Directors for Evangelical Mission:

Invite your mission and ministry partners:

United States – Mexico Border Experience

February 18, 2020

Travel Day: February 17

Registration is now open!

The Congregational Vitality Team is reaching out to Directors for Evangelical Mission and their mission partners with a special opportunity to worship together near the beach at the United States – Mexico border.

The Spanish word for “border” is frontera. As we think about the borders in our lives — country, state, neighborhood, even our churches — why not think about these “borders” as FRONTIERS to explore? How can we grow and learn together, as Christ’s people in mission? How can we explore the frontiers of our faith and reach out to all people in love and service, united in the Good News of Jesus Christ?

This experience will take place the day before the Congregational Vitality Training Event in San Diego in February 2020.

This one-day opportunity on February 18 is also open to people who will not be attending the CV Training Event.

USE THIS LINK TO REGISTER: Border Experience

REGISTRATION OPTIONS (per person)

$50 — Includes Registration and Bus Fees

$150 — Includes Registration, Bus, and Double-Occupancy Hotel Room for Monday night, February 17.

$250 – Includes Registration, Bus, and Single-Occupancy Hotel Room for Monday night, February 17.

IMPORTANT NOTES ON HOUSING: 

For Congregational Vitality Training Event participants who ALSO want to participate in the Border Experience, Monday night housing (if needed) MUST be reserved through the Border Experience link.

• Please use the Border Experience link above to reserve your Monday night housing.

• Register for Tuesday – Thursday housing using the CV Training Event link found on the Timing and Training Tracks page. Don’t worry, we will reconcile all the housing requests so that you will remain in the same room for the week’s events.

UPDATED (12/4/19) Rough Agenda:**

• 8:15 am: Load charter buses at Town and Country Hotel; depart by 8:30 am.
• Up to 200 participants will cross the border to the Mexico side to participate, and up to 100 people will participate on the US side.
• Join in a border worship experience in a park / open space near the beach (approximately 10:00-11:00 am).
• Lunch (arranged with our help, “on your own”)
• Travel by charter bus to an immigrant-hospitality center on the Mexico side of the border OR to one or two historic Latinx churches on the US side of the border. This activity will include time to process and share regarding this experience.
• Return to the hotel (via charter bus) approximately 4:30 – 5:30 pm.
• Testimony from this experience will be shared at the Congregational Vitality Training Event, which begins Wednesday, February 19.
• Participate in an optional dessert reception gathering Tuesday evening (beginning at approximately 7:30 pm). You will have an opportunity to hear about what other participants experienced (on each side of the border). This activity is for:
  • People who can stay longer in the evening before traveling home OR:
  • People who have been invited by their DEM to register (using a separate link) and stay overnight Tuesday night to participate in the CV Training Event, which begins Wednesday, February 19.
  • Housing is extremely limited at the Town and Country Hotel: People who are not involved in the CV Training Event who need a room on Tuesday night will need to book their own room at a nearby hotel (there are plenty!) if planning to stay over on Tuesday night. Thank you!

** Exact details may vary. We will keep you posted!

What You Should Bring:

• A valid (blue) US passport that will not expire for at least 6 months from February 18, 2020. Please see the very important legal notes below.
• Water
• Money (U.S. dollars are fine) to purchase food/lunch/snacks.
• Snacks, such as snack bars and fruit.
• Comfortable shoes (high-sided tennis shoes or boots), and please dress for the weather and for walking on sand and through watery/muddy paths.
• Sunscreen and/or a hat.
• Travel light, as you will be walking for 30+ minutes both to and from the worship site.

Important Participation Notes:

• All participants must be present at the Town and Country Hotel, San Diego, and ready to travel to the border at 8:00 am, Tuesday, February 18. This may mean you will need a hotel room on Monday, February 17.
• Participants must be able to walk for up to 30 minutes to and from the worship destination (sandy/wet area near beach).

Legal and Safety Considerations to Help You Plan

Preparation Requirements:

1. All participants MUST submit the following to our team and to a designated alternate person: emergency contact information including name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address in case of a participant’s ill health, detainment, death or other circumstances.
2. All participants who plan to enter Mexico MUST have a valid US (blue) passport that will not expire for at least 6 months after February 18, 2020.
3. All participants who plan to enter into Mexico MUST make a copy of their passport and give it to a family member or other designee.
4. All participants who plan to enter into Mexico MUST sign an ELCA waiver (available at registration).

Additional Important Notes: 

1. No participant is to allowed to drive a vehicle into Mexico. We have been advised that driving into Mexico without proper Mexican auto insurance is a very serious violation of Mexican law that is strictly enforced by Mexican authorities.
2. Please check the following US State Department sites for risk information concerning Mexico:

• https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/mexico-travel-advisory.html
• https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Mexico.html

Questions? Contact Pastor Anna-Kari Johnson (se habla Español).

Erin Haligowski, Dayton, OH

Warm-up Question

What is something you could use a little more of? More faith? More money? More talent? More time? More friends? What would having more enable you to do that you can’t do now?

A Little More

Just a couple weeks ago, at 22 years of age, singer/pianist Kodi Lee was named the winner of season 14 of America’s Got Talent. Early in the season, Kodi earned a Golden Buzzer from judge Gabrielle Union to put him directly to the live shows in a performance that went viral online (watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDPdRYF7hTQ). 

Kodi Lee was born with optic nerve hypoplasia, which causes his blindness, and was diagnosed with autism at age 4. Early in life, he discovered a love of music that, according to his mom, gave him the ability to “withstand living in this world.” “Because when you’re autistic, it’s really hard to do what everyone else does. It actually saved his life, playing music.”

Discussion Questions

• What are the things Kodi has been given “more” of in order to get to where he is now? 
• How does Kodi’s story help to frame your understanding of needing “more”?

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Luke 17:5-10

(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

In today’s gospel lesson, the disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith. Maybe with just a little more faith, they could really be good disciples, capable of all that makes up Jesus’ command to “follow me.” Maybe with just a little more faith, they could forgive others over and over and over again. Maybe with just a little more faith they could heal sickness and cast out demons like Jesus. 

And then Jesus turns back to them and says, “You’ve got everything you need.” He says, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” In Matthew’s gospel, he says “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” 

So, what does it mean to have “faith the size of a mustard seed”? A mustard seed is tiny—usually about 1 to 2 millimeters in diameter. That’s not very much. Surely the disciples must have that much if they have already left their homes and lives to follow Jesus. 

So, perhaps the question is not whether or not we have enough faith. Perhaps our concern should instead be about how our faith, even if it is so very tiny, is shaping our lives. Do we trust God to walk with us through the storms and trials in our lives? Are we allowing our faith to shape our actions on a daily basis? Whatever challenge we face, when we walk with God, our faith is enough to do the most impossible things. 

Discussion Questions

• What are the times in your life when you have wanted to ask God for a little more (or a lot more) faith?
• When is it difficult for you to follow Jesus’ example?
• How does your faith shape your actions on a day to day basis?

Activity Suggestions

• Take 5 Minutes: Invite students to spread out (outside is a great option for this) and take five minutes for some one-on-one time with God. Have them use this time to listen, to pray, and to reflect on how the faith they have is more than enough. Come back together and talk about what that experience was like—Uncomfortable? Relaxing? Refreshing? Easy? Difficult? 
• Invite some guests to come and talk about their life and faith with your class—some older members of the congregation, or parents, or young adults. What do they think is the most important thing for people to learn about Jesus and the church? How does their faith shape their daily lives? 

Closing Prayer

Loving God, thank you for the gift of faith, even when that faith is tiny. Help us to walk with you in our daily lives and to serve others in your world. Surround us with a loving community so that we can always know that we are more than enough in your eyes. Amen.

By Tessa Comnick, ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow

I was the youngest person by maybe 30 years sitting in a dilapidated American Legion hall at 5 a.m. preparing to start a 15-hour shift at my local polling station. The gentleman next to me warned that we’d probably have some intermittent slow periods. “We’re expecting we’ll get more people than last year, though,” he told me with some pride.

“More people” turned out to be over double the voters on Nov. 6, 2018 than in the previous year. In Lorain County, Ohio, 26.80%* of those eligible voted in November 2017—in November 2018, we hit 54.15%.** This is a trend I am hopeful we will continue to see.

The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP), part of the ELCA Advocacy network, has been active in encouraging congregations through its Get Out the Vote (GOTV) Faithful Citizen Civic Engagement Program. Regional trainings teach effective nonpartisan civic engagement in order to prepare members and places of worship to raise their voices and promote 100% voting participation in their communities. And I have reason to hope for a continued rising voting trend— twice as many people turned out for VICPP’s first GOTV event than registered.

I am a firm believer that everyone eligible should vote in this country, but why should faith communities be involved? For me, our faith equals love. In Mark 12:30-31, Jesus commands us to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. “There is no commandment greater than these,” Jesus teaches. To love God means to love all, every one of us.

The people we vote for are people elected to represent us all: the rich, the poor, the famous, the stranger, the healthy, the sick, the believer, the non-believer—all of us. Our input can help promote in our government our values of love, care, and protection. No matter what beliefs (or lack thereof) individuals in this country follow, we all deserve to be protected, we all deserve to be happy, and we all deserve to be healthy, just as we would want for ourselves.

Don’t miss your state’s deadline – register to vote. Then, whether by mail or at your own local polling location, get out the vote!

*Lorain County Board of Elections, “2017 General Election Information,” loraincountyelections.com, accessed September 26, 2019, https://www.loraincountyelections.com/2017general

**Lorain County Board of Elections, “2018 General Election Information,” loraincountyelections.com, accessed September 26, 2019, https://www.loraincountyelections.com/2018-general-election

Synopsis from a sermon preached by the Rev. Dr. Yolanda Denson-Byers at the historic “Lift Every Voice” African Descent Lutheran Association (ADLA) & Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (ELM) Worship Service on Friday, August 2, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Sermon Based on: Acts 10

I come before you with a pastor’s heart to address the hurt, pain, and suffering that I am aware is present in this room. As a human being who identifies as female, Black, and queer, I recognize that as African descent Lutherans, allies, and queer folks we make an unlikely assembly.

I’m sure it’s no secret that our communities have not always seen eye to eye on many different issues. The African descent community has often lamented that those in the queer community have not been more faithful allies in the struggle against racism and queer folks have lamented that Black folks have not been more faithful collaborators in the struggle against homophobia.

In the Acts reading from today, an unlikely assembly was also gathered together by God. It appears that God was up to some holy mischief. Isn’t it exciting when God brings together two communities previously at odds with one another?

As a cradle born African American Christian, one of the things I have appreciated most about the Black Church is the enduring quest for freedom, equality, and justice for Africans in the United States of America. We were kidnapped from Africa, enslaved in the U.S., suffered through Jim Crow segregation, and now daily reiterate in words and deeds that #BlackLivesMatter. As an out, and gay, person in America, I now recognize that the queer struggle for equality has also been fraught with discrimination, hardship, violence, and death.

Ironically, for both of our communities, one of the greatest challenges to our righteous struggle has been the Christian Church which has long had ideas about who is clean and unclean, saved and unsaved, worthy of salvation and worthy of damnation.

Simon Peter showed how this bias works, when he arrived at Cornelius’ house, stating boldly, “You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile.” Did you hear, Peter? He essentially said, “It’s in the Word.”

Now, I hope that all of us in this room know that we need to be extremely careful when we weaponize scripture to oppress any of God’s Kids. We know that it was these kinds of interpretation of scripture, without regard to contextualization, culture, or even a basic respect for The Law of Love, that has made all sorts of atrocities possible.

That is why we need our friends and allies in the Christian Church to join us in the mission and ministry of bringing Jesus’ good news to those who have not historically received such a gracious message. So today, I ask our friends and allies, “What is the good news that you can deliver to the unarmed sons and daughters of African Americans being killed by racist police officers in your neighborhoods? What is your good news message to children who still don’t have clean water in Flint? What is your good news message to gay kids thinking of commiting suicide, the queer professional fired from his job, or to the survivors of The Pulse nightclub in Florida? What is your good news message to African Americans, the Rainbow Nation, and to all of those who are hurting, oppressed, and marginalized in your own neighborhoods?”

Dear Ones, our unity is our strength. Thank God, that our mischief making God brought Jewish-Christ followers and Gentiles together in Caesarea. Thank God, She brought ADLA and ELM together in Milwaukee, and thank God that she will continue to call together unlikely assemblies in every time, and in every place, to affirm the full inclusion of all humanity at the Banquet Feast of our God.

That is why Peter could declare, “Truly, I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to God … Jesus commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

I don’t know about you, but I am so glad that Jesus lived, died, and rose again! I am so glad that the Holy Spirit is continually putting a new leaf in the table and pulling up an additional chair! I am so glad that God declares again and again, all are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place! Amen.

Note: You can view this sermon in its entirety at https://youtu.be/bbHCVgqgy5o

To learn more about Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries visit: www.elm.org

To learn more about the African Descent Lutheran Association visit: www.adlaelca.org

The Rev. Dr. Yolanda Denson-Byers hails from Saint Louis, Missouri. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wesleyan University in Religion and African-American Studies. Her Masters of Divinity is from Harvard University with specialty in worship, preaching, education, and pastoral care and counseling. Her Doctorate of Ministry is in the field of Congregational Mission and Leadership from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Pastor Yolanda is a missional leader , with a heart for social justice issues, who has, for the last twenty-three years, been exercising her gifts through the vocations of pastor, evangelist, campus minister, hospice chaplain, and bereavement counselor. In addition, she is very proud of her ministry as a wife and mother. Pastor Yolanda enjoys reading, writing, camping, and anything pertaining to a warm climate with a salt water beach!

Seth Moland-Kovash, Palatine, IL

Warm-up Question

When was a time that you felt left out or out of place?

Sharing is Caring

Bullying happens all over the place and it is a common experience in schools. Sometimes a person is bullied and left out for a particular reason and sometimes there is no discernible reason. No matter what the reason, there is no excuse for bullying. But there is often a thing that attracts the attention of those would bully.

In one school near Memphis, Tennessee, a young man was bullied because he repeatedly wore the same clothes to school. Two other classmates saw this happening and decided they could do something about it. They chose to address the fact that he wore the same clothes and gifted him with shoes and clothing from their own closets. You can see a video of the gifts being given in the school hallway here.

Discussion Questions

• What are the situations that can cause someone to be left out or bullied at your school?
• What are some ways you can help someone who is being bullied?
• Do you think the generosity and the kindness of the act is lessened at all for being filmed and put on social media?

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Amos 6:1a, 4-7

1 Timothy 6:6-19

Luke 16:19-31

(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

Jesus tells a parable about a rich man (who is not named) and a poor man (named Lazarus). Lazarus spends his days begging at the door of the rich man and getting no help. In death, their situations are reversed and the rich man wants some of what Lazarus has. This idea of a “great reversal” is central to what Jesus teaches – that in God’s kingdom the last will be first and the first will be last; the rich will be poor and the poor will be rich. 

Having been told he can’t have what Lazarus has, he at least wants to send a warning to his brothers who are still alive so they will learn from his mistakes and not end up in the same situation. He wants Lazarus to go back because his brothers will surely believe someone who has risen from the dead. He is told “if they don’t listen to Abraham, they won’t even listen if someone comes back from the dead.”

It is interesting that Jesus tells this anecdote. He tells it before his own death, but we know what is going to happen. We know that Jesus will die and will come back from the dead. And we wonder sometimes whether we listen even to him.

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think the rich man didn’t share with Lazarus while they were both alive?
• What would it take to make someone like the rich man start to share?
• What can you do to help those who have less in your own school or community?

Activity Suggestions

Closing Prayer

By guest blogger the Rev. Lamont Wells, President of the African Descent Lutheran Association

The sidewalk alongside 116th Street was filled with hungry consumers lined up to purchase that very popular chicken sandwich from Popeyes as I left my local gym. (I had tried the tasty sandwich the weekend before and realized it might really help me with my fitness goals.) I paused and watched the line grow longer and overheard various conversations and pontifications about community changes that were occurring in Harlem, especially due to gentrification.

While I listened, a young male said aloud, “I haven’t registered to vote yet!” Many of the things that concerned those in line were happening as a result of political decisions from elected officials. Then I heard my inclination to get involved. I thought to myself, “We could do something about that – today.”

I ran upstairs to my condo and grabbed a handful of voter registration applications leftover from a previous drive. The young man was in about the same place in front of the crowded restaurant when I got back, and I introduced myself as a concerned neighbor who wondered about some of the same things I had heard earlier. We exchanged names, and I asked Chris if he knew the voter registration deadline was approaching very soon. Using the application I gave him, he completed it and was ready to mail it that day.

Chris and I approached others. Within a two-hour period, about 11 people waiting in line for a sandwich were registered to vote, and many more received information about their polling places and eligibility.

These are some of the things I learned:

1. Observe and listen for opportunities to engage your local community. Seize those moments.
2. Know the deadlines for voter registration.* Set benchmarks and registration goals.
3. Obtain necessary supplies: pens, clipboard and applications.
4. Introduce yourself and be ready to tell why voting matters.
5. Review each application’s completion and mail in timely manner.
6. Be ready to educate voters on important issues or refer them to a local register-to-vote hotline.

I took advantage of a captive audience that I overheard cared about many community matters but were not participating in the voting process that could impact elected officials who support their best interests. (I also didn’t judge the desire for this chicken sandwich that made people endure such long lines.)

Voters and potential voters need to know how the political process works, why their vote is important, and what is at stake if they don’t vote. I have often been tempted to disengage from the political process, but as a person of faith who is dedicated to creating a just world for all, I know I/we must be involved. Our Christian faith is infused with hope and our Lutheran witness is built on a foundation of action. That’s why I am so glad to help those in my community get prepared to change the world around them.

* Learn about local voter registration deadlines from www.vote.org/voter-registration-deadlines/.

Please join ELCA World Hunger in welcoming Domonique Griffin to the team!

Hello! My name is Domonique Griffin, and I am the newest member of the ELCA World Hunger Domestic Hunger Strategy Team. I am originally from Buffalo, New York, where I have spent the last few years honing my research and evaluation skills. Focusing my formal urban planning training in neighborhood planning and community development afforded me the opportunity to work in both the private and public sector, supporting projects that combine research, evaluation, and community engagement to promote community development.

As a project leader at The University at Buffalo’s Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab, I worked with team members to evaluate the Local Food Systems Grant that was administered by The United Way of Buffalo & Erie County. The goal of this grant was to strengthen the food system by promoting food equity and food sovereignty in the city of Buffalo. I have witnessed how research can influence policy, strengthen organizations, and inform development strategies that foster more stable communities. ELCA World Hunger’s commitment to systemic change through the lens of the gospel is what compelled me to join the Domestic Hunger Strategy Team. I am excited that I can continue the work of increasing equity within food systems as a Program Associate for the Domestic Hunger Strategy team. I will primarily be working with Daily Bread Matching grants and comprehensive impact reporting.

Amy Martinell, Sioux Falls, SD

Warm-up Question

Today’s parable is about a dishonest servant.  Share the first time you remember lying or being dishonest.  What happened?  Did you come clean or have you kept it a secret?

Can’t Do It Alone

Last night tornados and severe straight-line winds struck Sioux Falls, SD, where I live.  Most people here spent the midnight hours monitoring the storm and taking shelter in their basements. Today the community is flooded with images of the devastation the storms brought.   Buildings are destroyed, trees are uprooted, and power lines are down.  Hospitals had to transfer patients and schools started late this morning, to allow for the streets to be cleaned.  Fortunately, no deaths are serious injuries have been reported.  While there is a lot of damage, we are grateful everyone is safe.

Storms are terrifying things and none of us want to experience them, but I am moved by what we are experiencing after the storm as our community comes together.  Friends and family have been calling and texting to check in with one another.  Local restaurants are providing free meals for city officials and first responders.  Our city helpline is already organizing volunteers and encouraging those who need help with clean up to call for assistance.  As I ran errands this morning, people in the stores took the time to check in with each other, and strangers provided listening ears for one another.  In the midst of the fear and destruction, we see so many caring individuals looking out for each other.

Discussion Questions

• What is your favorite activity to do with your family?  With your friends?  
• What groups provide support and community for you?  
• Who has been a support for you doing a hard or scary time?

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Amos 8:4-7

1 Timothy 2:1-7

Luke 16:1-13

(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

Can I be honest and say this is a really strange parable?  First we have the manager who is told he will lose his job.   The man cannot do hard labor and does not want to beg so he hatches a plan.  He will forgive the debts of others so that they may give him a place to stay when he loses his job.  So without any permission he lessens the amount owed by two of his master’s debtors.  Surprisingly the master praises him for his shrewd actions and he appears to keep his job.

It is a bit disconcerting that Jesus tells a parable praising dishonest actions, but I cannot help but notice at the heart of the parable is this man being awaken to his need for other people in his life.  We can assume by his panicked response to losing his position that he had no friends or family to take him in.  Suddenly when things go wrong, he realizes he needed other people to help him.  He realizes he needs a community.  

We cannot serve two masters.  When we are concerned only with our own needs, when we focus only on wealth or possessions or status, we cannot live a life of faith.  Our lives instead become limited and we are left alone in our times of need.  When Christ is our master, our world open up.  We are given a community of faithful believers that support us in whatever we are going through.

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think Jesus told his disciples this parable?  What might they learn from it?
• Is there ever a time when it is okay to act dishonestly?  Why or why not?
• What is the problem with trying to serve two masters?  What other things in your life can become your master?
• How do you view money?  Are you a saver, a spender, or a giver?  How does your faith influence your thoughts on money?

Activity Suggestions

Words of affirmation:    Have everyone write their name on a piece of paper.  Pass the papers around and have everyone write something they appreciate about each person on their paper.  Encourage youth to keep the words of affirmation.  Share together why you like coming to youth group and what you appreciate about this group.

Closing Prayer

Gracious God,  we give you thanks for the gift of community in our lives.  We thank you for those who support and care for us.  Help us to do our part to spread love and hope in our communities.  Amen

Issue 66 of Administration Matters

Workers’ compensation insurance
In almost every state, employers are required to buy workers’ compensation insurance, both to protect employers from lawsuits that result from workplace accidents and to provide medical care and compensation for lost income to employees hurt in workplace accidents. >More

Confidentiality and health-related information
The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act deals with health care privacy concerns. Privacy rules restrict the use of medical records and health information maintained by hospitals and other health care providers but generally do not cover ELCA congregations. >More

The inherent risk of guest Wi-Fi access at your congregation
With the myriad of wireless devices in constant use, many churches provide Wi-Fi for the convenience of employees and guests. However, this complimentary benefit can come with a heavy price if security is taken for granted. You may want to forward this information to your IT support specialist before deciding to provide Wi-Fi access to your congregation. >More

Records retention schedule for congregations
It is important to know which records and information a congregation or synod should keep and which can be removed. Some records need to be maintained permanently, and others can be discarded periodically. >More

Valuable tips to protect your identity
Identity theft has become a common problem in the United States, with an estimated 9 million people affected annually, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Here are important tips to protect your identity. >More

The Rev. Ramon Collazo is a second-career pastor from Puerto Rico who ministers with immigrants in detention. It’s one way he channels his passion for immigration reform and raising awareness about human rights.

Quickly after finishing his time at United Lutheran Seminary (formerly, Luther Theological Seminary at Philadelphia), Collazo received a call to serve as mission developer for a new Synod Authorized Worshiping Community (SAWC) called Santa Isabel Ministry to Immigrants in Detention. This ministry focuses on providing spiritual care and hope for Puerto Rican and immigrant inmates at the Elizabeth Detention Center in New Jersey.

One mission starts another

The Iglesia Luterana Santa Isabel Latino Mission congregation in Elizabeth launched the SAWC in 2015. Itself a mission congregation — sponsored by the New Jersey Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America — Santa Isabel started the new detention ministry SAWC as one way to care and advocate for immigrants and their rights. The congregation also hosts a citizenship drive twice a year and collaborates with the New Jersey Coalition for Justice.

The Elizabeth Detention Center is specifically designed for immigrants who either do not have proper identification of their citizenship or have committed a minor crime. It holds male and female citizens of multiple countries from Latin America, Europe and Asia. Collazo first became active in this  detention ministry when he was invited to provide prayer during a rally outside its walls.

Rev. Ramon Collazo (shown second from left), with ministry partners who presented the Puerto Rican Christmastime music tradition of Parranda to inmates at the Elizabeth Detention Center in December 2018.

Ministry in detention

Collazo brings a unique voice to this ministry, which centers on doing intentional work to help and share the gospel with its immigrant community and other detainees. He hosts two worship services each week. Each service typically has 50 to 100 participants in worship, Bible study and prayer. Collazo also spends time offering prayer over specific requests or distributing rosaries and Bibles.

On December 27, 2018, Collazo gathered together a few ministry members to bring the Puerto Rican Christmastime music tradition of Parranda to the  detention center’s residents. “We gathered not in a porch, but in a conference room, with guitar and cuatro puertorriqueño (a guitar-like instrument) to practice. We began the Parranda to the dorms, where we surprised the men and women with ‘Feliz Navidad’ and other songs.” Collazo could feel the joy this activity created in the residents as well as a strong sense of unity where it would normally be absent during Christmastime in the  detention facility.

Raising awareness of immigration reform

Collazo has learned much from hearing the stories of people who have tried to flee from oppression but then had to face the harsh reality of being forced to return to the situations from which they fled. He believes, “If we don’t watch the news and don’t put ourselves in their shoes, nothing will change.”

He points out that the reality is that change does not always happen from institutions, it happens through people who are willing to advocate and show empathy to those who are hurting. “It has to come from God, and it has to come from our hearts because we love God and are called to serve our neighbors.”

Touching the hearts of people is where we meet the authentic work of the gospel. Collazo is living this out wholeheartedly and invites fellow congregations to pray for those affected by immigration policies.

by Blake Thomas, Congregational Vitality Team

edited by Kris A. Mainellis, Program Director for Communication and Events, Congregational Vitality