ELCA Blogs

Sep 15, 2024

Index of the September 2024 Issue

Issue 95 of Administration Matters Created to Be “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are...

Faith Lens

Sep 12, 2024

September 15, 2024–Finding Our Place

Drew Tucker, Westerville, OH Warm-up Questions Have you ever had to move to a new home? If so, what was...

ELCA Worship

Sep 10, 2024

For what shall we pray?

“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in...

ELCA Advocacy

Sep 9, 2024

Election Engagement Updates

Civic engagement is happening this election year in many diverse communities and contexts—and being activated and led by congregations, rostered...

ELCA Worship

Sep 9, 2024

Partner Organization Resources and Events

Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources and events from other organizations and institutions. These Lutheran and ecumenical partner organizations work...

Administration Matters

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Index of the September 2024 Issue

Sep 15, 2024 - Issue 95 of Administration Matters Created to Be “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are...

Index of the July 2024 Issue

Jul 15, 2024 - Issue 94 of Administration Matters How to Create a Mission Endowment Fund: A Guide for Congregations The ELCA Foundation has...

Index of the May 2024 Issue

May 15, 2024 - Issue 93 of Administration Matters Victim of embezzlement? Do you know how to proceed? It is important to know what...

Index of the March 2024 Issue

Mar 15, 2024 - Issue 92 of Administration Matters You’re not late, everyone else is just early! Final call for registration for the 2024...

Faith Lens

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September 15, 2024–Finding Our Place

Sep 12, 2024 - Drew Tucker, Westerville, OH Warm-up Questions Have you ever had to move to a new home? If so, what was...

September 8, 2024–A Fully Human Jesus

Sep 3, 2024 - Jon Fry, Champaign-Urbana, IL Warm-up Questions How do you pass the time while traveling? What are your favorite traveling games/activities...

September 1, 2024–Beyond “Good Guy vs. Bad Guy”

Aug 27, 2024 - Jacqui Buschor, Little Rock, AR Warm-up Questions Do you like games where people compete against each other like Monopoly, or...

August 25, 2024–Finding Life

Aug 20, 2024 - Leslie Weber, Chesapeake, VA Warm-up Questions What gave you life this week? Try this as a different way of asking...

ELCA Advocacy

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Election Engagement Updates

Sep 9, 2024 - Civic engagement is happening this election year in many diverse communities and contexts—and being activated and led by congregations, rostered...

Farm Bill Engagement Updates

Sep 5, 2024 - STATUS ON CAPITOL HILL | ACTION ALERTS | RESOURCES AND WEBINARS | OUR COLLECTIVE VOICE The Farm Bill, which guides...

Sharing Trustworthy Information About Where and How to Vote

Aug 29, 2024 - Some congregations use bulletin blurbs, some post a “Prepared to Vote Checklist” in the window from ELCA.org/civicengagement resources, some help...

Addressing Polarization and Building Cohesion in Your Community

Aug 26, 2024 - Many ELCA synods, congregations and ELCA-affiliated state public policy offices are involved in advancing the important aim of addressing polarization...

ELCA Worship

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For what shall we pray?

Sep 10, 2024 - “For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in...

Partner Organization Resources and Events

Sep 9, 2024 - Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources and events from other organizations and institutions. These Lutheran and ecumenical partner organizations work...

A Church Festival to Celebrate the Goodness of Creation?

Sep 4, 2024 - This blog post is written by Dr. Benjamin M. Stewart. Stewart is Distinguished Affiliate Professor of Worship at the Lutheran...

For what shall we pray?

Sep 3, 2024 - “For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in...

ELCA Racial Justice

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“My Identity is Not Up For Discussion” by Guest Blog Author Rahel Mwitula Williams

Aug 30, 2024 - In honor of International Day for People of African Descent, which is observed internationally on August 31 each year, ELCA...

Juneteenth: An Intergenerational Conversation by Guest Blog Author Dr. Dianne R. Browne

Jun 19, 2024 - In honor of Juneteenth, ELCA Racial Justice Ministries invited Dr. Dianne R. Browne, Ph.D., CFLE, CSE, Chair of the ELCA...

Commemoration of the Emanuel Nine: Guest blog writer Desta Goehner

Jun 17, 2024 - To commemorate the 9th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Emanuel 9 – Clementa C. Pinckney, Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd,...

Honoring Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

May 8, 2024 - In May, we celebrate National AAPI Heritage Month. The Asian and Pacific Islander Ministries of the ELCA, in conjunction with...

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ELCA Youth Gathering Blog

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Scenes from a Street Car: Created to be Disciples

Jul 21, 2024 - Saturday, July 20 – Created to Be Disciples Today was our closing worship for the 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering, and...

Scenes from a Street Car: Created to be Disruptive

Jul 20, 2024 - Friday, July 19 – Created to Be Disruptive Today, the final full day of the Youth Gathering, was a whirlwind...

Scenes from a Street Car: Created to be Free

Jul 19, 2024 - Thursday, July 18 – Created to Be Free Today, over 5k Gathering participants in bright orange shirts launched into the...

Scenes from a Street Car: Created to be Authentic

Jul 18, 2024 - Wednesday, July 17 – Created to Be Authentic Today, the spirit of authenticity radiated through the streets of New Orleans...

Peace Not Walls

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Advent Pilgrimage in Palestine 2022

Nov 28, 2022 - Join us in Sensing Advent: Practicing God’s justice in embodied community Advent Pilgrimage in Palestine is a four-week virtual pilgrimage...

ALAMEH Statement on Iran

Nov 17, 2022 - ALAMEH (Association of Lutherans of Arab and Middle Eastern Heritage) issued a statement on Iran, please find it linked below....

Christian Presence in Jerusalem

Sep 27, 2022 - Today, September 27, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem issued a statement in support of HM King Abdullah...

Special Action Alert: Support U.S. Funding of Augusta Victoria Hospital

Jul 28, 2022 - Support U.S. Funding of Augusta Victoria Hospital! Take action today. Background President Joe Biden visited Augusta Victoria Hospital on July...

AMMPARO

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World Refugee Day, A Day to Proudly Practice Solidarity

Jun 20, 2024 - By Giovana Oaxaca World Refugee Day is observed annually on June 20th. This is a time to honor the courage...

Witnessing Cruelty and Compassion on a Dominican Highway

Nov 11, 2023 - By Stephen Deal With three traveling companions, we were nearing the end of a long drive from Santo Domingo (the...

Transformed by Kindness: My Immigration Experience

Aug 25, 2023 - By Raed AbuJries “I was a stranger and you invited me in.” These words, from Matthew 25:35, are normally perceived...

With Anti-Immigration Sentiments Rising, More Action is Needed

Jul 14, 2023 - By David Atkinson For those closely following immigration issues and debates, every day can seem to be a bad...

Disability Ministries

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Disability Ministries Grants 2024

May 27, 2024 - Dear friends of ELCA Disability Ministries, Thank you for considering Disability Ministries to potentially help fund your request or initiative...

A Reflection on the 2024 ELCA Youth Ministry Network Extravaganza

Mar 16, 2024 - by Rev. Peter Heide At the 2024 ELCA Youth Ministry Network Extravaganza, several firsts occurred surrounding Disability Ministries. It had...

CRLC Listening Session

Mar 5, 2024 - The Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church (CRLC) was formed by action of the 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The assembly...

Top 10 List of Accommodations

Dec 8, 2023 - A lot of the questions we get from individuals and congregations are about cost-friendly resources, or being asked where a...

ELCA World Hunger

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Renewing Hunger Ministry Together (re-post from St. Paul Area Synod blog)

Apr 10, 2024 - This is a re-post of a piece from the St. Paul Area Synod blog, by Vernita Kennen of Incarnation Lutheran...

2024 World Hunger Lent Study: Week 5

Mar 18, 2024 - The following is taken from the 2024 ELCA World Hunger Lent Study. The full resource can be ordered as a...

2024 World Hunger Lent Study: Week 4

Mar 6, 2024 - The following is taken from the 2024 ELCA World Hunger Lent Study. The full resource can be ordered as a...

2024 World Hunger Lent Study: Week 3

Feb 28, 2024 - The following is taken from the 2024 ELCA World Hunger Lent Study. The full resource can be ordered as a...

Lutheran Disaster Response

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Situation Report #2: Maui Wildfires

Mar 1, 2024 - Situation: On Aug. 8, 2023, multiple wildfires broke out on Maui. Exacerbated by strong winds, they destroyed homes, businesses, and...

Lutheran Disaster Response at COP28

Jan 19, 2024 - What is COP? COP stands for the Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)....

Spiritual Rest

Dec 21, 2023 - By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day [God]...

Human Rights and Climate Change

Dec 10, 2023 - On December 10, 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), written to address the atrocities...

Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Perspectives

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Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Guide to 2024

Jan 17, 2024 - The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is upon us once again. To commemorate this time of collective witness we’ve...

Preview the Thirteenth Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation

Sep 6, 2023 - One week from today the Thirteenth Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation will begin in Krakow, Poland. The Assembly will...

Understanding the Knesset’s (Israeli parliament) Recent Ruling in Light of our Jewish Relations

Jul 31, 2023 - Last week the ruling coalition in Israel’s Knesset (parliament) took a unilateral vote that puts further strain on an already...

A Season of Action: Ecumenical Responses to the Climate Crisis

Apr 22, 2023 - On Thursday, April 20, 2023 the ELCA Church Council unanimously adopted the church’s sixteenth social message, titled “Earth’s Climate Crisis“...

ELCA Innovation Lab

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An Introduction to Equity Design

Aug 12, 2021 - This is part two of a two-part introduction to design thinking. Part one is available here. Introduction Design thinking...

Thriving Congregations, Thriving Church

Jul 28, 2021 - People are lonely. A January 2020 survey from Cigna found that three in five US Americans are lonely, and we know loneliness only...

Open Doors

Jul 14, 2021 - Open Doors supports ELCA congregations interested in meeting new people in this time of re-gathering in physical spaces Over...

An Introduction to Design Thinking

Jan 19, 2021 - Introduction Have you or your worshipping community ever encountered a tough problem and found yourselves unable to come up with...

ELCA Young Adults

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The Wolf Shall Lie Down With the Lamb: #NoPlasticsforLent

Mar 15, 2021 - The Word Genesis 1:29-30 29 God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the...

Creation Care on Campus: #NoPlasticsforLent

Mar 11, 2021 - A Starting Place Creation care looks different at different stages of our lives. College is a transitional time for many...

Local is Global: #NoPlasticsforLent

Mar 4, 2021 - The Word “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to...

Justice Alongside Indigenous Peoples : #NoPlasticsforLent

Feb 23, 2021 - ‘Wild’ Places I have been interested in environmental activism, indigenous justice, and decolonization since I was a kid (I was...

Congregational Vitality: Stories and Learning

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Reviving hope in Memphis

Dec 18, 2019 - by Rev. Antoinette Robinson, Peace Lutheran Church, Memphis Peace Lutheran Church, Memphis, formed Trinity Ministries in partnership with two...

Reclaiming faith with LGBTQIA+ community in Los Angeles

Dec 11, 2019 - ADORE LA is seeking new and creative ways to do church in the city of Los Angeles. This LGBTQIA+...

Communing with Christ in the strawberry field

Dec 11, 2019 - The faith community of Iglesia Luterana Santa Cruz communes with Christ in a strawberry field of Santa Maria, Calif....

CV Training Event Travel and Logistics – San Diego – February 2020

Dec 4, 2019 - Congregational Vitality Training Event — San Diego Travel & Logistics for Training Event & Pre-Events: February 17-21, 2020 TRAINING EVENT...

Stories from the Global Church

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Helmut and Rotraut Diefenthal: Service in Malaysia and Tanzania

Apr 8, 2015 - Franklin Ishida The son of a Jewish father, Helmut Diefenthal and his wife, Rotraut, survived Nazi Germany and World...

Nurturing the church in Japan

Mar 31, 2015 - Nathan and Sharonette Bowman New playground equipment is enjoyed at the kindergarten. The Rev. Nathan and Sharonette Bowman accompany...

Hunger

Mar 24, 2015 - Kirsten Fryer The Rev. Kirsten Fryer serves as pastor at St. Andrew’s United Congregation in Cairo and is also pastoral...

Women’s Sunday in Kenya

Mar 17, 2015 - Leslie Weed-Fonner and Michael G Fonner Women’s Sunday worship March 1 at the Nairobi International Lutheran Congregation. The Rev....

Blog Latino

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