The ELCA Foundation is pleased to announce a new partnership with the investment consulting firm Fund Evaluation Group LLC (FEG).
Previously, the Foundation worked with Graystone Consulting to provide reporting and oversight of three core portfolios — the Ministry Growth Fund, Charitable Gift Annuities and Charitable Trusts.
Read MoreThe Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has received a $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish the Formation Lab Project.
The goal of the project is to help congregations move past prescriptive, outdated models of youth ministry that often separate youth from the vital faith practices they need if they are to embrace God as the center of their life in today's world.
Read MoreWe stand together as Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders in the United States to condemn the recent rise in anti-Christian hate in the Holy Land, including the vandalism of a Protestant cemetery on Jan. 1, and graffiti threatening "Death to Christians" that appeared last week both in and near the Armenian quarter in Jerusalem.
These and other actions taken to erase the presence of Christians in the Holy Land, which would be devastating to us all. May the God of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar comfort our Christian siblings in the place we all believe is holy and give us courage as we speak with one voice against religious bigotry.
Read MoreThe Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) is making history by ordaining the first woman pastor in Palestine. Listen to local scholars and clergy, as well as international partners to the church, discuss the cultural significance of this event, as well as its theological and biblical importance.
Read MoreClick here to watch the livestream of the Ordination of Sally Azar at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem, February 22, 2023, 6am MST, 5am PST. The same link will show a replay of the service after it has ended.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land will ordain Ms. Sally Azar to be a Reverend in the church, becoming the first female pastor in Palestine.
Read MoreOn Sunday the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) will for the first time ordain a woman into pastoral ministry, Sally Azar. I invite you to join in the celebration by watching this short documentary about what women’s ordination means for the ELCJHL, and the livestream of the ordination service, which will begin at 7 a.m. Central time.
Read MoreSally Azar, LWF Council Member and graduate of intercultural theology in Göttingen talks about her upcoming ordination and how she hopes it will promote greater gender justice in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.
Read MoreMost people will find a church through online search results before ever visiting in person. This course is designed to make sure they discover you.
In this Faith+Lead Academy course presented by Ryan Panzer on January 26, 2023, you'll experience hands-on training and practical wisdom. Register and get more info here.
Read MorePastor Katie Langston, pastor of mission and outreach at New Promise Lutheran Church in St. George, Utah, shares her adventures in delivering cookies to the church’s neighbors.
“Operation Cookie Conversations” was the product of the question, “What would happen if we tried to talk to the neighbors near us?”
Read MoreWe lift up in prayer Dr. Mark Wickstrom, Interim Senior Pastor at Living Hope Lutheran in Las Vegas, as he begins immediate treatments after a recent diagnosis with blood and kidney cancer.
Read MoreBishop Hutterer participates in the AZ Prayer Service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2023, Jan 20, 2023, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM, and along with other staff attends the Ordination and Installation of Luis Ochoa at Holy Trinity Lutheran in Chandler, Jan 21, 2023, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Read MoreThis week we celebrate the following ordination anniversaries:
Rev. Tina Mills, Our Savior’s, Mesa, who celebrates 12 years on January 25.
Apache is our synod’s sole medium level counties. The remaining are at low levels: Clark, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Nye, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Washington, Yavapai, and Yuma.
Note: our updates can be a week behind due to our news cycle overlapping with Thursday updates. View the latest CDC and NYTimes updates here.
Read MoreFor the safety of women and children kidnapped in Burkina Faso…
For those killed by gang violence in Goshen, California and all whose lives are affected by gangs…
For people of Asian descent who continue to face anti-Asian hate crimes…
For the families of those killed in a plane crash in Nepal …
For flooding in California, Western Australia, and all places with too much water …
For transgender people who fight for their right to live around the world and especially in Scotland …
For chicken farmers battling avian flu in their flocks …
From helping those in need to team-building to deepening people’s faith to improving a congregation’s self-esteem, Resurrection’s disaster-relief ministry is a robust and holistic one. For this Cincinnati congregation, disaster relief is a passion. The 400-member congregation has made 19 trips to help rebuild homes after disasters, including several visits to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Read MoreA specific song came to mind when I began reflecting on Micah 6:8. I often find that when I’m searching for the words to express my thoughts and feelings about something, music is my source of guidance.
These words from the opening of the song Spark by The City Harmonic join breath and justice: When I breathe in hope, And breathe in grace, And breathe in God, Then I’ll breathe out peace, Breathe out justice, Breathe out love, Oh, this little light’s gonna shine With just a spark light a fire…
Read MoreThe Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins today, bridging the feasts of St. Peter and St. Paul. This year, the resources jointly published by the Commission on Faith and Order of World Council of Churches and the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, have been prepared by the Minnesota Council of Churches. Rev. Dr. Kelly Sherman Conroy, the ELCA’s first Indigenous (Lakota) woman PhD, and Rev. Antonio Machado, were involved in the process.
Read MoreThe January, 2023 version of the Women of the ELCA’s monthly newsletter Café is available, featuring: art as healing; made in the image of a creative God; Boldcafe monthly dinner on February 2 2023, and the Boldcafe podcast. View all posts at boldcafe.org.
Read MoreKing’s theology is many things. It is dynamic, revolutionary and loving. But above all, his theology was actually lived, providing us with a theological legacy of a Christian answer to racism, segregation, violence and other evils. King’s daughter, Bernice, describes his life as a “walking sermon inspired by God.”
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