In her September/October column for Living Lutheran, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reflects on the 2019 Churchwide Assembly, saying the actions taken were based on “our scriptural and confessional understanding of who God chooses us to be.” In Milwaukee, she says, “we stepped out in faith.” Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/2mjiMYj and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/2oDR5KK.
Read MorePresiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton invited me and two other U.S. bishops (Bishop Susan Briner and Bishop Patricia Davenport) to participate in an annual retreat held early September for newly elected leaders by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).
In addition to the three ELCA bishops, there were bishops and pastor presidents from Zambia, Ghana, South Korea, Thailand, northern India, Bolivia, the River Table (Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay) and Peru.
Read MoreCentered in Christ, the 2019 Churchwide Assembly was significant in many ways: worship, thoughtful deliberation and prayer led to the adoption of memorials and resolutions that will shape this church for years to come. Among these decisions, this church was called to address the deadly power of racism and white supremacy. Martin Luther's clear exposition of the gospel — that God justifies, that we are redeemed by the death and resurrection of Jesus, and that grace is a gift — not only makes it possible to engage in this work but gives us a framework in which to do it.
The doctrine of justification is a great leveler. It acknowledges that no one group of people can claim supremacy over others. We are all deeply in need of grace, and God gives this gift to all. Standing equally under the judgement and promise of the gospel, we, as a church, can recognize the overt and covert ways that a culture of white supremacy denies full humanity to all people, and we can work to dismantle it.
We offered a public apology titled "Declaration of the ELCA to People of African Descent."
We adopted a resolution condemning white supremacy.
We adopted a resolution to establish June 17 as "Emanuel 9 Day of Repentance," commemorating the martyrdom of Clementa C. Pinckney, Cynthia Marie Graham-Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance, Depayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Daniel L. Simmons, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, and Myra Thompson by a violent white supremacist, Dylann Roof, who grew up in the ELCA.
We are blessed to be church together in a time of renewal. Looking back through centuries of our faith’s history, we can imagine the anxiety and doubt of people living in times of extreme change. We can also see what must have been nearly invisible to that congregation of saints: the Holy Spirit at work.
Dr. Dwight Zscheile, of Luther Seminary, recently wrote about predictions from an ELCA Research & Evaluation project that the ELCA may be gone in 30 years. You can read Zscheile’s article at faithlead.luthersem.edu/will-the-elca-will-be-gone-in-30-years.
Read MoreEvery year, the President of the United States determines the number of refugees that can be admitted to the country. This is called the Presidential Determination, and is set in early October for the upcoming year.
This October, administration officials will reportedly propose the number of refugees allowed into the United States in 2020 be set to zero.
Read MoreFrom Allie Papke-Larson comes this reflection on attending the Grand Canyon Synod Assembly this summer. Papke-Larson is Program Coordinator for Lutheran Campus Ministries/Canterbury Episcopal Campus Ministries at Northern Arizona University and Youth Director at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Flagstaff.
I have to admit; this was my first Synod Assembly since I was 14 years old and living in northern Minnesota. Going into the assembly I was looking forward to experiencing, and really meeting, the Grand Canyon Synod (GCS) for the first time. As a new member of the synod it was apparent to me that GCS is going through change and transition.
Read MoreIn this statement, Presiding Bishop Eaton provides clarifications and helpful talking points:
Dear siblings in Christ, as many of you know, last week the ELCA Churchwide Assembly adopted a resolution that, among other things, declared the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) a sanctuary denomination. Many of you are asking, “What does this mean?”
Read MoreMany of you know the ELCA Churchwide Assembly convened in Milwaukee, Wisconsin last week. In addition to daily worship, during the business meetings there were many decisions and conversations, including resolutions and memorials. Among the business items addressed included a resolution on the subject of Sanctuary. The Grand Canyon Synod supports/endorses the Background Provided to the Assembly by the Memorials Committee. Please click to read more on this background, and what the resolution on Sanctuary means and does not mean.
Read MoreOur common witness. In her August column for Living Lutheran, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reflects on the Lutheran movement. As we move forward as a church, she wonders: “What will our Lutheran identity be in the ELCA?” Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/2GQBVYV and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/2ZDcrFs.
Read MoreFor many Lutherans, immigration is a memory that is still alive in ourselves and our families. You may have grown up in a congregation that worshipped in different languages. Your home church might have had German inscribed in the stained glass, or you celebrated a holiday with special foods.
Our involvement with immigration is as old as the Bible.
Read MoreWhile working at Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest, I once met a refugee woman named Anastasia. When I asked her what she appreciated most about her new life in the United States, she told me it was the food in her cupboard, the water coming from her sink, and the fact that her children could go to school. She felt safe.
It really reminds you of the things in life that can be so easily missed.
Read MoreIn her July column for Living Lutheran, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton asks: “How do we live as people of Truth in a time of spin?” In deep humility, profound gratitude and real joy. Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/2NrsO6H and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/2JaSfDS, or download the column as PDF or as a Word doc.
Read MoreDear Friends,
A Homeland Security bus pulled up and out walked 30 people, most from Guatemala and a few from Honduras. Volunteers met them outside and welcomed them. As you can imagine, they were quiet but some offered big smiles. Once all were assembled, an orientation was given. Shortly after orientation, phone calls were made to sponsors so travel arrangements could be made for the last leg of their journey.
Read MoreA letter from Elizabeth A. Eaton, Presiding Bishop of the ELCA and Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, President & CEO of LIRS. Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
The gospels recount the story of Jesus as a migrant, in need of welcome and reception. And Jesus identifies with every wanderer, every displaced person, every refugee, asylum seeker and migrant, when he tells the crowd, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” (Matthew 25:35). Since 1939, LIRS (Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service) has led the Lutheran movement to welcome vulnerable migrants and refugees in America. Meanwhile, as part of the AMMPARO strategy, the ELCA has committed to offering accompaniment to migrants in their communities.
Read MoreFrom the front of the room at the 32nd Grand Canyon Synod Assembly this past weekend, I had an overwhelming sense of Holy Spirit’s presence. Friends greeting one another by name. New faces sparking conversation. Volunteers and staff serving with pride. While we spoke of singing a new song, I was also listening for new songs.
Read MoreELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton has released a letter addressing states recently passing or considering legislation to restrict access to legal abortion. “Talking about abortion has never been easy in this country, and the same holds true in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The members of this church have divergent beliefs and opinions about whether or not abortion should be legal,” the letter read in part.
“I commend you to study and discuss the ELCA social statement ‘Abortion.’ Through this social teaching and policy statement, this church seeks to travel a moderating path by supporting abortion as a last resort.”
Read MorePresiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton shares what it means to be called, "For such a time as this," in her 2019 video message to ELCA Synod Assemblies.
Read MoreIn her June column for Living Lutheran, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reflects on why we worship: “[Liturgy is] a discipline Lutherans willingly undertake because it helps individuals and the entire community express our connection with other Christians throughout the world and across the ages.”
Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/2EQEIAa and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/2KlL6CW, or view in PDF format or as a Word document.
Read MoreOnce a year, in Minnesota, my family gathers together for an annual camping outing. While every family is unique and might have different traditions, family reunions are a way to make new memories together and remember what is most important in life.
Synod Assembly is the one time of year that our synod family gets together. Where we can dwell on what this work is really about.
Read MoreGod often surprises me. I believe it was Anne Lamott who said, “God can be such a showoff.” Indeed.
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