are very excited to bring in Tod Bolsinger, author of Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory, who will lead us in creating new possibilities of communicating Jesus and connecting people. Register by 8/30/19 to save $25.
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Conflict is normal and inevitable whether in the home, school, community, church or workplace. The Mediation Skills Training Institute presented by the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center (LMPC) is designed to equip church leaders with the skills necessary to deal effectively with interpersonal, congregational, and other forms of group conflict.
The Mediation Skills Training Institute will be held at the Lutheran Center in Glendale, CA from August 26 - 30, 2019. Registering by July 26 to receive an early bird tuition rate of $695 ($895 after). Click here for more information and to download a brochure/registration form.
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The Rev. Robert C. Blezard continues to provide a “Stewardship Toolkit” for congregations. This month’s theme is “Deceived by the lie of more.” We look at how our culture pressures us to seek happiness by endlessly accumulating more—more stuff, more money, more experiences. The result? Instead of finding peace, too many of God’s people are miserable and drowning in debt.
It consists of an original newsletter article and RCL-based “stewardship snippets” that they can cut and paste into their publications. It also has resources to explore the theme set out in the newsletter article. You can use this permanent URL, https://bit.ly/2EHozvX, for the toolkit. Rob will keep the URL the same but refresh it with the new content every month.more
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Visiting those in prison is one of the fundamental calls in fulfilling the gospel, but within that call lies an invitation to relationship. Pastor Fred Nelson from Redeemer Lutheran Church in Park Ridge, Ill., is founder and executive director of The Inside Out Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping connect people both inside prisons and those beyond the walls in more meaningful, effective ways. Listen to the podcast.
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These petitions are offered as guides to prayer for the global, social and outreach ministries of the ELCA, as well as for the needs and circumstances of our neighbors, communities and world. Thank you for your continued prayers for the life and mission of this church. Download a Word doc, or PDF for letter size printout or legal size printout, or view the ELCA resource page.
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Recent news stories of appalling conditions at immigrant detention centers and of deep human sorrow on our country’s southern border have many of us desperate to be part of change.
Lutherans have a deep-rooted history in refugee and immigrant issues. One of every six Lutherans in the world was a refugee or displaced person after WWII. The God-given dignity in all people and value of family unity have been cornerstones of ELCA faith-based advocacy, and we understand that many immigrants, as well as their families, are both afraid and confused by recent developments. Here are some ways Lutherans have acted and can continue to respond.
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July 15-19, 2019: This continuing education event for pastors and church leaders will explore how concepts from a MBA program can be applied to the arena of congregational life. Learn more about their entire program and register here: Executive Skills for Church Leaders.
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Crisis and urgency bordering on chaos are common themes of most news outlets’ headlines. Violence, climate change, hunger, migration… Are we faced with hopeless situations as the headlines seem to indicate? Absolutely not.
Addressing crises of the world may be urgent but must be expediently tactical. God has gifted us with many tools to help us navigate toward viable solutions. The Talanoa Dialogue process is one such tool.
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Listen to Andrew Steele’s full interview with Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director of ELCA Global Mission. Learn more about the church’s mission theology of “accompaniment,” which defines how ELCA missionaries carry out their work with more than 80 companion churches around the world.
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In the ELCA there is no mission “to,” only mission “with” and “among” as its missionaries walk together with those they serve. In this episode of the Three Sides podcast, we hear from ELCA missionaries and ELCA Global Mission staff who talk about what it means to “bear one another’s burdens” by walking together and sharing God’s love in communities throughout the world.
Watch We are one in the Spirit to learn more about Rev. Kirsten Fryer’s journey.
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The Rev. Robert C. Blezard continues to provide a “Stewardship Toolkit” for congregations. Fitting for the month with Independence Day, July’s theme is “Stewardship of our civic freedoms.”
It consists of an original newsletter article and RCL-based “stewardship snippets” that they can cut and paste into their publications. It also has resources to explore the theme set out in the newsletter article.
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From Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) comes prayers for the season of Pentecost and A Litany of Hope, printable bulletin insert.
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The Day of Pentecost has come, and we as a church continue to gather in community. Suddenly come the sounds of organs, pianos, guitars, drums, percussion, strings, brass and woodwinds, filling the sanctuaries. People sing, full of the breath of God, in languages, rhythms and melodies from around the world, ancient and new.
In worship, we give shape to our communal image of God. If you only ever worship using one musical style, you limit your capacity to paint a full image of God. Each song, instrument and rhythm has the capacity to reveal a new aspect of God to the worshiper.
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The ELCA is saddened by the all-too-frequent occurrences of gun violence in the U.S. We invite you on a journey of prayer, scripture, stories and church teachings with this resource, "A 60-Day Journey Toward Justice in a Culture of Gun Violence."
Together through daily observances, it calls us to work toward the prevention of gun violence as people of God who strive for justice and peace in all the world. It may be used for individual reflection, group Bible study, adult education sessions, and congregational daily devotions. Your journey is intended to start on June 16th, but this resource can be used at any time.
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Sobering news was released in May by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), which is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations. Using a team of 455 authors from 50 countries, IPBES spent three years reviewing 15,000 government and scientific sources to come to the assessment that one million species of plants and animals (roughly one in eight species in the whole world) are threatened with extinction, many within decades. Read the full blog post »
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I graduated from high school and asked myself the question, “What’s next?” While I knew that I would still have the network of friends and mentors who had supported my faith development, I also recognized that my graduation meant that I was no longer a “Youth” of the church. Instead, I was a “Young Adult” of the church.
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Learning the history of the Lutheran church is not complete without exploring the rich history of the African descent Lutheran movement. The black Lutheran church began as early as 1620 by most accounts.
In this episode of Three Sides, host Shanna Crawford spoke with Lutheran historian Dr. Richard Stewart, Pastor Lucille Mills and Pastor Albert Starr about the early years of African descent Lutherans, what’s happening in the church today and what the future holds. Learn more about Dr. Stewart’s research and a more detailed history on his blog, and listen to the podcast.
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