ELCA Blogs

Jan 31, 2023

February 5, 2023–A Matter of Taste

Mary Ellen Helms, Loveland, Ohio Warm-up Question Describe your favorite food as best you can without naming any of the...

Administration Matters

Jan 25, 2023

Index of the January 2023 Issue

Issue 85 of Administration Matters Stories of Faith in Action We are pleased to share with you the latest version...

Disability Ministries

Jan 25, 2023

Grant Update

Hello Friends! I want to say a HUGE thank you to every person, congregation, and camp that has registered onto...

ELCA Worship

Jan 25, 2023

Prompts for Prayers of Intercession – January 29, 2023

These prompts are provided for worship leaders as they prepare the prayers of intercession for weekly worship. The prompts are...

ELCA Advocacy

Jan 24, 2023

Devotional: Stretching Past Self-doubts

By Jillian Russell, Hunger Network Ohio [about the author] I have always known myself to be a “self-doubter.” I am...

Faith Lens

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February 5, 2023–A Matter of Taste

Jan 31, 2023 - Mary Ellen Helms, Loveland, Ohio Warm-up Question Describe your favorite food as best you can without naming any of the...

January 29, 2023–Clash of Values

Jan 24, 2023 - Lisa Hoelscher, San Antonio, TX Warm-up Question Which teacher has made the biggest impact on your life, and what did they...

January 22, 2023–The Moment Your Life Changes

Jan 17, 2023 - Angie Larson, Alexandria, MN Warm-up Questions Who do you know that went through a difficult time, but now uses the...

January 15, 2023–Come and See

Jan 10, 2023 - fAmy Martinell, Sioux Falls, SD Warm-up Questions In the gospel text, Jesus invites two future disciples to come and spend...

ELCA Worship

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Prompts for Prayers of Intercession – January 29, 2023

Jan 25, 2023 - These prompts are provided for worship leaders as they prepare the prayers of intercession for weekly worship. The prompts are...

Prompts for Prayers of Intercession – January 22, 2023

Jan 18, 2023 - These prompts are provided for worship leaders as they prepare the prayers of intercession for weekly worship. The prompts are...

Prompts for Prayers of Intercession – January 15, 2023

Jan 11, 2023 - These prompts are provided for worship leaders as they prepare the prayers of intercession for weekly worship. The prompts are...

Prompts for Prayers of Intercession – January 8, 2023

Jan 4, 2023 - These prompts are provided for worship leaders as they prepare the prayers of intercession for weekly worship. The prompts are...

Administration Matters

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Index of the January 2023 Issue

Jan 25, 2023 - Issue 85 of Administration Matters Stories of Faith in Action We are pleased to share with you the latest version...

Index of the September 2022 Issue

Sep 15, 2022 - Issue 84 of Administration Matters Stewardship Kaleidoscope: Sept. 26-28 Join us online or in person in Savannah, Ga., to hear...

Index of the July 2022 Issue

Jul 15, 2022 - Issue 83 of Administration Matters ELCA Churchwide Assembly Pre-event: “Embody the Word” Bible study sessions In preparation for the 2022...

Index of the May 2022 Issue

May 15, 2022 - Issue 82 of Administration Matters ELCA Churchwide Assembly The 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly will take place Aug. 8-12 in Columbus,...

Disability Ministries

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Grant Update

Jan 25, 2023 - Hello Friends! I want to say a HUGE thank you to every person, congregation, and camp that has registered onto...

New Grant Opportunities

Dec 9, 2022 - Dear friends in Christ, One of the great joys in my vocation as coordinator for ELCA Disability Ministry is being...

“Who Are You!”

Nov 17, 2022 - Today’s blog post comes from DeAnna Quietwater Noriega. DeAnna Quietwater Noriega is half Apache and a quarter Chippewa. She...

Spina bifida awareness?

Oct 27, 2022 - Today’s blog post comes from Rev. Lisa Heffernan, ELCA Disability Ministries coordinator I’m just going to be honest here. All...

ELCA Advocacy

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Devotional: Stretching Past Self-doubts

Jan 24, 2023 - By Jillian Russell, Hunger Network Ohio [about the author] I have always known myself to be a “self-doubter.” I am...

Lutherans in the 118th Congress

Jan 19, 2023 - The 118th U.S. Congress convened on January 3, 2023. Following finalization of House speakership, the official swearing in took place...

January Updates: State Edition

Jan 18, 2023 - Following are updates shared from submissions of the state public policy offices (sppos) in the ELCA Advocacy Network this month....

Devotional: Breathing Out Justice

Jan 17, 2023 - By Savannah Jorgensen, Lutheran Office of Public Policy – California [about the author] A specific song came to mind when...

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Lutheran Disaster Response

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Lutheran Disaster Response: 2022 in Review

Jan 23, 2023 - 2022 was a full year for Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR). The highest profile event is the ongoing war in Ukraine....

A Therapeutic Camp for Ukrainian Children in Slovakia

Dec 12, 2022 - When the war in Ukraine started, and thousands of refugees were crossing the border, Lucia Martonová and Jana Tabačková from...

Disaster Response and Human Rights

Dec 8, 2022 - On December 10, 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), written to address the atrocities...

Advent, Disaster and Apocalypse

Dec 2, 2022 - This past Sunday, across many Christian traditions, the season of Advent began. This season begins with apocalypse, revelation. Contrary to...

Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Perspectives

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The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Begins Today

Jan 18, 2023 - By Kathryn M. Lohre The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins today, bridging the feasts of St. Peter and...

Church Anew Lifts Up the ELCA’s “Preaching and Teaching with Love and Respect for the Jewish People”

Dec 21, 2022 - The following article was originally published by Church Anew* and is shared on the EIR Perspectives blog with the permission...

Preaching and Teaching “With Love and Respect for the Jewish People”

Nov 1, 2022 - By Rev. Peter A. Pettit We have just navigated our way through Reformation Sunday once again and many in the...

New Horizons for Episcopal-Lutheran Relations

Oct 28, 2022 - By Richard J. Mammana The Episcopal Church’s 80th General Convention in Baltimore this summer was a watershed moment for relationships...

ELCA Racial Justice

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Prayers for the Fulfillment of King’s Dream by Rev. Dr. Andrea L. Walker

Jan 16, 2023 - I was 4 years old when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. I was too young to understand the import...

Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day by Vance Blackfox

Oct 10, 2022 - It is my prayer that each of you had a wonderful Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and that as you looked around...

The Beauty and Tragedy of the Mestizaje Mindset by Kristina Diaz

Sep 15, 2022 - Happy National Hispanic Heritage Month! As we celebrate, I can’t help reflecting on what is being celebrated: independence, legacy and...

Independence in Inches: A July 4th Reflection by Nathaniel Viets-Van Lear

Jul 14, 2022 - Independence in Inches: A July 4th Reflection by Nathaniel Viets-Van lear For the last four years, I’ve made the same...

AMMPARO

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Reflections on Christmas at the U.S.-Mexico Border

Dec 24, 2022 - By Emily Sollie Lenny stands next to the bank of the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo. He can see the U.S. from...

Response to Recent Arrivals of Migrants By Bus

Sep 23, 2022 - “Quienes cruzan por nuestro país para llegar a un mejor lugar para vivir son seres humanos con necesidades que comen,...

Welcoming Afghan Newcomers

Jan 3, 2022 - (original from ELCA Advocacy view here) Across the United States and over the years, places of worship and people of...

Urgent Need for Congregational Accompaniment of Afghan refugees

Dec 22, 2021 - URGENT NEED FOR CONGREGATIONAL ACCOMPANIMENT OF AFGHAN REFUGEES At the end of August, we watched with anguish the fall of...

ELCA World Hunger

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Welcome New Staff!

Dec 2, 2022 - ELCA World Hunger is excited to announce the addition of a new staff member, Everdith Landrau. Read more about her...

Kojo, James and Esther: Stories from the Horn of Africa

Dec 1, 2022 - The Horn of Africa is experiencing its worst drought in decades. Through the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), ELCA World Hunger...

[New!] LifeLines Fall 2022

Nov 17, 2022 - ELCA World Hunger and Lutheran Disaster Response have always been intricately connected, but in recent months global events have reminded...

A Short Tour of Community Gardens

Aug 15, 2022 - Our garden at home has finally started yielding its bounty, which means we have more tomatoes than we know what...

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...

ELCA Youth Gathering Blog

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Why “Created to Be?”

Nov 8, 2022 - A message from the Director of the ELCA Youth Gathering, Deacon Tammy Jones West– I have been a part of...

How in the world do you select a host city?

Aug 16, 2022 - Announcing the city of the ELCA Youth Gathering, Multicultural Youth Leadership Event and the tAble is a fun and somewhat...

Behind the curtain…

May 5, 2022 - A message from Deacon Tammy Jones West, 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering Program Director— First, there is no curtain but for...

New Orleans & the ELCA Youth Gathering

Apr 7, 2022 - Since the start of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in 1988, New Orleans has hosted the ELCA Youth Gathering and...

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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