Oregonians are waiting for “The Big One.” Every few hundred years, the Cascadia Subduction Zone causes huge earthquakes. The Cascadia earthquake was the impetus for the Oregon Synod Disaster Response Initiative, launched last year.
Recognizing that many people aren’t prepared for this earthquake or other disasters, a team proposed forming the Oregon Synod Disaster Response Network to guide congregations through preparedness and to raise awareness about different aspects of disasters.
Read MoreEast German student of Karl Barth and Martin Heidegger believed “God has become speakable.” Read the article from Christianity Today.
Read MoreAmericans are getting more comfortable with new forms of spirituality, but their views of atheists are still complicated. Read the article from Religion News Service.
Read MoreHow did 260 goats end up being blessed at St. Paul Lutheran Family in Carson City, Nevada?
“It was a pretty big ordeal,” said Chad Adamik, pastor of St. Paul. “We were in a really bad drought … and the goats were [doing] fire mitigation.” No kid-ding—the goats were working on St. Paul’s 4 acres, which were overrun with cheatgrass this past August.
Read More'It’s not everybody’s cup of tea. We get our wellies muddy ... We don’t wait for them to come to us, we go to them,' said a rural chaplain in Suffolk, England. Read the article from Religion News Service.
Read MoreJoin Rev. Judith Rainforth, Pastor of Spirituality & Care at American Lutheran Church in Sun City, on these two trips of a lifetime.
The 2022 Oberammergau Passion Play trip is June 19 – 30, 2022. This once every decade experience is wrapped in the Footsteps of Paul through Greece & Italy, along with the beauty, culture, and history of Austria & Germany. Register at bit.ly/36hQiBY or download the brochure.
Or walk the Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage using the Coastal Route through Portugal and Spain on ancient paths that crisscross forests and villages, April 19 – May 2, 2022. Register at bit.ly/36Ixr2J or download the brochure.
Read MoreVisit gcsynod.org/grants to get more info and apply for over $200,000 available in Project Support Grants, and Adapting, Connecting, Transforming, and Sustaining (ACTS) Grants. Submit applications by 10/15/2021.
You can also view our Q&A webinar and resources in this blog post.
Read MoreA popular series contains hidden wisdom for those of us who work for God. Read the article from Religion News Service.
Read MoreRisk levels in our synod’s counties remained extremely or very high for unvaccinated people.
Extremely high risk counties for unvaccinated people in our synod include Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pinal, Washington, Yavapai, and Yuma counties.
Very high risk counties include Apache, Clark, Coconino, Gila, La Paz, Pima, and Santa Cruz.
It’s all hands on deck for the Bishop’s Fall Gathering, online with Presiding Bishop Eaton and Ryan Panzer as a guests. Many of the team will also be at the Installation of Pastor Sandy Jones at Bethany Lutheran Church in Scottsdale and the Installation of Pastor Ryan Hersch at Peace Lutheran Church in Peoria.
Read MoreIt’s harvest season in various parts of the United States. I’m mindful of a parable Jesus shares about a harvest where the crops were infiltrated by weeds. Jesus compares the kindom of God to a farmer who sows good seed in his field. While everyone is sleeping, the enemy creeps in and sows weeds in this farmer’s field.
Read MoreThis week’s Story of Faith in Action features Abide, a small-group ministry for ELCA members between 18 and 35. The program started in early 2020, shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic began, with leadership funding from Mission Support.
Read the story in this post, view as a PDF resource, or visit our SOFIA 2021-2022 page for all resources.
Read MoreIt's time for people of faith to shift from climate apology and lamentation to action on climate change. This was the topic of discussion on our latest Blessed Tomorrow Let’s Talk Climate episode, “Beyond Apology: We Need Climate Action Now”, co-hosted with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
Read MoreWe’re delighted to welcome ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton and Ryan Panzer to our 2021 Bishop's Fall Gathering, held online, October 18-19, 2021. All active rostered ministers, retired ministers serving as interim pastors, and synod council members are invited.
Participants are encouraged to download and print this PDF which includes our order of worship, as well as a workbook to use during Ryan Panzer’s hybrid ministry presentation.
Read MoreApache Stronghold members will stop in Tucson and Phoenix on their way to meet with Native American communities and faith leaders before an Oct. 22 court hearing. Read the article from Religion News Service.
Read MoreFrom Carey Nieuwhof: “When you’re in the middle of a disruption, it’s hard to know exactly what’s changing, let alone how deeply or permanently things are changing. As we round the corner into 2022, there are three numbers that, at least for me, show how quickly, radically and perhaps permanently the church is changing.”
36%: In-person attendance isn’t what it used to be
41%: The percentage of Gen Z who primarily prefer physical gatherings post-COVID
30%. The percentage point gap between Boomers and Gen Z
We pray for Rev. Roland Harder and the people of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Buckeye, part of the Cactus Conference.
Read MoreEach year, ELCA congregations pledge to send a portion of their offerings to fund ELCA ministries in their synods and beyond. We call these funds Mission Support.
Mission Support enables the ELCA’s more than 8,900 congregations and 65 synods to pool resources to love and serve our neighbors in ways that no individual or congregation can do alone.
Read MoreLutheran World Relief has created FREE, easy-to-use resources based on the RCL Advent texts from the Gospel of Luke, all available at lwr.org/advent.
Read MoreCall Camp ALOMA (campaloma.com) to schedule a retreat for your youth group, outdoor bible study group, church leadership retreat, and much more. Want to get away with the family for a weekend? Rent one of the smaller cabins we have to offer.
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