Category: Protestant

from the ELCA advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, Senior Director Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: April 2023 UN WATER CONFERENCE | COMMENTS ADD UP AGAINST ASYLUM RULE | GLOBAL FRAGILITY ACT | FAIR HOUSING | FAITH ORGANIZATIONS OPPOSE FAMILY DETENTION   UN WATER CONFERENCE: “It has been 46 years since the last time the United Nations gathered on the issue of water,” said Christine Moffett, ELCA Environment Policy Contractor, who took part in the event along with ELCA World Hunger staff by coordination of the Lutheran Office for World Community. Held in New…

ELCA World Hunger’s Domestic Hunger Grants are one way this church accompanies communities throughout the United States and Caribbean as they respond to hunger and poverty. Domestic Hunger Grants Open May 1! Our team is excited to share that the application process for Domestic Hunger Grants will open May 1, 2023. For those who are familiar with the Domestic Hunger Grants, this year’s process will look a bit different, but we hope that the changes described below will improve the process in some important ways. To learn more about the updated process and how to apply, please visit https://elca.org/domestichungergrants. This…

Brian Hiordahl, Orangevale, CA Warm-up Question What do you do to relax or escape stress? Gate Expectations The use of cannabis (marijuana) and whether it should be legal remains a hotly debated issue in our country, with different states reaching different conclusions. One persistent fear is that cannabis is a “gateway drug” leading its consumers to use harder drugs. In an article for Forbes, Dario Sabaghi traces the dubious history of this concern, noting that several studies not only challenge this idea but also suggest that cannabis may also lead users away from opioids. Sabaghi sites evidence that most users…

On Thursday, April 20, 2023 the ELCA Church Council adopted the church’s sixteenth social message, titled “Earth’s Climate Crisis” — an action that acknowledges the urgency of this critical moment and our responsibility as Christians to respond decisively. On this Earth Day, 2023, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton released a video on the ELCA’s Facebook page highlighting this call to action. Eaton named this as a “moment of Kairos, a critical moment in time when God is calling for decisive action in history.” This action will need to happen in our congregations and communities, but also reach far beyond them, because…

Situation: Photo: Francis Botha/NCA-DCA Malawi After forming near Australia, Cyclone Freddy traveled westward, eventually making its first landfall in Madagascar on Feb. 21 and then two more landfalls in Mozambique. In addition to Madagascar and Mozambique, Malawi was profoundly affected. Freddy led to at least 1,200 deaths, including over 1,000 in Malawi. Freddy was the longest-lasting tropical cyclone in history, lasting five weeks and two days. Response: In response to Cyclone Freddy, Lutheran Disaster Response is supporting the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi (ELCM) and Evangelical Lutheran Development Service (ELDS). ELCM is distributing food to impacted people, as well as…

“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, especially in Sudan, Ukraine, and Israel… For a calming of tensions between…

This post, “Dear ELCA, We Must Speak and Act for Trans Lives,” is reprinted in full by permission of the author, originally posted to the author’s blog on March 27, 2023.   By Jamie Bruesehoff [about the author] During this week leading up to Transgender Day of Visibility as legislative attacks terrorize the LGBTQ+ community with many targeting transgender young people, consider our call as a church and how we might live that call out in proclamation and action for the sake of our siblings. This post is specifically directed at my siblings in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America…

Jen Krausz, Bethelehem, PA Warm-up Question Does the good news of Easter—Christ is risen!—still hit you with fresh meaning each year? Do you consider Easter the most important holiday of your faith?  Why? Truth of the Resurrection A study by Christian publisher Lifeway showed that while most people (66%) say they believe the biblical accounts of the physical resurrection of Jesus are completely accurate, most young people ages 18 to 34 (59%) say they don’t believe the physical resurrection really happened. “Young adults are less likely to be cultural Christians than their parents or grandparents, partly because identifying as a…

“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 Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, and Yemen… For victims of gun violence, especially those who died…

Kelsey Brown, Brooklyn, NY Warm-up Question When meeting new people, what’s something you share about yourself to help them  know you better?  Peace to All Our current news cycle is full of debates around the validity and protections of the LGBTQ+ community, particularly our transgender siblings. While no one’s lives and identities should be used for political fodder, we many shape these conversations around demonizing trans folks, and more specifically weaponizing what God thinks about the diversity God has created. CNN reports that transgender young adults are 40% more likely than their cisgender counterparts to contemplate suicide. The attack on…