Interested in creating a community of equity and justice? A new Being Academy course Promoting Diversity, Creating Inclusion, featuring educator Aparna Rae, can help. Portico believes the tools and topics are of value for church leaders in this important time.
Portico members with ELCA-Primary health coverage can access the course here or via myPortico. The course available at no charge to everyone for a limited time to support learning and promote equity.
Read MoreMarcie Gest, a nurse and member of University Lutheran in Tempe, was recently featured on ABC 15’s news in an item entitled Lessons learned from COVID-19 hotspots, where she discusses working in New York and New Jersey during their peak infections.
Read MoreOne of the common hymns sung on Pentecost Sunday is “O Day Full of Grace” from our hymnal Evangelical Lutheran Worship #627.
In celebration of Pentecost and as a gift to the Lutheran Church, the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians performed a stunning arrangement of this hymn virtually, each of the 1300 organists, violinists, and singers performing in their own home but melding with the gift of technology to share “…bring light from our God that we may be abundant in joy this season. God, shine for us now in this dark place; you name on our hearts emblazon.”
Read More‘R-naught’ represents the number of new infections estimated to stem from a single case of coronavirus. We will be hearing a lot about this as we decide how to reopen society.
Read MoreMartin Molin—who spends long days alone in his workshop creating an elaborate marble music machine—shares this meditation on how he learned to find focus and satisfaction from the work of each day. He has been working four years on his current project, since the completion of first marble machine four years ago (143 million views).
As we seemingly work alone in creating new ways of making song, he advises turning off the dopamine of constant news and finding comfort in things like silence and walking.
Read MoreFrom The New York Times Daily podcast we hear how a pastor quickly puts together an online funeral for his wife. The service, punctuated with technical difficulties and expressions of deep love, reveals the new rituals we are creating in crisis.
He was a pastor. She was a poet. They found a second chance at love and traveled the world together, visiting Antarctica, Mount Sinai and Alaska. We hear how he memorialized her life when she died in quarantine.
Read MoreCarey Nieuwhof writes about the trick of online analytics: “So now that your church (along with almost every other church) is online, you’re probably asking: how exactly do I track ‘attendance’?
One of the remarkable stories of the global pandemic is that suddenly, 49% of churches are reporting that their online attendance is higher or much higher than their in-person attendance.”
Read MoreNow the world’s primary method of communication is the clunky, awkward video call. Nobody wants to come across to their co-workers and friends as a dimly lit basement troll. The only thing that can save you is good lighting.
From The Wirecutter, get tips from a professional video producer working from home.
Read MoreAs the coronavirus pandemic limits people’s ability to mourn, they are finding new ways to say goodbye.
Read More“We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.,” Queen Elizabetth II speaking to Commonwealth citizens around the world in a broadcast recorded at Windsor Castle.
Read MoreFrom 1991 through 2019, photographer Deanna Dikeman took a photo of her parents waving goodbye after each visit to their home in Sioux City, Iowa. This portrait series doubles as a family album, compressing nearly three decades of her parents’ adieux into a deft and affecting chronology.
Read MoreOn his 90th birthday, the Washington Post takes a look at the civil rights leader’s childhood name change.
“It was a big deal for [King’s father] to go [Germany], to the birthplace of Protestantism,” said Carson, who edited “The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.,” which was compiled and written after King’s assassination. “That probably implanted the idea of changing his name to Martin Luther King.”
Read MoreIn the United States, the word “evangelical” is often confused with a political designation. Though associated with a particular brand of Christianity, it is perhaps more popularly paired with conservative policy views, Republican registration, and an overwhelming whiteness.
Read MoreI must confess that what led me do this analysis was listening to a podcast about the late Rachel Held Evans – a woman lived a parallel life to mine. One thing I always appreciated about Rachel was that she wasn’t afraid to say that she doubted. In fact, her Twitter bio said that she was “a doubt filled believer.”
Are doubt filled believers, like Rachel and myself, still welcome at churches where nearly 90% of the faithful have no doubts about matters of faith? If the American church is to stem the losses, new converts may be found in helping people embrace their doubts.
Read MoreEach week Religion News Service presents a gallery of photos of religious expression around the world. This week’s gallery includes Orthodox Christmas, Epiphany celebrations, and the annual procession of the Black Nazarene in the Philippines.
Read MoreA federal judge in Maryland has blocked a recent executive order allowing state and local officials to refuse refugee resettlement.
The preliminary injunction is part of a lawsuit by three faith-based organizations against the U.S. government over the order.
Read MoreI do not, and will not ever, own a cat. Instead, I own a dog. In fact, as I type this, Lucy, my 7-pound Yorkshire terrier, is snoring next to me on my office chair.
Why do I prefer dogs to cats? It could be because — along with being a social scientist — I am an American Baptist pastor. And like many other Christians in the United States, I’m more likely to own a dog than a cat. My friends who skip church, however, prefer cats.
Read MoreA doctor should not perform surgery if she is tired. A pilot should not fly if he is tired. And clergy who counsel and take on the audacious task of sharing something of God should not attempt these fearsome duties when we are tired. But we do. In many places, the institutional culture demands it.
The church must develop a culture that allows for rest without shame. A few months ago, an Orthodox priest confessed to me his weariness and his fear of leaving ministry if something did not change. As we talked I could hear that the very idea of a sabbatical was foreign to this person. The pastor asserted, “In my corner of the church, the only time a pastor takes a leave from ministry is when they’ve gotten in trouble.”
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