Interested in applying for a year of service with Young Adults in Global Mission? Applications open early this year. The application window will open Nov. 1, 2019, and close Feb. 15, 2020, with priority given to those who apply by Jan. 15. Spread the word to young adults you know! Learn more at ELCA.org/YAGM.
Read MorePosted to the ELCA Racial Justice Ministries blog by Shari Seifert
As a Christian, I believe that we are all created in the image of God. Racism and white supremacy are heretical and demonic lies as they serve to say that some people are better than other people. The truth is that we are ALL one body in Christ and that body is hurt by white supremacy and racism. We are ALL hurt by these evils.
Read MoreThese 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.
Read MorePhoenix Lutheran Youth (PhLY) High School Ministry creates monthly event opportunities for High School youth from all over the Phoenix area to come together for a night of food, fun, and faith.
This month we will be participating in group games, eating spaghetti dinner, and collecting socks for the homeless community of Grace Lutheran. Saturday Nov 9, 4-8 PM, St John's/Vida Nueva, 7501 N 51 Ave., (51st Ave north of Glendale).
Read MoreGive thanks for people passed from this life who have cared for us, inspired our dreams, nurtured our faith, and equipped and encouraged us for the challenges of life, and who have boldly exemplified compassion, justice, mercy and generosity.
Read MoreWe lift up in prayer three youth from the Grand Canyon Synod—Alondra, Jill, & Manolo—at the Youth Core Leadership training in North Carolina.
CORE is a partnership between the Synodical Youth Ministry Leadership and the ELCA Churchwide Expression to provide intentional leadership development and faith formation for high school youth.
Read MorePresiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton invites ELCA members to read and study Martin Luther’s essay “On Christian Freedom” in commemoration of its 500th anniversary in 2020. God liberates us in Christ to live generously and courageously in service of our neighbor’s liberation, confident that God’s mercy will free us all.
Read MoreJoin Lutheran Social Services of Nevada after work on November 14th from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Gordon Biersch Bewery for a fun, casual evening of bottomless brews and appetizers, exciting games, and opportunities to celebrate the mission of LSSN.
Tickets are on sale for $50 per person on our website at www.lssnv.org/shop. Sponsor opportunities available, contact Tristan Hightower at tristan@lssnv.org.
Read MoreWe pray for the people of California Lutheran University and the surrounding community as wildfires make their way in California.
We also pray for first responders: God of earth and air, water and fire, height and depth, we pray for those who work in danger, who rush in to bring hope and help and comfort when others flee to safety, whose mission is to seek and save, serve and protect, and whose presence embodies the protection of the Good Shepherd.
Read MoreThe walk to Emmaus (Luke 24: 13-25) is a fairly “well-trodden” path for many Christians. It’s a story we hear once a year in the lectionary cycle – a story that comes together so well for me at the end when Jesus has vanished from the disciple’s sight – and yet, they “see” in a new and different way.
“Were not out hearts burning within us?” the disciples say to each other. Through the walking and talking, they caught a glimpse of God’s dream for a reconciled world – perhaps such a glimpse that the whole world might never look the same.
Read MoreAll Rostered Ministers in the ELCA are invited to join colleagues under the theme of "Rekindle the gift within you" (2 Timothy 1:6).
Let this gathering be an opportunity for you to remember, reclaim, rekindle and revive yourself. All rostered ministers are invited (active in call, on leave from call, awaiting call, retired). More information.
Read MoreRemember the reforming work and teachings of Martin Luther, who sought to re-center the church, its theology and its practices in Scripture and the gospel. Pray that the church today will always discern how best to participate in God’s work in the world, to share the gospel in changing contexts and to reform our church, its practices and its traditions in response to the stirrings of the Holy Spirit for the sake of mission.
Read MoreWe uplift Pastor Debra Slifer and the congregation of Mount of Olives Lutheran Church, in Phoenix.
Read MoreThe leaders of ELCA's American Indian/Native Alaska Lutheran Association were in Phoenix to plan their upcoming triennial gathering (Tulsa, OK, Jan. 2-5, 2020), and we were honored they took the time to visit the office.
From left: Elizabeth Gaskins, Treasurer; our very own Pastor Mary Louise Frenchman of NAUM; Pastor Joan Conroy, President; Bishop Deborah Hutterer; Loni Taylor, Secretary; and Pastor Jack Russell from Living Waters Lutheran Church, Cherokee, NC.
Read MoreIdentity theft has become a common problem in the United States, with an estimated 9 million people affected annually, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Here are important tips to protect your identity. Read the full article from Church Mutual »
Read MoreYou are encouraged to host a service of commemoration for the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, November 9.
Invite your congregation to break down walls. Schedule your service of commemoration next month. Share your prayers on social media with #BreakingDownWalls. Find resources in the Breaking Down Walls toolkit here.
Read MorePortico has updates on changes to the ELCA Benefits Plan, the annual enrollment, and earning Wellness Dollars by November 30.
Read MorePray for the witness of the nine young people serving alongside the Lutheran Church of Australia as part of the ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission program; the Rev. Kim Crawford and Rev. Henry Martinez, YAGM country coordinators; and the Rev. Sara Bishop, ELCA missionary serving in parish ministry.
Read MoreWe pray for Pastor Rick Lawrence and his wife Jill, as Pastor Rick begins treatments for cancer which will last through October. Pastor Rick serves Bethany Lutheran Church in Scottsdale, AZ.
Lord Christ, you came into the world as one of us, and suffered as we do. As we go through the trials of life, help us to realize that you are with us at all times and in all things; that we have no secrets from you; and that your loving grace enfolds us for eternity. In the security of your embrace we pray.
Read MoreAt the Bishop’s Fall Gathering, someone asked me, “Where do you find joy?” And, while I find many places of joy, it got me thinking. When I opened myself to serve in this role as bishop, I wasn’t thinking of joy. My prayer was, and still is, that God would use me to serve. Even though I get to do so many wonderful things, there are days when I struggle.
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