Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Chandler invites you to join us for a Discipleship Journey Seminar, February 17-18, 2023. Explore what being a disciple of Jesus means to you. Register here. Keynote speakers include Rev. Charles Newman, Bishop Deborah K. Hutterer, and Bishop’s Associate Rev. Jacqui Pagel.
Read MoreWorried about your congregation today? Wondering what the future holds? You are not alone.
People throughout the church are experiencing doubts, fears, and uneasiness about the future. Bishop Hutterer would like to talk with you about the worries and wonders you are experiencing. If you are invested in our Church’s future, join the conversation at one of our upcoming 2023 spring gatherings.
Click here to register for spring conferences so our host congregations can plan for this event.
Read MoreBlack History Month started as a week-long celebration in 1926 and has grown to a month-long event. But what does this month mean for us in the ELCA? In this video, Bishop Eaton shares some contributions of a few Black Lutherans around our church.
Read MoreAs part of the latest Stories of Faith in Action, we share a story about the Lutheran Church of Rwanda (view online or as PDF). The ongoing construction of Rwanda’s first Lutheran seminary is sparking excitement among church leaders, but with an important government deadline looming, that excitement has been coupled with anxiety.
View all the Stories of Faith in Action here, and how your offering becomes mission support.
Read MoreHow do Christians address controversial civic issues?
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 MoreIn an article and video in this post, Pastor Stephen Hilding, with Tanque Verde Lutheran Church, shares his trip of a lifetime experience going to the Holy Land in 2022.
Click here to learn more about the Grand Canyon Synod’s Scholarship for International Travel Program and apply by March 1, 2023 for the next scholarships of $6,000.
Read MoreJoin us next week on Wednesday, February 15, 2023, when we welcome back the "Wonder-twins" Danielle Groth and Rev. Victoria "Vicky" Lovell. We will focus on this verse from Matthew 22:37-39, "Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Wednesday at noon MST, 11am PST. Log in info is on the ELCA Coaching website.
Read MoreWith deep gratitude, we are happy to announce that recent gifts put our total to $675,737 in gifts and pledges to our Growing Generosity Appeal. We have now only $74,263 to reach our $750,000 total. Thank you!
Stay tuned for stories of how these gifts have already been put to use. We invite you to help raise our final $75,000 by the end of 2023 through gifts from congregations, foundations, endowments, and individuals!
Read MoreThis week, the Office of the Bishop travels and preaches, attends the synod council meeting, and keeps the data flowing. We also share photos from last week’s Colorado River Conference Spring Gathering, at Christ Lutheran in Las Vegas .
Read MoreConditions are improving in most of the country, with reported cases and hospitalizations both falling by more than 20 percent nationally in the past two weeks.
Note: our updates can be a week behind due to our news cycle overlapping with Thursday updates. View the latest CDC and NYTimes updates here.
Read MoreThe Psalms become our words when we don’t know how or what to pray. They give hope when all we have are sighs. This month, however you’re feeling—at home, work or school—take time to sit with your feelings. Ask your family how they’re feeling, listen to one another and trust that God holds you, no matter how you feel.
Read MoreWelcome 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 MoreLutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA) is co-sponsor of the Anti-Hunger Alliance Advocacy Day at the Capitol on March 13th, 2023, from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm at the Wesley Bolin Plaza. Complimentary lunch included. Please join us! Learn more on the lamaz.org site.
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 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 MoreIt’s brave and smart to seek help if you’re living with stress, depression, anxiety, or mental health struggles – but accessing an in-person counselor isn’t always easy or even possible.
That’s one reason the ELCA-Primary health plan EAP benefit has expanded to include Talkspace, digital confidential online counseling with licensed therapists via text, video, or audio. Read more on myPortico.
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 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!
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