Category: Protestant

Mary Ellen Helms, Loveland, Ohio Warm-up Question Describe your favorite food as best you can without naming any of the ingredients. A Matter of Taste The science of taste is fascinating, perhaps because food is a universal part of our daily lives. We eat to live and, for many of us, sharing a meal with others brings a whole new sense of joy to our daily lives. Food tells stories and we use the flavors of food to experience it in all sorts of different ways. The five most common flavors detected by humans are salty, sweet, bitter, sour, and…

These prompts are provided for worship leaders as they prepare the prayers of intercession for weekly worship. The prompts are prepared by several leaders in the ELCA and reflect current world and national events. You are encouraged to adapt and add other concerns for your local context, including staying informed of events and concerns in your synod. Intercession prompts: For the continued influx of asylum seekers entering the United States … For the family of Tyre Nichols and the city of Memphis as they experience the trauma of police brutality… For the city of Jerusalem as it mourns those killed…

Hello Friends! I want to say a HUGE thank you to every person, congregation, and camp that has registered onto GrantMaker and started, even completed, their applications! With just a few weeks left, we currently have 20 applications that have been completed and submitted for review. Overall, the response has been great, and I am so encouraged by your excitement and dreams for your ministries. If you’re still working on your application– don’t be discouraged– there is still time to complete and submit them. When we hit that benchmark of 30 completed and submitted applications, we will put out another update/notice. Please…

Issue 85 of Administration Matters Stories of Faith in Action We are pleased to share with you the latest version of “Stories of Faith in Action,” filled with inspiring stories from this past year. “Stories of Faith in Action” connects us as church and illustrates how, through your generosity, God is at work across the ELCA. It highlights how a portion of your offering, called Mission Support, advances the ministry of our church, helping the ELCA nurture Christian community, raise up leaders, serve our neighbors and strive for justice. Most importantly, it’s one way to thank you for your faithful…

2022 was a full year for Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR). The highest profile event is the ongoing war in Ukraine. Since Russia’s invasion on February 24, more than 7.8 million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries in Eastern Europe and another 6.5 million became internally displaced. LDR is accompanying partners in eight countries, including Ukraine. As the war carries on, we will continue to extend our support to these partners In addition to the war, LDR worked with partners to respond to a wide range of other disasters, including Hurricanes Fiona and Ian, tornadoes, flooding, wildfires and gun violence….

Following are updates shared from submissions of the state public policy offices (sppos) in the ELCA Advocacy Network this month. Full list and map of sppos available. CALIFORNIA | COLORADO  | FLORIDA | MINNESOTA | OHIO | PENNSYLVANIA | WASHINGTON | WISCONSIN |   California Lutheran Office of Public Policy – California (LOPP-CA) – lutheranpublicpolicyca.org Regina Banks, Director Happy New Year from the Lutheran Office of Public Policy-California! The California legislature reconvened for the start of the 2023 session on January 4th. We will start to know more about proposed legislation and goals for this year once the governor’s budget…

The 118th U.S. Congress convened on January 3, 2023. Following finalization of House speakership, the official swearing in took place January 7, 2023. The following are some of the legislators with Lutheran affiliation who will serve the country in this new session.  In the U.S. Senate, ELCA member Sen. Sherrod Brown D-OH, Sen. Joni Ernst R-IA, Sen. Martin Heinrich D-NM, and Sen. Jeff Merkley D-OR are continuing their service. In the U.S. House of Representatives, incumbent ELCA members continuing their service includes Rep. John Carter R-TX, Rep. Zoe Lofgren D-CA, Rep. Scott Peters D-CA, Rep. Chellie Pingree D-ME, Rep. Stacey…

Angie Larson, Alexandria, MN Warm-up Questions Who do you know that went through a difficult time, but now uses the experience to help people? Have you ever had a moment when your whole life changed? What was that moment like? The Moment Your Life Changes Nelly Chiboi grew up in Mogotio, Kenya in an impoverished village. “I know the pain of poverty,” says Cheboi, now 29.  “I never forgot what it was like with my stomach churning because of hunger at night.” Her mom ensured that despite their poverty Nelly received an education. Nelly worked hard in school and received…

fAmy Martinell, Sioux Falls, SD Warm-up Questions In the gospel text, Jesus invites two future disciples to come and spend the day with him. What is the best invitation you have received to spend time with someone? Who was it? What did you do? What made that invitation special? Come and See During the first quarter of the Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills safety, Damar Hamlin, collapsed on the field after making a tackle. Medical personnel quickly rushed on field to administer CPR. Both Hamlin’s teammates and opponents were visibly upset as they looked on:…

By Kayla Zopfi, 2022-23 Hunger Advocacy Fellow [about the author] They were prodded by a desire to know. The magi who journeyed to baby Jesus were likely some of the only people who noticed this bright new star in the sky, and they took off with excitement and energy even still. Story of the Magi This past Sunday at my young adult and queer-led Synodically Authorized Worshiping Community (SAWC) in Northeast Minneapolis, Tree of Life Lutheran, we did Lectio Divina on the story of the magi. I couldn’t help but reflect on the virtue of curiosity. Curiosity about an anomaly…