Attitudes that non-adoptive families have can play an important role in the support, or lack thereof, that adoptive families experience. | more »
International
You won't find holiday decorations or snow at this Kenyan congregation. But you will find children helping celebrate the birth of Jesus — just as in congregations everywhere. | more »
ELCA missionary Mark Jacobson, the director of a Lutheran medical school in Tanzania, says that through its graduates we become the healing hands of Christ. | more »
A Medford, Wis., congregation has been infused with new energy and is focusing on the ELCA Malaria Campaign. | more »
Edna Johnson knew about miracles, but she had never seen one until she became an ELCA missionary in Africa. | more »
About 250 people from Ethiopia’s Oromia region have found a spiritual oasis in their Washington, D.C., congregation. | more »
An ELCA young adult volunteer learns patience and how to have a conversation in the absence of a shared language.
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"Change has nothing to do with ‘emerging’; it is doing ministry with people who are jaded by materialism and are looking for authenticity.”
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I didn’t come to South Africa to say that I’ve been to South Africa or to say that I’ve lived in another country for a year. I came to experience. | more »
I was a little apprehensive as to what was in store for Holy Week in South Africa. I was unsure what Holy Week meant for me in Mabopane. | more »
For many ELCA travelers a trip to the Holy Land is an experience in a radical welcome and bridge-building.
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Global neighbors remind ELCA missionaries like Sam and Cindy Wolff that we all have much to be thankful for. | more »
Constance Mamba plans to establish HIV and AIDS programs after earning her master's degree, thanks to an ELCA scholarship. | more »
The Young Adults in Global Mission program offers the opportunity for a one-year journey in international service and learning. | more »
A clear and compelling call is driving the Leiseths to accept a new journey overseas. | more »
Five hundred trees from around the world will be planted at the Wittenberg Center to honor the Reformation's 500th anniversary and the worldwide Lutheran communion.
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Pauline Lindquist's aim in life is to preach the word, wherever she is. That pursuit has taken her to serve in some unexpected parts of the world. | more »
"It's time to say to the evils of this world, 'Go back to the shadows, because the good is taking in the light,'" says Lutheran Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee. | more »
Has examining other Christian faiths or non-Christian religions helped your own faith grow? Has it helped you clarify your beliefs? Have you found there are elements in other faiths that have caused you to question some aspect of your own?... | more »
There are times when things are frustrating, but it is much better to look at the positive things and be grateful for all that I have.
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It was all about the amazing people that have welcomed me into their family, and that is what I am thankful for. | more »
"Evangelism" and "angel" have the same Greek root, meaning "relaying
good news" — the good news you as an angel can share.
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ELCA missionaries are those who reconcile, transform and empower by the grace of God and in the name of Jesus. | more »
Living in another country for an extended period can change your perspective on the world and your place in it. Which country would you like to experience? What would you hope to learn? If you have temporarily lived in another... | more »
I thought, “How cool. Here we are in secular Germany and our friends brought us here to witness this amazing thing.” | more »
On the world’s stage, Leymah Roberta Gbowee, a Lutheran Liberian peace activist, has won the Nobel Peace Prize. But in the smaller circle of our daily lives we also have peacemakers — those who go out of their way to... | more »
It has been an eye-opening experience for me to see the different ways people respond to the gift of the good news.
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I especially love being part of this mixture of cultures; we treat each other like brothers and sisters in Christ. | more »
It is not an easy place to be, but I have a lot of people supporting me and I am comforted by that. | more »
Today is the International Day of Peace. What can one person do? One person can pray. What is your prayer for peace in the world?... | more »
Candid conversations about HIV and AIDS change and protect lives in Tanzania.
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If home is where you hang your hat, have you had a chance to hang yours outside the U.S.? Living in a different culture for an extended time, even if it’s a similar one to ours like Canada, can create... | more »
I sit surrounded by the overwhelming reality of what has taken place in this peaceful country, to a peaceful people. | more »
The horror of the mass killings in Norway is hard enough for adults to handle, but how do you approach it with children and teenagers? What do you say if they ask, “Why would someone do that? Could that happen... | more »
I began to see how relationships with our fellow human beings are the true wealth in life, and without them I am nothing.
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People might be surprised to know that Marilyn Timm used to be Condoleezza Rice's (the former secretary of state) support person at the Rand Corp.
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I don’t think we need a new version of a controlled three-tiered universe -- with God above us, and hell below. | more »
We quickly learned that Erik was asking for funds on behalf of those suffering after natural disasters: tornadoes, floods and tsunamis. | more »
It was a magical evening for my parents, who were thrilled to be invited to such a grandiose event.
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As we heard our Guatemalan friends share their fears, we faced our own worries about mission and ministry. We were forever changed. | more »
I don't believe that most Americans were celebrating bin Laden's death.
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These people spent a month’s food expense on us to show us their most lavish hospitality. I was humbled.
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ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson wrote that Osama bin Laden’s death is “an occasion for solemn remembrance.” What’s your response? How does your Christian faith factor in to your consideration of bin Laden’s death?... | more »
I remember scenes from countries around the world … I remember seeing them celebrating our pain. And I didn't like it. One bit. | more »
While I am used to a Good Friday service in silence, here in South Africa I was faced with people who were in celebration. | more »
Malaria is a disease of poverty. There are many ways to address this disease: through educating members in your congregation by giving to the ELCA Malaria Campaign to support ELCA World Hunger’s relief and development work by standing with and... | more »
He was a man of many paradoxes: a longtime pacifist and an inconsistent pacifist who became a conspirator in an assassination plot against Adolf Hitler. | more »
Two ELCA missionaries witness signs of hope in Japan in the midst of devastation, fear and despair. | more »
It cracks open all formality, allowing warmth, physicality, hospitality and sincerity to touch others in a very palpable way. | more »
As the shaking slowed down, the aftershocks continued off and on, and it was like we had just left a ship and couldn't quite get our land legs back. | more »
Today’s lead story, “Holding steady in Japan,” describes a number of ways that the ELCA is responding to the disaster in Japan. What’s one way you (as an individual or as a member of your congregation) have responded? What prompted... | more »
Peter Johnson, pastor of St. Andrew's in Cairo, believes that God comes to us in chaos, providing the hope of reconciliation and healing words. | more »
Do you have a time or place that shaped your faith? Where were you, and why was that experience so powerful? Did that mountain-top experience have an impact on the calling or vocation that you are living out in your... | more »
The beauty of our idea of baptism is that the parents are not alone; they bring others with them who promise to nurture the baptized. | more »
Amid the toxic pollution of Cairo, there comes a breath of fresh air. It is the fresh air of change, of hope and of freedom. | more »
An Egyptian seminary student’s effort to reach a goal illustrates the call a teacher feels to keep returning to Cairo.
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“Blessed are the peacemakers,” said Jesus in Matthew 5. The Greek term eirenopoioi could be literally translated as “peace-doers.” Who is a peacemaker that has blessed your life through his or her dedication to doing or making peace? How do... | more »
It is much more challenging to put yourself in the line of fire and protect someone that you could possibly be afraid of.
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At night the neighborhood children search the sewage waters for valuables.
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Three-year-old Jauvalda Francique of Léogâne, Haiti, attends a bright, cheerful and safe school, thanks to the generosity of ELCA members. | more »
The week of January 18-25 is observed by many Christians in the northern hemisphere as a time of prayer for unity within the body of Christ. What is your congregation or community doing to mark this week? Ecumenical worship services?... | more »
What if we worshiped with a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other? Then maybe our actions and our faith could inform one another and guide our lives.
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In the spirit of New Year’s goals, here are five exercises to get our flabby peacemaking muscles back into shape.
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All of us live together on a small planet, Earth, astonished that God visited our little place in the universe. | more »
Is one man's daily act of throwing himself on sharp glass a scam or a plea for something more?
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My love of life, of Christ and of others has reached a new pinnacle.
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Two resources are available to help your congregation talk about Christian unity. “Your Guide to Ecumenical Life in the ELCA” is an easy-to-read, four-color “road map” intended to help people learn about the ELCA’s vision and important work in the... | more »
Recent Comments
Brian Beckstrom: “You're welcome Marcus. Thanks for reading.” | more »
Marcus Kunz: “Thanks for a great post, Brian.” | more »
blessedchurchmouse: “Great story! Thank you for posting. Blessings : )” | more »
Charles Oberkehr: “This year, we got 7 foot shimmering red streamers and” | more »
Charles Oberkehr: “Thanks for the reminder. Great piece.” | more »