As I work from home at our dining room table, I look out the front window and see the wildlife at my husband's feeders. God created such beautiful creatures. As Christians we are guided by the promise expressed in our social statement that we are empowered "to be loving servants to creation." It is our duty to care for God's earth.
Read MoreFrom ELCA Worship we find Worship in the Home for the Second Sunday of Easter, April 19, 2020.
In this time of world-wide crisis, congregations throughout this church are not able to gather for worship as the body of Christ. While you cannot be together in person, we can hear the word of God and hold each other in prayer. We offer this brief resource as an aid for prayer in the home.
Read MoreWe could all use some good news these days, right? That was exactly the kind of thinking that inspired John Krazinski, star of The Office and Jack Ryan, to launch a heartwarming series of videos called “Some Good News” from his own home, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Krazinski sets up at a makeshift news desk to tell the world about the good things happening in the midst of so much bad.
Read MoreLutheran Disaster Response is working with partners around the world to respond to the pandemic, including Jersusalem, Egypt, Sudan, Madagascar, and India.
Read MoreUpdated April 8, 2020, with the addition of a video, from the ELCA Public Health page, FAQ on Paycheck Protection Program Loans is available as a PDF in English, Spanish, and via video.
Are churches eligible? Yes. There is some misinformation out there, and some lenders are confused, but churches are eligible.
Read MoreResponding to the wide-ranging impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ministries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the ELCA Church Council approved a special fundraising appeal during a teleconference meeting that convened April 8.
Read MoreAs of Monday, March 23rd, the Lutheran Social Services of Nevada Heart of the City Senior Meal Program is served exclusively at Reformation Lutheran Church (580 East St. Louis, 89104) from 2:00 - 3:15 p.m. every weekday. Meals are free for seniors 60+. Currently we are offering our warm, nutrtious meals in to-go boxes to ensure the safety of our seniors.
For questions on the Senior Meal Program, contact Senior Meal Coordinator Jupiter Vasquez at jupiter@lssnv.org. For April's menu, visit our website here.
Read MoreThe foundation of The Generosity Project is knee-to-knee, eye-to-eye interaction between all ages and generations; equipping households as places where generosity is practiced; and the belief that with God, there is more than enough.
The Coronavirus seems to be challenging these premises and practices...
Read MoreThe Arizona Faith Network offers an online prayer room.
“As people of faith we invite you to gather together during this anxious and uncertain time. Take a moment to read the prayers of our community below and submit your own. We stand together, rooted in our own faiths, praying for healing and direction.“
Read MoreOne of the ELCA’s preferred vendors, Tithely offers a guide to lead your church through the coronavirus. Discover the strategies your church needs to know to go digital and thrive in this free guide.
Read MorePerhaps you read The Christian Century and saw Peter Marty’s piece on Lutheran Pastor Martin Rinkart who in 1636 wrote the hymn “Now Thank We All Our God”.
It was during the 30 years war. There was famine and pestilence. He was doing 50 plus funerals a day sometimes, and often more than 400 each week. In the midst of trying times, he wrote the hymn as a table grace for parishioners who likely had little on their tables.
Read MoreRev. Bob Hutson with Living Water Lutheran Church, Scottsdale, AZ, discusses the phrase “Our Father.”
Read MoreThe Lutheran Social Services of Nevada DigiMart Food Pantry is currently open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The distribution serves those who are driving in a drive-thru format and individuals who are walking or taking public transportation simultantously.
We are continuing to offer Emergency Boxes of canned goods, dried staples, snacks, and produce (based on availability) and serving clients outside. No prior registration is necessary, and anyone in need is welcome to come and receive food. For questions on the DigiMart Food Pantry, contact info@lssnv.org.
Read MoreOur experiences this Easter are remarkably similar to those of the first Easter. Amidst fear and anxiety and crushing disappointment, we will sing our "Alleluias" with growing hope, strength, defiance and joy, confident that God loves us completely and has brought us into eternal life. Christ is risen. Alleluia.
Read MoreIn response to the spread of COVID 19, how do we as humans participate and experience life in relationship to one another as global citizens, family members, and people of faith?
Linda Staats has curated responses from trusted leaders in our faith communities and friends of HomeGrown Faith. Each provides a valuable resource for Connecting Home, School and Congregation.
Read MorePastor Dana Reardon writes, “First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mesa has partnered with Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest for years in feeding our hungry neighbors. Many of our volunteers are elderly and high-risk, so we are getting help from Robert Sanders, regional director of LSS-SW and the National Guard.”
Read MoreAs the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread around the globe, churches have not been insulated from the devastating virus. That means fewer people giving and supporting your good work. It also will possibly affect your church’s finances.
Read MoreFrom Allie Papke-Larson: We find ourselves lingering between life and death, waiting for breath, waiting for the danger of this Coronavirus to pass, waiting for the uncertainty that has settled into our nation, into our churches, to pass.
And yet we are still in the season of Lent. These things that we are waiting for will not come to us yet, Christ has not died, let alone risen, and this Coronavirus and its ramifications, may be with us for months, maybe years.
Read MoreThe following list of ideas is specifically directed to financial leaders across the church to help with sustaining the church and its ministry (and perhaps growing it in areas) as we live through these Coronavirus days.
Read MoreIn March, Reformation Lutheran Church of Las Vegas became the first congregation to participate in an intentional Peer Ministry Review. Ministry reviews have been done for other congregations, but usually at the request of Synod or Churchwide leadership.
A big thank you to Pr. Jason Adams for the invitation to conduct this insightful process and to the review team for their diligent work and recommendations.
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