Posts in ELCA
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: 2/12/2023
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: 2/12/2023

  • For people of Turkey and Syria who grieve death and destruction following a major earthquake, and for all relief and recovery efforts…

  • For all clergy of color, especially those serving in white contexts and communities…

  • For continued vigilance, appreciation, and awe for the Black community of the United States during Black History Month…

  • For all in our nation struggling with rising food costs…

  • For those watching the Super Bowl today, that they enjoy fun and excitement–or devastation–with friends and family…

  • For inspiration and strength to show love in deed, word, and acts of art and beauty…

  • For all experiencing improvements in mental, emotional, and physical health with the lengthening daylight hours…

  • In thanksgiving for ongoing improvements in the COVID-19 pandemic, while also continued prayers for all affected by the virus…

  • For world leaders, that they hold their power with humility and care…

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ELCA, PrayersBrian FlatgardELCA Worship, For What Shall We PrayComment
Redemption Song: Talks at the Desk, Episode 2 - Season 2 (2023)
Redemption Song: Talks at the Desk, Episode 2 - Season 2 (2023)

Welcome to Episode 2 of the series, Talks at the Desk, season 2. We travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands and visit several of the oldest Lutheran churches in the Western hemisphere. This episode explores the history and impact of colonialism both past and present.

We meet wise and courageous people of faith who remind us about sacred struggles of the past and the presence of God and ancestors today in the work that remains to be done.

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ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardTalks At the Desk, Racial Justice, 2023 Black History Month, African Descent MinistriesComment
ELCA Disability Ministries: Grants update and tAble
ELCA Disability Ministries: Grants update and tAble

We had an AMAZING response to our most recent opportunity to receive a grant from ELCA Disability Ministries! Our review team will soon begin the process of narrowing down the first 30 applications we received to the top 5 that will receive grants of up to $10,000.

We also wanted to share that the Youth Gathering will waive fees for the first 200 registrants who attend the tAble.

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ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardDisability Ministries, ELCA Disability Ministries, Grants, 2024 ELCA Youth GatheringComment
Living Lutheran: What is a thriving congregation? (Part one)
Living Lutheran: What is a thriving congregation? (Part one)

Imagine measuring congregational vitality by how alive people and faith communities feel in their gathering and in their interactions with their neighbors, instead of determining success by counting the number of people attending worship or the number of dollars collected.

That’s what congregations are doing, or learning to do, throughout the ELCA in programs funded through grants awarded by Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Thriving Congregations Initiative. Congregations can apply for the Nourishing Vocation Project.

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ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardLilly Endowment, Thriving Congregations Initiative, Living LutheranComment
Faith Lens: From the Heart
Faith Lens: From the Heart

A new poll by Morning Consult, released in January, showed that only 16% of Generation Z adults (ages 18-25) said they were proud to live in America.

Looking at all adult age groups, 52% said they were proud to live in America and 73% of the oldest generation, Baby Boomers, said they were proud to live in the U.S. Even millennials, the next closest age group to Gen Z, saw 20% more of its members saying they were proud to live in America, although still a minority at 36%.

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Worship Resources, ELCA, ResourcesBrian FlatgardYouth and Young Adult, Faith LensComment
Registration fee waived for MYLE and tAble
Registration fee waived for MYLE and tAble

Over the weekend, the ELCA Youth Gathering team announced that "the registration fees for the first 1,000 registrants for the ELCA MYLE and the first 200 registrants for the tAble will be waived by the Gathering for the 2024 cycle." These events are in New Orleans, 7/13-7/16/2024.

The Multicultural Youth Leadership Event (MYLE) is a gathering for youth of color that happens just before the ELCA Gathering, and The tAble is a gathering for young people who live with a range of physical, cognitive and emotional disabilities. Be on the lookout for more details coming soon!

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ELCA, Grand Canyon Synod, NewsBrian Flatgard2024 ELCA Youth Gathering, Youth and Young AdultComment
SOFIA: UP Wild Brings Worship Outdoors
SOFIA: UP Wild Brings Worship Outdoors

As part of the latest Stories of Faith in Action, we share UP Wild Brings Worship Outdoors (view online or as PDF). Located in the town of Marquette in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, UP Wild Church is among the newest ministries in the growing movement of “wild” outdoor worship communities.

View all the Stories of Faith in Action here, and how your offering becomes mission support.

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ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardStories of Faith in Action (SOFIA), 2022-2023 Sofia, Outdoor MinistryComment
11th Asian Lutheran International Conference held
11th Asian Lutheran International Conference held

The 11th Asian Lutheran International Conference (ALIC) was held in Chiang Rai, Thailand, Jan. 12-17, with the theme “Comfort, Comfort My People: Prophetic Justice and Healing.” Sivin Kit, Lutheran World Federation interim director for the Department for Theology, Mission and Justice, spoke to this theme by asking, “Have we lost touch with the experience of pain and suffering in our churches and our world?”

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ELCA, Global Church, NewsBrian FlatgardAsian and Pacific Islander Association of the ELCAComment
Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church nominations
Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church nominations

At its November 2022 meeting, the ELCA Church Council authorized the establishment of a Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church (CRLC) to consist of no more than 35 voting members and directed the Executive Committee of the Church Council to initiate the process of forming the Commission.

Each synod is being asked to submit two nominees. Read more in this post about this process and how to nominate yourself or others.

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ELCA, Grand Canyon Synod, NewsBrian FlatgardCommission for a Renewed Lutheran ChurchComment
Deanna Branch speaks at White House Lead Pipe Summit
Deanna Branch speaks at White House Lead Pipe Summit

Deanna Branch is an activist for lead-poisoning awareness. She is a mother, a member of Hephatha Lutheran Church (ELCA) and a resident of Milwaukee, Wis. Vice President Kamala Harris invited Deanna to attend the recent White House Lead Pipe Summit.

Deanna Branch and her sons, Jaidyn and Aidan are featured in "Blessed are the peacemakers," the first episode of the new season of "Talks at the Desk" video series.

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ELCA, NewsBrian Flatgard2023 Black History Month, African Descent Ministries, Talks At the DeskComment
Living Faithful: Called and Thriving leadership event
Living Faithful: Called and Thriving leadership event

Lutheran women will gather via Zoom for Living Faithful: Called and Thriving, a new online leadership event, February 16-18, 2023.

The four-hour sessions from Women of the ELCA on both Friday and Saturday will include worship, Bible study presentations, breakout time, Q&A and much more. Prior registration is required. Spanish language translation services will be provided. Learn more and register here.

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ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardWomen of the ELCA (WELCA)Comment
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: 2/5/2023
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: 2/5/2023

  • For the family of Tyre Nichols and the city of Memphis as they experience the trauma of police brutality…

  • For the city of Jerusalem as it mourns those killed in the recent synagogue shooting…

  • For victims and families following a mosque bombing in Pakistan…

  • For labor strikes in the U.K. and for fair working conditions for all…

  • For the UN, NATO, and all world leaders working in global collaboration…

  • For warmth and safety following ice storms in the southern and central USA…

  • For a renewed commitment to seeking racial justice as we enter Black History Month…

  • For free access to education, and in thanksgiving for all educators…

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ELCA, PrayersBrian FlatgardELCA Worship, For What Shall We PrayComment