Lutherans Restoring Creation shares their Good Green News for November 2022, featuring gratitude, an urge to respond to the Climate Care message draft by December 2, 2022, and upcoming Connection Calls.
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The November, 2022 edition of Seeds Monthly is available, featuring: ELCA introduces refreshed brandmark; virtual church; ELCA Youth Gathering news; and featured events, resources, and bulletin blurbs.
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ELCA World Hunger and Lutheran Disaster Response have always been intricately connected, but in recent months global events have reminded us again just how vital the work of God through these shared ministries is for communities around the world. View the latest Fall 2022 edition of Lifelines online or order here.
The depth of the humanitarian and refugee crisis in Ukraine and across Europe will require a yearslong response. Incredible generosity to Lutheran Disaster Response in the wake of the Eastern European crisis and to ELCA World Hunger over the last 18 months has enabled us to temporarily expand our work in impacted regions.
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ALAMEH (Association of Lutherans of Arab and Middle Eastern Heritage) released a issued a statement on current events in Iran. Read it here or in full in this post.
“Zan. Zendegi. Azadi. Woman. Life. Freedom. These are the words Iranian citizens have been shouting from the streets throughout Iran for the last several weeks. Iranians took to the streets to protest the murder of a Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini.”
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The Church Council of the ELCA met at the Lutheran Center in Chicago, Nov. 10–Nov. 13, 2022. The council welcomed ELCA Vice President Imran Siddiqui and 18 new members, elected by the 2022 Churchwide Assembly.
In key action, the council approved a nomination process for the Commission on a Renewed Lutheran Church.
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In the predawn hours of May 30, 2022, in Valley Springs, S.D., tornado sirens pierced the air, rain poured and windows clattered as they blew off hinges.
Beaver Valley Lutheran, a steadily growing congregation of around 420 active members, was directly in the path of the tornado. The church, more than a century old, suffered significant damage. Its offices, kitchen, fellowship hall and education wing were mangled into unrecognizable piles of debris, said Greg Johnson, pastor of Beaver Valley.
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Executive certificate in religious fundraising from the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, Wednesdays from Jan. 4 through March 8 (except for Ash Wednesday), with a smaller cohort meeting an additional day each week. The course is offered at a steep discount for parish deacons and ministers, at only $550. Contact Rev. Larry Strenge or Rev. Timothy Brown with questions. Learn more here.
“Learning Donor Motivations” stewardship webinar, Monday, Jan. 30, 2023, 6 p.m. Central time.
Join ELCA Coaching on Wednesday, November 23, 2022 when we will hear from Christina Costa, MSc, a Psychology PhD candidate at University of Michigan. Log in info is on the ELCA Coaching website.
When a psychologist who studies well-being ends up with a brain tumor, what happens when she puts her own research into practice? Christina goes beyond the "fight" narrative of cancer -- or any formidable personal journey -- to highlight the brain benefits of an empowering alternative (hint: gratitude) to fostering resilience in the face of unexpected challenges.
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For worship leaders and musicians preparing for Advent and Christmas…
For those traveling this Thanksgiving holiday, those who will spending the holiday alone or with one less place setting this year, and those for whom holiday gatherings bring grief or anxiety…
For those who grow, distribute, sell, and prepare our food, and the land from which it grows…
For those struggling and working to rebuild in the wake of flooding and natural disasters…
For those grieving in the aftermath of the University of Virginia shooting and for an end to gun violence…
For an end to the continued war in Ukraine and all places of war and conflict…
Churches around the world are coming together to participate in the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. Starting on Nov 25th, 2022, we will be acting, lifting voices, and promoting a more justice world for women and girls.
Please find attached the form to sign up here for your activity during this campaign, and learn more in this post.
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In December 2021, western Kentucky was hit by a series of deadly and destructive tornadoes, destroying over 1,300 homes. In July 2022, record-setting floods inundated communities in eastern Kentucky. The flooding caused heavy damage to homes and local infrastructure. Recovery in both areas will takes years.
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According to Wikipedia, politics, from the Greek politika (“affairs of the city”), is the set of activities associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. It’s jarring to see such a definition because politics is currently far from what it was intended to be.
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I invited the youth to write down all the things they could think of that were good. I told them to keep writing, not to lift up their pens, and to list as many things—big and small—that felt good to them. Once we finished sharing, I asked one question: Did anyone include themselves on the list? I met their eyes and saw surprise and many heads shaking. Not one had added their name to their list of good things.
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When I met Mark, his first marriage had failed, as had mine, but his love and commitment toward his young daughter, Kristen, were unshakable. When we married, she became a full-fledged member of our new family, and I became a stepmother.
The time and increasing closeness Kristen and I shared brought me immense joy. Even so, I often felt insecure as she came and went on a schedule beyond my control, always returning to the care of a woman whose claim and closeness far outweighed my own.
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A common challenge regarding stewardship is finding organic ways to speak about it. The following upcoming readings this Advent and Epiphany are just a few hooks on which a stewardship thought might hang: Matthew 24:36-44, Nov. 27; Matthew 3:13-17, Jan. 8, 2023; and Matthew 5:13-20 | Feb. 5, 2023.
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ELCA worship invites you to give feedback on prayers of intercession by 11/23/2022.
Intercession prompts:
For newly elected and re-elected public officials and a willingness to reach across party lines for the well-being of all people, especially the most vulnerable…
For deepening political divisions within our communities, nation, and families…
For those who are unemployed or underemployed…
For residents of Florida and the Bahamas, as Tropical Storm Nicole makes landfall and intensifies…
For an end to the continued war in Ukraine and all places of war and conflict…
A message from the Director of the ELCA Youth Gathering, Deacon Tammy Jones West, on how the upcoming ELCA Youth Gathering theme was chosen.
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The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all have sections where Jesus makes dramatic predictions about things that will happen in the future. Because these things seem to be hidden from general knowledge and are being revealed as special information to Jesus’ followers, they are called “apocalyptic” sayings. These terms “apocalypse” and “apocalyptic” are Greek words meaning “uncovering” or “revealing.”
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One of my favorite Sunday school songs is “Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man” (“And a wee little man was he”). I love teaching the actions to kids and watching them light up at the seeming silliness of the story—from pretending to climb the tree to peering down at Jesus as Zacchaeus to looking up at Zacchaeus as Jesus.
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In line with standard ELCA protocol, the project to create a new social message on Climate Care is being shepherded by the ELCA Director for Theological Ethics, working with a lead writer in collaboration with a group of reviewers.
The draft social message is now available for public feedback! Read the social message draft here and then use this survey to share your input by Friday, December 2, 2022.
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