Thanksgiving Day As we celebrate Thanksgiving, lift up prayers of gratitude for the blessings and abundant resources we enjoy, and remember the people in our communities and world who suffer food insecurity, hunger and poverty. Ask the Spirit to increase our generosity and engagement with our neighbors in need and to help our communities become more just, generous, compassionate and committed to addressing difficult social issues.
Read MoreIn the first-ever event of its kind, ELCA World Hunger presents an online Christmas benefit concert featuring Peter Mayer, a longtime Lutheran and the lead guitarist for Jimmy Buffett. December 9, 2020, 6pm MST, 5pm PST, on the ELCA Facebook page.
Read MoreLutheran World Relief provides a full suite of resources that can be used digitally or in-person each week: sermon illustrations, powerful videos, candle lighting litany and at-home engagement.
Visit lwr.org/congregations to download these free resources and make plans for your congregation to experience a Season of Hope.
Read MoreBishop Sani-Ibrahim Azar of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land writes asking for help providing Christmas gifts to 500 children. View the letter in our blog post or view as a PDF.
To give, visit community.elca.org/givenow, and click on the red + sign at the top, and select “Lutheran Schools in the Holy Land.”
Read MoreWe’re compiling all our letters and resources related to Advent and Christmas on one page, and will keep adding related info as we begin a new year as church together. Check out our new Advent and Christmas page.
Have something you’d like to share on this page? Let us know!
Read MoreWe pray for Pastors Diane and David Drach-Meinel and the people of Christ the Servant, Henderson, part of the Colorado River conference. View their Facebook and YouTube pages.
Read MoreThe Sacred Work of Grief, Part 4, with Rev. Solveig Nilsen-Goodin is Wednesday, December 2, 2020, 12pm MST, 11am PST. Links to the meeting at elcacoaching.org.
There will be no gatherings December 9, 23, and 30, 2020. Upcoming gatherings are: December 16, 2020, Growing Young: Empathy, with Rachel Alley and others; and January 6, 2020, The Sacred Work of Grief, Part 4, with Rev. Solveig Nilsen-Goodin.
Read MoreI encourage you to take advantage of this year’s limited gathering ability to focus on what is most important to you and the ones you love as you enter these holidays.
Read MorePraise God for our creative siblings in Christ whose hymns stir our faith, inspire us, speak of God’s work and express our joy and gratitude to God.
Read MoreView the worship service at Youtube, download an MP4 recording via Google drive, and view/download a PDF of the worship bulletin.
It is a Service of the Word with a sermon, following the Revised Common Lectionary. Several of our seminary students are participating so it's also a good opportunity for people to meet them via video.
Read MorePresiding Bishop Eaton reminds us that during this holiday season, even though we may not be traveling to be with family, we are all gathered at one table. She also asks us to reach out to someone who is alone this year.
Read MoreGive thanks for followers of Christ and children of God who gather in faith communities everywhere to praise God, grow in faith and celebrate the unity we have in Christ. Pray that we might never show bias toward or rebuff people who are curious and seek the good news we have received.
Read MoreLutheran Disaster Response shares a situation report on Hurricane Eta, and Lutheran World Relief shares a video (below) following the devastating twin hurricanes of Eta and Iota, showing the devastation to which the LWR staff in Honduras are rapidly responding.
Read MoreWhat has this full communion agreement meant for our churches over these twenty years?
We’ve worshipped together in joint celebrations and shared liturgies and developed a deep familiarity and appreciation for each other’s liturgies and confession of the faith.
Read MoreRev. Stephen Herr writes about the Lament and Repent Prayer Vigil sponsored by the Gettysburg Area Ministerium, which corresponded with the commemoration of the 5th anniversary of the shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
Gettysburg is home to a number of Lutheran institutions, including two congregations.
Read MoreCOVID-19 has taken a heavy toll on our emotional health, disrupting the way we live, work, connect, worship and care for our loved ones.
In a blog post and two-minute video message, Portico leaders share how new 2020 online mental health support services are playing a critical role.
Read MoreShopping for someone with everything they need? Shop ELCA Good Gifts for 50 different gifts that grow the church, fight hunger and transform lives – one goat, water well or school uniform at a time. ELCA.org/goodgifts
Read MoreThe UN and State Edition features updates shared from submissions of the Lutheran Office for World Community and state public policy offices: U.N., California, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin.
The Advocacy Connections update features Election 2020 and ELCAvotes, COVID-19 Stimulus And Other “Lame Duck” Session Activity, Official Paris Climate Agreement Withdrawal, Atrocity Prevention, Presidential Determination On Refugees.
Read MoreThroughout the Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas season, we highlight submissions to the 2020 Generosity Film Festival.
This week we share the winner of our Most Contagious Generosity Story Award, from Ginny Phillips, Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, Tucson. View in this blog post or on Vimeo.
Read MorePray that, as followers of Christ who treasure life as a gift from God, we will exercise patience, caution and concern for our neighbor as the COVID-19 pandemic continues long past our expectations and assumptions.
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