California Lutheran University and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary have opened the search for a Director of Development – Seminary Relations position on the Thousand Oaks campus. A brief description and additional information regarding the position is available in this PDF.
Read MorePortico is adopting provisions in recent COVID-relief legislation (American Rescue Plan Act) that allow members to reconsider their 2021 FSA elections and adjust, as appropriate, during this one-time opportunity.
Sponsored members can elect to change or begin pretax contributions to an FSA – without experiencing a qualifying life event – during a special enrollment window between April 12 – April 23, 2021.
Read MoreIn the Easter season our “Alleluias” are bold. “Christ has risen while earth slumbers,” a new hymn in All Creation Sings, announces the promise of resurrection while acknowledging the complexity of human experience.
Read MorePortico reminds us that good sleep is as much a factor of whole-person well-being as diet, exercise, and prayer. Check out the small steps you can take to set yourself up for healthy sleep on 2021 Live Well.
For ELCA-Primary members, both Being and Learn to Live offer more in-depth coaching and tracking that can help you make meaningful, lasting change.
Read MoreThis year, we observe Easter for the second time in a challenging context amid painful situations. To protect our own lives and those of others, many of us celebrate Easter again and will meet with the Risen Lord “behind closed doors” (John 20,19-20).
Read MoreImagine what it must have been like on that first Easter morning when there wasn't the knowledge of the resurrection. When, instead, it was all about death and disappointment. Imagine Mary Magdalene’s encounter with the risen Lord. Hear Bishop Eaton’s message and a hymn from our newest worship resource, All Creation Sings, about the transformation of Mary's grief into joy. Happy Easter!
Read MoreWe pray for Rev. Jeffery Gallen and the people of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Goodyear, part of the Cactus Conference. Visit their site at christevangelical.org, and their YouTube page.
Read MoreAnother Easter arrives, and again, we proceed with hesitance and fear. We struggle with our beliefs. We are unsure how to celebrate. We can feel isolated and separated from each other, wondering if we should leave our homes. In a time of political unrest, we are unsure of the stories we are hearing from the outside world.
And in these circumstances, we are blessed to experience Easter in the same way as the first followers of Christ.
Read MoreA Good Friday worship service—premiering April 2, 2021, at 6pm MST/PDT—is available on the synod’s YouTube channel and in this post. It is a service of Tenebrae, with reading of the passion by leaders from the Colorado River Conference, a message from Bishop Hutterer, and special music. Download the order of worship in PDF or as a Word doc.
Our thanks to Pastor Jason Adams, (Reformation Lutheran, Las Vegas) for heading up this project.
Read MoreLutheran Social Services of the Southwest (LSS-SW) is soliciting items for recently released asylum-seekers. They travel for up to 3 days to their destination in the U.S. All items (see the full list in this post) are non-perishable and can be collected over time, individually/as a group.
Drop items off at their office: 2502 E. University Drive, Suite 125, Phoenix, AZ 85034. If interested, email cshurtz@lss-sw.org.
Read MoreAn increase in unaccompanied children and asylum-seekers arriving at the U.S. border with Mexico has given rise to claims of a crisis. Individuals, families and children seeking protection are no crisis — the crisis is the circumstances they are fleeing and the moral challenge of safe welcome.
To offer hope and hospitality to the sojourner in this season of Easter is to bear witness to the suffering that affects the lives of so many.
Read MoreAs we go through Holy Week, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land’s Bishop Sani Ibrahim Azar shares his Easter message based on Mark 16:3 “Who will roll the stone away for us?”. View as PDF.
Read MoreTogether with God, we grieve with the families and communities impacted by gun violence — especially in communities where it is an everyday occurrence. These shootings are not isolated but rather a pattern of the gun violence crisis in the United States.
The numbers of victims tell only a part of the pain — the trauma caused by gun violence ripples across family members, friends, neighborhoods, communities and this country.
Read MoreAs we go through Holy Week, Presiding Bishop Eaton reminds us that Jesus is present in all of our suffering. The lives lost to gun violence and the suffering caused by the pandemic - Christ has journeyed this path and continues to journey with us.
Read MorePortico reminds us that if you’re literally feeling the effects of too many hours staring at a computer screen, members with ELCA-primary health benefits now have access to SWORD, a virtual therapy program for joint pain available at no out-of-pocket cost.
Read MoreThe Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is engaged in a global study of contemporary Lutheran identities as they are lived in local church contexts. Between now and June you are invited to take part in a larger conversation, with a discussion guide titled We Believe in the Holy Spirit: Welcome to a Global Conversation on Being Lutheran.
This guide will help lead your congregation’s Christian education and/or youth group on a journey of mutual discovery and learning. View/download the guide.
Read MoreA memorial service for Rev. Dr. Daniel R. Defassio was live-streamed on Facebook, Tuesday, March 30, 2021. Bishop Deborah Hutterer and Pastor Phil Gustafson were among those who celebrated his life and ministry .
A copy of the service is available on the same Facebook page, Shepherd of the Desert Lutheran Church, Sun City, AZ. Feel free to share this link with all who would like to remember.
Read MoreEvangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land Bishop Ibrahim Azar speaks to us from the Old City of Jerusalem about the ongoing impact of the pandemic and the inequitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines.
Read MoreRegistration for the 2022 ELCA World Hunger Domestic Hunger Grants is now open. Visit ELCA.org/domestichungergrants to learn more about the grants and how to apply.
Organizations applying for an ELCA grant for the first time must register by setting up an account in ELCA GrantMaker in order to access the Domestic Hunger Grant application once it opens on April 19, 2021.
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