Category: Protestant

by Sagi Rudnick, Kansas Interfaith Action [About the Author] I am a Jewish progressive young adult who immigrated to the United States from the Holy Land as a child. Since my teenage years, I have felt a particular draw to political activism as a path for goodness to prevail. I also knew from that point that I wanted to build my career around that path. Since then, I have been fortunate to be able to lend my talents to a variety of causes. Last summer, about a year after graduating from undergrad, I found myself looking for an opportunity where I…

Catalyst Question What’s something old that you’ve noticed becoming popular again? How does that make you feel? Something Old and Something New There’s an old English rhyme that goes, “something old and something new, something borrowed and something blue, and a sixpence in your shoe.” It describes a tradition for brides to wear something of each category on their wedding day. To this day, many weddings include parts of the tradition, though finding a sixpence is much more difficult in the 21st century. Only a month into the new year, there’s much in the news that appears both old and…

by Joey Chin, Hunger Advocacy Fellow – ELCA Advocacy Communications [About the Author] A remarkably powerful windstorm known as a bomb cyclone devastated parts of the Pacific Northwest and Northern California about a week before Thanksgiving this past year. As I saw videos on the news of trees falling and power lines collapsing in the area I call home, I contacted family and friends to see if they were safe. Many people I knew were without power for almost a week but thankfully did not experience anything worse. Nevertheless, many homes, families and communities had to contend with the irreversible damage…

from the ELCA advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, Senior Director Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: January 2025 CONTINUING RESOLUTION IMPACTS | COP29 CONCLUDES | PREVENTING ARMS SALES TO SUDAN | H.R.9495 AND NONPROFIT TAX-EXEMPTION | FY25 BUDGET AND THE HOMELAND SECURITY BILL   CONTINUING RESOLUTION IMPACTS: In December 2024, Congress passed a three-month Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government temporarily funded through March 14, 2025, while additionally providing about $ 110 billion in emergency disaster relief and farm aid. The measure also extended the lapsed authorization of the Farm Bill through Sept….

Catalyst Question Share about a time when someone stepped in to help you face a sudden, unexpected problem. An Urgent Answer As wildfires continue to threaten countless people in Los Angeles, community organizations are stepping up to help. Some provide food and shelter to the newly houseless. Others assist pets separated from families in the rush to find safety. All God’s creatures, great and small, need support in times of tragedy like these. And God shows up in all sorts of ways, through local organizations like those above and through international efforts like our own Lutheran Disaster Response. In Sunday’s…

“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 areas of the world impacted by ongoing war and conflict: Ukraine, Syria, South Sudan… For ceasefire…

Catalyst Question What do you remember of your baptism, if anything? If you aren’t baptized, or if you don’t remember yours, then share a memory of a baptism you witnessed.  The Baptized Life This week is President Jimmy Carter’s funeral. As people share memories, you might notice that many reflect not only on his presidency, but on what he did with life after he completed his only term as the leader of the United States of America. There’s lots of reasons for that. Chief amongst them is that, after he left the White House, President Carter committed to continued service….

Note: This is an update to the November 2020 post “When Trust Is Broken: A Response to Allegations against Musician David Haas.” When planning worship, pastors and musicians make important decisions about what their assembly will sing. What is sung is both an expression of the writer/composer and an act of faith by the singer. What we sing is linked to our memories and understanding of who God is and who we are as children of God. For that reason, navigating choices become especially difficult when the composer or writer has been suspected of or accused of abuse. See the…

“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 areas of the world impacted by ongoing war and conflict: Gaza, Syria, Ukraine… For evacuees and…

The following is cross-posted from Living Lutheran. You can find the original post here. I’m a Lutheran: Glory Godwin Lekashu By John Potter|December 20, 2024 Medical laboratory technician, Essentia Health Trinity Lutheran Church, Moorhead, Minn. Growing up, I was highly involved with the youth ministry of my home church, Kimandolu Lutheran Church in Arusha, Tanzania, and was on the church praise and worship team. I started going to Trinity Lutheran Church in 2019 as a college freshman at Concordia College [in Moorhead, Minn.]. Currently, I serve on the hospitality team for Trinity. I usher and read Scripture. This involvement is very important to me because…