In this difficult year, please join us in a Service of the Longest Night, which will be available for viewing Monday, December 21, 2020, at 5pm MST, 4pm PST, on our Facebook, Youtube, Vimeo, and gcsynod.org/longest-night.
Worship will be enhanced if you have four candles that you can light along the way as you will be invited. The order of worship is below, or view/download as PDF.
Read MoreMy only prayer for the year was for health and stability. Why would you do this to us again, God? Why is there so much suffering?
Other Christians might have framed my husband’s cancer journey as an expression of God’s faithfulness, but during that difficult year, my trust in God had frayed significantly. Read more at Living Lutheran…
Read MorePalestine is a very dear place to my heart. Visiting Palestine became a reality for me when I was trained to be a Peace Not Walls trip leader.
As a Black man in America I have experienced a great deal of oppression. While in Palestine I quickly learned that their oppression mirrors my own on many levels.
Read MoreWinter solstice On this day with the least amount of daylight, observed as the beginning of winter, pray that we will be drawn to the eternal light of Christ born into the world — a gift for all people and all generations that illuminates God’s redemptive love for us and God’s desire and intent for how we might live together.
Read MoreWe pray for Rev. Mark Perry, Intern Pastor Annela Rova, and the people of Sierra Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Vista, part of the Sunrise Conference. Visit their site at selcaz.org, and their Facebook page.
Read MoreJoin Presiding Bishop Eaton as she lights the candles and says a prayer for the fourth week of Advent.
Read MoreThis PDF resource, Let's Talk Faith and Climate: Communication Guidance for Faith Leaders, is designed to be useful to both experienced and novice climate change and faith communicators.
From the ELCA and ecoAmerica, this guide synthesizes the latest academic research and message testing on climate communications into a practical guide to support meaningful discussions on climate change and faith among individuals and groups.
Read MorePray that we will be receptive to angels and divine beings sent by God to guide us and bring us good news, as the angel Gabriel did to Mary and Elizabeth. Pray that we will hear God’s assurance that “nothing will be impossible with God” and that our response will echo Mary’s: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”
Read MoreIn this week’s Story of Faith in Action (SOFIA), we follow Ed Ramirez’s journey to find a church, filled with disappointments. Ramirez, who uses the pronouns they/them, wanted a place where they could feel at ease and fully accepted, but nothing they’d encountered in the Los Angeles area fit.
Ramirez’s search led them to Hollywood Lutheran Church, where Joseph Castañeda-Carrera served as pastor.
Read More“The Lord has done great things for us.” Rejoice, laugh and shout with joy!
Read MoreWe pray for Rev. Kari Williamson and the people of St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Phoenix, part of the Capital Conference. Visit their site at saintandrewaz.org, and their Facebook page.
Read MoreThe 13 bishops of the class of 2019 will be leading a joint synodical Epiphany of Our Lord service on Jan. 6, 2020, 6pm MST, 5pm PST. This worship service will air via the Southeastern Synod’s Facebook page, YouTube channel, and website.
Join in as we confess, lament, lean into the light of God shining brightly in Holy Scripture, proclamation of the Word, and musical offerings from across the church.
Read MoreMatuor Dot Alier, social worker, Cass County Economic Assistance Division; chair of the Fargo Human Relations Commission; Bush Foundation fellow; and member of the Eastern North Dakota Synod Council shares what it means to be a Lutheran. Read the story at Living Lutheran…
Read MorePray that, in anticipation of Christmas, we will invite others into the joy of our meals, celebrations, community events and faith. Pray that the Spirit will move us to reach out with acts of love, hope, inclusion and good news to people who are alone, incarcerated or homeless.
Read MoreIn June, 2020, the ELCA adopted a social message on government and civic engagement titled “Government and Civic Engagement in the United States: Discipleship in a Democracy.” As we go through a transition in power, the next few weeks are a good time to review it.
To help dig into the text, there is a Study Guide, along with a Leader's Guide for those facilitating groups. A Spanish translation can be downloaded here.
Read MoreWe pray for Rev. Brent Maxwell and the people of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Paradise Valley, part of the Northeast Valley Conference. Visit their site at gloriadeiaz.org, and their Facebook page.
Read MoreWe remind everyone that emails scams are back, including fake emails and texts from Bishops. Please be very suspicious of any requests for money from the Office of the Bishop (except for statements of intent of course).
We’re including and adapting a scam awareness PDF created by the Southeastern Iowa synod which has great tips on how to recognize scam text and emails.
Read MoreAscension Lutheran Church in Paradise Valley, AZ has an opening for a part-time office support position to assist the office manager.
Applications will be accepted until January 15 with a target start date of February 1. This part-time position is 12 hours a week at $18.00 per hour. Scheduling is flexible. Click here for a copy of the job description.
Read MoreConcordia College in Moorhead is offering congregations a worship service recording for Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020. The service includes lessons, carols, poetic readings and music performed by Concordia students and alumni.
On December 21, 2020, the service may be viewed on the Concordia website or downloaded to share on your congregation's website. Participants are encouraged to have a candle available for the service.
Read MoreMy childhood connection to nature was effortless. It was filled with state park camping trips, summer camps, Minnesota lakes, and my roomy backyard.
Yet I learned more at the Environmental Education Center (EEC), a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, than I could ever have imagined.
Read More
