The Luther College Concert Band, one of the Midwest's touring collegiate wind ensembles, will present a concert at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 26, at Ascension Lutheran Church, 7100 Mockingbird Lane, Paradise Valley, Arizona. The performance is part of the Concert Band's 2019 Southwest Tour.
Read MoreIn the remote and mountainous community of Llano de las Piedras, Cochoapa el Grande in Guerrero, Mexico, poverty and lack of opportunity can make healthy food hard to come by. As a result, children can suffer from malnutrition and slowed growth and development. Marcelina and her daughters, Imelda, 12, and Esmeralda, 10, were among the families who had a tough time affording enough healthy food.
Read MorePrayers for Pastor Sarah Birdsall Isakson and the family as they grieve her brother John’s death.
Read More“And the book says, ‘We might be through with the past, but the past ain’t through with us.’”
So says the character Jimmy Gator in the 1999 film Magnolia. At its best, the past can evoke nostalgic memories of years gone by. At its worst, the past can seem like a burden, weighing down our prospects for the future. By faith, we look forward to God's promise of “a future with hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). The sin that separates us from trust in the promise of God, though, needles the soul with the stark reminder: “the past ain’t through with us.”
Read MoreELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton has released a pastoral message addressing the mass shootings that occurred Friday at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.
“Together with our ecumenical and inter-religious partners, we stand shoulder to shoulder in condemning hatred, bigotry, racism and violence whenever and wherever it occurs. We do so because all people are made in the image of God,” the statement read in part. Read the full message here.
Read MoreIn memory of Rev. Gerald J. Mertz
April 3, 1929 – February 21, 2019
Eternal rest grant unto him , O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon him .
May the soul of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Our prayers are with the family of the Rev. Mertz, who lived in Sun City and worshipped at American Lutheran for a number of years.
Read MoreChrist Evangelical Lutheran Church announces a lecture series with Chad Bird, Theologian in Residence.
Topic: Extraordinary Grace for Ordinary People
Friday March 29, and Saturday March 30 @ 6:30PM
Located at 918 S. Litchfield Road, Goodyear, AZ 85338
Bishop Hutterer attended the ordination and consecration of The Rev. Jennifer A. Reddall, the sixth Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of Arizona. More than 1,400 people attended the historic service, as Reddall became the first woman bishop in the diocese’s 58 year history.
Read MoreIn the village of Chole, Shadrack Tsatautenda has been cultivating trees for two years, and the oldest are nearly ready to sell and transplant. His nursery was made possible by a small business loan from the village savings and loan group established by Evangelical Lutheran Development Services in Malawi (ELDS), supported by your gifts to ELCA World Hunger.
Read More“There is a safety and refuge in that is in this place that is so, so very holy,” proclaims Rev. Kirsten Fryer in this video. Fryer is an ELCA missionary serving as the pastor of an English-speaking congregation, St. Andrew’s United Church of Cairo. St. Andrew’s houses several ministries including St. Andrew’s Refugee Services, which serves 25,000 refugees annually. You can support Kirsten and the over 240 ELCA missionaries serving around the world by visiting ELCA.org/missionaries.
Read MoreOne of my favorite Lenten memories is as a little girl growing up in St. Paul, Minnesota. My congregation, Arlington Hills, hosted a weekly 6:30 a.m. breakfast and bible study to nourish body and soul. On Friday mornings, I would walk to my friends homes to pick them up.
Looking back on these memories has caused me to ponder the different ways that we invite others to come to Christ’s community.
Read MoreIn this bonus episode, Three Sides features Wendy Davidson, president of US Specialty Channels at the Kellogg Co. In her full interview from the “Women Who Lead” episode, Davidson shares insight on the intersection of her faith journey and leadership development through challenges, learnings and utilizing her seat at the table for change.
Read MoreIn the previous session, we learned how Martin Luther wrote that repentance consists in two things: contrition for sins and “taking hold of the promise.”
The “promise” here is the gift of grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It is the promise of new life in the fullness of God’s reign. It is the promise of the gospels and the prophets, the promise our ancestors in the faith clung to, and the promise that carries the people of God today into communities around the world, accompanying neighbors amid staggering challenges of poverty, hunger and injustice.
Read MoreThe Rev. Robert C. Blezard continues to provide a “Stewardship Toolkit” for congregations. 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. This month’s theme is “Stewardship of God’s ‘very good’ creation.”
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.
Read MoreWe are facing the world’s worst refugee crisis in recorded history with over 25 million refugees, over half of whom are children. In response, last year the Administration agreed to welcome 45,000 refugees to the U.S. But only 22,491 refugees were accepted in, leaving 22,509 refugees behind.
Help Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest send a total of 1,018 postcards to all Arizona members of Congress. One postcard for every refugee who never made it to Arizona last year. One postcard for every reason refugees are important to our communities.
Read MoreThe Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) stands with and holds up in prayer the people of Venezuela during the current multifaceted crisis within their nation. We care about the consequences of this crisis as already felt in neighboring countries and about its wider impact on international peace and security.
Read MoreIn her March column for Living Lutheran, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reflects on prayer. She reminds us that prayer is not about the technique—the how or why we pray. Prayer is an invitation to divine love. Prayer is about relationship with God. Prayer is God seeking us. Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/2TdwTh7 and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/2TcUiPG.
Read MoreDLM Food and Resources at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Akron, Ohio, is a place where families find nourishing food, warm clothes and an equally warm welcome.
“At first glance, it’s not much different from any well-run, client-choice food pantry,” said Deacon Marla Wood Kay, director of congregational ministries at Holy Trinity.
But, Wood Kay said, “the idea for this ministry was born in a hospice room,” where Holy Trinity member Debra Manteghi was dying of cancer.
Read MorePray, fast and give during ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving – for the good of our families, our neighbors and communities around the world.
This Lent, you’re invited to join together with fellow members and supporters of ELCA World Hunger to study, reflect and give during ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving. Experience how the grace of Christ moves us to engage in transformative works of love around the world as God calls us into the ministry of hope, liberation and restoration for our world.
Read MorePray, fast and give during ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving – for the good of our families, our neighbors and communities around the world. Watch the video or learn more at http://ELCA.org/40Days.
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