Beginning a Culture of Generosity launched early August and continues with our next session: An Effective, Inspiring Stewardship Appeal, on Saturday, 9/5/2020, at 9 am.
Bummed your congregation isn’t participating in this one-of-a-kind stewardship program? It’s not too late! Contact Deb Elstad, 3E Associate Director, deb.elstad@gmail.com, and get on the train.
Read MorePlease join us for another open conversation about race, Tuesday, 9/8/2020, 6:30–7:45pm. These conversations are a safe and thoughtful space where you and others in the synod can wrestle with questions and talk with each other. Learn more at gcsynod.org/open-talks.
Please register in advance for this Zoom meeting here: bit.ly/gcs-98.
Videos and articles to review (on Youtube or embedded further in this post): 12 News Being Black in the Valley, A Time for Burning, You Can't Live There: A Long Struggle For Black Rights In Las Vegas, or Do Black Churches Matter in the ELCA? Please pick one and be ready to share your impressions.
Read MoreThe Weekly Online Gathering for ELCA Leaders continues every Wednesday, 1 pm Central, 11am MST. Links to the meeting at elcacoaching.org as well as archives.
Pastora Irma Bañales leads us through Expressing and Mourning our Grief in this Wednesday’s online gathering, Wednesday, September 2, 2020. She is the DEM for the Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod, and will be with us the first Wednesday of each month through 2020.
Read MoreGive thanks and praise to God for hearing our words, loving us, sustaining us through times of trouble and strengthening our spirit and faith.
Read MorePhoenix Fusion is in the midst of four sessions on advocacy, which can be seen as a series or on their own, Thursdays at 6:30 pm. Hosted by Pastor Sarah Stadler and friends, you can find more info and Zoom links on their Facebook event page.
8/27/2020 6:30 pm: What is LAMA (Lutheran Advocacy Ministry of Arizona), and how can we participate in it?
All Faith Community Nurses/Parish Nurses are invited to a Zoom Meet & Greet hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Parish Nurse Association (ELPNA). View PDF flyer.
Tuesday, September 8, 2020, 4:00pm PT & MST, Happy Hour! RSVP for an email Zoom link to glusenkamp@augustanadenver.org.
Read MoreListen to the following choral recordings made available through Augsburg Fortress: “Where Charity and Love Prevail,” “My Hope is Built,” “What Wondrous Love Is This.”
Read MoreELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton and the Mission Support Team express gratitude for ELCA congregations and synods and their sharing of Mission Support.
For stories about how your Mission Support is making a difference visit https://www.elca.org/SOFIA
Read MoreRick Steves, guidebook author and travel TV host; the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA); and the Rev. Shelley Bryan Wee, bishop of the ELCA Northwest Washington Synod, invite you to an online benefit — the first of its kind — for ELCA World Hunger. Our goal is to raise $250,000 to confront hunger in the time of COVID-19.
Thursday, Sept. 24, 5 pm MST (7pm Central) on Zoom. Register here.
Read MoreLutheran Disaster Response is actively engaged with Lutheran Social Services of Southern California and three California synods (Pacifica, Sierra Pacific, and Southwest California) to assess the situation and need of affected communities. We expect immediate needs to be food and other supplies, as well as emotional and spiritual care for those impacted by the wildfires.
Read MoreIn need of a miracle, Bishop Sani-Ibrahim Azar offers this prayer and appeal for support of Lutheran schools in the Holy Land. Bishop Azar is Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.
Already struggling with difficulties, Covid-19 has affected the school as well as many student’s families dependent upon tourism dollars for tuition. Please donate at elcjhl.org or via OpportunityPalestine.org.
Read MoreRemember in prayer our global companions and all nations fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, the resulting economic problems and social and emotional stress, and the lack of accessible health care and adequate medical resources. Pray that we will respond to our global neighbors in need with empathy, hope and generosity, freely sharing our resources, discoveries and technology.
Read MoreA Time for Burning is a 1966 American documentary film which explores the attempts of the minister of Augustana Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska, to persuade his all-white congregation to reach out to "negro" Lutherans in the city's north side.
We invite you to watch this film as part of our next open conversation about race, 9/8/2020, 6:30 pm. Learn more at gcsynod.org/open-talks.
Read MorePastor Ron Rude and spouse, Nancy, were in a moving vehicle when a large, heavy object came off of a truck and went through the windshield. All of Pastor Ron’s fingers were dislocated and broken. Please surround Pastor Ron in prayer through his surgery and recovery.
Almighty and merciful God, you are the only source of health and healing; you alone can bring calmness and peace. Grant to us, your children, an awareness of your presence and a strong confidence in you. In our pain, our weariness, and our anxiety, surround us with your care, protect us by your loving might, and permit us once more to enjoy health and strength and peace; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
Read MorePacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS) celebrates Founders' Day via a Zoom webinar, “Climate Justice, Racial Justice, and Divestment: The Call of the Church.” Wednesday, Sep. 16, 2020 at 9:00 am. Register here, and find full info on plts.edu.
Our moment in time is pivotal. Movements around the globe are aligning for powerful action toward climate, justice, holding racial justice at the heart of the struggle to protect Earth's fragile climate. Bill McKibben is recognized around the globe as a foremost leader in that struggle.
Read MoreThrough the ELCA’s Resourceful Servants initiative, resources to improve financial wellness from ministry partners of the ELCA are available at no cost to rostered ministers in the ELCA.
Engaging with these resources provides the information needed to make well-informed financial decisions and the confidence to share your perspective.
Read MoreThirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary 22
O God, we thank you for your Son, who chose the path of suffering for the sake of the world. Humble us by his example, point us to the path of obedience, and give us strength to follow your commands, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Read MoreTessa Comnick, Hunger Advocacy Fellow writes: “Like many people, I have spent the last several months living out of my house. While that may not seem like a significant statement—I mean, houses are where we live—living out of my house has taken on new meaning. It’s now where I socialize (virtually), where I work, where I sleep, where I eat… and soon it will be where I vote in the 2020 election.”
Read MoreWe continue our 50·40·10 celebration with a message from Pastor Lu Cantrell of Peace Lutheran Church in Morris, Illinois. Pastor Cantrell shares the special circumstances of her unique ordination.
Read MoreCalifornia Lutheran University’s Fifty and Better (FAB) program offers university level courses and interactive seminars (all with no tests and no homework) to individuals 50 years of age and older, online via Zoom.
Their next session is September 8-October 20, 2020. Registration closes 9/2/2020.
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