Category: Protestant

from the ELCA advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, Senior Director Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: November/December 2024 CHILD HUNGER | COP29 | ACT ALLIANCE | UNITED STATES – ISRAEL RELATIONS  | CHALLENGES TO DACA   CHILD HUNGER: The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), of which the ELCA is a supporter, released a new report last month highlighting modest increases to participation in after-school meal programs, but the anti-hunger programs are still widely under-utilized by eligible children in need. According to the FRAC report, 1.23 million children received an afterschool supper on an…

“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here.   Prayer prompts: For elected officials in the United States during the transition of power… For an end to violence…

By Pastor Rob Rose, Assistant to the Bishop, Florida-Bahamas Synod Republished from the Florida-Bahamas Synod E-Spirit Weekly Newsletter     The past week took me on a journey across our synod, from the west coast to the east, meeting with congregations that had been battered by both Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, along with the tornados that tore through communities in their wake. Each stop was a poignant reminder of the resilience of God’s people in the face of unimaginable loss, and yet a call to remember that none of us faces these struggles alone. We are part of something…

Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources and events from other organizations and institutions. These Lutheran and ecumenical partner organizations work alongside the ELCA to support worship leaders, worship planners, musicians, and all who care about the worship of the church. Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival Transforming and connecting lives through faith and music since 1981. 2024 LSM Musical Advent Calendar Join Lutheran Summer Music, December 1-24, for their fourth-annual Musical Advent Calendar–a daily moment of music and reflection on their Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube pages as well as archived on their website at LSMacademy.org/acal Association of Lutheran Church Musicians…

Warm-up Question What is your favorite building? Do you like it because of the architecture? Because of a memory that occurred there? Because of the feelings inspired by the space? Something else? Who Is Displaced? This summer, there was a fire in the electrical room at Christ Lutheran Church in Baltimore, MD. Fortunately, no one was injured. Smoke damage occurred from classrooms to worship spaces to fellowship halls. Major renovations and utility upgrades are underway that cost millions of dollars. There are still major utility wires running through every floor and most spaces. From the bathrooms to the sanctuary, it’s…

“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here.   Prayer prompts: For ongoing wars in Gaza, Ukraine, Lebanon, and an end to the violence… For elections in the…

Warm-up Question What is a small action you can take that makes a big difference in your, or someone else’s, life? Give a Little Bit People–especially young people–often want to make positive difference in their community. Whether relieving hunger or ensuring civil rights or others, people often seek positive change. Sometimes the job is so big that the change seems unlikely, if not downright impossible. There is so much hunger and inequality that making those positive differences appears too much for us. The weight of the world, and the distance from here to the change we want for the world,…

This is a re-post of an article by Rev. Taryn Montgomery, originally published in the Northeast Minnesota Synod Enews, covering the October 12th “Walking Together” celebration of ELCA World Hunger’s 50th anniversary. Note: this article was written on October 29th, before the November 5th election, which Rev. Montgomery references in the piece as an upcoming event. “For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.” -Matthew 26:11 “Pastor Taryn, why are we gathering again?” asked the 13 year-old usher, as we prepared for worship at the Walking Together event earlier this month. “Because we’re…

by the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, Senior Director, ELCA Witness in Society High anxiety around the possibility of political violence has been with us before, during, and likely following the 2024 National Election. The images of the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol are fresh in our minds, making calls by public figures for violence against political opponents or disruption of election processes even more worrisome. Election activities that used to go largely unnoticed, such as election certification or routine actions by poll workers, could now be targeted as high-risk moments. Polling reveals that two-thirds of Americans fear violence…

This blog post is part of a series designed to spark conversation! To read future posts in the series, you can view all ELCA Innovation Blog posts here. Parents under pressure This past summer, the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an advisory on the mental health and well-being of parents. A Surgeon General’s Advisory is “a public statement that calls the American people’s attention to an urgent public health issue and provides recommendations for how it should be addressed. Advisories are reserved for significant public health challenges that require the nation’s immediate awareness and action.” In short, an…