Renee reflects on her international service year in the Jerusalem & the West Bank country program with Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM). If you are a young adult ages 21 to 29, you can apply for YAGM. The deadline to apply is Jan. 15, 2021, for service beginning in August 2021. Learn more at ELCA.org/YAGM.
Read MoreOver the last year, as the world has reeled from the effects of a deadly pandemic, we long for the time when we “will hunger no more, and thirst no more … and God will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes” (Revelation 7:16-17).
We invite you and your congregation to join the church’s global work to end hunger and poverty during ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving, which begins on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17. To prepare, visit ELCA.org/40Days and download or order resources today.
Read MoreAs the season of Lent quickly approaches, we come full circle on a year of worship during a pandemic.
You have found new and surprising ways to celebrate all of our major church seasons and festivals except one—Ash Wednesday, February 17, 2021. Some of you have asked, during a pandemic, how should we handle the imposition of ashes?
Read MoreGod is mighty, majestic and eternal throughout the universe, generously sharing strength and blessings with us. Give glory and thanks to God, and shout for joy!
Read MoreThis weekend we celebrate and remember Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and all that he accomplished through the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. We still feel Dr. King’s impact today. Dr. King sought equal rights for African Americans and all who are oppressed by the systems in the United States.
Read MoreA few months ago I was privileged to present a webinar on trauma-informed pastoral care (TIpC) for the Southeastern Synod.
One may wonder how trauma impacts our faith life and why LGBTQ+ people are in desperate need of a trauma-informed approach when seeking pastoral care.
Read More“Advocacy 101 for Young Adults: When Faith Meets Policy” is a new guide prepared by Hunger Advocacy Fellows in tandem with ELCA Advocacy and ELCA World Hunger. The easy-to-use resource is divided into four sessions and is designed for use with young adult groups on college campuses, in congregations and in other settings.
Read MoreBeliever and non-believer. Educated and uneducated. Rich and poor. Democrat and Republican. Male and female… How numerous are the binaries with which we live!
In many ways 2020 was the year of binaries. Our world seems to be turning-in on itself. Yet we know we are inextricably connected.
Read MoreAs the final election results in Georgia have been resolved, the 117th Congress has begun. Members were sworn into office on January 3, 2021. Check out some of the Lutheran legislators who will serve our country in this new Congress.
“Make Sure Your Member of Congress Knows YOU!” shares ideas from the Washington Interfaith Staff Community (prepared in 2019). Find a full list of lawmakers and their religious affiliations at Pew Research Center.
Read MorePray for our faith-based schools, early childhood education programs and day care centers as they provide experiential education, social interaction, stability and calm for the youngest of our children, who are often most vulnerable during times of uncertainty and anxiety.
Read MoreWe pray for Rev. Brian Ward, Rev. Benjamin Bergren and the people of Community Lutheran Church in Las Vegas, part of the Colorado River Conference. Visit their site at communitylv.org, and their Facebook page.
Read MoreIn Honduras and Nicaragua, Lutheran Disaster Response is engaging with ACT Alliance and local partners in relief activities, such as providing hygiene kits, cash assistance, and food packages.
Read MoreThe Network of ELCA Colleges and Universities (NECU) will partner with Augsburg University’s Interfaith Institute to hold a Zoom webinar on January 26, 2021, 3pm MST, 2pm PST, titled Neighbors Together in a Divided Nation: An Inter-Religious Conversation. Register here.
Students, faculty, administrators and staff at our member institutions across North America are invited to join in this important conversation.
Read MoreReflecting on the Day of Epiphany and events in Washington, Bishop Eaton asks that we consider our own epiphany, recognizing the brokenness of our country and how we can become part of the solution.
Read MoreGet to know Scott Peters, a member of Christ Lutheran Church, San Diego, and representative for California’s 52nd Congressional District. Peters shares about growing up in the church as a pastor’s kid, his vocational journey and his passion for environmental justice.
Read MorePolicies and procedures are an essential part of any organization. Together, they provide a roadmap for day-to-day operations.
Often the person creating the policies and procedures store them to memory – leaving the organization vulnerable to variances in how things are done. Read more at smartchurchmanagement.com.
Read MoreA free webinar conversation between two old friends and colleagues, Tod Bolsinger and Jim Toole. Jim is now facing stage 4 bile duct cancer and offers his reflections on living with cancer and facing the future with faith.
In this webinar they will discuss the leadership lessons that come from reaching the moment where you must prepare your people to go into the future without you. Jan 20, 2021, 11am MST, 10am PST.
Read MoreJoin Amy Reumann, ELCA Director for Advocacy, to learn more about why Lutherans advocate and how discipleship expressed through civic engagement and public witness impacts the issues of our day.
Part of the Weekly Online Gathering for ELCA Leaders, this Wednesday, 1/13/2021, 12pm MST, 11am PST. Links to the meeting at elcacoaching.org as well as archives.
Read MoreThe Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), joined leaders from the National Council of Churches (NCC) in an open letter to Vice President Mike Pence, members of Congress and the Cabinet, calling for the removal of President Donald Trump from office. The letter states:
“Our faith instructs us to take seriously positions of leadership, not to lead others astray and to be careful about what we say and do.
For the good of the nation, so that we might end the current horror and prepare the way for binding up the nation's wounds, we, as leaders of the member communions of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC), believe the time has come for the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, to resign his position immediately.”
Read the letter here or in this blog post. Use this link to add your name to endorse the open letter.
Signers of the letter include National Council of Churches, United Church of Christ, AME Zion Church, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Alliance of Baptists, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, The Episcopal Church, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, The United Methodist Church, Reformed Church in America, The Armenian Church, Eastern Diocese of America, African Methodist Episcopal Church, Swedenborgian Church of North America, Alliance of Baptists, Progressive National Baptist Convention, Conference of National Black Churches, Community of Christ, Assyrian Church of the East, Ecumenical Catholic Communion, Presbyterian Church (USA).
Read MorePray for parents, students, employees and business owners whose plans and routines change day by day and week by week due to the uncertainty of the pandemic, that they might be hopeful, resilient and able to adapt, change and endure.
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