ELCA Blogs

Mary Minette, Director of Environmental Advocacy & Christine Mangale, Assistant to the Director Lutheran Office for World Community in New York

UN Climate Summit

Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC) will host a delegation of Lutheran World Federation Youth that will come to attend the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Climate Summit in September 23, 2014, New York. The delegation will also attend an Interfaith Summit that is being organized by the World Council of Churches and Religions for Peace September 21-22, 2014. The main goal is to mobilize action and ambition on climate change and garner support for climate change agreement by 2015. Lutheran World Federation Youth will host a one-hour fasting vigil parallel to the Ban Ki-moon Summit September 23, 2014 at 1-2pm EST. Please join in reflection and prayer wherever you are. Join thewww.fastfortheclimate.org.

In addition to this, the UN will also hold the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples on 22-23 September 2014.

The ELCA Washington Office is also working with the ACT Alliance to help plan a day of side events on climate change issues on September 24th, and LOWC and ELCA Washington staff will attend the Religions for the Earth conference at Union Theological Seminary the weekend before the summit along with other global interfaith leaders.

People’s Climate March in New York

Plans are underway for what is expected to be the largest march in history on climate change in New York City on the weekend preceding the UN Climate Summit. The ELCA Washington Office is working with the Metro New York Synod to support Lutherans attending the march. If you have plans to go, please let our office know and we will keep you informed of meeting places on the day of the march and other events. Fill out our google form for Lutheran march participants!

Peace Not Walls

The Patriarchs of the East published a press release condemning conflicts and violence which overwhelm the Middle East, and most particularly the persecution of innocents and Christians. The religious fundamentalism, and those who feed it through financing its armed movements, affecting the balance and stability in the region, is unequivocally denounced. The Patriarchs therefore send forth an urgent plea to the international community. (Text from the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation)

Click here for the text of the statement

Megan Brandsrud

Early Sunday morning, Aug. 24, an earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale hit the San Francisco Bay Area. The earthquake, which was the largest seismic event in the area since a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in 1989, injured 120 people, triggered fires and power outages, and left significant damage to properties.

Napa Valley Lutheran Church, an ELCA congregation in Napa, Calif., has reported some structural damage that it received as a result of the earthquake. Building inspectors and insurance agents will be visiting the church in the next few days to evaluate the extent of the damage.

Lutheran Social Services of Northern California, our Lutheran Disaster Response local affiliate, is assessing the situation and gathering reports of damages that were sustained in the area as a result of the earthquake. We will continue to review the situation and be in contact with Lutheran Social Services of Northern California and our local congregations and synod to see how we may be able to provide assistance.

“The thoughts and prayers of the Lutheran Disaster Response network are with those injured and affected by the earthquake,” says the Rev. Michael Stadie, program director for Lutheran Disaster Response. “We are monitoring the situation and standing by to provide help to the impacted communities as they begin the process of recovery.

Peace Not Walls

Find below the August 22, 2014 press release from the Lutheran World Federation.

“Concerned and Saddened by Kidnapping and Hostage-taking”

(LWI) – The LWF together with ten faith-based humanitarian and development organizations has issued an “urgent call to stop the horrific suffering” in Iraq.

“The untold suffering of minority groups as a result of escalating violence and attacks is unacceptable and the violation of international human rights and humanitarian laws is despicable,” the letter signed by Christian and Muslim organizations says.

“We are utterly shocked at the horrific wave of attacks that has so far led to the killing of many and left hundreds of thousands more homeless, desperate and in flight. We are further concerned and saddened by the many cases of kidnapping and hostage-taking of people, including women and children,” the statement further reads.

Together with ACT Alliance members, the statement has been signed by among others Islamic Relief, Muslim Aid, Muslim Charities Forum CAFOD and the Human Relief Foundation.

According to data from the United Nations, about one million people have been displaced by violence and insecurity since the beginning of the year. The militant group Islamic State (IS) is especially targeting minorities such as Yazidis and Christians. The LWF together with partners from the ACT Alliance has started emergency assistance to internally displaced persons (IDP) in the Ninive valley close to the contested city of Mosul.

“The magnitude at which Islamic State militants are operating is absolutely terrifying and we deplore their actions in the deliberate targeting of civilians,” Michael Hyden, Humanitarian Coordinator for the LWF Department of World Service (DWS) said.

“Together with our partners Christian Aid Program in Iraq (CAPNI) we are assessing how best we can assist the affected population in Duhok governate,” Hyden added. According to official government data, the total number of IDP in this governorate alone is 462,270 as of 18 August 2014.

The signatories also stress the need to protect civilians and apply international law. “We are appealing for the protection of all people, including persecuted religious minorities such as the Yazidis and Christians – hundreds of thousands who have fled in fear for their lives,” Hyden said.

The organizations call for a lasting solution for peace, reconciliation and justice for all in the region.

Click here for the statement

Click here for the LWF Response Team Report

Click here for more Response News

Megan Brandsrud

In June, eastern South Dakota experienced severe weather ranging from record downpours to a tornado.

Heavy rains lead to flooding

During the night of June 16, Lincoln County received 8.5 inches of rain, which means it received a full month’s worth of rain in one evening. This significant rainfall, paired with continued rain storms throughout the region during the following two weeks, caused riverbanks to overflow, lower levels of homes to flood, sewers to backup and more than 12 farms to be flooded.

In the town of Canton, in Lincoln County, highways and roads leading into the town were completely flooded, which made it difficult for rescue and emergency-response vehicles to provide service to the approximately 1,300 households that were impacted by the flooding.

In addition to the homes and businesses in Canton that experienced negative effects from the flooding, the oldest Norwegian Lutheran church in the state, Canton Lutheran (an ELCA congregation), was severely damaged in the flood.

Tornado destroys, damages homes

On June 18, an EF-2 tornado went through Wessington Springs, a town in Jerauld County, destroying dozens of homes and businesses. Wessington Springs has 1,000 residents that comprise 485 households. Of those 485 homes, 43 were damaged, 12 were totally destroyed and another 12 were left uninhabitable.

Tornado in Wessington Springs SD

(Pictured: A view of Wessington Springs after the tornado.)

Lutheran Disaster Response has committed an initial $100,000 to Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota to assist in long-term recovery efforts that are following these June storms. Long-term recovery efforts will include disaster case management to work with people who were impacted by the disasters to connect them with necessary resources so they can return to their “new normal.” Recovery projects will also include construction management in Canton and Wessington Springs to assist in the repair and rebuilding of homes.

We will work hand-in-hand with the people of eastern South Dakota as they recover and rebuild after being impacted by severe weather. Thanks to your generosity in undesignated gifts, Lutheran Disaster Response is able to provide help when and where it is most needed.

If you would like to support Lutheran Disaster Response’s work in providing hope and healing to those who have been impacted by disaster, please visit the Lutheran Disaster Response giving page.

Guest blog author: Matt Bishop

241 miles. 7 days. A couple of bicycles. This is The Hunger Ride: Feeding People, Feeding Souls.

Many of us will never know what it means to be chronically hungry. And yet too many of us will. A lot of us would like to suppose that, if only more people knew about this and thought about this, then we’d get something done! But there’s another story to tell—the story of all of those who do answer the call to serve, and are working hard every day to feed their neighbors and to help their neighbors feed themselves. This story goes untold too often, so the Northwestern Minnesota Synod created The Hunger Ride.

Educating people about hunger and poverty is a trivial chore if we don’t give those people somewhere to use the energy these stories create. So six Hunger Ambassadors suited up, stretched out, and peddled their way across the synod to connect people to the stories of the hungry and the stories of those who accompany them. The riders stopped at events along the way, planned by hosting communities, to raise awareness about hunger locally and abroad, and to start conversations.

See for yourself:

HungerRide from Hope Deutscher on Vimeo.

Linda Eickman, a licensed social worker working in Christian resource development and one of the Hunger Ambassadors, said that the best part was meeting so many new people. “[I] loved discovering the great services and organizations we have in our communities that support our hungry families.”

The Hunger Ride was the synod’s opportunity to celebrate with those who strive to relieve the weight of hunger and poverty in its communities and across the world, including the Bemidji Community Food Shelf, Meals on Wheels (through the local Wadena Area Seniors Bag Program), and—of course—ELCA World Hunger. Or as Pr. Frank Johnson, another Hunger Ambassador put it, “we were able to string together the stories of organic farmers in Sebeka, the hungry and homeless at Peoples’ Church in Bemidji, the youth volunteering at Calvary of Park Rapids, and the students in Wadena who were growing food for their own school lunches.”

But the real power of The Hunger Ride comes in Frank’s subsequent realization. “These are not independent efforts; they are people working together, who often do not even know that one another exist, but they have a common purpose. These are people concerned about eating and eating well.”

Frank made a more sophisticated reflection than is possible here on his blog—check it out.

The Hunger Ride culminated with a day ride around Moorhead in anticipation of Synod Assembly. Riders stopped at congregations along the way for refreshment and to learn more generally about hunger issues and ELCA World Hunger as a response. Finally, those who were left, including the Hunger Ambassadors, rode their bikes right up to the stage at synod assembly to share some of the stories from the week prior.

The Hunger Ride brought with it a few lessons. First, it’s fun and life-giving. Lisa Winter, another Hunger Ambassador, said “I feel like I received a special grace of the Holy Spirit on this ride.” Second, it’s hard to measure the impact of educating people. This isn’t a new lesson, but the buzz around the entire event was contagious. While the goal was to raise awareness for hunger issues, build recognition for those responding in our communities and give people an opportunity to connect to those responses, the results of the offerings along the route are suggestive. By the end of the week, The Hunger Ride raised over $15,000 for hunger and poverty ministries, including ELCA World Hunger. Well, sort of. This total doesn’t count one congregation, Calvary Lutheran Church in Perham, which used The Hunger Ride as the focus of its Lenten hunger fundraising. It’s nearly impossible to attribute particular dollars to The Hunger Ride, but the bottom line is the same: another $13,000 for ELCA World Hunger.

And the final lesson is perhaps the most important of all. Will there be a Hunger Ride next year? Lisa said most eloquently what everyone agreed: “Absolutely!”

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John Hougen, Elkins Park, PA

Warm-up Question

As you begin to think about forgiving and receiving forgiveness, can you name three things people do or say that make forgiveness more difficult and three things people do or say that make forgiveness more likely?

The Key to Forgiveness

Has a friend betrayed or disappointed you? Have you said or done something that offended someone close to you? Has there been conflict in your family, school, workplace, congregation or neighborhood?

reconciliationedit If you answered “no” to all these questions, then you are not paying attention. For, disruptions in relationships (some minor, some major) are inevitable and frequent. Opportunities to forgive and be forgiven are within our reach on a daily basis. Yet, forgiveness remains one of the most difficult and elusive of human interactions.

Family members can go decades without speaking. Hurt feelings can end valued friendships. The inability to forgive oneself or accept God’s forgiveness can cause persistent guilt or shame which are root causes of anxiety, anger, and depression, all of which can lead to additional conflict with others. Cycles of violence between ethnic groups and nations seem never-ending, and millions have died in wars because the war before solved nothing. Think about the headlines: Gaza, Ukraine, ISIS, Afghanistan.

The stakes are high for ourselves, for those around us, and for the survival of humanity: it is urgent that we (as individuals, families, friends, colleagues, congregations, communities, and nations) get better at giving and receiving forgiveness.

Discussion Questions

Do you agree that forgiveness is as important and urgent as the above paragraphs suggest? Why or why not?
If anyone is familiar with efforts to bring about forgiveness among Israelis and Palestinians, or black and white citizens of South Africa, or immigrants and native born citizens in the USA (or other conflicts at home or abroad), let them inform the rest of the group. Then, discuss to what degree those efforts have been successful.
If you trust your discussion group with the information, give an example from your own life of when you have given or received forgiveness; or share the story of an unresolved conflict, seeking the group’s advice about what you might do to move toward ending the conflict through forgiveness.

Lectionary 23

Ezekiel 33:7-11

Romans 13:8-14

Matthew 18:15-20

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings.)

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

To this day, the steps found in Matthew 18: 15 – 17 are the basis for resolving conflicts in Christian congregations. (For example, see the ELCA’s Model Constitution for Congregations, Chapter 15: “Discipline of Members and Adjudication,”http://www.elca.org/Resources/Office-of-the-Secretary.) While each step in the process provides the opportunity for resolution, if it does not occur, the final step is for the offending party to be removed from the congregation. Verse 17 indicates how deep such divisions become: “Let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” These words reflect the feelings of a faction within the early church that despised Gentiles and tax collectors, and thought they should be avoided like the plague.

This is not what God wants. Jesus, the surest interpreter of God’s will, does not avoid Gentiles. (Gentiles are non-Jews, like most of us reading this blog). Jesus’ last words to his disciples, according to the Gospel of Matthew, are that they should “make disciples of all nations” (Jews and Gentiles). The Book of Acts records how Christianity grew beyond its Jewish roots to include Gentiles. (See especially Acts 9: 15 and 10: 34 – 48.)

And, Jesus befriended tax collectors, most notably Matthew and Zacchaeus. Jesus called Matthew to be part of his inner circle (Matthew 9: 9 – 13) and singles Zacchaeus out of a crowd, inviting himself to his house for dinner (Luke 19: 1- 10). Followers of Jesus will not want to treat anyone as verse 17 suggests. Instead, we will do our best to resolve conflict by giving and receiving forgiveness.

The key to forgiveness is found in verse 20. There Jesus says, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

In the Bible, names are very important, often revealing the connection of the name’s bearer to God’s work in the world. (“Jesus” literally means “God saves / delivers.”) To gather in the name of Jesus means to be bound to Jesus in love, and committed to speak and act as Jesus the deliverer would speak and act.

“Where two or three are gathered in my name” is followed by “I am there among them.” Jesus asserts that he is present when two or three (or more) are gathered in his name. If the accuser and accused in verse 15 gather in the name of Jesus, or the small group in verse 16, or the larger group in verse 17, then Jesus will be present and the gathering (with Jesus there to guide and inspire) will find a way into forgiveness, to deliver all from whatever has divided them.

The other three readings assigned today teach us how to gather in the name of Jesus. Ezekiel 33: trust that God wants us to reach out to sinners (i.e. to all at fault in conflicts). Psalm 119: strive to learn and follow God’s commandments. Romans 13: love our neighbors as ourselves. Trusting our calling to resolve conflict, striving to follow God’s will, and doing all we do in love bring us closer to unity with Christ, in whom and through whom we are empowered to give and receive forgiveness.

Discussion Questions

Matthew 18: 17 suggests that sometimes conflicts are impossible to resolve and the best possible outcome is for those in conflict to avoid one another. Matthew 18:21 -22 (look it up!) teaches that we should keep forgiving indefinitely. Which teaching is more compelling? Which is most practical? Which is consistent with what you know about Jesus?

What are the signs that a conflict has been truly resolved and forgiveness has been genuinely given and received?

If you have felt the presence of Jesus among you when gathered in his name to worship or serve, describe those feelings. If you have not felt Jesus’ presence, do you think it is possible that, in spite of your lack of awareness, Jesus might have been present anyway, as promised in Matthew 18: 20?

Activity Suggestions

Role play resolving a conflict following the steps outlined in today’s gospel. One person can be the “offender.” Another can be the one offended who takes the first step toward reconciliation. Others can be brought in to help and each should be assigned a point of view based on a Bible passage. (Use the passages from Ezekiel, Psalm 119, and Romans 13, plus other texts from Matthew 18: verses 10 – 14; 21 – 22; and 23 – 35.) The role play should be done twice: once with forgiveness obtained, and once with the exclusion of the guilty party. After role playing, debrief. What advice would you give to someone who wants to intervene in a conflict and help move it toward resolution? Is your advice Biblically based or does it come from some other source of wisdom?

Closing Prayer

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

Peace Not Walls

Below is the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace in the Middle East statement welcoming the ceasefire in Israel and Gaza, with endorsements by thirty-three national Jewish, Christian, and Muslim leaders.

August 14, 2014

Jewish, Christian and Muslim Religious Leaders Welcome Ceasefire;

Call Urgently for Renewed Negotiations for a Two-State Peace Agreement

As leaders of American Jewish, Christian, and Muslim national religious organizations, united in the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace in the Middle East (NILI), we welcome the ceasefire agreement of Israel and Hamas, and the negotiations to make it permanent. We were appalled by the kidnappings and murders of Israeli and Palestinian teenagers. We believe the loss of even one human life is a tragedy that grieves God. In the recent weeks of war between Hamas and Israel, we mourn the innocent civilians killed. We offer our prayers as well for the wounded and for the families of all the victims of violence.

This tragic escalation of violence demonstrates once again that there is no such thing as a stable status-quo in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Ideas being promoted in some circles for returning to the previous status quo or managing the conflict are dangerous. Acknowledging the recent failed negotiations, we call on Israeli and Palestinian political leaders to renew negotiations to achieve a two-state peace agreement, the only realistic resolution of the conflict in which both people can live in peace, security, and mutual recognition. The crucial choice leaders on both sides face now is between negotiating a two-state peace agreement with a new sense of urgency or condemning Palestinian and Israeli children and youth to continued conflict — more violence, more suffering, and more deaths.

We strongly supported Secretary of State Kerry’s efforts to achieve a negotiated peace agreement, and urge the United States to renew efforts to reach a two-state agreement as soon as possible. Recalling President Obama’s words in Jerusalem, “Peace is necessary…peace is also just…and peace is possible,” we believe the outline of a possible two-state agreement is widely known, including ideas drawn from previous official and informal negotiations for fair, realistic compromises. While none of the previous plans present a complete outline, the Taba Agreement (2000), the Arab Peace Initiative (2002), People’s Voice Initiative (2003), Geneva Accord (2003), and the (unofficial) Israeli Peace Initiative (2011) are sources for principled and practical ideas to help resolve all the issues, including borders and security, settlements, refugees and Jerusalem.

It is more urgent than ever that the United States and the international community press for a two-state peace agreement. While appreciating that maintaining a sustainable ceasefire is now the priority, we would welcome an early opportunity to meet with Secretary of State Kerry to discuss how we can assist with renewed U.S. efforts to achieve a negotiated two-state peace agreement. We pledge to mobilize active public support from members of synagogues, churches and mosques across the country for active, fair and determined U.S. leadership for peace.

List of Endorsers follows.

NILI Statement Welcoming the Ceasefire

In Israel and Gaza – August 2014

List of Endorsers

Christian Leaders:

Bishop Richard E. Pates, Chairman, USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace

Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington

Archbishop Vicken Aykasian, Director, Ecumenical Affairs, Armenian Orthodox Church in America

Archimandrite Nathanael Symeonides, Ecumenical Officer, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Jim Winkler, President/General Secretary, National Council of Churches of Christ USA

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Bishop Warner H. Brown Jr., President, Council of Bishops, United Methodist Church

Most Rev. Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop and Primate, The Episcopal Church

Reverend Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk, Presbyterian Church (USA)

Reverend Geoffrey Black, General Minister & President, United Church of Christ

Reverend Dr. Sharon Watkins, General Minister, President, Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ)

Reverend Leighton Ford, President, Leighton Ford Ministries, Board Member, World Vision US

David Neff, former Editorial Vice-President, Christianity Today

John M. Buchanan, Editor and Publisher, Christian Century

Jewish Leaders:

Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President, Union of Reform Judaism

Rabbi Rick Block, President, Central Conference of American Rabbis

Rabbi Steven A. Fox, Chief Executive Officer, Central Conference of American Rabbis

Rabbi David Saperstein, Director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism

Rabbi Elliot Dorff, Ph.D. Rector and Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, American Jewish University

Rabbi Burt Visotzky, Jewish Theological Seminary

Rabbi Jason Klein, President, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association

Rabbi Deborah Waxman, President, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College

Rabbi Amy Small, Past President, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association

Rabbi Ellen Weinberg Dreyfus, Past President, Central Conference of American Rabbis

Rabbi Peter Knobel, Past President, Central Conference of American Rabbis

Rabbi Paul Menitoff, Executive Vice President Emeritus, Central Conference of American Rabbis

Rabbi Alvin M. Sugarman, Rabbi Emeritus, The Temple, Atlanta Georgia

Muslim Leaders:

Imam Mohammed Magid, President, Islamic Society of North America

Dr. Sayyid Muhammad Syeed, National Director, Islamic Society of North America

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Founder of the ASMA Society and Chairman of the Cordoba Initiative

Dawud Assad, President Emeritus, Council of Mosques, USA

Imam Yahya Hendi, Founder and President, Clergy Beyond Borders

Eide Alawan, Interfaith Office for Outreach, Islamic Center of America

Iftekhar A. Hai, Founding Director, United Muslims of America Interfaith Alliance

*Organizations for Identification Only

For More Information Contact: Ron Young (425) 327-7545  (usicpme@aol.com)

Teri Mueller

The fleeting nature of time never ceases to amaze me. I am having a hard time grasping the fact that I ended my internship at the close of last week. The past eleven weeks have passed very quickly and have contained so many meaningful experiences!

Prior to coming to the churchwide office, I had rarely focused specifically on the issue of hunger in our world. Sure, I had volunteered at food banks, collected cans for food drives, participated in fasting activities, and served meals at shelters, but my experiences were solely surface level. They satisfied me but did not truly engage me. I could volunteer and feel good about myself and then return to my life slightly more grateful for the blessings I had been bestowed with.

Working as the ELCA World Hunger Education intern allowed me to bridge experiences with information. I was able to better connect the statistics and data of hunger to real life through looking into resources. I began to realize the importance of educational exposure that makes people think critically about social issues in our world. I was able to do research and learn more about what hunger and poverty directly relate to. I was challenged through trying to communicate information in a concise manner through working on blog posts and potential resources. I had the opportunity to journey on educational field trips to Bethel New Life and Cross Lutheran Church/Alice’s Garden.

As I prepared to leave, I found myself asking the question What does my internship mean for me as I move forward? I am still figuring out the answer to that. I obviously learned a lot. I feel more passionate about issues of hunger and poverty. I will definitely look for ways to be involved with hunger work in the future. The rest is rather uncertain, but I am sure that I will continue to realize ways this internship has affected me as time progresses.

My time working with ELCA World Hunger at the churchwide office has been an incredibly beneficial experience. Though I was sad to say goodbye, I look forward to the coming adventures that God brings my way during my final year at Wartburg and the somewhat daunting time after graduation. I take comfort in Jesus’ final words to his disciples in the Gospel of Matthew, “I am with you always, even until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) Thank you to everyone who has been part of my journey at the ELCA and God Bless!

Teri Mueller is an intern with ELCA World Hunger. This is her final post for the summer.

Would you like to subscribe to the ELCA World Hunger blog? Click here to enter your email address on the homepage.

Mary Minette, Director of Environmental Advocacy & Christine Mangale, Assistant to the Director Lutheran Office for World Community in New York

UN Climate Summit

In addition to this, the UN will also hold the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples on 22-23 September 2014.

People’s Climate March in New York

ELCA participating in NY Climate Events in September

The Patriarchs of the East – “Religious Extremism is a Major Threat for The Area and The Whole World”

6.0 earthquake strikes near Napa, Calif.

Faith-Based Organizations Call for an End to Iraq Violence

Long-term recovery following early summer storms in South Dakota

241 miles. 7 days. This is the Hunger Ride

September 7, 2014–The Key to Forgiveness

Warm-up Question

The Key to Forgiveness

Discussion Questions

Lectionary 23

Gospel Reflection

Discussion Questions

Activity Suggestions

Closing Prayer

Jewish, Christian and Muslim Religious Leaders Welcome Ceasefire; Call Urgently for a Two-State Peace Agreement

A Summer Farewell

ELCA participating in NY Climate Events in September