For many months we have seen an alarming spike in anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim and white supremacist hate. It has been reported that extremist groups are planning a national "Day of Hate" tomorrow, targeting Jews. This evening, as the sun sets and Shabbat begins, our Jewish neighbors are living in fear.
As Christians, we are called to love our neighbors and to be peacemakers.
Read MoreWhat are the objectives of democracy in the United States?
The ELCA invites you and your congregation to explore this and other questions by using "A Study Curriculum on Civic Life and Faith." View a video on this question in this post, along with a PDF guide.
Read MoreIn this article in Living Lutheran, a Colombian camp counselor reflects on serving in South Dakota.
Read MoreThe Richard R. Hammar Clergy Tax Guide and the Federal Reporting Guide for Churches are both available on myPortico at no cost to you.
Read MoreAs part of the latest Stories of Faith in Action, we share a story about the United Evangelical Church in Cuba Lutheran Synod (view online or as PDF). “Yamilka Hernández Guzmán always loved education and had a talent for teaching. A psychologist in an oncology hospital in Cuba, she looked for answers to the daily struggle for life she witnessed.”
View all the Stories of Faith in Action here, and how your offering becomes mission support.
Read MoreFor continued relief and recovery efforts in Turkey and Syria…
For continued clean-up efforts following the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment…
For all who are digging out and warming up following winter storms in the Midwest…
For the families and loved ones of the Orlando shooting victims…
For an end to gun violence across our nation and our world…
For the loved ones of those killed in a plane crash near Little Rock, Arkansas…
For those injured and killed during violent raids in the West Bank…
For peace in our world, especially at the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine…
For recovery efforts after an open pit mine collapse in China’s northern Inner Mongolia region…
For all facing unemployment, job insecurity, or financial instability…
Welcome to Episode 4 of Talks at the Desk, season 2. We travel to Ghana and hear from students attending the All Africa Youth Congress. We visit a slave castle and hear about the what enslaved ancestors endured. Also, Pastor Nicolette Penaranda sits down with three legends of Black Lutheran theology.
Read MoreThe February, 2023 edition of Go and Do News, a newsletter from ELCA World Hunger, is available. This edition features 40 Days of Giving, a new vacation Bible school program, The Dwelling, The Legacy of Martin Lutheran King Jr. event, partner spotlight Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), and featured resources.
Read MoreFounded less than 150 years after Martin Luther’s 95 Theses, Frederick Lutheran Church has witnessed more change, growth and conversation on the lives of African descendants than any other church in the Western Hemisphere.
Read MoreWe share updates from the Lutheran Office for World Community and state public policy offices (sppos) in the ELCA Advocacy Network for February, 2023.
Read MoreIncrease your confidence and peace of mind by learning more about developing a withdrawal strategy, utilize Social Security, plan for health care costs, and more. Watch the recordings of the Retirement Readiness workshops whenever it works for you. Learn more, or sign up to participate, on myPortico.
Read MoreAs part of the latest Stories of Faith in Action, we share a story about the “kin∙dom community,” an ecumenical partnership between the ELCA Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod and the Presbyterian Church (USA) (view online or as PDF). When Pepa Paniagua felt called to a job that didn’t exist, she set about creating it. What resulted was the “kin∙dom community,” a new approach to a term adopted nearly 40 years ago.
View all the Stories of Faith in Action here, and how your offering becomes mission support.
Read MoreInternational Women’s Day is March 8, 2023. The ELCA celebrates this day by uplifting the International Women Leaders (IWL) program.
On the following Sunday, March 12, we encourage your congregation to take a special offering for IWL. In honor of International Women’s Day, all gifts to IWL will be matched dollar for dollar until we reach $50,000 — your gifts will go twice as far! Read more here.
Read MoreRostered ministers are heading to Phoenix in July, 2023! If you like to welcome people, help with registration, or have the gift of hospitality, please connect with Pastor Doug Dill: pastordoug@centrallutheranaz.org or 402-235-6969. Click here to register as a volunteer at elca.org.
Learn more about the gathering at elca.org/rmg.
Read MoreAfter perhaps a year or more of not gathering on-site for Ash Wednesday services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, worshiping communities across a large swath of the US are dealing with or expecting severe weather that would prevent gathering on-site.
Conversations on social media have begun, as fellow worship planners ask one another what they are doing when assembling for worship on-site will not be possible.
Read MoreThe February, 2023 edition of Seeds Monthly is available here, featuring articles, events, and resources.
Read MoreELCA Worship shares their news for January, 2023.
Don't forget to visit ELCA.org/worship and click on "Worship Resources" for a library of liturgical and formational resources for use in your context. You might find something new (or new to you) and share it with others who help plan worship in your context. Blessings as we approach Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent.
Read MoreLutheran Disaster Response is contributing to ACT Alliance to address the devastation from the earthquakes. There are several ACT Alliance members already active in the region that are providing immediate aid. These organizations are supplying blankets, mattresses, hot meals and hygiene kits to earthquake survivors. As needs are assessed, the organizations will establish further actions.
Read MoreStudents of all races at Collingswood High School in South Jersey recently protested two straight days over allegations of racism in their school. During the peaceful demonstration, students protested racial profiling, lack of inclusivity, and how their Black classmates are disproportionately disciplined.
In a recorded statement student Abygail St. Louis shares her frustration and why it has come to protesting for equal rights for her and her classmates. She says she would rather be in the classroom.
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