Posts in ELCA
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: July 24, 2022
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: July 24, 2022

  • For those in London and all across Europe, experiencing record-high temperatures and facing the on-going threat of wildfires…

  • For jurors, students, and families in the midst of the Parkland shooting sentencing trial…

  • For the victims of the mall shooting in Indiana, for their families, and for all the bystanders who experienced the trauma of that event…

  • For all who continue to suffer the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with prayers and hope that the thirst for power can quelled and peace can again be established…

  • For countries in the midst of a transition of power, including Sri Lanka and Japan…

  • For people around the world who continue to delight in the images from the James Webb telescope…

  • For safety for all who travel in this season…

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ELCA, PrayersBrian FlatgardELCA Worship, For What Shall We PrayComment
Administration Matters: July, 2022
Administration Matters: July, 2022

The July, 2022, bimonthly e-newsletter for ELCA congregational and synodical leaders is here, featuring: ELCA Churchwide Assembly Pre-event: “Embody the Word” Bible study sessions; get a jump on your Portico Annual Enrollment; prepare for “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday with new resources; new mileage rate July through December 2022; cyber liability insurance; and choose your payroll provider wisely.

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ELCA, ResourcesBrian FlatgardAdministration MattersComment
President Biden visits Augusta Victoria Hospital
President Biden visits Augusta Victoria Hospital

The United States President Joe Biden visited the LWF-operated Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH) on the morning of Friday July 15. Biden’s visit to the hospital is the first visit of a sitting US president to East Jerusalem. The US President announced a USD 100 million multi-year commitment toward the East Jerusalem Hospital Network (EJHN), of which AVH is a member.

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ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardAugust Victoria Hospital, SumudComment
Advocacy Cafe
Advocacy Cafe

Drop by an Advocacy Cafe to hear from ELCA advocacy community leaders about timely topics. The 30-minute presentations will be offered twice on the same day. The day session will wrap-up with 15-minutes for a Q&A session with panelists. The evening session will wrap-up differently, with 25 minutes to meet in a small group with others to exchange experiences and ideas.

  • Tue. July 26 – August Recess

  • Tue. Aug. 30 – Civic Engagement Actions

  • Tue. Sept. 27 – Barriers to Voting

  • Tue. Oct. 25 – Public Discourse

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ELCA, News, ResourcesBrian FlatgardAdvocacy, ELCA AdvocacyComment
New Guidelines for Ministry in a Multi-Religious World
New Guidelines for Ministry in a Multi-Religious World

As Lutherans in North America, we have a remarkable opportunity to live out our Christian vocation in a multi-religious world. No matter where we live, the realities of religious diversity are not “out there,” but in our daily lives with our families, in our congregations, communities, and at work. Our ministries – whether as pastors, deacons, or lay people – are shaped by the religious diversity in our midst. The brand new “ELCA Guidelines for Ministry in a Multi-Religious World” provide a way for our ministries to also be shaped for our multi-religious context.

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ELCA, News, ResourcesBrian FlatgardEcumenical and Inter-Religious RelationsComment
2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly meets under the theme “Embody the Word”
2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly meets under the theme “Embody the Word”

Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will gather for the 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly Aug. 8-12 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. Meeting under the theme "Embody the Word," the assembly will participate in plenary discussions to make decisions about the work of this church. Live video of the plenary sessions will be accessible at elca.org/CWA-2022.

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ELCA, NewsBrian Flatgard2022 Churchwide AssemblyComment
Rev. Howard Wennes: A season of lament
Rev. Howard Wennes: A season of lament

We share a Living Lutheran post from Rev. Howie Wennes, written at the start of the pandemic.

Once a month I do a Bible study for inmates at the Ventura County Jail. I once asked them, “Do you know where the ‘Complaint Department’ is in the Bible?” Surprised to hear that, they asked, “Where?”

I told them that the best example is in the book of Psalms. There are 150 psalms and 50 of them fit into the lament category. Laments are cries of pain and pleas for God to notice and help.

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ELCA, LettersBrian FlatgardHowie Wennes, Living LutheranComment
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: July 17, 2022
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: July 17, 2022

  • Prayers of thanksgiving for the good and faithful work of our siblings in both the Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian Church (USA) during their recent national gatherings…

  • For ELCA Churchwide staff, bishops, lay and clergy voting members, guests, and all preparing for Churchwide Assembly next month…

  • For the incomprehensible expanse of creation, glimpses of which have been made possible by the technology of the James Webb Space Telescope…

  • For those facing down a new, more contagious variant of the COVID virus…

  • For healthcare workers feeling overwhelmed and burnt out…

  • For nations facing political and civil unrest, uncertainty, and transition, including Sri Lanka, Japan, and the ongoing conflict in Russia/Ukraine…

  • For all those living the effects of climate change: those facing heat waves in China, Eastern Eurpoe, and Texas; those facing droughts in Italy and the southwestern United States; those battling wildfires in Portugal…

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ELCA, PrayersBrian FlatgardELCA Worship, For What Shall We PrayComment
Rev. Jay Alanis: “Embody the Word” online Bible study series
Rev. Jay Alanis: “Embody the Word” online Bible study series

We share the video from Rev. Jay Alanis’ reflection titled, The Walk to Emaus, La Caminata a Emaús. It is the first pre-event of the ELCA Churchwide Assembly 2022.

In preparation for the 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, ELCA members are encouraged to participate in a series of online Bible studies that will explore the assembly theme, "Embody the Word," from Luke 24. Register here for the live Bible study series held on Zoom.

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ELCA, News, ResourcesBrian Flatgard2022 Churchwide AssemblyComment
Situation Report: Ukraine and Eastern Europe
Situation Report: Ukraine and Eastern Europe

Lutheran Disaster Response has raised over $10 million in support of refugees and internally displaced people in Ukraine and surrounding countries. New partnerships in Eastern Europe include L’Arche, International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), and Lutheran World Federation.

This post also has a partner update from the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovakia (ECACS).

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ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardRussia and Ukraine War, Lutheran Disaster Response, Lutheran World Federation, International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC)Comment
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: July 10, 2022
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: July 10, 2022

  • For the community of Highland Park, IL, and for all areas in our nation suffering recent gun violence…

  • For Jayland Walker’s family and community following the release of police bodycam videos…

  • For those injured and traumatized by gun violence, for grieving families and friends, and for all those in this country at increased risk of police violence…

  • For renewed motivation to work for environmental justice and care of creation…

  • For healthcare workers facing difficult or confusing decisions following recent Supreme Court decisions…

  • For those imprisoned in Russia: Ukrainian prisoners of war, Russian dissidents, and citizens of other nations, including Brittney Griner…

  • For our Muslim siblings around the world, as they observe the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca this week…

  • In thanksgiving for the life of Nathan Söderblom, Bishop of Uppsala, whose pursuits of peace and community created the groundwork for the World Council of Churches…

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ELCA, PrayersBrian FlatgardELCA Worship, For What Shall We PrayComment
ELCA hosts “Embody the Word” online Bible study series
ELCA hosts “Embody the Word” online Bible study series

In preparation for the 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, ELCA members are encouraged to participate in a series of online Bible studies that will explore the assembly theme, "Embody the Word," from Luke 24. Register here for the live Bible study series held on Zoom.

  • July 10 – Rev. Jay Alanís, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in San Juan, Texas.

  • July 17 – Sally Azar, currently studying in Germany with plans to serve the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) as its first female pastor.

  • July 24 – Man-Hei Yip, assistant professor of systematic theology at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa.

  • July 31 – Denise Rector, doctoral student in womanist theology and race and history at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

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ELCA, News, Worship ResourcesBrian Flatgard2022 Churchwide AssemblyComment
Linda Post Bushkofsky: Relearning our shared history
Linda Post Bushkofsky: Relearning our shared history

On this Independence Day, I encourage us all to spend some time relearning our shared history. Take time to read through five reflections written by Women of the ELCA participants as part of a study of the ELCA Declaration to People of African Descent. Review the Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery, adopted by both the ELCA (in 2016) and affirmed by Women of the ELCA (in 2017). It’s a start.

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ELCA, LettersBrian FlatgardRacial Justice, ELCA Racial Justice Ministries, Women of the ELCA (WELCA)Comment
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: July 3, 2022
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: July 3, 2022

  • For the apostle Thomas, whose life we commemorate this day: for the courage to name his questions, declare his belief, and for his devotion to Jesus…

  • For those who will gather this weekend to celebrate our nation’s independence…

  • For those affected by recent Supreme Court decisions, and those who feel anxious about precedent…

  • For parents of young children, who now have access to COVID vaccines after waiting for more than a year…

  • For those injured and killed in the Amtrak crash in Missouri, and for their families…

  • For those grieving and appalled at the death of 51 migrants trapped in a truck in Texas…

  • For world leaders looking to bring an end to the war in Ukraine…

  • For those living in Russia who will be most deeply affected by increased economic sanctions…

  • For election workers in this primary season…

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ELCA, PrayersBrian FlatgardELCA Worship, For What Shall We PrayComment
A History of Welcome, A Lutheran Legacy
A History of Welcome, A Lutheran Legacy

When war came to Ukraine and desperate people began streaming across the international borders in the frigid days of late winter and early spring, the Rev. Miroslav Mató knew he and the members of his parish would be called upon to help.

Located in Gerlachov, a small village in Slovakia about 200 miles from the Ukrainian border, Rev. Mató and his wife, Rev. Jana Matóva, prepared to offer refuge.

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ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardRussia and Ukraine War, Lutheran Disaster ResponseComment