Posts in ELCA
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: 11/6/2022
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: 11/6/2022

  • For the global missionaries of our church, including pastors, educators, medical personnel, and Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM)…

  • For our nation’s veterans, all who have experienced the violence of war, and those who strive for peace…
    For an end to the continued war in Ukraine and all places of war and conflict…

  • For those injured and those grieving loss of life in the aftermath of the tragic Halloween festivities in Seoul, South Korea…

  • For those grieving loss of life following the bridge collapse in Morbi, Gujarat, India…

  • For our national and local elections and those who will be elected to public office this week…

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ELCA, PrayersBrian FlatgardELCA Worship, For What Shall We PrayComment
Bishop Eaton: Christians against Christian Nationalism
Bishop Eaton: Christians against Christian Nationalism

Christian Nationalism identifies human-made governments as lockstep with God’s will and seeks to privilege Christians, typically only white Christians. This type of ideology is not only dangerous but distorts the difference between holding government accountable to God as opposed to identified strictly with God’s will. We must stand against Christian Nationalism and as that you join us in signing the petition and sharing your stance by visiting the Christians Against Christian Nationalism site.

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ELCA, Bishop Eaton, News, LettersBrian FlatgardChristian Nationalism, Christians Against Christian Nationalism, Church and Society Comments
New Horizons for Episcopal-Lutheran Relations
New Horizons for Episcopal-Lutheran Relations

2022 marks two decades of full communion between the ELCA and The Episcopal Church—a pioneering decision for Christians in the United States that now bears fruit in about two hundred ministry sites including combined church plants, shared facilities, joint camping ministries and governmental advocacy, food pantries, campus ministries, archival work, very regular exchange of pastoral care and preaching, and collaboration in educational initiatives.

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ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardThe Episcopal Church, Ecumenical and Inter-Religious RelationsComment
Church closures yield growth
Church closures yield growth

We recognize the wisdom of Ecclesiastes when it comes to the life cycles of all living beings. As individuals, we know our lives will end someday. But it’s often more difficult to accept the reality that all human organizations, including our congregations, have life spans as well.

A 2021 study by the Center for Analytics, Research & Development and Data, affiliated with the United Church of Christ, found that, during the previous decade, between 3,850 and 7,700 U.S. congregations closed each year, or 75 to 150 per week. Some who study church trends believe the pace will quicken in the wake of the pandemic.

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ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardLiving LutheranComment
Hunger at the Crossroads Webinar: Conflict and Hunger
Hunger at the Crossroads Webinar: Conflict and Hunger

Violent conflict is one of the most significant drivers of hunger around the world. From wars between nations to ethnic and tribal violence, conflicts affect farms, markets, jobs, housing, trade and more. In this webinar, we will hear from ELCA staff from around the world, who will help us dive more deeply into the tragic and significant ways violent conflict impacts hunger. Click here to register for “Conflict and Hunger,” Thursday, 11/3/2022, 11am MST/PDT, noon MDT.

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ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardHunger, ELCA World HungerComment
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: October 30, 2022
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: October 30, 2022

  • For those grieving in the aftermath of the shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis, Missouri…

  • For all affected by school shootings and acts of violence…

  • For the leaders of nations and all diplomats and peacemakers…

  • For our upcoming national and local elections and election judges who will serve at the polls…

  • For the victims of human trafficking…

  • For relief and peaceful resolution to the ongoing violence in Haiti…

  • For an end to the continued war in Ukraine and all places of war and conflict…

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ELCA, PrayersBrian FlatgardELCA Worship, For What Shall We PrayComment
Thank you from the ELCA Fund for Leaders Class of 2022
Thank you from the ELCA Fund for Leaders Class of 2022

The ELCA Fund for Leaders supports students of tremendous promise attending ELCA seminaries to become pastors and deacons in our church. This year, 375 students are receiving over $3.5 million in scholarship support. In this video, a few of them would like to express their thanks to you for making their scholarships possible. Learn more at ELCA.org/FundForLeaders.

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ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardELCA Fund for LeadersComment
Faith Lens: Resilient Women
Faith Lens: Resilient Women

I am in awe of the Muslim women involved in protests surrounding the wearing of the hijab. They are heroes who are showing strength and resilience in the midst of persistent pushback.

One of the things that has struck me is that there is no one, universal stance. Women are asking for the power to choose how to live out their faith. There are women in Iran who refuse to be forced to wear a hijab. And at the same time there are women in India who wear their hijabs despite being banned from doing so.

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ELCA, Worship ResourcesBrian FlatgardFaith Lens, Youth and Young AdultComment
Lutherans Restoring Creation explore Doctrine of Discovery's Roots in Climate Injustice
Lutherans Restoring Creation explore Doctrine of Discovery's Roots in Climate Injustice

Register now for this Upcoming Connections Calls: Doctrine of Discovery's Roots in Climate Injustice, Tuesday, October 25th, 2022, 5pm MST/PDT, 6pm MDT.

They will watch Are We There Yet? together. We are fortunate to screen the 30-minute film and hear directly from its creators. Don't miss this - it will not be recorded. See trailer and register here.

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ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardClimate Change, Christians Against Christian Nationalism, Lutherans Restoring Creation, Christian NationalismComment