Giovana Oaxaca shares a blog on ELCA.org observing World Refugee Day, as we celebrate the Lutheran heritage of hospitality and advocacy for refugees. The ELCA continues to lead with its AMMPARO strategy, welcoming congregations nationwide and advocating for fair and generous immigration policies. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Johnson-Reed Act, reminding us of the enduring importance of solidarity.
Read MoreThe ELCA Advocacy Network was active across various platforms in the last few months, from the UN in New York to state legislatures, focusing on crucial issues like sustainable development, justice, and climate change. Highlights include the ECOSOC Youth Forum’s focus on poverty and climate action, successful advocacy days in California and Pennsylvania, and legislative achievements in Colorado. These efforts reflect the ELCA’s commitment to embodying faith through active engagement and advocacy in critical societal issues.
Read MoreCivic engagement is happening this election year in many diverse communities and contexts—and being activated and led by congregations, rostered leaders, ELCA-affiliated state public policy offices and members. Read the latest updates from ELCA Advocacy.
Read MoreAs you make plans for worship in the autumn months, ELCA Worship offers many ways to explore All Creation Sings.
Read MoreIn her letter responding to recent Grants Pass Supreme Court decision, Bishop Eaton encourages us as a church to:
Learn and Engage: Let us educate ourselves about housing insecurity and about justice for the homeless. Visit the ELCA Homeless and Justice Network for more information.
Pray: Let us use the ELCA's Homeless and Justice Ministries dedicated devotional guide to pray for those affected by this decision and for our ministries that work to secure shelter for those in need.
Speak Out: Let us review the ELCA World Hunger resource on housing and engage in activities to support effective policies, such as writing a letter to a local news outlet or speaking out at a town hall.
“Criminalizing homelessness is an injustice we must reject. We remain committed to advocating for our unhoused neighbors.”
Read MoreFor justice and peace among nations where war and violence rage, especially Palestine and Israel, Iran, Myanmar, Iraq, Haiti, Russia and Ukraine, Burkina Faso, Sudan, and South Sudan…
For communities across the Midwest region of the United States impacted by severe storms and flooding…
For all who lack adequate shelter from extreme temperatures…
For families of workers killed in lithium battery plant fire in South Korea…
For the development of sustainable technology that protects both people and planet…
For the public health crisis of gun violence and for all its victims, especially in North Las Vegas, NV; Fordyce, AR; and Manatee County, FL…
For the families of those killed in the Dagestan region of Russia and for an end to religious intolerance and violence…
For public and political discourse that respects the dignity and humanity of all…
For the gift of freedom in Christ that binds us to the needs and dignity of our neighbors…
In honor of Juneteenth, ELCA Racial Justice Ministries invited Dr. Dianne R. Browne, Ph.D., CFLE, CSE, Chair of the ELCA New Jersey Synod’s Anti-Racism Team to share some thoughts about this federal holiday that many mark as the official end of legalized human enslavement in the United States. For more information on Juneteenth, visit What Is Juneteenth? | HISTORY.
Read MoreOne of the social events that Tribal nations and organizations host that welcome non-Indigenous people to attend is a powwow. There are plenty of powwows hosted across the United States and Canada. It is likely there is one planned and hosted somewhere near you. Some of you may have attended a powwow in the past and have enjoyed the drums, singing, dancing, ceremony and food while there!
But whether you have attended a powwow in the past or have yet to attend a powwow, this presentation from the Grand Canyon Synod’s Wanda Frenchman will provide you with information and instructions on how to be a respectful and successful visitor/guest. For more information: http://elca.org/indigenous
Read MoreFor justice and peace among nations where war and violence rage, especially Palestine and Israel, Iran, Myanmar, Iraq, Haiti, Russia and Ukraine, Burkina Faso, Sudan, and South Sudan…
For Native Americans celebrating cultural identity through powwows this summer and for preservation and appreciation of indigenous heritage…
For victims of landsides in Central and South America…
For cleanup efforts after a major oil spill near Singapore…
For those grieving the heat-related deaths of more than 500 pilgrims in Mecca during Hajj…
For extreme heat in India and other places around the globe…
For the health of our planet and people, creatures, and habitats most impacted by climate change…
For migrants missing or lost after shipwrecks in the Mediterranean…
For victims of human rights violations, especially in Greece, and for protection for all migrants…
For a resolution to violence in the South China Sea…
Fund for Leaders and the ELCA invite you to join our online discernment groups starting July 1. Designed for those curious about seminary or church leadership, these groups serve as a platform for exploring your spiritual calling. Register at elcaseminaries.org or contact recruitment@elca.org. Rostered ministers interested in leading can reach out to Rick.Summy@elca.org. Discover your path in a supportive community of faith leaders.
Read MoreOur June 2024 ELCA Mission Support Memo takes us back to U.P. Wild Church, in Northern Great Lake Synod: “a spiritual home for the seekers of beauty, wonder, & awe; where the ‘church goers’ supplement their journey and the ‘misfits’ finally feel connected within the congregation of paper birch trees & squawking geese via the Mystery which creates all things.”
Additionally find free access to ELCA Stewardship recordings on “The Spirituality of Capital Campaigns,” “Creating a Year-Round Stewardship Calendar,” “Narrative Budget Construction,” “Donor Motivations” or “Four Mindset Shifts” which are perfect for stewardship teams wanting to do some continuing education or for councils curious about what’s happening in the realm of stewardship.
Read MoreThe Rev. Deborah K. Hutterer was reelected June 14 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Grand Canyon Synod. Information about the Grand Canyon Synod is available at gcsynod.org.
Read MoreMark your calendar for Sunday, Sept. 8, when congregations of the ELCA will join together for our annual day of service, “God’s work. Our hands.”
Participating in service projects is one way to celebrate who we are as the ELCA — one church, freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor.
Read MoreThe Rev. Vivian J. Davila, Bayamon, Puerto Rico, was elected June 8 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Caribbean Synod. Information about the Caribbean Synod is available at facebook.com/elcalcs.
Read MoreThe Rev. Martin R. Halom, Bloomer, Wis., was elected June 8 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin. Information about the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin is available at nwswi.org/.
Read MoreHave you heard the phrase, “May you live in interesting times?” Many would say we live in uncertain times, with a world experiencing war and famine, the stress and lingering effects of the pandemic. But Bishop Eaton reminds us that as people of the Resurrection we also live in hope. God’s love sustains us even in the most difficult times. We live in interesting times because God’s love is always real.
Read MoreThe Rev. Timothy M. Graham, Fort Wayne, Ind., was elected June 8 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Indiana-Kentucky Synod. Information about the Indiana-Kentucky Synod is available at https://iksynod.org/.
Read MoreThis summer, engage with your faith through music at a series of Lutheran music events. Highlights include Augsburg Fortress Summer Music Clinics in five U.S. cities and the Lutheran Summer Music Academy at Valparaiso University, featuring over 30 public concerts. Additionally, Music that Makes Community offers community singing workshops, embodying our commitment to faith, music, and community. Embrace this opportunity to deepen your spiritual journey through music and read more at ELCA Worship’s monthly blog post.
Read MoreThe Rev. Nathan D. Pipho, Worcester, Mass., was elected June 7 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the New England Synod. Information about the New England Synod is available at nelutherans.org/.
Read MoreTo commemorate the 9th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Emanuel 9 – Clementa C. Pinckney, Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance, DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Daniel Lee Simmons, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, and Myra Thompson, our beloved siblings in Christ who were murdered by a self-professed white supremacist and ELCA parishioner while they were gathered for Bible study and prayer at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church (often referred to as Mother Emanuel) in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17, 2015 – Desta Goehner, Board President of the ELCA Association of White Lutherans for Racial Justice to share some thoughts about this day of repentance.
For more ELCA resources visit: Commemoration of the Emanuel Nine — June 17 – Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (elca.org)
See also: Establishing_June_17th_as_Emanuel_9_Commemoration_and_Day_of_Repentance.pdf (elca.org)
Worship Resources: Prayers_Litanies_Laments_Emanuel_Nine_Commemoration.pdf (elca.org)
