Category: Protestant

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Prompts for Prayers of Intercession – February 12, 2023

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. Responding to Turkey/Syria Earthquakes The ELCA Worship blog has complied a set of Prayer Resources in Time of Earthquakes. Intercession prompts: For people of Turkey and Syria who grieve death and destruction following a major earthquake, and for all relief and recovery efforts……

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Devotional: Stretching Past Self-doubts

By Jillian Russell, Hunger Network Ohio [about the author] I have always known myself to be a “self-doubter.” I am constantly doubting myself – my ability to lead, my ability to be a good friend, but especially my ability to lead God’s people. I have been a self-doubter when it has come to God’s plan for me. How was I supposed to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with my God if I didn’t even believe I could do so? As much as I have tried to change this aspect of myself in recent years, I constantly…

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We invite you to join us in celebrating Black History Month

The African Descent Ministries of the ELCA is celebrating Black History Month with season two of Talks at the Desk, a video series that explores diverse expressions of the church. A new video will premiere each Wednesday in February at 7:30 pm Central time. Watch them live on YouTube or  Click here to watch now. Join us to hear youth, young adults, rostered leaders, elders and friends of our communities share their own sacred stories. For more updates, follow @ELCAADM on Twitter and Instagram or check out facebook.com/elcaadm. ELCA Blogs

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Prompts for Prayers of Intercession – February 5, 2023

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 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 in the recent synagogue shooting… For victims and families following a mosque…

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February 5, 2023–A Matter of Taste

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…

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Prompts for Prayers of Intercession – January 29, 2023

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…

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Grant Update

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…

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Index of the January 2023 Issue

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…

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Lutheran Disaster Response: 2022 in Review

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….

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January Updates: State Edition

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…

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