Emanuel Lutheran Church in West Warwick, R.I. was the first ELCA congregation powered by renewable energy. | more »
Leadership
With some help from ELCA Missionary Sponsorship, youth groups in Decorah, Iowa, lead their community to help refugees in Syria. | more »
ELCA Fund for Leaders scholarship recipient Dione Miller gets her passion for service from her aunt Carolyn, a former ELCA missionary. | more »
As one of the ELCA Fund for Leader’s first full-tuition scholarship recipients, Lynnae Sorensen brings a special perspective to her Austin, Texas, congregation. | more »
For 25 years, Sherman Hicks has fought to make the ELCA a diverse and welcoming place for people from all walks of life. | more »
Stephen Martin, an ELCA chaplain, spent a year helping his sisters and brothers in the armed forces cope with the effects of war. | more »
Sara Massey experiences first-hand the impact ELCA Youth Gatherings have on the communities where they are held. | more »
Placing thumbprints and signatures on their new charter was an important milestone for all members at River of Hope, an ELCA worshiping community in Hutchinson, Minn.
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When she was a teenager, Jen Engquist, center, visited Uganda, and since then she's been pursuing her passion for international development and social justice. | more »
Members of Santa Maria de Guadalupe haven't needed to knock on doors to invite people to church — potential members just show up. | more »
ELCA missionaries David and Mary Kuck witness the true meaning of "freed in Christ to serve." | more »
St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church assists families and individuals in the area through its Community Resource Center. | more »
Megan Ross, an ELCA deaconess, discovers what it means to live the diaconal life half-way around the world. | more »
Kaw Prairie Community Church in Lenexa, Kan., started because leaders in the community heard God's call to step out in faith, says Dan McKnight, its pastor. | more »
... and the courtyard, congregations like Zion Lutheran in Superior, Wis., consider how they can best use their gifts to meet the needs of their communities.
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Jensen Seyenkulo, the new Liberian bishop, is working to strengthen unity among members of his church and to make the central office financially self-sustaining. | more »
The ELCA works with the Protestant church in China to train leaders in Sichuan province. | more »
Over the past year, Lutheran volunteers from several states have worked on Misty Weed’s flood-damaged home in Minot, N.D. | more »
When Jesus Escamilla received the call to the ordained ministry, he didn't anticipate that it would involve learning to ride a horse. | more »
ELCA member Olivia Neubauer is an elementary school teacher who won’t let anything keep her from teaching — not even turning 100. | more »
Definitely abled youth make new friends in New Orleans as they gear up for the 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering. | more »
For the youth at MYLE, the ELCA Youth Gathering is a chance to share their cultures with 35,000 other young people. | more »
Adam Miller-Stubbendick, a pastor from upstate New York, takes a plunge to support the 100 Wells Challenge. | more »
The ELCA's first Sudanese pastor returns to Africa to make a difference. | more »
Through ELCA World Hunger, members of this church can make a difference, ensuring that the most basic of human needs are met. | more »
Sarah Rossing is one of 19 Fund for Leaders scholarship recipients, thanks to the generosity of John and Mary Satter.
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Her grandmother, mom, daughter and mentor helped Jessica Arneson learn to care for the poor, which has made her a stronger Lutheran and advocate. | more »
Susie Delgado heard racial slurs as a teenager. When it continued with her sons and grandchildren at school, Susie's faith motivated her to end it. | more »
Mark Knutson, pastor of Augustana Lutheran Church in Portland, says members can see how their faith connects to the world.
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Pete Warmanen, a pastor in Medford, Wis., believes that a sense of childlike enthusiasm is essential to keeping his passion for ministry fresh.
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Attending an ELCA Youth Gathering offers the opportunity for teenagers to share their faith. "And that's what brings them back to the church," says Elizabeth Fisher. | more »
Miriam Schmidt says Bratislava International Church, her new congregation, successfully serves a diverse group of people “from more countries than you can count.” | more »
Members of First English Lutheran Church in Columbus, Ohio, are reducing the energy costs of maintaining their 100-year-old building. | more »
Soon to retire, Elizabeth Platz in 1965 became the first woman to be ordained in the Lutheran church. | more »
The church on the inside is in relationship with congregations on the outside. | more »
A clear and compelling call is driving the Leiseths to accept a new journey overseas. | more »
Christi Lines, now a principal, didn’t plan to become a teacher. The Holy Spirit had other ideas. | 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 »
A special children’s program helped pave the way for a new relationship between two ELCA and African Methodist Episcopal Zion congregations. | more »
For Kathryn Lohre, being part of the "priesthood of all believers" is more than just Sunday worship. It's how we see "God calling us in our everyday lives." | more »
"Anybody who sounded as smart as he was ... and had the name Martin Luther, I had to get to know him better," says Robert Graetz of Martin Luther King Jr. | more »
In a season of thanksgiving, ELCA International Scholarship recipient Eva Guldanova celebrates friendship and generosity.
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Welcome, stranger! New people are walking through the doors of Epiphany Lutheran, Eagle Lake, Minn., thanks to their innovative outreach program. | more »
Paper plates aren't just for picnics. Jennifer Crist used them to send a powerful message against childhood hunger to Washington. | more »
The crew of the M/C Christian is on a mission as they navigate the waters of Alaska: spearheading a ministry of hospitality among Alaskan residents. | more »
Taking piano lessons at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Oakland, Calif., took Dante Millet to a place he never thought he'd go — college. | more »
Participating in the Churchwide Assembly as a voting member was unlike anything Beth Smaligo has ever experienced. | more »
Diane Eggemeyer never expected to become a pastor or find herself living in the heart of Texas. “God just dragged me along,” she says. | more »
Listening to God enables genetics counselor Janet Williams to aid those who face troubling news about their current or future health.
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“Once you combine an interest with a gift, serving can be very gratifying and rewarding,” says ELCA member Linden Olson, a farmer and pork producer. | more »
Candid conversations about HIV and AIDS change and protect lives in Tanzania.
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Since joining the staff at Imago Dei Village, an ELCA outdoor ministry program, Dara Stull still feels a bit awestruck at her good fortune.
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Movie posters? A popcorn machine? What do they have to do with Sunday worship? Everything, if you’re at GPS Faith Community in Machesney Park, Ill. | more »
An award-winning video highlights a summer camp's week of welcoming foster children from Lutheran Services Florida. | more »
Pastor Richard Young, a physician and ELCA missionary serving in Guyana, is struck by the fact that prayer is requested first, medical care second.
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Meet Jim and Karen Noss, who represent the new face of missionaries in the ELCA. What hasn’t changed is the passion for ministry. | more »
An ELCA military chaplain lives by the motto, "Bringing God to soldiers and soldiers to God."
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Strolling around Listening Walk at Halfway Creek has become a symbol of renewal for the congregation, confirming that God is "near and here." | more »
"I believe in the mission of the ELCA. It is what I have in my life, and it is good,” says Kathleen Elliot Chillison, a member of the Living into the Future Together task force.
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What's a tradition in your family? Dione Miller has been attending ELCA Global Mission events with her Aunt Carolyn since 1999. | more »
Two ELCA missionaries witness signs of hope in Japan in the midst of devastation, fear and despair. | more »
Clint Mack heard God's call for him at a most unexpected time in his life: during one of two deployments in Iraq. | more »
"Facetime" has a whole different meaning at Living Grace Lutheran Church in Omaha, Neb., thanks to social media tools like Facebook and Twitter. | more »
What do you do when the city you live is up in flames? Five pastors in Los Angeles turned to Nehemiah for inspiration.
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Eva Guldanová, a former child of communism, is now a Ph.D. candidate in theology, thanks in part to support from the ELCA. | 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 »
ELCA Lutherans in Big Sky, Mont., found an unexpected home with their Episcopal brothers and sisters. | more »
Thanks to the ELCA, Patricia Cuyatti got the theological education she needed and returned to Peru to make her dream a reality.
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Joining forces with a full communion partner in the community can help keep a congregation alive, especially in an age of declining membership.
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A commitment to advocacy isn't just lip service at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Jersey City, N.J. It's built into the church structure itself.
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For decades Jim Kline attended various ELCA congregations, but he never became an official member of this church until now. So, what inspired Jim to finally join? | more »
Without his pastor's encouragement and synodical support, he wouldn't be a church leader, says Sam Schlouch.
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Erika Randall teaches English to children in Malaysia, but she considers herself as much their student as their teacher. | more »
Working to help low-income students get into colleges and universities is an expression of faith in God for Peter Schattauer. | more »
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