Posts in Bishop Eaton
New ELCA resources to support our ministries in a multi-religious world
New ELCA resources to support our ministries in a multi-religious world

"ELCA Guidelines for Ministry in a Multi-Religious World" provides general guidance for occasions when Christians and people of other religions come together. Included are recommendations for prayer services, crisis and tragedy response, social ministries, pastoral care, weddings and funerals.

"Preaching and Teaching with Love and Respect for the Jewish People" explores challenging topics, lectionary selections, and Bible passages to inform Christian preaching and teaching so that they respect the integrity of the Jewish tradition and avoid anti-Jewish interpretations of New Testament texts.

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Bishop Eaton, ELCA, News, Resources, Worship ResourcesBrian FlatgardEcumenical and Inter-Religious RelationsComment
Bishop Eaton: Tell the story in a new way
Bishop Eaton: Tell the story in a new way

In the video we shared at our 2022 Synod Assembly, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton urges us to follow Luther's example and use modern tools to spread the gospel, just as Luther shared the good news with the help of Gutenberg's printing press. 500 years ago this year, Martin Luther published his first translation of the New Testament into German vernacular.

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Bishop Eaton, ELCA, LettersBrian Flatgard2022 Synod Assembly, Martin LutherComment
Bishop Eaton participates in Emanuel Nine commemoration event to launch yearlong Bible study
Bishop Eaton participates in Emanuel Nine commemoration event to launch yearlong Bible study

Bishop Elizabeth Eaton will join faith and government leaders on June 17, 2022, to mark the seventh anniversary of the racially motivated shootings at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. Watch the event here.

The leaders will participate in a commemorative Bible study event that will kick off a yearlong Bible study across the country. The theme for the event, "What Kind of Soil Are We?," is taken from Mark 4:1-20, the Bible passage the Emanuel Nine were studying on the night they were murdered by Dylann Roof (who was raised in an ELCA congregation).

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Bishop Eaton, ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardRacial Justice, Emanuel 9, Gun ViolenceComment
A message from Presiding Bishop Eaton regarding Bishop Megan Rohrer
A message from Presiding Bishop Eaton regarding Bishop Megan Rohrer

The Conference of Bishops (COB) met Sunday evening; Bishop Megan Rohrer chose not to attend. I shared that I am initiating the discipline process immediately, including suspension of Bishop Rohrer, based on additional information that has come to light. The COB strongly affirmed this decision. This process will take time, and I will provide updates as appropriate. I ask for your continued prayers for this church.

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News, Letters, ELCA, Bishop EatonBrian FlatgardBishop Rohrer, Region 2, Sierra Pacific SynodComment
Sierra Pacific Synod: Bishop’s Report to the Church
Sierra Pacific Synod: Bishop’s Report to the Church

After listening to the concerns of this church, careful review of the report of the Listening Team and other accompanying documents, consultation with outside legal counsel, and prayerful reflection and discernment, I have decided not to bring disciplinary charges against Bishop Rohrer.

While I am not inaugurating formal disciplinary processes at this time, there remain enough serious concerns that influence Bishop Rohrer's ability to remain impactful in their role that I have asked Bishop Rohrer for their resignation, which I believe to be in the best interest of all parties involved. Leer también en español…

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Bishop Eaton, ELCA, Letters, NewsBrian FlatgardSierra Pacific Synod, Region 2, Bishop Rohrer Comment
ELCA Bishops Write to Congress about Augusta Victoria Hospital Funding
ELCA Bishops Write to Congress about Augusta Victoria Hospital Funding

On May 18, 2022, ELCA Presiding Bishop Eaton and 44 ELCA synod bishops, including Bishop Hutterer, wrote to Congress about their concerns related to the funding of Augusta Victoria Hospital. Read the full letter here: ELCA Bishops’ letter to Congress concerning US funding for Augusta Victoria Hospital.

Ask your Members of Congress to restore funding for Augusta Victoria Hospital and the other East Jerusalem hospitals (This form will give you a sample letter you can personalize and send).

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Bishop Eaton, Bishop Hutterer, ELCA, LettersBrian FlatgardSumudComment
Join Bishop Eaton in speaking out about Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing
Join Bishop Eaton in speaking out about Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing

Presiding Bishop Eaton wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken to express her “profound shock and sadness concerning the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in Jenin, the West Bank, on May 11 and the deplorable disruption of her funeral procession on May 13.”

Read the letter from Bishop Eaton to Secretary of State Blinken on the killing and funeral of Shireen Abu Akleh and join Bishop Eaton in taking action by writing to Secretary of State Blinken here. (The action alert will give you sample language that you can edit and personalize).

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Bishop Eaton, ELCA, LettersBrian FlatgardSumudComment
Bishop Eaton: We have a choice
Bishop Eaton: We have a choice

The pandemic has resulted in years of isolation, anxiety, loss and grief. In her May column for Living Lutheran, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reminds us that we can “remain isolated and reactive, or we can live as the new creation in Christ and be a witness to the world of the reconciliation we have received from God.” Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/3sHQkOL and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/3PwkzCm.

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Bishop Eaton, ELCA, LettersBrian FlatgardLiving LutheranComment
Bishop Eaton: A pastoral message on abortion
Bishop Eaton: A pastoral message on abortion

Our unity as Christians is through Jesus Christ, the One who embodies God's grace among us. Every day we dive into our baptism, through which God promises grace and mercy and draws us out to love and serve neighbors.

Yet, there are times when, even in our unity, we do not agree. The people of this church and this country have various and perhaps contrasting responses to the Supreme Court's leaked draft opinion on abortion. Regardless of where each of us stands on the issue, the ELCA's 1991 social statement on abortion speaks to all of us.

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Bishop Eaton, ELCA, LettersBrian FlatgardAbortionComment