Tag: hope

Burma (Myanmar) earthquake | Photo credit: USGS When a powerful earthquake struck Myanmar in March 2025, it left devastation in its wake. Entire communities were shaken—homes reduced to rubble, livelihoods disrupted, and access to essentials like clean water suddenly uncertain. Yet even in the midst of loss, something remarkable began to take shape: stories of resilience, recovery, and hope. Supported by a coordinated humanitarian response through Lutheran Disaster Response, the ACT Alliance, and Lutheran World Relief, families and communities began the hard work of rebuilding—not just structures, but their sense of stability and dignity. Restoring What Matters Most: Water In…

Shawna with members of ROAD in Muskogee, OK | Photo credit Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma In the first week of May 2022, severe storms and flash flooding swept through Eastern Oklahoma, leaving a trail of destruction across multiple counties. In Muskogee alone, more than seven inches of rain fell in a single day, overwhelming homes, properties, and communities. Thousands of households were impacted, many of them uninsured and uncertain of how they would recover. Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) partnered with Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma through a grant supporting unmet needs from the storms. Together, this collaboration became a source…

A home damaged by Hurricane Helene | Photo Credit the Southeastern Synod Almost two years following Hurricane Helene, communities across Georgia are still navigating the long and difficult road to recovery. From Augusta to the coastal counties, the Southeastern Synod’s Disaster Ministry Team continues to walk alongside survivors as they rebuild homes, restore stability, and reclaim hope. A Wide-Reaching Response While North and South Carolina have been the focus of much of the nationwide reporting about Hurricane Helen, the scale of devastation across Georgia has been immense. Sixty-two counties were declared disaster areas, with severe damage stretching from inland communities…

Prepare The Road to Emmaus story is chock-full of theological imagery and imagination. We meet disciples and Jesus on the road and yet something is keeping the disciples from recognizing Christ. There’s a lot that could be explored as to why the disciples don’t recognize Jesus throughout their entire conversation, especially in light of other resurrection stories we have about Christ where folks recognize him immediately. Moreover, it is theologically significant that his identity is revealed through the Eucharist. It is as they break bread that Christ is recognized for who he is. The meal is the disciples “touching of…

Over the past year we have witnessed an increase in polarization, a rise in Christian nationalism, and a number of acts of political violence. In this spotlight from an ELCA-affiliated state public policy office (sppo), Tammy Walhof, Director of Lutheran Advocacy Ministry – Minnesota, and Jacob Summerville, ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow placed with this sppo, discuss some ways Minnesotans are working to build bridges and encourage civil discourse.   Hope and Challenge Addressing Political Violence By Tammy Walhof, Director, Lutheran Advocacy – Minnesota and Jacob Summerville, Hunger Advocacy Fellow POLITICAL VIOLENCE | GRACEFUL CONVERSATIONS | RESOURCE COLLECTION | MEDIA LITERACY | CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM |…

by Erin Brown, Lutheran Office for World Community [about the author] Since October, the Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC) has participated in weekly prayers for peace at the Church Center for the United Nations. At every service, we lift up prayers for all people impacted by violence and destruction caused by the numerous conflicts happening worldwide. At a recent service, members of an organization called Flame of Hope led the reflection, bringing with them a lantern illuminated with a flame recovered from the aftermath of the atomic bomb drop in Hiroshima in 1945. This flame has traveled across the…

We are Easter people who believe in the resurrection hope of Jesus. As followers of Jesus, we have hope beyond the grave. We know that death is not the end. In Christ’s death, there is life, and we have hope in that new life. In this world there are places we see glimpses of this resurrection hope of Jesus. In New Orleans, there is a Lutheran congregation shining this resurrection hope of Jesus in their community. Founded in 1888, Bethlehem is a remarkable church with a rich history of service that goes deep into the community. Bethlehem is a beacon…

The following reflections are the foundation of comments shared at the “Interfaith Vigil and Rally: Faith Acting on Gun Violence” by the Rev. Amy E. Reumann on June 8, 2022, hosted by Lutheran Church of the Reformation in Washington, D.C. by the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, ELCA Senior Director, Witness in Society I don’t know what tone to strike today. Is it to be a deep wail of grief and sadness at the blood that has been spilled, the lives lost, the communities forever changed by gun violence? Is it to be cries of holy rage at our leaders in…