When Daniel Bowman Jr. received an autism diagnosis in his mid-30s, so much suddenly clicked into place.
An Episcopalian, Bowman shares how he learned the ways he was best suited to serve in his congregation and how the traditional idea of church services is geared toward neurotypical people.
Read MoreAs we prepare for our upcoming “How Your Charitable Heart Can Leave a Legacy” Zoom presentation on 9/21/2021, we meet one of our two regional gift planners and presenters, Josh Kerney.
Working with the ELCA Foundation, Josh serves our synod by helping individuals and organizations leave a legacy.
Read MoreThe United States has withdrawn from a decades long war in Afghanistan. Under a special immigrant program, the U.S. has been evacuating thousands of Afghans who served alongside Americans.
Lutheran Disaster Response is reaching out to synods, congregations and affiliates that are taking an active role in welcoming Afghan families.
Read MoreELCA Treasurer Lori Fedyk invites you to subscribe to Administration Matters, a bimonthly publication addressing common, practical issues including finance, governance, risk management, taxes and legal concerns, as well as other topics of interest relating to day-to-day operations and management in church settings.
Read MoreIn Madagascar, the current infant and maternal mortality rate is 353 per 100,000 live births. The Malagasy Lutheran Church (MLC) is helping to work toward the country’s goal of reducing that rate to 70 per 100,000.
In this post, Dr. Rivosoa Nasoloniaina shares the Remafi program, which connects traditional birth attendants in rural areas with hospitals and clinics. Remafi offers trainings, facilitates collaboration and encourages traditional birth attendants to prepare mothers for hospital births.
Read MoreMany years ago, Linda Jacobson changed a tire on a rural road near Arusha, Tanzania. She wasn’t strong enough to turn the lug nuts, but she figured out what to do. “I jumped on the tire wrench to turn it,” she remembered. “The car was full of women, and my daughters recall that, as we drove away, I yelled out the window to the group of men watching, ‘Wanawake wanaweza!’ Women are able!”
Read MoreAs we prepare for our upcoming “How Your Charitable Heart Can Leave a Legacy” Zoom presentation on 9/21/2021, we meet one of our two regional gift planners and presenters, Lisa Marie Higginbotham.
Working with the ELCA Foundation, Lisa serves our synod by helping individuals and organizations leave a legacy.
Read MoreThis 60-minute webinar serves as an overview of the Liturgies in All Creation Sings, the newly published supplement to Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Presenters Jennifer Baker-Trinity and Martin Seltz from Augsburg Fortress take you on a tour of the liturgical settings.
Read MoreKatie Langston has nearly completed her journey to becoming an ELCA pastor—but the path there was anything but linear. Her new book, Sealed: An Unexpected Journey Into the Heart of Grace (Thornbush Press, 2021), tells the story of her childhood and young adulthood in a devout Mormon family, and of her unexpected conversion to the Lutheran faith.
Read MoreFor nearly a century, Lutherans have been helping to resettle those fleeing harm. As we pray for Afghanistan, we are called to support those arriving in the U.S. by becoming a part of the long welcome for these families.
Support LIRS’ Neighbors in Need: Afghan Allies fund, which will provide food, housing assistance, clothing, and other basic needs for our Afghan friends as they await the official services available to them by visiting LIRS.org/HelpNow.
Read MoreHey, everyone! My name is Vanessa Young, and I’m excited to serve as the Team Leader for Gathering Synod Coordinators (GSCs) for the 2022 ELCA Youth Gathering in Minneapolis.
Have you met your Gathering Synod Coordinator yet? If you don’t know who they are, you can send them an email on the “Find Your Synod Coordinator” feature on the Gathering website.
Read MoreThis month I chose to write about sabbath-keeping because I thought it could be a therapeutic activity that might even lead to firmer sabbath disciplines in my life.
I considered my sabbath day to be my day off—one that instantly filled with errands, doctor appointments, housework, quality time with family and maybe a true-crime show on TV. My so-called sabbath day was packed with activity. My “day off” from church was actually a “day on” at home.
Read MoreThe Executive Committee of the ELCA Church Council has acted on Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton’s recommendation to appoint Carlos Peña as the ELCA’s interim vice president, effective immediately.
Read MoreThe Gathering is an integral part of the ecology of faith formation and call narrative in the ELCA. There are those who question the value of specialized ministries such as the Gathering, especially in a time of declining church attendance and difficult budget cuts. But I am not one of them, especially after fresh research has demonstrated the importance of several crucial ministries in the ELCA. I also know the impacts first-hand.
Read MoreDuring this week of devastating news, Bishop Eaton encourages us to take a brief pause in silence, that we may be able to hear the voices of those affected by tragedy, listen for God, and respond to suffering in our world.
Read MoreThis Gathering webinar provides information about the registering your congregational group for the 2022 Gathering. Registration opens on September 22, 2021 via the Gathering’s website (elca.org/Gathering/Register). For information about the 2022 Gathering, “boundless: God beyond measure,” visit elca.org/Gathering.
Read More“This isn’t a soup kitchen where people get in line and are getting whatever we give you,” said chef and kitchen manager Angelique Gilyard. “We give the people the choice in what they have. You can have your sandwich toasted if you want, the whole sandwich or just the bread. If you want to take your meal home, that’s fine.”
Read MoreThe Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber was installed this weekend as the first pastor of public witness for the ELCA.
She was called to the role of pastor of public witness by the Rocky Mountain Synod, whose bishop, Jim Gonia, has supported her ministry since she first applied to seminary.
Read MoreKen Carder learned that when people with dementia are isolated from their community, their condition worsens. He recognized that people with dementia weren’t at the center of his own pastoral care efforts.
Seeking to change the status quo and demonstrate how congregations can join in ministry with people who have dementia, Carder created a class at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, S.C., where he serves as guest professor, called “Dementia Through a Pastoral Theological Lens.”
Read MoreFor many, taking time to rest—whether it’s an extended retreat or simply a pause in a busy workday—can be a challenge.
“So many of our society’s dominant narratives mitigate against rest,” said Cynthia Moe-Lobeda, a professor of theological and social ethics at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, Calif. “I really think that the capacity to hear the Spirit and to [flourish] as a person are built partly by having rest.”
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