Category: Protestant

By Jeffery Jordan II, ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow (2025-26 cycle) The experience felt both deeply personal and globally significant while at the United Nations Headquarters for the recently-concluded 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70). CSW70 gathered advocates, policymakers, attorneys, faith leaders and young people from around the world, all committed to advancing justice for women and girls. Walking into those spaces each day, I was reminded that justice is not just an idea we debate, it is something we build together, across cultures, languages and lived experiences.   Meaningful Touchpoints One of the most meaningful moments for me was…

Greetings Hunger Leaders, Below you will find ELCA World Hunger resource suggestions for the 2026 season of ELCA Synod Assemblies and congregational engagement! Please feel free to order printed copies or create a QR code with these resources for download.  Please read to the end; there are many valuable resources here! Lifelines o   For the World Hunger annual report please see the 2025 Fall Lifelines issue, now available for download, as a PDF and interactive flipbook, and also available for order as a physical copy. 2026 Spring Lifelines should also be available by April. Print/Digital Resources Feeding Ministries Guide o  If you are interested in…

Issue 103 of Administration Matters Rostered Ministers Gathering 2026 Registration for the 2026 Rostered Ministers Gathering, happening July 6-9 at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis, is open! All ELCA deacons, pastors, bishops and candidates approved for call are invited to be “Woven Together” in a time of intentional connection, listening and learning from one another in these challenging times. Engage with dynamic preachers, speakers, presenters, and even a theologian-in-residence and artist-in-residence. Register soon to get the early bird rate (available through March 31). A limited number of scholarships are available to defray registration costs and other expenses — learn more…

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. ELCA Worship also features resources from Augsburg Fortress Publishers in a monthly blog post. Association of Lutheran Church Musicians ALCM nurtures and equips musicians to serve and lead the church’s song. ALCM  2026 Conference “Now and Forever” St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn. Celebrating the 1986 ALCM Constituting Convention Overlapping with Lutheran Summer Music’s Festival Week! Featuring Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Bach…

“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 justice and peace among nations where war and violence rage, especially in Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, South…

Prepare Samuel thinks he knows what a king should look like: strong, tall, impressive. Yet, God challenges him on this notion, declaring, “The Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” This same theme of seeing beyond appearances in John 9 emerges when Jesus heals a man born blind and invites everyone present to reconsider what true sight really means. What should be a moment of joy becomes a debate. The disciples assume someone must have sinned. The neighbors doubt what they see. The religious leaders question the…

By Ashley Chepkorir [About the author] International Women’s Day, observed on March 8, is a moment to celebrate the existence, resilience and potential of women everywhere. It is also a reminder that every girl deserves the chance to imagine a future that may seem impossible in the moment. When I was 12 years old, my grandmother, who had shielded me from a lot, passed away. Around the same time, I was beginning to notice something else in my community: girls were not always encouraged to dream as boldly as boys. Education and opportunity did not always reach us equally. At…

“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 an end to war, conflict, and uncertainty, especially in Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, South Sudan, Ukraine, and…

By Daniella Garber [About the author] I grew up in a small city nestled in the Allegheny Mountains. As a small child, I was fixated on a rock formation on the side of one of those mountains that, to me, looked exactly like Noah’s ark. I was certain that was where the ark had landed after the flood, and that it had been there so long it had disintegrated in a way that prevented any trees from growing where it had sat. Eventually, my brain caught up with my imagination, and I let go of that particular belief. To this…

As the United States has begun military combat operations in Iran, we are called to pray and ask for God’s mercy.  Several resources are available to assist you.   Below are three prayers from the resource Prayer Book for the Armed Services. (In addition to the print resource, PBAS is available digitally through Sundays and Seasons.)  Time of war Eternal God, whose steadfast love never ends, we ask that you look upon the nations now engaged in war and hasten the day of peace. Look in mercy on those exposed to peril, conflict, sickness and death; and show compassion to the dying. In your good providence, remove…