Blogs of the ELCA

Blogging from the Lutheran Center and beyond

Syrian Priest Killed While Helping the Wounded

from Peace Not Walls
Posted on January 26, 2012 by Julie Brenton Rowe

Father Bassilius Nassar, a Greek Orthodox priest who was helping a wounded man, was shot and killed in Hama on Wednesday.  Both the government and the opposition blamed the killing on the other.  This was the same day the Secretary General of the Syrian Red Cross, along with 23 others, were killed.  Reports of what really happened [...]

Malaria research offers hope from all angles

from ELCA Malaria Campaign
Posted on January 26, 2012 by jessicanipp

We’re living in a “global moment.” For the next four years, the ELCA is joining hands with other churches, government agencies, non-profit agencies, celebrities and– very importantly– researchers in our quest to overcome malaria by 2015. Malaria researchers are coming at the problem of malaria from all angles. Some are working to create a vaccine [...]

Being a welcoming community

from Women of the ELCA
Posted on January 26, 2012 by women

Being welcoming and inviting: some of us have to work hard at cultivating those traits. A rather shy person, even after a career of teaching public speaking, I know the tendency to pull back, hoping that the person in front won’t move suddenly and catch me off guard, exposed to the whole room; or the [...]

ELCA member awarded the 2012 Caldecott Medal

from ELCA Updates
Posted on January 25, 2012 by elcaupdates

Chris Raschka, a member of Trinity Lutheran Church of Manhattan, an ELCA congregation in New York, has been awarded the American Library Association’s 2012 Caldecott Medal for his children’s book, “A Ball for Daisy.” Raschka, author and illustrator, also won the medal in 2006 for his illustration of “The Hello, Goodbye Window” and earned the [...]

Meet our Southern Africa partners

from ELCA Malaria Campaign
Posted on January 24, 2012 by jessicanipp

We are blessed to be a global church! The ELCA is in partnership with many Lutheran churches across the world through the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).  The LWF is divided into regions and sub-regions, and one of those sub-regions encompasses the churches in Southern Africa. This region is called LUCSA– the Lutheran Communion in Southern [...]

January 29, 2012–Hollywood and Demons

from Faith Lens
Posted on January 24, 2012 by faithlens

Contributed by Aaron Matson, Toronto, SD Warm-up Question Do you like scary movies? What’s the scariest movie you’ve seen? Hollywood and Demons At least since the 1973 movie, The Exorcist, Hollywood has been scaring audiences (and selling lots of tickets) with images of the devil, demons, and demon possession. The last few years have seen [...]

Working to stop domestic violence

from Hand in Hand Global Mission Support Blog Digest
Posted on January 24, 2012 by Hand In Hand

Dana Nelson is an ELCA missionary in Lima, Peru. To support Dana, or another of the ELCA’s nearly 250 missionaries, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.   Dear sponsoring congregations, friends and family, Domestic Violence is a serious issue all over the world as we know.  Peru, where there is a lot of machismo, is no exception. I am thrilled [...]

Alabama: Severe Storms and Tornadoes Hit the State

from ELCA Disaster Response
Posted on January 23, 2012 by Matthew Ley

Early this morning severe storms with high winds, and in some places tornadoes, pounded the South and Midwest. One of the heaviest hit areas was Alabama, where the storms and tornadoes led to two confirmed deaths in Birmingham, AL. Soon afterward the governor declared a state of emergency. Search and rescue work continues in heavier [...]

LWF: Department of World Service Certified as People-Centered

from ELCA Disaster Response
Posted on January 23, 2012 by Matthew Ley

Last week the Lutheran World Federation’s Department of World Service (LWF-DWS) gained certification from Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP) International. To give some context to what this means, here is a an overview of HAP’s purpose from their website: [HAP] International is a multi-agency initiative working to improve the accountability of humanitarian action to people affected [...]

An attitude of gratitude

from Women of the ELCA
Posted on January 23, 2012 by LPB

As we got home after worship yesterday, my husband told me to sit down and relax, that he’d put the finishing touches on the Sunday dinner he had put in the slow cooker hours before. I didn’t have to be told twice, so I picked up the November/December 2011 issue of a magazine that had [...]