Posts in Letters
Bishop Eaton Letter: United
Bishop Eaton Letter: United

In a time of physical distancing due to the coronavirus, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reminds us that we aren’t islands—we are united in baptism.

In her May column, she writes: “We don’t have to go it alone. In fact, we cannot, because, in Christ, we are knit into one body. And just as surely as Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one—this wildly mysterious community of the Trinity—so are we one.” Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/2Wh5fjr and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/2yAdqxW.

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LettersBrian FlatgardLiving Lutheran, Bishop Elizabeth EatonComment
God of the Irrigation Ditch
God of the Irrigation Ditch

Colter Murphy, Director of Youth and Service at Faith Lutheran Church in Chico, CA, writes: “The North Fork of the Flathead River is the most beautiful river on earth. This, of course, is a personal opinion, but anyone who has spent time on the river would likely agree. The splendor of the North Fork makes it a natural place to talk about the Creator.”

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LettersBrian FlatgardComment
Ecumenism on Mars
Ecumenism on Mars

Rev. Paul S. Tché writes: “I am confident COVID-19 will bring radical changes to our lives. But the difference after COVID-19 would not be as dramatic if we were to colonize Mars . . . or would it?”

“It may be helpful for us—especially many religious folks like me who lack imagination because of our long tradition—to simulate religious practice on Mars to stimulate our creativity and inspire more unique adaptations of post-COVID-19 faith life.”

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LettersBrian FlatgardEcumenical and Inter-Religious RelationsComment
Remembering Those Behind Bars During COVID-19
Remembering Those Behind Bars During COVID-19

Wayne Gallipo, a pastor serving St. Dysmas Of South Dakota, an ELCA congregation inside the walls of the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls, SD, writes: “The men in my congregation come from a wide variety of backgrounds. South Dakota is approximately 87% white and 9% native but the statistics in prison do not even come close to reflecting that ratio.”

“One interesting thing about serving a congregation inside the walls of prison–is that the men that worship at St. Dysmas come from many different religious backgrounds.”

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LettersBrian FlatgardELCA Racial Justice MinistriesComment
Bishop Eaton's message on COVID-19 racism and white supremacy
Bishop Eaton's message on COVID-19 racism and white supremacy

During the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am encouraged by your resilience and creativity in our witness to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I am also inspired by your generosity. This is a trying time for us all.

At the same time, we know that a disproportionate burden of illness, death, discrimination and harassment falls on communities of color. This pandemic has exacerbated racism and racial inequities deeply entrenched in society and across the church. We see this in the growing anti-Asian racism and the disproportionate number of deaths in black, American Indian and Latinx communities.

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Bishop Eaton, LettersBrian Flatgard Comment
Bishop Hutterer: In-person worship in a time of unknowns
Bishop Hutterer: In-person worship in a time of unknowns

We all want to go back to in-person worship. We also want to be safe. We want our neighbors to be safe. Many have asked me when we can gather for in-person worship.

In a time of so many unknowns with so much at risk, I feel it would be ill-advised to project yet another date. As we decide when to proceed, I suggest we wait for the CDC guideline of a “downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period.”

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Bishop Hutterer, Covid-19, LettersBrian FlatgardCOVID In-person gatheringComment
Allie Papke-Larson: A time of sacrifice
Allie Papke-Larson: A time of sacrifice

I see the sacrifices you are all making: giving up birthday parties, giving up attending funerals, sacrificing your freedoms by staying inside, giving up certainties and plans you once had about your futures, regular schedules that help keep you sane, getting together with those you love.

We are sacrificing these things for our community, to keep each other and ourselves healthy. In a very real way, we are protecting our neighbors.

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High Country Conference, LettersBrian FlatgardAllie Papke-LarsonComment
GCS Council and Bishop recommend extending no in-person gatherings
GCS Council and Bishop recommend extending no in-person gatherings

As we journey through this Easter season, we are beginning to hear the question: when can we gather again?

In the midst of changing restriction policies across the three states of our synod, when and how will we worship in person as church? Some ask with concern, hoping that we not gather in person too soon. Others ask with excitement, because they miss the face-to-face community.

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Bishop Hutterer, Covid-19, LettersBrian FlatgardComment
2020 ELCA Letter of Solidarity with Jewish Partners and the Asian American Community
2020 ELCA Letter of Solidarity with Jewish Partners and the Asian American Community

Whether born of fear, ignorance, or bigotry, the calumny and actual harm that the Chinese American community has suffered is morally reprehensible. The same is true for those of other communities who are assumed to be Chinese. Any sense of isolation that might be compounded by our silence only adds to the pain and offense.

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ELCA, Bishop Eaton, Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations, LettersBrian FlatgardComment
Bishop Hutterer: The Church continues
Bishop Hutterer: The Church continues

Recently I heard a story about a Lutheran woman from the United States traveling through eastern Europe years ago. As she talked with a group of locals, it came up that she was Lutheran. One woman in the group told the American, “I know who you are.”

The European woman went into her house and came out with a quilt. She showed the American woman a label sewn onto the quilt which gave the name of an ELCA church who had made and donated it. "I was once in a refugee camp and had nothing,” the woman said. “You gave this quilt to me.”

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Bishop Hutterer, LettersBrian FlatgardComment