The healing of the blind man in John chapter 9 is one of my favorite healing stories in the whole Bible. I love this story because in this story Jesus confronts and rejects the common belief that disabilities are somehow caused by sin.
I commend to you the book A Healing Homiletic: Preaching and Disability by Kathy Black. Kathy Black is an ordained Methodist minister who has served as the chaplain at Gallaudet University and pastored two churches for deaf persons.
Read MoreDuring the summer of 2024, the ELCA Youth Gathering, MYLE, the tAble and Young Adult Gathering will center around the theme of “Created to Be” which comes from Psalm 139. To learn more about the 2024 Gathering, visit elca.org/Gathering and watch the video in this post.
Read MoreIf you visit the Saturday-morning farmers market in Federal Way, Wash., you might see Kay (Kyong Yon) Mattingly smiling and dancing with her friends from Dasom Bi-Cultural Cooperation, a ministry of Light of Grace Lutheran Church. The ministry hosts a booth with a variety of Korean goods for sale, but the members also seek to bring joy to those around them – and create it for themselves.
Read MoreKeah Brown, a journalist, has filled this book with her essays. In each standalone essay, Ms. Brown addresses a particular issue of life as a black woman living with Cerebral Palsy in a mostly able-bodied white America. She discusses the depression that comes from internalizing the “idealized body” of the able-bodied world we live in.
Read MoreThank you so much for your support of what we do at ELCA Disability Ministries. Especially, we thank God for you and the way the Spirit is moving you to make accessibility and equity for people with disabilities a priority in the lives of your ministries.
Read MoreMariia Simian, from Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, is living through war for a second time. Just three years old when World War II tore across Europe in the 1940s, she says the memories haunt her.
“I remember everything,” she says. “I often remember. My mother hid our whole family from this horror wherever she could – in the basement, in fields behind the house – because the Nazis were looking for Roma.”
Read MoreIn Ghana, water scarcity threatens the lives and livelihoods of nearly 90% of the population. Even in urban areas, more than half the people lack access to clean, safe water. In developing countries such as Ghana, almost 80% of illnesses and deaths are caused by water-borne diseases, which in turn are driven by people needing to rely on unsafe water sources.
Read MoreThe Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) met Feb. 28–March 4, 2023, at the Eaglewood Resort in Itasca, Ill. The conference, an advisory body of the ELCA, comprises 65 synod bishops, the presiding bishop and the secretary.
Read MoreLooking back over this week, we’ve asked questions like, “Is God with us or not?” We’ve wondered about where and how God shows up, as we look at sanctuaries that sit emptier than they used to be. We’ve wondered, what is the harvest God has in store for us? With whom can we share the story of Jesus’ selfless love and grace?
Read MoreA modern day monologue version of the what the Woman at the Well said to Jesus (John 4:3-30).
Read MoreDo you remember who first told you about Jesus? Or, can you think of a recent experience where someone has told you about how the love of Jesus has transformed them?
Read MoreHow do we go in peace to love and serve the Lord in civic life?
The ELCA invites you and your congregation to explore this and other questions by using "A Study Curriculum on Civic Life and Faith." View a video on this question in this post, along with a PDF guide.
Read MoreHave you ever moved into a house in the middle of winter? I have had occasion to do this and the spring and summer seasons turn into one big anticipatory waiting and watching – what will sprout and grow in the yard?
Read MoreAs part of the latest Stories of Faith in Action, we share a story about the Delaware-Maryland Synod and the North Ave Mission (NAM) community (view online or as PDF). “Everything that has sprung to life at North Ave Mission is a vision of the early community. We’re a mix of worshiping community, mutual aid organization, harm reduction, housing, leadership development, even advocacy. But Family Life is our center and our locus.”
View all the Stories of Faith in Action here, and how your offering becomes mission support.
Read MoreResurrection Lutheran in Oro Valley is looking for a full-time Publications Specialist to produce printed materials and digital resources for worship services, newsletters, and slides.
Read MoreThe American Lutheran Church of Sun City is seeking a Church Operations Coordinator to provide leadership in office management, information technology, facilities, risk management and security. Please see our ad on Indeed or direct inquiries to: DHjortland@yahoo.com.
Read MoreThe Office of the Bishop continues to meet with congregations and ministry partners. We also share photos from the Bishop’s visit to Ireland.
Read MoreA Lunch & Learn virtual dialecture by ELCA World Hunger’s Dr. Ryan Cumming. Dr. Cumming brings this event to the Grand Canyon Synod and the Southeastern Iowa Synod in conjunction with the synod-wide 40-40-40 Lenten Challenge. Register to receive Zoom link for this Thursday, 3/16/2023 event, at 11am MST/PDT, 12pm MDT.
Read MoreGather at Crossroads Church (2769 Combs Rd, San Tan Valley, AZ 85140) on Sunday, March 12, 3-5pm MST for a good old-fashioned sing-along. Grab a cold one (water will be available too), and join us for a casual afternoon of music, friendship, fun for all ages and charity.
Read MoreWe pray for Rev. Paul Block, Rev. Lourdes Olson and the people of New Song Lutheran Church in Henderson, part of the Colorado River Conference. Visit their site at newsonganthem.com, and their social media pages on Facebook.com, YouTube, and Vimeo.
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