Jesus starts this part of John with the words “Do not let your heart be troubled.” In the original Greek, the pronoun is plural (like “y’all”) and the heart is singular. Jesus assumes that the disciples, though many, share one heart. They’re a unified community. Whatever may come they’re in it together.
Read MoreELCA Advocacy provides their April 2023 updates. Click here to read the UN and State edition, and click here to read the Advocacy Connections from the ELCA advocacy office in Washington, D.C.
Read MoreVisit elca.org/MMIW for resources on this month, including: 2023 National Week of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women; May 5, 2023 National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (#MMIW, wear red and post); ELCA #MMIW Sunday; and many resources.
Read More“Women of the ELCA has been involved in the anti-trafficking effort for nearly two decades. It is only natural, then, that we continue this important justice work with a focus on MMIW,” says Linda Post Bushkofsky, executive director. Many resources are available to assist you and your congregational unit as you work on these areas.
Read MoreThe Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) met electronically April 20, 2023. The council serves as the ELCA churchwide organization's board of directors and interim legislative authority between meetings of a churchwide assembly.
Read MoreOur team is excited to share that the application process for Domestic Hunger Grants will open May 1, 2023. For those who are familiar with the Domestic Hunger Grants, this year’s process will look a bit different, but we hope that the changes described below will improve the process in some important ways. To learn more about the updated process and how to apply, please visit https://elca.org/domestichungergrants.
Read MoreFor an end to ongoing violence in Ukraine, Palestine, Sudan, Israel, and Haiti…
For places in the world grieving mass deaths, including Kenya and Burkina Faso…
For Australia and New Zealand as they remember their fallen on Anzac Day…
For an end to gun violence in our nation…
That faith-based narratives of love, humility, and service would rise above dangerous rhetoric of Christian nationalism…
For those harmed by legislative restrictions on healthcare access, especially for transgender siblings and women…
For an expansion of affordable housing, and for all who are unhoused or housing insecure…
The use of cannabis (marijuana) and whether it should be legal remains a hotly debated issue in our country, with different states reaching different conclusions. One persistent fear is that cannabis is a “gateway drug” leading its consumers to use harder drugs. In an article for Forbes, Dario Sabaghi traces the dubious history of this concern, noting that several studies not only challenge this idea but also suggest that cannabis may also lead users away from opioids.
Read MoreELCA Worship shares their news for March, 2023.
Alleluia! Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!
The ELCA churchwide organization is hiring a part-time Worship intern for the remainder of 2023. Learn more about the position here.
Read MoreIn observance of Earth Day 2023, Bishop Eaton lifts up the ELCA’s new social message, “Earth’s Climate Crisis,” underscoring that this is a “moment of Kairos, a critical moment in time when God is calling for decisive action in history.”
Read MoreIn this blog post from the ELCA, you’ll find
The ELCA Church Council just adopted the church’s sixteenth social message, titled “Earth’s Climate Crisis“
Ecumenical Conference on Faith and Climate Justice in Puerto Rico
Equity is the Path to Sustainability
A Message from Anglican, Lutheran Leaders for Earth Day 2023
ReconcilingWorks continues to accompany Reconciling in Christ (RIC) partners in updating their Public Partner Commitments, and through regional RIC partner zoom calls, they are looking forward to providing another opportunity of support. Our Region 2 call is Tuesday, 5/2/2023, 12-2pm MST/PDT, 1-3pm MDT. Click here to register.
Read MoreIs the Holy Spirit stirring within you to accept this call to be a Servant Coach or Companion at the 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans?
Applications to be a Servant Companion Coach are open through June 2. Apply Here!
Applications for Servant Companions will open on June 15. Get more information on Volunteering of the Gathering here.
Join ELCA Coaching every Wednesday at 11am MST/PDT, 12pm MDT, as we practice Courageous Leadership. Log in info is on the ELCA Coaching website.
Join us Wednesday, April 26, 2023, as we hear from parent, author, and ELCA Coach Jamie Bruesehoff, who will share experience as a parent of a transgender young person and what it has taught her about boldly, loudly, and joyfully celebrating the young people in our midst and advocating for them in our ministry settings and beyond.
Read MoreAt the Silver Jubilee Celebration, marking 70 years of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, Richard Griffin, a Royal Protection Officer assigned to protect her, told an amazing story of two Americans’ unsuspecting brush with fame. The hikers on a walking holiday met the Queen and Griffen in a picnic area, but had no idea who they were.
Read MoreAfter forming near Australia, Cyclone Freddy traveled westward, eventually making its first landfall in Madagascar on Feb. 21 and then two more landfalls in Mozambique. In response to Cyclone Freddy, Lutheran Disaster Response is supporting the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi (ELCM) and Evangelical Lutheran Development Service (ELDS).
Read MoreFor peace in our world, especially in Sudan, Ukraine, and Israel…
For a calming of tensions between North Korea and its neighbors…
In lament over mass shootings in our nation…
For survivors of sexual assault and abuse, especially in the Archdiocese of Baltimore…
In thanksgiving for public and private agencies that provide support and care for sexual assault and abuse survivors…
In confession of the church’s complicity in sexual abuse and its failure to protect children…
In thanksgiving for our National Parks, Forests, and Wilderness Areas; and for their continued preservation…
Barbara Keller, Consultant for the Prevention of Sexual Misconduct at ELCA, is leading a one hour zoom seminar for rostered ministers on “How to Work with Sex Offenders in Your Congregation.”
Thursday, 4/27/23, 1pm MST/PDT, noon MDT. Register by emailing kate.schnaath@elca.org.
Read MoreELCA Global Mission shares their Global Links newsletter for April, 2023, featuring: The gift of goats in Nepal, news around the world, mission personnel, and how to get involved.
Read MoreThe ELCA mission support memo for March, 2023 is available as PDF, as a Word doc, or in this blog post. They also provide access to a presentation on Where is Mission Interpretation Now. Click here to view the presentation with this passcode $3xKqLkn.
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