Category: Protestant

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 Afghan refugees arriving in the United States… For all affected by flooding and landslides in Brazil; for the displaced, the grieving, and all providing assistance and support… For the work of the United Nations Security Council… For the safety and…

  The application period for 2022 ELCA World Hunger Education and Networking Grants will open in early Spring. Get notified when the application opens by subscribing to the ELCA World Hunger blog in the box on the left side of this page. Hunger Education and Networking Grants are one of the ways ELCA World Hunger accompanies congregations, synods, organizations, partners and local teams throughout the US and the Caribbean. We know that learning about the root causes of hunger and effective responses is key to ending hunger locally and globally. That’s why we are excited to share that our application…

The following is an invitation from the Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute (GEII). All content and images are shared with the permission of GEII. January 18-25, 2022 Please join the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute, and the Interchurch Center Committee on Ecumenical, Interfaith, and Community Concerns, for a live-streamed Ecumenical Service of the Word in observation of the 2022 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Wednesday, January 19th, 2022 12:00 PM Eastern (GMT-5) Online via Facebook: Join Here Free and open to the public; the service will remain available online for later viewing. The 2022 theme…

Situation On Dec. 30, the Marshall Fire ignited in Boulder County, Colo. Over 6,200 acres burned quickly, forcing the evacuations of 35,000 people. The fire spread throughout suburban neighborhoods, destroying nearly 1,000 homes. While December wildfires are rare, the severe drought in the western United States created hazardous conditions that allowed the Marshall Fire to spread rapidly. This unusual fire is one of the impacts of a changing climate and will become increasingly more common. Response The Rocky Mountain Synod is collaborating with pastors and congregations impacted by the fires to develop a coordinated response and mobilize resources for communities….

Susan Palo Cherwien, Lutheran hymnwriter and poet, died December 28, 2021. Her hymns and meditations have been a gift to the church and world. Eight of her hymns are included in Evangelical Lutheran Worship: As the Dark Awaits the Dawn  261 Come, Beloved of the Maker  306 Day of Arising  374 O Blessed Spring  447 Rise, O Church, like Christ Arisen  548 Beloved, God’s Chosen  648 Signs and Wonders  672 In Deepest Night  699 Eight hymns are also included in All Creation Sings, the worship and song supplement to ELW: As Your Spirit in the Desert  923 Christ Is the…

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 advocates, activists, and allies working for racial justice… In thanksgiving for the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr… For those rebuilding, recovering, and grieving after recent natural disasters, especially flooding in South Africa, snowstorms in…

Jen Krausz, Bethlehem, PA Warm-up Question Have you or anyone in your family ever donated blood? What was the reasoning behind this act? Home Crisis The American Red Cross announced on January 11 that because U.S. blood supplies are at extremely low levels the country is facing an unprecedented blood crisis. “If the nation’s blood supply does not stabilize soon, life-saving blood may not be available for some patients when it is needed,” warned in a joint statement with America’s Blood Centers and the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies.  The agency said that the current surge in COVID-19…

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 residents of Tongo, following devastating volcanic eruption, and for all areas feeling effects of the event… For members of the Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, following last week’s hostage crisis… For Asian American communities grieving acts of racial violence……

Faiths4Vaccines are asking its partners to get the word out about federally distributed COVID-19 tests, which began distribution this week. The following message comes from the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers: On January 19th home COVID-19 tests became available through the federal government, we need to ensure that stakeholders, especially the most vulnerable, have access to the testing resources they need in order ensure equitable testing distribution. Help spread the word! We need the support of the faith community to share this critical information at a local level. Please share this information across your networks to ensure proliferation of…

Angie Larson, Alexandria, MN Warm-up Question Have you ever ordered something online and received something you didn’t expect? What was it? What I Got vs. What I Ordered On the internet there’s a meme out there called “what I got vs. what I ordered.” There are hundreds of stories of people getting something very different than they asked for. One man ordered a rug for his room but didn’t check the dimensions. He ended up with a rug that was no larger than a napkin. For her daughter’s birthday, a mom ordered a cake featuring  Elsa from Frozen; what came…