Most of you have heard of the ELCA’s goal to engage 1 million new, young, diverse members by the end of the decade. But what about the rest of us, the ones already engaged? Bishop Eaton has your answer.
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Many congregations are just now getting things ready to attend the 2022 Gathering, so if you haven’t started yet– you aren’t behind! Here are 10 things to know as you prepare to bring a congregational group to the 2022 ELCA Youth Gathering.
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Supported in part by ELCA World Hunger, the Asian Rural Institute (ARI) in Japan is a nine-month service leadership training program that draws people from around the world, allowing them to live and work together as they learn agricultural skills they can take back to their home communities.
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Often referred to as “charitable checkbooks,” donor-advised funds are charitable accounts established by donors with current gifts to provide future support to ministries. These accounts are opened and funded by a donor who then advises distributions to charity over time.
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Oregonians are waiting for “The Big One.” Every few hundred years, the Cascadia Subduction Zone causes huge earthquakes. The Cascadia earthquake was the impetus for the Oregon Synod Disaster Response Initiative, launched last year.
Recognizing that many people aren’t prepared for this earthquake or other disasters, a team proposed forming the Oregon Synod Disaster Response Network to guide congregations through preparedness and to raise awareness about different aspects of disasters.
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East German student of Karl Barth and Martin Heidegger believed “God has become speakable.” Read the article from Christianity Today.
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Americans are getting more comfortable with new forms of spirituality, but their views of atheists are still complicated. Read the article from Religion News Service.
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How did 260 goats end up being blessed at St. Paul Lutheran Family in Carson City, Nevada?
“It was a pretty big ordeal,” said Chad Adamik, pastor of St. Paul. “We were in a really bad drought … and the goats were [doing] fire mitigation.” No kid-ding—the goats were working on St. Paul’s 4 acres, which were overrun with cheatgrass this past August.
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'It’s not everybody’s cup of tea. We get our wellies muddy ... We don’t wait for them to come to us, we go to them,' said a rural chaplain in Suffolk, England. Read the article from Religion News Service.
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Join Rev. Judith Rainforth, Pastor of Spirituality & Care at American Lutheran Church in Sun City, on these two trips of a lifetime.
The 2022 Oberammergau Passion Play trip is June 19 – 30, 2022. This once every decade experience is wrapped in the Footsteps of Paul through Greece & Italy, along with the beauty, culture, and history of Austria & Germany. Register at bit.ly/36hQiBY or download the brochure.
Or walk the Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage using the Coastal Route through Portugal and Spain on ancient paths that crisscross forests and villages, April 19 – May 2, 2022. Register at bit.ly/36Ixr2J or download the brochure.
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Visit gcsynod.org/grants to get more info and apply for over $200,000 available in Project Support Grants, and Adapting, Connecting, Transforming, and Sustaining (ACTS) Grants. Submit applications by 10/15/2021.
You can also view our Q&A webinar and resources in this blog post.
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A popular series contains hidden wisdom for those of us who work for God. Read the article from Religion News Service.
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Risk levels in our synod’s counties remained extremely or very high for unvaccinated people.
Extremely high risk counties for unvaccinated people in our synod include Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pinal, Washington, Yavapai, and Yuma counties.
Very high risk counties include Apache, Clark, Coconino, Gila, La Paz, Pima, and Santa Cruz.
It’s all hands on deck for the Bishop’s Fall Gathering, online with Presiding Bishop Eaton and Ryan Panzer as a guests. Many of the team will also be at the Installation of Pastor Sandy Jones at Bethany Lutheran Church in Scottsdale and the Installation of Pastor Ryan Hersch at Peace Lutheran Church in Peoria.
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It’s harvest season in various parts of the United States. I’m mindful of a parable Jesus shares about a harvest where the crops were infiltrated by weeds. Jesus compares the kindom of God to a farmer who sows good seed in his field. While everyone is sleeping, the enemy creeps in and sows weeds in this farmer’s field.
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This week’s Story of Faith in Action features Abide, a small-group ministry for ELCA members between 18 and 35. The program started in early 2020, shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic began, with leadership funding from Mission Support.
Read the story in this post, view as a PDF resource, or visit our SOFIA 2021-2022 page for all resources.
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It's time for people of faith to shift from climate apology and lamentation to action on climate change. This was the topic of discussion on our latest Blessed Tomorrow Let’s Talk Climate episode, “Beyond Apology: We Need Climate Action Now”, co-hosted with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
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We’re delighted to welcome ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton and Ryan Panzer to our 2021 Bishop's Fall Gathering, held online, October 18-19, 2021. All active rostered ministers, retired ministers serving as interim pastors, and synod council members are invited.
Participants are encouraged to download and print this PDF which includes our order of worship, as well as a workbook to use during Ryan Panzer’s hybrid ministry presentation.
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Apache Stronghold members will stop in Tucson and Phoenix on their way to meet with Native American communities and faith leaders before an Oct. 22 court hearing. Read the article from Religion News Service.
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From Carey Nieuwhof: “When you’re in the middle of a disruption, it’s hard to know exactly what’s changing, let alone how deeply or permanently things are changing. As we round the corner into 2022, there are three numbers that, at least for me, show how quickly, radically and perhaps permanently the church is changing.”
36%: In-person attendance isn’t what it used to be
41%: The percentage of Gen Z who primarily prefer physical gatherings post-COVID
30%. The percentage point gap between Boomers and Gen Z