Creation care looks different at different stages of our lives. College is a transitional time for many of us. We are in the process of figuring out our independent adult lives outside of the family we grew up in. This means not only determining what values and ideas to prioritize, but also figuring out what resources we have to put towards those priorities.
Read MoreOur guest blogger picks up the 2021 IWD call, #ChooseToChallenge. Bringing Central European experience to helping forge a gender equal world, Rev. Dr. Marta Ferjová urges women to “start talking.” Coordinated with the Lutheran Office for World Community, Rev. Dr. Ferjová will take part in the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women taking place March 15-26, 2021.
Read MoreDuring Women’s History Month we honor and commemorate the many ways women have shaped history. In her message, Bishop Eaton reminds us that at this time we also recommit ourselves to the work of gender justice and working to seek justice and equity for all.
Read MoreI recently heard a story about a young man with a disability who works in a grocery store. During his work hours, there are people who will wait in that checkout line even if others are available because they have come to know him, not as a person with a disability, or even a grocery clerk, but as a friend. Wouldn’t it be great if that were the norm for all people with disabilities?
Our theme at Mosaic is about CONNECTION.
Read MoreThis Lent, Bishop Eaton invites us to participate in the Global Survey on Being Lutheran (en Español: Encuesta Mundial Sobre lo Que Significa Ser Luteran). We also ask that you invite others in your churches to participate. The survey will be open through March 31, and responses gathered will help to shape the 13th LWF Assembly in 2023.
Read MoreFuture Church: In her March column for Living Lutheran, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reflects on the meaning behind “evangelical” in our name and the future of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Read her column in English or in Spanish.
Read MoreDuring this Lenten season, I am discovering new meanings in the Lord’s Prayer. This common prayer, known to so many throughout the world, yields new treasures upon repetition.
When I prayed this prayer today, I was profoundly moved how each petition turns our attention away from heaven and toward our neighbor on earth. This is a justice prayer.
Read MoreIn her weekly message, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton shares what she finds extraordinary about the ELCA Conference of Bishops.
Read MoreThe Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has joined more than 500 ELCA rostered ministers and the CEOs of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) and Lutheran Services in America (LSA) in calling on Congress to support the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021. In a March 4 letter, the leaders urge lawmakers to work collaboratively to advance legislation "around a long overdue solution that reflects our shared values as a nation."
Read MoreIn the spirit of accompaniment, ELCA companion church Igreja Evangélica de Confissão Luterana no Brasil (IECLB) sent a gift to Lutheran Disaster Response to support our response to the winter storms in Texas. The following excerpt is from a letter written by Mauro B. de Souza, the vice president of IECLB.
Read MoreAs vaccines continue to become available, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton encourages us to continue to be vigilant, be safe, and to trust the science of the vaccines.
Read MorePastor Kwame Pitts believes a transfiguration moment occurred when George Floyd was killed last summer.
Here, she share what she believes the church is called to do in the wake of a time “when something broke open,” and how the future of the church is transformation.
Read MoreAs we travel through the first week of our Lenten journey, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton shares this simple prayer from her spiritual director.
Read MoreAll ELCA rostered faith leaders are invited to join a letter, drafted by the ELCA and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), which will be sent to members of Congress in support of the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021.
View the letter and more info in this post, or visit this page to sign on to the letter. Deadline to sign on is Friday, February 26, 2021.
Read MoreIt’s important for me to converse with white folks about the reality of rewritten or rejected history by colonizers and how that affects what they believe about indigenous peoples and land use. One of my goals is decolonizing educational spaces and reclaiming history as part of the work of environmental justice.
Read MoreThe United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, and its economy is by far the largest. Yet, the U.S. has one of the highest rates of child poverty among developed countries.
In 2019 (the most recent year for data), 14.4% of children – about 10.5 million children – in the U.S. were living in poverty. This is tremendous progress from 2010, when 22% of U.S. children were living in poverty.
Read MoreWhy a lament, as opposed to a prayer or litany? This lament is intended as an action that acknowledges what has been broken in our relationship with our neighbor – the neighbor that we as the ELCA are called to love as we love ourselves. Specifically this lament is a way to recognize points of brokenness in the relationship between the ELCA and African Americans.
Read MoreBefore going into the story of my racial justice work, let us take a detour and consider how becoming Lutheran was part of my overall journey of integration as a former refugee.
I was born in Burundi and resettled in Fargo, N.D., in fall 1998 through Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota.
Read MoreLent is probably the church year’s midlife crisis. And, like real midlife crises, it doesn’t always come when we expect. This year Lent comes on the heels of Valentine’s Day, with the ashy cross marking our brows just days after the dust from candy hearts will cross our lips.
Read MoreThis week, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton tells us of the steps she takes to find peace when she feels overwhelmed by stress and anxiety.
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