Category: Protestant

This month we celebrate the third anniversary of All Creation Sings, the worship and song supplement to Evangelical Lutheran Worship. As you look ahead to the incarnation cycle of the church year (Advent, Christmas, Time after Epiphany), consider these resources to support your new or continued exploration of All Creation Sings. Advent Looking for a simple framework for your Advent midweek service? The basic outline of Service of Word and Prayer (ACS pp. 42-45) can be contextualized to fit your needs. This video gives help for using the service. If you are a Sundays and Seasons subscriber, visit the SSCOM library…

Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem (ELCA) For many U.S. residents reading this blog post, our ability to think soundly about the Israel-Hamas conflict has been consistently interrupted by waves of conflicting images and emotions: stories of trauma and grief from Israelis impacted by the Hamas attacks on their homes, followed almost immediately by accounts from Gaza of deaths; both moments of horror followed quickly by a outrage and ambivalence gestated over decades by a binary debate over U.S. involvement in the conflict. We can certainly feel tired to act when we pile onto these emotions the ways social media and…

In the United States, November is Native American Heritage Month. Racial Justice Ministries would like to elevate the voices and work of our Indigenous siblings by bringing attention to the multitude of events by the ELCA’s Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations. A full list of offerings for this month can be found here, but there are two events that we would especially like to highlight: Vine Deloria Jr. Theological Symposium In 2013, the Annual American Indian and Alaska Native Symposium at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago was renamed in honor of Vine Deloria Jr., an alum of Augustana…

“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 peace in our world… For all casualties of conflicts between Israel and Palestine, Russia and Ukraine,…

“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 peace in our world… For all casualties of the conflict in Israel and Palestine and for…

Situation: The Augusta Victoria Hospital on the Mount of Olives. Photo: Albin Hillert/Life on Earth Due to escalating conflict in Gaza and Israel, a severe humanitarian crisis is rapidly unfolding in the Holy Land. Response: Lutheran Disaster Response is providing support to Augusta Victoria Hospital to procure medical supplies and accommodations for patients and staff who are unable to return to their homes in Gaza between treatments.   Be part of the response: Pray Please pray for those impacted by the humanitarian crisis in the Holy Land. May God’s healing presence give them peace and hope in their time of…

Following are updates shared from submissions of the Lutheran Office for World Community and state public policy offices (sppos) in the ELCA Advocacy Network this month. Full list and map of sppos available.   U.N. | ARIZONA | CALIFORNIA | COLORADO |KANSAS | MINNESOTA | WASHINGTON |WISCONSIN   New York Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC), U.N. – ELCA.org/lowc Christine Mangale, Director LWF Assembly: Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC) director Christine Mangale joined more than a thousand participants from around the global Lutheran communion who gathered in Krakow, Poland for the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Thirteenth Assembly. It took…

Drew Tucker, Columbus, OH Warm-up Question Think of something that affects everyone, that’s often unpopular, and that’s necessary for living in a society. Share with a group or a trusted friend how you feel about that thing that you’ve named.  Taxing Question Thanks to the recent threat of a government shutdown, averted by a last-minute stopgap funding bill that President Biden signed into law on September 30th, 2023, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how we fund living in our shared society. From infrastructure like roads and utilities to people like first responders and postal workers, our taxes…

from the ELCA advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, Senior Director Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: October 2023 IN A TIME OF WAR | NATIVE AMERICAN HOUSING REFORMS | COUNTERING GLOBAL CORRUPTION | YOUNG ADULT MIGRATION ADVOCACY | CLIMATE WEEK NYC   IN A TIME OF WAR: The devastating loss of life in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories since Oct. 7 grieve us all. U.S. churches including the ELCA have spoken on the conflict several times (including 10/7/23 and 10/12/23); the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, ELCA presiding bishop, issued a statement on Israel-Hamas…

Situation: Supplies at the Kelawea Community Partnership Hub in Lahaina. On Aug. 8, multiple wildfires broke out on Maui. Exacerbated by strong winds, they destroyed homes, businesses, and lines of communication. The town of Lahaina was the most impacted, although there was also damage from smaller fires near Kihei and Kula. Response: Lutheran Disaster Response is providing support to Kihei Lutheran Church, which is working with the Kelawea Community Partnership Hub. The hub collects and distributes items including drinks, food, clothing, baby formula and diapers for families impacted by the wildfires.   Be part of the response: Pray Please pray…