Posts in ELCA
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
ELCA Churchwide Assembly
ELCA Churchwide Assembly

The 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly will take place Aug. 8-12 in Columbus, Ohio. Under the theme “Embody the Word,” the assembly will meet around word and water, wine and bread, to carry on its work on behalf of the entire church.

A key action during the assembly will be electing a vice president. Live video of worship and plenary sessions will be accessible at Churchwide Assembly — Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (elca.org).

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ELCA, Resources, NewsBrian FlatgardAdministration Matters, 2022 Churchwide AssemblyComment
North/West Lower Michigan Synod Task Force for Disability Ministry
North/West Lower Michigan Synod Task Force for Disability Ministry

Pastor Clay Bates, chair of the North/West Lower Michigan Synod Task Force for Disability Ministry, shares how his vision of a synodical task force to promote ministry with people with disabilities began with the conviction that people with disabilities belong in worship and the life of a congregation as full participants, and every person with a disability has a right to access the sacraments, Christian learning, and spiritual guidance.

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ELCA, News, LettersBrian FlatgardDisability Ministries, ELCA Disability MinistriesComment
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: May 22, 2022
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: May 22, 2022

  • For victims of the Tops grocery store shooting in Buffalo, NY and for their loved ones…

  • For victims of the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church shooting in Laguna Woods, CA and for their loved ones…
    For all who live in fear of racially or politically motivated violence, that they will be safe from harm…

  • For people, families, and communities affected by gun violence…

  • For the loved ones of the one million Americans who have died of COVID-19 and the six million people who have died of COVID-19 globally…

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ELCA, PrayersBrian FlatgardELCA Worship, For What Shall We PrayComment
William Gohl reelected bishop of ELCA Delaware-Maryland Synod
William Gohl reelected bishop of ELCA Delaware-Maryland Synod

The Rev. William J. Gohl Jr., Baltimore, was reelected May 12 to serve a second six-year term as bishop of the Delaware-Maryland Synod.

Gohl has served as bishop of the Delaware-Maryland Synod since 2016. Prior to becoming bishop, he served as pastor of Epiphany Lutheran Church of Baltimore from 2007 to 2016, as evangelism coordinator for the synod from 2004 to 2010, and as pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Glen Burnie, Md., from 2000 to 2007.

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ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardComment
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
War in Ukraine: Regional Conflict, Global Hunger
War in Ukraine: Regional Conflict, Global Hunger

Millions of people are suffering the consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine. As devastation sweeps the region and millions are forced to flee their homes, we are beginning to see the long-term consequences the war will have for food security in Ukraine and around the globe.

In this video, the Rev. Daniel Rift talks with Rev. Rachel Eskesen and Dr. Ryan Cummingabout conflict, hunger and the ELCA’s response in Eastern Europe.

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ELCA, Letters, NewsBrian FlatgardHunger, ELCA World Hunger, Lutheran Disaster Response, ELCA Europe Desk, Russia and Ukraine WarComment
ALAMEH, ELCJHL, and WCC respond to killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh
ALAMEH, ELCJHL, and WCC respond to killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh

Peace Not Walls shares responses to the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh from Association of Lutherans of Arab and Middle Eastern Heritage, Bishop Sani Ibrahim Azar, and World Council of Churches. Read and listen to NPR coverage here.

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ELCA, LettersBrian FlatgardEvangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, Association of Lutherans of Arab and Middle Eastern Heritage (ALAMEH), World Council of Churches (WCC), SumudComment
Administration Matters: May, 2022
Administration Matters: May, 2022

The May, 2022, bimonthly e-newsletter for ELCA congregational and synodical leaders is here, featuring: the ELCA Churchwide Assembly, 4 things you can do to keep your organization cyber-safe, new videos on Portico’s billing process now available, creating a congregation mission statement, a new e-book entitled The Four S’s That Keep Church Leaders Awake at Night, and 10 essentials of severe-weather preparedness.

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ELCA, ResourcesBrian FlatgardAdministration MattersComment
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
Conference on Worship, Theology, and the Arts
Conference on Worship, Theology, and the Arts

“Scatter the Imagination of our Hearts,” at St. Olaf College, Northfield Minn., July 25–July 28 2022. Under the theme “Scatter the Imagination of Our Hearts” (Luke 1:51), St. Olaf College's Conference on Worship, Theology, and Arts (CWTA) invites you to reflect on how the people of God can challenge, change, and inspire others, especially as faith communities imagine new responses to the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and structural racism.

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ELCA, Worship Resources, ResourcesBrian FlatgardSt. Olaf CollegeComment
Lutheran Summer Music: Investing in future generations of leaders
Lutheran Summer Music: Investing in future generations of leaders

Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind., June 26–July 24 2022. Did you know that few Lutheran Summer Music students actually pay full tuition? Thanks to scholarships and congregational support through programs such as the Young Musicians Partnership, many LSM students receive matching grants that reduce out-of-pocket costs. Scholarships are still available for LSM 2022; nominate or encourage a young musician you know to apply today!

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ELCA, Resources, Worship ResourcesBrian FlatgardLutheran Summer MusicComment
ELCA Coaching Courageous Leadership: Navigating the Gottmans' Four Horsemen
ELCA Coaching Courageous Leadership: Navigating the Gottmans' Four Horsemen

From the work of psychologists Drs. John & Julie Gottman we will explore the concept of the Four Horsemen, first published in the book The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. We also welcome The Rev. Sara Cutter, Senior Director for Operational Effectiveness in the Christian Community and Leadership Home Area of the ELCA’s churchwide organization. Join us May 18, 2022, 11 am MST/PDT, 12pm MDT, (and every Wednesday). The login information can be found on the ELCA Coaching website.

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ELCA, News, ResourcesBrian FlatgardCoaching, ELCA CoachingComment
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: May 15, 2022
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: May 15, 2022

  • For people, all creatures, and livelihoods in the path of wildfires in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and elsewhere, and for the safety of those who are fighting the fires…

  • For the people of Ukraine and people throughout the world who are endangered by violence and warfare…

  • For students finishing the semester and preparing to graduate…

  • For people living with mental illness and for all who work to improve access to mental health care and combat the stigma of mental illness…

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ELCA, PrayersBrian FlatgardELCA Worship, For What Shall We PrayComment