Issue 76 of Administration Matters

Organizing insurance policies and records

Insurance records take up space and are rarely used. Why, then, is it so important to keep your insurance records on hand? The truth is that sometimes, to protect your organization, you’ll need to produce insurance records — even from years past – with very little notice. >More

Tornado safety

Tornadoes are violent; they can destroy well-made structures, uproot trees and hurl objects through the air like deadly missiles. Although severe tornadoes are most common in the Plains States, they can happen anywhere. Learn how to stay safe during a tornado.>More

A mental health reminder from Portico

Living through a pandemic has stretched us past our normal limits. During Mental Health Awareness Month this May, Portico Benefit Services is offering the two-minute video “Get Yourself Some People,” in which ELCA pastor Melissa Pohlman talks candidly about the support system she relies on to keep her centered and resilient. Portico is offering other mental health resources this month on its Facebook page and encourages you to follow the page and share these tools with your ministry team.

Tips for virtual audits

We received a question regarding tips for remote audits. We recognize this article is from the United Kingdom, but thought it was the most helpful.
During the pandemic, office workers have been required to work from home when possible, and this has had an impact on audit work, which has been carried out remotely. For organizations planning to reopen their premises to their workforces in the near future, accommodating an audit team could be a challenge, meaning that, for many, remote arrangements are likely to continue. >More

Stay safe using social media

You can promote your organization in a number of ways, but one method you shouldn’t ignore is using social media. This is an excellent and cost-effective way to reach a wide audience. However, there are several do’s and don’ts you must keep in mind. >More

Hurricane season starts May 15

Plan for hurricane season and be ready to take action. Today you can determine your hurricane risk and review and update your insurance policies, make a list of emergency supplies and prepare your facilities. >More

What Is “Building Resilient Communities”?

ELCA World Hunger and Lutheran Disaster Response are ministries deeply rooted in the identity of the ELCA, and the mission to which God calls this Church. Together, for decades, these ministries have accompanied communities where God is at work through congregations, synods, social ministry organizations, companions and other partners building a just world where all are fed and bringing  hope, healing and renewal to people whose lives have been disrupted by disasters.

This collaboration arises from what we know about both disasters and hunger. Disasters can exacerbate some of the same vulnerabilities and challenges that ELCA World Hunger seeks to address. By accompanying communities through recovery from a disaster, Lutheran Disaster Response helps reduce these vulnerabilities for the long-term health and stability of communities. And some of the surest steps in reducing vulnerability to the effects of disaster are the very things ELCA World Hunger accompanies our neighbors toward – sustainable food systems, sufficient housing, stable income and accessible health care. Whether we look at best practices for meeting human needs or the faith that calls us to walk with our neighbors toward the bright future God promises, the work of ELCA World Hunger and Lutheran Disaster Response are closely connected.

So, we are happy to share with you that these two ministries are now joined together on a single team within the Service and Justice home area of the ELCA churchwide organization: the Building Resilient Communities Team!

“Building Resilient Communities” expresses the deepest commitments of both ministries, which will remain distinct and yet related in this new configuration. Both Lutheran Disaster Response and ELCA World Hunger support work that meets the immediate needs of our neighbors while also working and walking with congregations, partners and companions toward long-term, transformative change. We know that the work to which God calls our church is the work of ensuring that we and our neighbors can thrive today and tomorrow.

For ELCA World Hunger, this has meant supporting the work of job creation, health care, stable housing, access to clean, safe water and more, as well as the critical work of food pantries and emergency feeding programs. Lutheran Disaster Response helps meet the immediate and long-term needs of communities and supports proactive measures to ensure that the next time a disaster strikes, our neighbors will be better equipped to respond and less vulnerable to the worst effects. That resilience – founded on addressing the roots of injustice that create vulnerability – is key to the work supported by both ministries, and now it is central to who we are as a team together.

The Building Resilient Communities Team (BRC) includes staff responsible for both the domestic and international work of ELCA World Hunger and Lutheran Disaster Response. As one team, BRC brings together both Lutheran Disaster Response and ELCA World Hunger, as well as the domestic and international components of both ministries’ work. And, of course, we continue to work closely with colleagues throughout the churchwide organization, synods, companion churches, congregations and partners.

As we introduce this new structure within the churchwide organization of the ELCA, we are excited to introduce, too, the members of BRC!

Interested in joining the Building Resilient Communities team? The ELCA is hiring! Follow the links to learn more about openings for a domestic grants manager and for a social ministry organization engagement manager.

Rebecca Duerst – Senior Director, BRC

Greetings! My name is Rebecca Duerst, and I am honored to serve as senior director, Building Resilient Communities (BRC) in the Service and Justice Home Area of the churchwide organization of the ELCA. In this role I lead the BRC team, a group of incredible colleagues you will meet here, who together serve as leaders for the programming of ELCA World Hunger and Lutheran Disaster Response both domestically and around the world. I’ve been working with the ELCA for about 10 years, most recently as director for Diakonia and, earlier, as program director for global health in the Global Mission unit, and prior to that, in Global Service with one of the Lutheran churches in Namibia. I’m originally from Wisconsin and grew up in a family of six sisters. I have a strong love of learning and am grateful to have had access to a variety of educational opportunities, including majoring in Art, Biology, and Chemistry at St. Olaf College (Um Yah Yah!), and earning a M.A. in Education, a M.P.H. in Global Health, and a Ph.D. in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology. I’m excited to be taking on this new role leading the BRC team that brings together the domestic and international work of ELCA World Hunger and Lutheran Disaster Response in an integrated way, particularly to explore how we, together with ELCA congregations, synods, social ministry organizations, global companion churches, and Lutheran and ecumenical partners, can more holistically seek to address root causes of oppression and injustice and work toward transformation and liberation.

Katy Ajer – Program Director, World Hunger-International

Hello! My name is Katy Ajer, and I am the Program Director, World Hunger International. I work on stewarding ELCA World Hunger funds to companion churches and organizations outside of the ELCA in their efforts to improve sustainable development, education, health, and peace, justice, and reconciliation around the world. I also work alongside other churchwide organization staff to facilitate learning events for and by other companions. I am honored to be able to work alongside these passionate and skilled local leaders and to help share their contexts and realities with ELCA members.

I am the daughter of an ELCA pastor and deacon, who carries a strong faith but decided earlier on that I was not a person to work in the church J. Before coming to the ELCA I worked in social services as a case manager in homeless shelters, a health coordinator at an Early Head Start, board member for a free clinic, and a researcher at a hospital, eventually earning a Master of Public Health in Maternal and Child Health. Public Health called to me because of its combination of the biological mechanisms that our physical and mental health reflect and the complex social realities (and inequities) that play such a strong role in the biological response. It allows us to see things at a macro level of the policies or structural inequalities that cause different health outcomes between different groups and at the micro level of an individual. This year, I’m looking forward to learning more about the domestic work of ELCA World Hunger and Lutheran Disaster Response.

Juliana Glassco – Director, ELCA World Hunger-Domestic

I’m Juliana Glassco, and I am the Director for ELCA World Hunger – Domestic. In this role, I lead the team supporting ELCA World Hunger’s domestic partnerships – a network of individuals, synods, congregations and their partners learning and taking action together toward a just world where all are fed. My passion for building vibrant, healthy communities began with a year of service in Lutheran Volunteer Corps. Since then, I have worked with communities both domestically and internationally to strengthen community identity and engagement through the built and natural environment, interfaith collaboration, and shared ministry toward ending hunger. I started working with ELCA World Hunger in 2018, managing domestic grants. As part of the new Building Resilient Communities team, I’m over the moon about the opportunity to explore relationships and strategies for impact with our international and Lutheran Disaster Response colleagues and partners.

John Pyron – Program Director, Lutheran Disaster Response-US

Hello! My name is John Pyron, and I serve as the Program Director for Lutheran Disaster Response-US (LDR-US). LDR-US is a national, interconnected network of Lutheran synods, social service organizations, congregations, and external partners that is responsive to the needs of people and communities impacted by disasters and is proactive in addressing community and household disaster risk and vulnerability. LDR-US recognizes that all disasters are local and builds capacity by accompanying local partners in disaster relief, recovery and resilience efforts. LDR-US engages by convening partners for mutual learning, mentorship and support; educates through online, in-person and experiential learning opportunities; equips with relief, recovery and resilience grants; and empowers by utilizing a model of active accompaniment, providing opportunities for people to live out their faith in meaningful ways.

I began my journey in disaster work as a volunteer chainsaw and debris removal team leader in Mobile, Alabama after Hurricane Ivan in 2004. Since then, I have served in various roles including construction and volunteer coordination, disaster case management, and long-term recovery group coordination, supporting numerous relief and recovery efforts across the country. Prior to joining the ELCA staff in June 2020, I served with two Lutheran Social Service agencies: Lutheran Family and Children’s Services of Missouri and Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio. I am an avid guitar player, runner, cyclist and a lover of all things outdoor. My partner, Katie, and I live in Louisville, Kentucky, with our two sons, Henry and William.

Marie Ann Sliwinski – Program Director, Lutheran Disaster Response-International

My name is Marie Anne Sliwinski, and I am the Program Director for Lutheran Disaster Response-International at the ELCA. I have been working in the non-profit sector for close to 20 years, 14 of which are dedicated in international humanitarian and development programs. I currently oversee the Lutheran Disaster Response International portfolio, which supports immediate relief and recovery needs of families affected by disasters. I hold a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the University of Chicago. I currently reside in the Chicago suburbs with my husband and two children. This year, I look forward to getting to know the new team and to learn how we can further integrate the work of LDR US and International because as all disasters may be local, the impact is global.

Joseph Chu – Program Manager, Lutheran Disaster Response

I am Joseph Chu, Program Manager of Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR). It is a privilege to serve both LDR International and LDR US under the leadership of Marie Anne and John. In some ways, this new position will help me integrate learnings from my work in both Global Mission and Domestic Mission, two former units within the churchwide organization. Between 2004 and the end of 2009, I was a member of the Asia Pacific Team in Global Mission. And from September 2012 to January 31, 2021, I served on the Lutheran Disaster Response – U.S. team in Domestic Mission.

Meeting with and listening to disaster survivors, participants of community development projects, professional colleagues and volunteers who have given their all for the sake of building a new home, a new community and a more just and equitable community around the world are among the most gratifying experiences I have ever had. In my new role, I will be following up with projects after their respective grant cycle has started. My responsibilities will include monitoring the project, particularly reviewing project reports in collaboration with other team members and my supervisors. I know there are many experts in these areas among our churchwide colleagues, and I look forward to learning from them. In addition to this work, I am an ordained clergy who have served congregations in California and Illinois. I have also worked in the field of non-profit fund development, social work and teaching. My wife and I have a daughter and a son in their early 20s.

Ryan P. Cumming – Program Director, Hunger Education

Greetings! I am the program director for hunger education with ELCA World Hunger. In this role, I direct the development of ELCA World Hunger’s educational resources, research trends in hunger and poverty, and help with communications with partners and congregations. In addition to this work with the ELCA, I have served as a consultant and presenter on pedagogy, active learning, and instructional design, and I continue to teach undergraduate courses at both Loyola University Chicago and Central Michigan University. I graduated from Capital University in Ohio before heading over to the Jesuit side of higher ed, earning my MA and Ph.D. in Theology, with a focus on Christian Ethics. When wearing my academic hat, I have presented research on ethics, religion, and neuropsychology at conferences in the United States and abroad and have been fortunate enough to even get published a few times. I am the author of The African American Challenge to Just War Theory (Palgrave, 2013), and contributor to and an editor of the three-volume Forgotten Luther series available from Fortress Press. Before working with ELCA World Hunger, I was interim editor of the Journal of Lutheran Ethics and a member of the ELCA’s task force on criminal justice. Before that, I was a bartender, fishmonger, truck driver, bricklayer and factory worker. Before that… Well, needless to say, I am looking forward to what comes next on the horizon with this great group of colleagues on the Building Resilient Communities team.

Brooke De Jong – Program Assistant, Hunger Education

I am Brooke De Jong, and I serve ELCA World Hunger as the Program Assistant for Hunger Education. I have a passion for faith formation that is culturally sensitive, socially responsive and aimed at creating lifelong, engaged faith leaders. I work with the ELCA World Hunger team to create resources that foster faith that is active in love and seeks justice. I am looking forward to deeper collaboration with my colleagues to see what new and innovative resources we can create for the network.

Previous to my work with ELCA World Hunger, I worked on the observance of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation for the ELCA, served as a youth director and served as a HUD grants administrator. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Religion and German with a minor in Ancient Languages from Augustana University in Sioux Falls, S.D. I am currently working on my Master of Divinity and in the process of becoming a deacon in the ELCA. When I am not in the office, I can often be found powerlifting, hiking, backpacking or biking. My last hiking trip was to the Superstition Wilderness in Arizona. My last backpacking trip was an 80-mile loop in the Sawtooth Mountains (see photo).

Angela Galbraith – Grants and Reporting Coordinator

My name is Angela Galbraith, and I am the Grants and Reporting Coordinator for Building Resilient Communities. I am from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but I’m excited to call Chicago home soon. I have a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies with minors in Music, German, and Justice, Law & Public Policy from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. I have over five years of experience in nonprofit leadership focused on food insecurity and chronic malnutrition. Most recently, I served in the Peace Corps as an HIV/AIDS and Adolescent Health Educator in Lesotho. As Coordinator, I will continue supporting our partners in ministry through the granting process and assist the team in data management and comprehensive impact reporting. I am looking forward to growing both personally and professionally as I learn more about Lutheran Disaster Response and World Hunger-International.

Christine Moolo – Manager, ELCA World Hunger

Hi! My name is Christine Moolo, and I serve as the Manager for ELCA World Hunger. In this role, I have the opportunity to engage with the grant processes for both our domestic and international work, support companions and partners in their engagement with our ELCA Grantmaker system, and communicate stories and learnings of ELCA World Hunger-supported ministries to the broader ELCA community. My background is in International Development, and I have served in Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, the United States and other locations to promote the work of global and domestic partners in sustainable development and disaster response initiatives. I have been active in racial equity trainings and am an Intercultural Development Inventory Qualified Assessor. I am passionate about partners in sustainable development having the resources they need to adequately take on the systemic and social barriers that prevent their communities from thriving. I live in the Chicagoland area, and I am honored to work alongside my talented, extremely hard-working and passionate Service and Justice colleagues.

Petra Rickertsen – Networks Manager, Building Resilient Communities

I serve as Networks Manager with the Building Resilient Communities team, supporting both the Hunger Leader and Lutheran Disaster Response networks. My passion for working toward a just world where all are fed began as a camp counselor and grew as a Hunger Leader on the Southwest California Synod Hunger team. I am elated everyday in this role to learn how leaders across both networks creatively build relationships with our global neighbors in addressing hunger and its root causes and disasters and preparedness and support them in achieving their courageous solutions. Though hesitant to trade the roar of the ocean, desert four-wheeling and rock-climbing adventures for snow, I am enjoying the new adventures that Midwest seasons offer.

Roselle Tenorio – Domestic Grants Manager

Hi everyone, my name is Roselle Tenorio, and I am joining ELCA World Hunger as the Domestic Grants Manager. Previously, I was the Grants and Programs Manager at Texas Women’s Foundation. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies from Grinnell College. I have a long and varied relationship with food justice and its intersections, starting at a young age volunteering with my family and community in Dallas, Texas, to researching food pantry systems while in college. I chose the nonprofit career field after a rewarding experience writing a grant for a new mobile food pantry program in rural Iowa. After graduating college, I joined AmeriCorps VISTA and served in Savannah, Georgia, at a nonprofit working on poverty alleviation. Currently, I serve on the board of Abide Women’s Health Services, a grassroots, Black-led nonprofit organization that improves birth outcomes in communities with the lowest quality of care. I also volunteer on the Board of the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas, Junior Players Young Professionals Committee as a Junior League Dallas Member and as a Community Centric Fundraising (CCF) Texas Organizer. Outside of working and volunteering, in my free time, I can be found wandering the arboretum or an art gallery, hiking and enjoying the outdoors, scoping out delicious local vegan cuisine, or curling up with a new book. I am a seventh generation Tejana, currently living in Dallas with my partner, Devin, who is from Chicago, and our cat, Xochitl. I am honored to be a part of this community and look forward to creating a just world where all are fed.

Brian Hiortdahl, Woodland Hills, CA

Warm-up Question

How do you stay in healthy relationship with someone with whom you strongly disagree?

E Pluribus Unum?

As the United States transitioned from one presidential administration to another, many families struggled with strained or broken relationships overheated by strong political disagreement. An article by Belinda Luscomb in TIME reports that, “a postelection Pew Research Center survey found that fewer than 2% of voters felt those who voted for the other party understood them very well, and only 13% of Joe Biden’s voters and 5% of Donald Trump’s voters expressed any desire for future unity. Luscomb’s article chronicles several studies and personal stories to illustrate a larger social trend.

“An October study from the University of Missouri found that since 2016, family interactions have been more likely to drive highly partisan relatives apart than bring them together.”  Family members are blocking each other on social media over political opinions.  Holiday meals have become difficult.  Parents and children view each other with mutual incomprehension.  One explanation, suggests Luscomb, is that “in the Trump era, many Americans don’t see voting as a decision about a set of policies, they see it as a moral imperative, an act that will make or break the country.”

Discussion Questions

• Which family in Luscomb’s article resonates most with your own experience?
• What unites the United States?  Is the slogan “E pluribus unum” (“out of many, one”) idealism or reality?
• Is there division in your faith community?  What is it about?  Is it strong enough to keep tear your faith family apart?
• In the months since the article was published, do you see people moving closer together, drifting farther apart, or about the same?

Seventh Sunday of Easter

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

1 John 5:9-13

John 17:6-19

(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 B at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

Every year, on the seventh Sunday of Easter, we “overhear” Jesus praying to his Father on the night before he died. After a very long section of final words to his overwhelmed disciples (see John 16:12, which is how I always felt in calculus), Jesus speaks a lengthy, powerful prayer for them (chapter 17). Today’s gospel is from the middle of that prayer, in which Jesus repeats his request “that they may be one, as we are one” (vs. 11, 22).

As Martin Luther would ask, “What does this mean?”   Does it mean being of one mind, with one singular focus?  Does it mean being united together with each other in loyalty that is stronger than disagreement?  Could it perhaps mean both and more? 

The disciples did not agree politically:  zealots like Simon would never associate with tax collectors like Matthew.  Yet both were disciples of Jesus … who also once spoke about how he had come to divide families! (See Matthew 10:34-39.)  It’s complicated; maybe calculus is easier.

The one family connection that always remains strong, John’s gospel reminds us, is the union between God (Father) and Jesus (his only Son).  It is that truth-filled, joyful relationship of unbreakable love which Jesus wants to share with his disciples.  Jesus knows that the world is full of conflict, cruelty, division, distraction, deception, and danger; he will feel all of it the next day on the cross.  This troubled world is the same one God loves so much that God sent Jesus in the first place (John 3:16-17).  Now Jesus has also sent his disciples into the world (17:18), and he won’t be there with them in the same way he has been.  “Holy Father, protect them”…he prays…”so that they may be one, as we are one.”  

This mind-bending prayer reveals to us something even more impossible to comprehend:  God’s wildly generous love.  God shares Jesus with an unappreciative world, and Jesus shares everything—including giving his intimate relationship with the Father to his disciples, just before giving his very life to the world.

Discussion Questions

• If you knew you would die tomorrow, for whom and what would you pray today?
• Is the Church of Jesus united or divided…or both?  Explain your answer.
• Why is truth important for real unity?
• What part can you play in helping Jesus’ prayer come true?

Activity Suggestions

• Write a loving letter to a family member from whom you feel disconnected.
• As a group, pray together for your faith community and for the world.  Do you think prayer helps unify Christians?  How and why?

Closing Prayer

Gracious Father, we pray for your holy catholic church. Fill it with all truth and peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in anything it is amiss, reform it; where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in need, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen. (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p.73)

Educación Popular en Salud, or Popular Education in Health, (EPES) was founded by Karen Anderson, ELCA mission personnel, as a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chile in the early 1980s. In 2002, EPES became an independent foundation, continuing and expanding its support of communities in the Latin American country of Chile. This important work is supported in part by gifts to ELCA World Hunger. We are grateful to our partners at EPES for the update and video below, showcasing some of the amazing work that is happening in the El Bosque community in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Check it out!

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EPES Foundation initiated a project with community health promoters and nutrition teams to cultivate home gardens. In five months, the women transformed the patios and balconies of their homes into small vegetable gardens. The enthusiasm for what was learned and harvested during the months of strict quarantine was so great that the women decided to create a community garden at the end of that year. The Auco community center in the Oscar Bonilla neighborhood of El Bosque, where the David Werner health team has met for more than 25 years, was chosen as the place for the community garden.

Since the beginning the project has had the technical advice and collaboration of Valeria Rodriguez from the Santa Isabel community garden.

In this video, the women share their experiences related to creating the garden, highlighting the satisfaction of growing their own food, connecting with nature, promoting community participation in health and food sovereignty, and contributing to the environment by reducing organic waste. In addition, they report how this collective learning process has helped them to better face the pandemic, strengthening ties between women, sowing hope and cultivating solidarity.

Video Production and Editing: Claudia Macchiavello

Original Music: Martín Formento

By Kristen Opalinski

A Look Back at the 2021 National Workshop on Christian Unity

Abide in my love … you shall bear much fruit.

It was the theme of this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and in turn, became an echo for this year’s National Workshop on Christian Unity (NWCU). After last year’s workshop in Houston was canceled due to the global pandemic, focus turned to 2021, and with it questions of how best to move the work of the NWCU forward. These questions of “what now?” and “what next?” have become all too familiar. Conferences have shifted to digital spaces, and with these shifts, questions about our ability to authentically engage, to create opportunities to inspire, challenge, and grow together.

Abide in my love … you shall bear much fruit.

Perhaps, there is no better reminder of our life together in Christ in the midst of such a challenging time than this message from John 15. These are words of mutual comfort and mutual resilience, but they are also words that seek to move us into active participation. We abide in Christ to bear the fruits of justice, love, and reconciliation – to not simply lend a hand in the vineyard, but to cultivate, through Christ, the fruit that brings transformation and renewal. This year’s National Workshop (April 12 -15) sought to look at the myriad of ways in which we are being called as Christians into this season of cultivation, to roll up our sleeves, ask the difficult questions, and then dig into the soil around us. Themes of Christian hospitality, human fraternity, racial justice, immigration, and care for creation were the seeds for our week of listening, learning, and engagement.

Abide in my love … you shall bear much fruit.

Leaders and musicians from various churches joined together for a stirring opening worship. The Most Rev. Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, delivered a sermon that framed the important work of introspective evangelization noting that, “it may well be that our great evangelistic task will be the re-evangelization of Christianity itself.”

Participants were welcomed into morning meditations on various aspects of Christian hospitality led by Fr. William Skudlarek, OSB, Associate Professor of Theology at St. John’s School of Theology and Seminary in Collegeville, Minn. His sessions for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are available for further reflection and usage.

The theme of Christian hospitality continued with sessions centered on our call to respond to the needs of immigrant communities and those seeking asylum. Wednesday’s Bishops at the Border conversation brought together four bishops serving geographic areas along the southern border of the United States, including Bishop Sue Briner of the Southwestern Texas Synod of the ELCA. On Thursday, a session titled Human Migration, Asylum, and the Church, assembled practitioners from three churches, including Christopher Vergara from the ELCA, to discuss grassroots responses to the challenges faced by immigrants and those seeking safety and a new beginning in the United States.

Other themes highlighted throughout the week included a keynote on human fraternity, and sessions on care for creation, countering racism, and exploring new ways for religious exchange in digital spaces.

The entire playlist of sessions from the 2021 NWCU can be viewed through the Episcopal Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers (EDIEO) YouTube channel.

Abide in my love … you shall bear much fruit.

This year has forced us all to see life and relationships in new ways, to see opportunities in unlikely places, and to find ways to continue to gather despite out physical separation. As the NWCU looks toward the future, we hope to carry the lessons of this year forward as we continue to broaden engagement in the workshop. The Rev. Tura Foster Gillespie, chair of the 2021 National Planning Committee for the NWCU reflected on this year’s workshop and the doors that it opened with the following, “We were blessed that the online platform afforded us new opportunities. Attendants and speakers were no longer geographically limited.  This made some normally unattainable speakers a reality and I am overwhelmed with how gracious and inspiring they were.  It was amazing to see God work in wonderful ways to make some positive things come out of such a hard year.”

While we hope to gather in-person for the 2022 NWCU in Garden Grove, Calif., there are plans currently being developed for a hybrid model that will continue to allow for further expanding participation.

In addition to all of the content from this year’s NWCU,  be sure to check out Rev. Paul Benz’s post reflecting on this year’s Ecumenical Advocacy Days, which also gathered digitally in April, under the theme Imagine God’s Earth and People Restored.

Kristen Opalinski serves as manager for Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations for the ELCA.

We are excited to share that the at-home guide for ELCA World Hunger’s “River of Life” Vacation Bible School program for 2021 is now available for download! This at-home guide is a supplemental resource for the full “River of Life VBS leader’s guide and includes modified activities, suggestions for online and at-home VBS, links to new videos and tips for parents, caregivers and other adults leading VBS with children at home!

Learn more in the video below:

https://youtu.be/2GjlJXVi22M

To download “River of Life” VBS, including the full leader’s guide, the at-home guide and the toolkit with images and graphics to use on your website or social media, visit https://elca.org/hunger/resources#VBS.

To watch the story videos or the “Meet Our Neighbor” videos from ELCA World Hunger’s partners and companions, visit the ELCA World Hunger Vacation Bible School collection on the ELCA’s Vimeo page at https://vimeo.com/showcase/7224146.

Share your story! If you use “River of Life” with your congregation or group, let us know! Email Hunger@ELCA.org and share your feedback, stories or pictures!

Looking for more ideas? Join the community-run ELCA World Hunger VBS Facebook group and chat with other leaders from across the ELCA about VBS in 2021!

David Delaney, Salem, VA

Warm-up Questions

• Friendship can be complicated because it has so many possible dimensions and expressions. And it’s only gotten more complicated in the last 15 years as social media has transformed the meaning of the word. Do you make a strong distinction between “friends” and mere “acquaintences”? How do you know the difference, if there is one? Does it depend more on your feelings, or theirs, or on shared experiences?
• Do you have a favorite kind of fruit? How do you know when it is just at the right point to eat? What qualities make it good? Everyone has heard the fun fact that tomatoes are actually fruits, and bananas are actually berries, but strawberries aren’t berries. Does that make a difference in whether you like them? And does it blur the concept of “bearing fruit” or not?
• In addition to being the Sixth Sunday of Easter, May 9^th is also Mother’s Day this year. Have you seen any of the videos where moms describe themselves as mothers and then listen to their kids describe them? The mothers are all surprised at how positive the comments are and how much they are valued by their children. The word “love” appears over and over again. Does reading John 15 with the relationship between parents and children in mind give you any new insight into the message of the passage?

Love in the Time of Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has turned our lives upside down, affecting everything from the way we work to family relationships and friendships, for better and for worse. The pandemic might be keeping people apart, but it’s also brought people closer together. Before the coronavirus pandemic broke out, 17-year-old Anna (who lives in Germany) regularly met up with her friends — a group of seven girls who’ve known each other for years. But nowadays it’s impossible to get together for a chat, a bit of shopping, or a night out. Instead, the teenagers connect online. With schools shut across Germany, Anna has lost touch with all but her closest friends. She occasionally goes for walks with a girl who lives nearby. “I haven’t met up with any other friends,” she said. “My parents don’t want me to, because of the high number of infections.”

Young people aren’t the only ones struggling. Parents who are juggling work and homeschooling have little time to socialize. And with sports clubs and bars shut, many are finding it hard to stay in touch with friends.

So is the pandemic ruining our friendships? Yes and no, says Wolfgang Krüger, a Berlin-based psychotherapist who has written a book about friendship. He differentiates between close and casual friendships, describing the latter as “based on shared activities, like singing in a choir, practicing sports, or playing cards in the pub.” Without that context, these friendships fade away, Krüger said. That’s one reason why loneliness has become especially acute among elderly single men, he added.

Silbernetz, an organization tackling loneliness in old age, confirms this development. A growing number of elderly citizens are seeking out its services.  But Krüger argues that the pandemic had also deepened many close friendships.  “We tend to have three of these at most,” he said. “We can tell these friends anything, we trust them completely, and there’s a high degree of intimacy.” These friendships are likely to have blossomed in the past year, he said, because in times of crisis we need to talk more than ever.

That has been Anna’s experience. She said she and one of her friends had been exchanging letters and sharing their innermost thoughts. “We’ve grown closer than we were before the pandemic,” she said, “when we mainly talked in group settings.”  However, other friendships have cooled off. “Some of my girlfriends don’t get in touch much anymore, and it feels like we’re growing apart,” she said.

A survey on wellbeing and mental health during the pandemic conducted last summer by University College London found that half of the respondents reported no changes in their relationships with others. 15% reported improvements and 22% said their friendships had deteriorated.  The social media company Snap Inc. has also been investigating the effects of the pandemic on interactions, with a recent study giving weight to Krüger’s theory that close relationships have deepened. 

On the other hand, said Janosch Schobin, a sociologist who specializes in friendships at the University of Kassel, complex social constellations are one of the reasons why other friends are drifting apart.  During the pandemic, Schopin said, people are reducing their social interactions and focusing on fewer, closer friendships. “This shift in attention means some friends receive sufficient attention,” he said, “while others don’t.” As a result, we find ourselves growing apart from people with whom we once felt close.  Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to tackle loneliness. Some people, Schobin says, adapt and nurture friendships with people they’ve known for a while, even if they haven’t always been close. 

Elke Schilling, who works for Silbernetz, said pensioners might consider reaching out to old contacts. She said the organization Silberdraht provided a telephone service for older people, offering entertainment such as radio plays, news and music.

For younger people, such as Anna, social media, apps and online games provide some comfort. But they’re no replacement for real life friendships.

Discussion Questions

• Other studies from around the world (including the U.S.) have suggested that people are generally discovering that they are just as or more satisfied with two or three close friends as they were when they thought they had as many as a hundred. What is your experience telling you about whether we actually need friends or not? Or just a few versus a lot?
• Most studies like this one do not involve people who were already short on friends prior to the pandemic. Perhaps you are one of those people! As we move forward, are you more likely to reach out to provide friendship to someone in need, or will you likely return to whatever your previous patterns of friendship were?
• Are you ever surprised that Jesus seems to have had no more than about twenty close friends during his earthly ministry? (We’re including the faithful women who were partners with the twelve disciples and who were the first witnesses to the resurrection). Of course, he met and dined with and healed and preached to many, many more than that, but what does it mean that his circle of close friends was pretty small?

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Acts 10:44-48

1 John 5:1-6

John 15:9-17

(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 B at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

There are a half-dozen or so centerpiece words in this gospel reading – “love,” “abide,” “command,” “joy,” “friend,” “fruit.” Long-time readers of John’s gospel have noticed that instead of proceeding in a straight-line argument, the Evangelist John tends to show Jesus circling around an idea, tying concepts together with various words until his hearers gain more of an image rather than an explanation of what Jesus is saying.

Those who read the three letters of John near the end of the New Testament notice the same pattern. In the end, the image they develop is that Jesus is making his love available for them to share with one another and, in turn, the world. He is not asking them to do anything that would require them to be on their own or draw on their own strength.  Rather, he is building them into a community where each individual can be strengthened and the hard things he is asking can be accomplished. 

Discussion Questions

• Is there anything that is distinctive about “Christian” friendship as compared with friendship in general? Think of things that Jesus expects of us as his friends that might not necessarily be included in ordinary human friendships. 
• ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton likes to describe our church’s identity as “We are the Church. We are the Lutheran Church. We are Church together. We are Church for the sake of the world.” Think about this in light of this whole reading from verses 9 through 17. What are some ways that reflecting on Jesus’ words here help us address each of these aspects of our call as the church?
• In the middle of this heartwarming and inspiring speech in John 15, Jesus throws in verse 13 – “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” That, suddenly, has a very costly sound to it! Is Jesus talking only of himself, or do you think he includes this in the commandments that he is giving to his friends? For what or for whom would you lay down your life?

Activity Suggestions

• In the spirit of John the Evangelist’s style, use a free website like wordclouds.com to generate your own image of friendship by having each participant enter a half-dozen words that are associated with friendship, particularly friendship with Jesus and, through him, with each other. 
• Jesus’ group of friends, even though it was small, consisted of disciples from all over the territory of Israel (Judea, Galilee, the Greek Decapolis, etc.) and of a wide range of backgrounds and ideologies (women and men, tax-collectors and anti-government zealots, rich and poor, day laborers and business executives, etc.). He frequently crossed dangerous social, ethnic, and ideological lines to converse or even share a meal with someone very different from himself. Take an inventory of your own personal friend group or the group of youth that assembles (either in-person or online) in your congregation. How diverse is it? Are there people you know who could use a friend like you or a friend group like yours? What’s the first step in reaching out?
• Look up characteristics of different kinds of food that we call “fruits,” (and also “vegetables” while you’re at it), whether they are all technically fruit or not. Notice for each food where the seeds are located (outside, inside, surrounded by the “meat” of the fruit, enclosed in a husk or not, etc.). Some of the seeds are easy to get to, and for others, you have to work at it! If we think of “seeds” as the kernels of the gospel of God’s love that are to be spread through the world, ask how easy it is for those who encounter you to get to the “seed” of the gospel. All different kinds of fruits make up this unusual vineyard of Christ (see John 15:1-8)! What’s the variety of fruits you have in your friend group, youth group, or class? Which fruit or vegetable best represents you?
• If you’re ambitious, go to Galatians 5:22-23 and note the “fruits of the Spirit” listed there. As fruit gets consumed, the seeds become more available. Does sharing “love, joy, peace, patience, etc.” with others make the seeds of the gospel more available to them?)

Closing Prayer

Loving God, we pray that you would hold us close to yourself, that we may know the love that you have shared with Jesus your Son, and that through him we may have love for one another and for the world you have made. Make us bearers of much fruit, to your praise and glory. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

The following is an excerpt from “‘Big Dreams’ of Ending Homelessness in Virginia,” featured in Living Lutheran.

Last year, 25-year-old Maya (last name withheld), who lives in Virginia, was expecting her first child. Collecting unemployment due to COVID-19, she was staying with her parents when she got into an argument with them; they wanted more money to lodge her. After the altercation turned physical, Maya knew she had to leave the home for her baby’s safety. Two weeks before her due date, she was sleeping in her car.

Maya asked around and soon heard about ForKids, a nonprofit and partner of ELCA World Hunger that serves 14 cities and counties in southeast Virginia to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty for families and children. Soon she connected with a caseworker, Lisa Ellsworth, who shared these words of comfort: “After having the baby, you have a room.” ForKids set Maya up with emergency housing to come home to from the hospital.

This year, ForKids received a Big Dream Grant from ELCA World Hunger. Larger than World Hunger’s typical domestic grants, Big Dream Grants are designed to support ministries with transformative projects that will make a significant difference in their communities.

Photo courtesy of ForKids

To read more about this transformative ministry, check out “Big Dreams of Ending Homelessness in Virginia,” a recent article by Alex Baird in Living Lutheran, your source for news, reflections and stories from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and its local and global companions.

All photos courtesy of ForKids.

The ELCA is a founding organization and sponsor of Ecumenical Advocacy Days, attended annually by many Lutherans for skill building and experience. A leader from an ELCA-affiliated state public policy office highlights central learnings for him about effective and meaningful faith-centered advocacy.

By guest blogger the Rev. Paul Benz, co-director of Faith Action Network in Seattle, WA

I want to share some of my thoughts about the annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD) gathering. I’ve been attending these even before EAD came into being! The primary reason I attend is because of our calling as Christians to use our voice for justice – to create the change so many of us desire – to use our voice for love of neighbor.

Another reason for the importance of these gatherings of people from all Christian denominations and from all parts of our country is presence and place. We can be present in the halls of power where decisions are made that impact people’s lives and how we live together, and when present there, our voices are part of decisions that impact our planet – mother Earth.

My experience this year when EAD met April 18-21 was very special because it was the day before Earth Day (and our state delegation actually had two virtual, EAD-organized Capitol Hill visits on Earth Day). Again this year I was reminded that as important as each of our voices are and our presence is, to be effective in influencing elected officials our voices and presence need to convey stories about and from our neighbors who are the most impacted by policy. This year we called on Congress to act on climate justice by addressing the intersection of climate change, economic justice, gender justice and racial equity.

My experience this year was also a reminder that regular usage makes our voice and presence most effective. Our decision makers are most responsive to those they hear from and see recurrently. Going to EAD to meet with our members of Congress and their staff is very important, but if there is no follow up little will change. Remember the persistence of the widow in the gospel of Luke.* The more we use our voice and more present we are, the greater our impact will be.

Another important part of the EAD experience is with whom we do it. The call to be God’s advocate for justice is not singular or solo but joining – always to be done together. We may advocate for and on behalf of our neighbor – but we must also do it with our neighbor. In my EAD delegation, some people I knew and some I didn’t. In skills and experience, we were stronger together. Remember that Moses did not go speak truth to power by himself – Aaron went with him. Remember that Jesus did not do his ministry by himself but with his twelve disciples.

Many parts of the family of God were included in the EAD delegation from Washington state. We were Lutherans, Disciples of Christ, Episcopalians, Evangelicals, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, United Church of Christ, United Methodists, and Sikh. I am in the ELCA and am a lifelong Lutheran. I am deeply appreciative of our religious heritage, but the impact of having many different and diverse faith voices and presence is such an important witness to the member of Congress and their staffs (many of whom have a faith tradition). The impact of ‘who is in the room’ is not even diminished by the virtual meeting era in which we find ourselves. It is important for each of our faith traditions to have and organize its own voice and presence – but we ‘up our game’ and its outcome when we bring together as much of God’s family as possible!

After the EAD busy-ness of setting up all of the meetings (which I always like to do to have more interactions with staff), attending those meetings even when there is only one or two constituents present, and sending thank yous as a follow up (which is always so important to do) I ask myself: what does this mean?? A very good Lutheran question! Does it mean that we were successful in getting a bill passed? No. Does it mean that we met with a member of Congress and changed their mind? Probably not.

But we were successful in being faithful to our baptismal calling to be God’s advocates striving for peace and justice (spoken in our Affirmation of Baptism) in the halls of power. We were faithful in using our voice and our presence for love of neighbor. Or as Luther would say – we planted another tree!**

* Luke 18:1-8
** “When Martin Luther was asked what he would do if the world were to end tomorrow, he reportedly answered, ‘I would plant an apple tree today.'” From ELCA social statement Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice (pg. 6-7)

Danny Stone, Springville, IA

Warm-up Questions

Our “Pandemic Year” has forced us to adapt to new challenges and change our ways.  What adaptations and changes will you keep?   What will you prune?

More Than Just Surviving

Imagine being born into a pandemic and having the same pestilence return when you are 18, 28, 39, 42, and 44.  These outbreaks are particularly. nasty and can easily kill 1 out of 5 in a community. As you would expect, each episode comes with quarantines and restrictions.  Markets, gatherings, restaurants and theaters are closed for extended periods.  Sound familiar? How would you react if you were a locally famous, London playwright forced into isolation?  Would you sulk?  Or would you write Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest?  William Shakespeare’s career and life were marked by six eruptions of the bubonic plague.  He survived, adapted, and incorporated battling the disease into his plays. 

“A plague on both your houses.” – Romeo and Juliet: Act 3, Scene 1, Line 1594

“Thou art a boil” – King Lear: Act 2, Scene 4, Line 219

Maybe a new Shakespeare is right now writing a brilliant tragedy.  Some of us have made incredible leaps as we cope with Covid 19.  Some of us face daily struggles, loneliness, isolation, and financial ruin.  567,000 of our neighbors have lost their lives.  A very unscientific Facebook poll asked 1300 Americans to answer, “How has the pandemic changed your life, and will you make any of these changes permanent?” 

Matt – Georgia

Matt moved from a community in Michigan that refused to mask or social distance.  “So we left. In the beginning it was socially distant RV trips to other parts of the country to see natural splendor. In the end it was full-on relocation to a place with a better climate (weather) and a better climate (diverse and progressive).”

Kellie – Iowa and Germany

“I learned a lot about myself. I’ve explored new interests and had some time to explore who I am outside of “teacher.” My husband and I also grew closer as we had to get more creative with our conversations since we spent every day at home with each other. It also helped, I suppose, that we moved across the world with just each other for company. I have learned how selfish many Americans are, and I hope that some of these practices (like wearing a mask when you are sick) become the norm. I also hope that this slower pace of life becomes the norm. We as a society are so over scheduled, and I think it’s been nice to have a chance to stop and just be.”

Jenna – Texas

“The pandemic gave me time to *be* and heal and slow down, which I appreciate immensely. It also severely slowed/cut my business, which was rough. But, I qualify & am working through a PPP loan application. I will carry a few changes into post-pandemic life. Prioritizing some time to myself and remembering that I can get by on less than I think I can. And focusing more on recording and not just live performances in the next few years.”

Paula – Iowa

“This past year gave me great pause. It made me look at facets of life through different lenses- everything from family, work, faith, community, society, etc. The good, the bad and the ugly became really transparent. I found myself very disappointed in others’ behaviors and at the same time I gained a true appreciation for the kindness of neighbors. Things that I will carry forward… remote connection through zoom, intentional calls and convos with family/friends. Ordering online groceries. Support small local businesses more intentionally. Focus on living in the moment. Not take the basics for granted.”

Heather – Texas

“I think it definitely showed me how important slowing down is and I want to make that as permanent as possible.”

Mike – California

“I’m in my late 50s. I lost 2 sources of employment and stayed home most of the time. I have a lot to own up to. No human should waste time the way I did. I watched way too much news, as I felt like a sentry at the gates of sanity & integrity. Anxiety! I got really good at internet card games rather than reading or learning a new hobby. I also found out how few of my friends couldn’t be bothered to call me and talk (I initiated almost all my phone conversations). It was a horribly unproductive period, but hopefully my awareness is now raised. When 2/3 of your life is behind you, there’s no time to waste. I feel like I just wasted a precious year.”

Discussion Questions

• Shakespeare wrote masterpieces and Mike from California felt he wasted a year.  Where did you fall on this continuum?  Did you get stuff done or did you stagnate?
• Imagine that a friend did a “Rip Van Winkle” and slept through 2020/2021?  What would you say to catch them up on the year?
• How has your congregation changed?  Will it ever go back to “normal?”

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Acts 8:26-40

1 John 4:7-21

John 15:1-8

(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 B at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

Hooray for spring and new life.  Yes, it is time to roll in the grass and celebrate! The poet, E.E. Cummings called spring “mud-luscious” and “puddle-wonderful.”  Soak it all up and take a deep breath. Let’s get outside and enjoy the gifts of the season.  Watch the clouds.  Jump in a puddle!  Prepare the world for her fertile days.   We all need a break and a glorious spring to wash off the dust of this past year.  

Central to this passage from John is the word “abide.”  It is translated from the Greek word “meno” meaning, “to survive or live.”  Simply put, Jesus calls us to live in him.  Living in Jesus changes our perspective of the world.  Instead of living in a moment, we live in Christ and he lives in us. It is like living in an eternal spring, lovingly held in the gardener’s hands.  In return, God asks us to bear fruit and share the Good News.  Your fruits may be your service to others, the music you create, the plays you write or the love you share.  

Discussion Questions

• How do you live in Jesus?  Do you feel you are part of the vine?
• Branches “thrown into the fire” has always troubled scholars.  What do you think happens to the branches that wither and are burned?

Activity Suggestions

• Have your group research community gardens that need volunteers.  Set a time to volunteer!
• Assist with grounds maintenance at your congregation or visit members who need assistance with their yards.
• Plant seedlings for fruits, flowers, or vegetables.  Start your own Youth Ministry garden in a window box, planter, bucket, flower bed, or garden plot.

Closing Prayer

Dear Blessed Creator!  Thank you for the miracles of spring and the promise of life in you.  Help us to be fruitful disciples of your love.  May we live in the warmth of sun in your eternal garden. You are the vine, and we are the branches! Amen.