For many Lutherans, immigration is a memory that is still alive in ourselves and our families. You may have grown up in a congregation that worshipped in different languages. Your home church might have had German inscribed in the stained glass, or you celebrated a holiday with special foods.
Our involvement with immigration is as old as the Bible.
Read MoreLet this gathering be an opportunity for you to remember, reclaim, rekindle and revive yourself. Gathering with colleagues from across the church for fellowship, renewal, continuing education, worship, bible study and refreshment for your spirit. Watch the promo video»
Read MoreIt’s been four months since Cyclone Idai hit Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Idai is the most severe natural disaster to affect southern Africa in over three decades.
Your swift response rushed aid to families in desperate need. You are helping them access safe water, stay healthy and replace essential items that were lost.
Read MoreMark your congregation’s calendar today! The date for the 2019 “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday is Sept. 8.
Since 2013, thousands of ELCA congregations have participated in this dedicated day of service, gathering to serve communities in ways that share the love of God with all of God’s people. Resources to help your congregation participate in “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday include a toolkit, posters, bulletin inserts and more!
Read MoreLutheran Social Services of Nevada holds a special drive every summer for one of our most popular food pantry items: peanut butter. Local churches, businesses, and groups are able to register to compete to see who could donate the most peanut butter, and the winner of the "war" will become our reigning champion and be recognized by LSSN. Will your church or business be able to take the crown from our reigning champions, New Song Lutheran Church?
Read MoreJuly Update: Advocacy Connections: Posted on July 12, 2019 by ELCA Advocacy, from the ELCA Advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, director.
BORDER SUPPLEMENTAL SIGNED | DREAM ACT | UN CLIMATE CHANGE SESSION | FY20 FOREIGN ASSISTANCE BUDGET | SUMMER MEALS
Read MoreAt Faith/La Fe in Phoenix, we are blessed to have some young adults that are active in ministry on all levels. Two of them, Geraldine Carrillo and Sam Perez, recently served as lead counselors for Lutheran Campformation at Camp Pinerock in Prescott. Geraldine and Sam excelled as role models and leaders for their campers, and helped to raise up new leaders at camp and in the church at-large.
But they aren’t done yet! Geraldine and Sam were both selected to participate in the Young Adult Exchange Program with L’Eglise Lutherienne du Senegal and, at the time of this writing, they are on a plane to Senegal with other young adults from our synod. They jumped at this opportunity for a variety of reasons.
Read MoreConflict 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.
Read MoreOn Tuesday, July 15, four young adults form the Grand Canyon Synod will be heading to Senegal to further our companion synod relationship with the Lutheran Church of Senegal. Julie Gerrish (Esperanza/University), a former YAGM in Senegal, is leading the trip. Geraldine Carillo (Faith), Stephanie Petrilli (Our Saviour's-Phx), and Sam Perez (Faith) round out the delegation.
Read MoreWe send prayers to Rev. Fred Soltow, Rev. Kevin Meyer, and the congregation of Covenant Lutheran Church in Quartzsite, AZ, as they reach out and reflect on what it means to be the church today in a very mobile world by sharing God's love and forgiveness.
Read MoreIn this post, ELCA World Hunger summer intern Aml Mohamed reflects on her experiences of accompaniment in her home country of Egypt.
“Why are you interested in this position at the ELCA?” A classic, expected question during an interview. I paused and asked myself three questions. What is the difference between interning at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and a regular nonprofit? Would I care as a practicing Muslim to work at a Lutheran faith-based institution? Would my identity as an Egyptian allow me to work and understand hunger in the US?
Read MoreBetween July 7-12, we were thrilled to have 120 campers and 35 counselors from 16 congregations across Arizona and Las Vegas for a fantastic week of faith formation and adventure!
Campformation’s new mission is to provide faith formation for 6th-12th grade youth in an outdoor setting. Campformation’s large team of pastors and youth leaders worked for months on this year’s Campformation experience.
Read MoreWe pray for Abounding Grace Lutheran Church in Tucson as they fulfill their mission to be God's instruments on earth, reaching out to the unchurched, loving their neighbors and welcoming all.
We lift up their faithful staff: Reverend Keith Hardy, Parish Secretary Jay Froehlich, Music Director Steve Natoli, Financial Secretary Bill Aurand. We pray for the church council: President Bill Froehlich, Vice President Mark Westlake, Council Secretary Jay Froehlich, Treasurer Brendan Victorson. We pray for deacons Walter Brewer, Paul Surhoff, Ken Luthro, Jeff Williams, and Karen Paye.
Read MoreCalifornia Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, California presents Essential Skills for Youth Workers, August 1-3, 2019 (registration closes Friday, July 26).
Rozella Haydée White is the #LoveBigCoach, one who believes that love and Revolutionary Relationships can heal the world and bring us back to ourselves and to each other.
Read MoreIt happens every single day. Somewhere in our country, gun violence shatters a community, a neighborhood, a family. Almost 40,000 people died in 2018 from guns. That equates with a city the size of Annapolis, the capital of Maryland, struck down in a year – year after year.
Although written in 1995, the ELCA social message on “Community Violence” reads as if describing today. “For some women and children, home is less safe than the street. Hate crimes continue. Neighborhood, schoolyard, workplace, or family disputes spark into violence and become lethal. They become headline news, reinforcing the atmosphere of violence and inspiring profitable entertainment media.”
Read MoreELCA Advocacy keeps us updated with the many activities our church is doing in: United Nations | California | Colorado | Minnesota | Nevada | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Southeastern Synod | Washington | Wisconsin.
Read MoreThe 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
Read MoreSince the closing of the Balkan Route to Middle Eastern refugees in 2016, Serbia has been gaining more and more refugees. UNICEF predicts that 18,000 people will transit through Serbia by the end of 2019.
Please pray for all those affected by the refugee crisis. Remember those who have lost everything and all those who are working to respond. You can use these prayers and resources in your worship services.
Your gifts are needed now to help with immediate relief. Gifts designated for the Middle East and Europe Refugee Crisis will be used in full (100 percent) to assist those directly impacted and have fled for safety.
Read MoreWe uplift Pastor Rick Lawrence and his wife Jill, and keep them in prayer for the death of their son, Carson. Pastor Rick serves Bethany Lutheran Church in Scottsdale, AZ.
Read MoreOur very own Mateo Chavez, pastor of San Juan Bautista Lutheran Church in Tucson, AZ, will be at Oak Grove Lutheran Church, in Richfield MN, this Sunday. At worship and dinner, Pastor Chavez will be preaching and sharing stories about ministry and work with immigrants and asylum seekers at the Nogales border crossing.
Pastor Chavez is a board member of Cruzando Fronteras, a collaborative border ministry between Episcopal, Lutheran, and Anglican communities on of borders with Mexico, Latin America, and elsewhere.
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