LIRS: Russian invasion of Ukraine could trigger refugee crisis
LIRS: Russian invasion of Ukraine could trigger refugee crisis

Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, President and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), writes: “The humanitarian implications of a full Russian invasion must be a central consideration in the U.S. and international response. Thousands could lose their lives, and millions more could lose the only home they have ever known. The U.S. and its allies must prepare to respond to the very real possibility of a mass exodus of Ukrainian refugees. Protecting the displaced cannot merely be an afterthought.”

Read the full statement in this post or on LIRS.org.

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News, ELCA, LettersBrian FlatgardLutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), Immigration and Refugees, Russia and Ukraine WarComment
Mission and ministry stories are due 4/30/2022
Mission and ministry stories are due 4/30/2022

As we prepare for our 2022 Grand Canyon Synod Assembly on June 10-11, 2022, we again ask your help in sharing your story. Mission and ministry partners to the Grand Canyon Synod are asked to provide your ministry’s story in a way that works best for you.

We’ll again feature our stories as stand-alone news items in the lead-up to our 2022 assembly. Each story will appear in our blog, Facebook page, and weekly newsletter. We’ll also have an assembly page compiling all our stories. Bonus points if you work in our assembly theme: Stirred Up in the Spirit!

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News, Grand Canyon SynodBrian Flatgard2022 Synod AssemblyComment
Billions of people are in danger from climate change, U.N. report warns
Billions of people are in danger from climate change, U.N. report warns

Billions of people on every continent are suffering because of climate change, according to a major new United Nations report released on Monday. And governments must do a better job of protecting the most vulnerable communities while also rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Read the article or give a 3-minute listen on NPR.org.

The New York Times has five takeaways from the U.N. Report on Climate Hazards:

  1. Climate hazards have worsened significantly in the past decade.

  2. If warming isn’t slowed, the dangers will multiply.

  3. Societies have not done enough to adapt and stay safe.

  4. As warming continues, it will become harder and harder to cope.

  5. Poor countries face much bigger challenges than rich ones.

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Read · Watch · ListenBrian FlatgardClimate ChangeComment
Report on Christian nationalism and the January 6 insurrection
Report on Christian nationalism and the January 6 insurrection

Released February 9, 2022, this report is the most complete accounting to date of how Christian nationalism contributed to the events leading up to January 6 and the day of the attack itself, and it looks at responses to January 6. A recording of the webinar presenting the report is also available online.

Featuring contributions from scholars, historians, advocates, and researchers, this report was a joint project of Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty (BJC), Freedom From Religion Foundation, and Christians Against Christian Nationalism.

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News, Read · Watch · ListenBrian FlatgardChristians Against Christian Nationalism, Christian NationalismComment
Bishop Hutterer: The Forgotten Luther
Bishop Hutterer: The Forgotten Luther

As part of our Monday meetings, the Office of the Bishop staff recently discussed The Forgotten Luther, a series of three books edited variously by Carter Lindberg, Paul Wee, Ryan P. Cumming, and Conrad Braaten.

True to its name, the premise of the series is to reclaim the Martin Luther’s oft-forgotten voice for socio-economic justice. Martin Luther addressed the crises of the day on the basis of Scripture with pioneering theology. The series calls us to do the same.

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Bishop Hutterer, Letters, Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardMartin Luther, Bishop Hutterer LettersComment
Heads of churches in Holy Land voice objection to Mount of Olives being included in national park
Heads of churches in Holy Land voice objection to Mount of Olives being included in national park

After heads of churches in the Holy Land voiced their objections to a proposal to expand Jerusalem Walls National Park to include property owned by several churches in the city, Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority announced on February 21, 2022, that it was freezing the plan.

The text of the Feb 18 letter from Patriarchs about the Mount of Olives can be found here. The Feb 23 World Council of Churches article about the situation can be found here.

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ELCA, LettersBrian FlatgardSumudComment
An Interfaith Call to Peace for Ukraine
An Interfaith Call to Peace for Ukraine

Though we have been anxious about the recent growing tensions between Ukraine and Russia and between Russia and the NATO countries in recent weeks, we remain deeply concerned, as we have been since 2014, for the impact of this ongoing conflict on innocent civilians throughout Ukraine.

All our religious traditions call us to pray and work for peace. We join our voices and hands together. We must open our eyes to those who are suffering, and we cannot remain indifferent to the injustice this conflict has brought on the people of Ukraine and may bring on people of neighboring countries.

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Bishop Eaton, ELCA, News, LettersBrian FlatgardEcumenical and Inter-Religious Relations, Russia and Ukraine WarComment
A prayer for peace among the nations
A prayer for peace among the nations

Gracious God, grant peace among nations. Cleanse from our own hearts the seeds of strife: greed and envy, harsh misunderstandings and ill will, fear and desire for revenge. Make us quick to welcome ventures in cooperation among the peoples of the world, so that there may be woven the fabric of a common good too strong to be torn by the evil hands of war. In the time of opportunity, make us be diligent; and in the time of peril, let not our courage fail; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Prayers, Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardRussia and Ukraine WarComment
Refugee Resettlement Educational Forum
Refugee Resettlement Educational Forum

Ascension Lutheran Church in Paradise Valley is hosting a panel discussion on refugee resettlement, Thursday, 3/10/2021, 1 – 2:30 pm. View flyer here.

The panel will consist Connie Phillips and Charlotte Shurtz of Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest, and Solveig Muus with Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona. RSVP at alcpv.org under special events or call the office at (480) 948-6050.

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News, Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardLutheran Social Services of the Southwest, Immigration and Refugees, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA)Comment
Workshop: Community Resources to Manage Personal Issues and Family Needs
Workshop: Community Resources to Manage Personal Issues and Family Needs

Over the past two years of the pandemic, an increasing number of our congregants have come to the church for help with personal issues like depression, substance abuse, and domestic violence.

Our leaders minister to them and often need to refer them to others. View a list of resources in this PDF or in this post. Barbara Keller will host a one hour zoom workshop on this topic on Thursday, Mar 3, 2022 9am MST, 8 am PST. Register here.

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ELCA, News, ResourcesBrian FlatgardComment
Prayers for the people of Madagascar and the Malagasy Lutheran Church
Prayers for the people of Madagascar and the Malagasy Lutheran Church

Former Bishop Lowell Almen brings our attention to Madagascar, where for the fifth time in six weeks, heavy rain and destructive wind are blowing in from the Indian Ocean: “Sitting off the coast of southeastern African, the island seems to escape the attention of much of the world.”

In this post, we pray for the people of the Malagasy Lutheran Church (part of the Lutheran World Federation) and the whole population of the island of Madagascar.

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News, Prayers, Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardLutheran World Federation, Malagasy Lutheran ChurchComment