Sacred hospitality
For more than 13 years, Miriam Vargas has lived in Columbus, Ohio. While there, she had two children, held a job, paid taxes—and has been an undocumented immigrant. Vargas and…
For more than 13 years, Miriam Vargas has lived in Columbus, Ohio. While there, she had two children, held a job, paid taxes—and has been an undocumented immigrant. Vargas and…
St. Mark Lutheran Church in Van Wert, Ohio, is digging deep in its community outreach. The congregation has partnered with the local juvenile court to have junior high and high…
Ministering to some 700 National Guard and Army troops during New York City’s severe COVID-19 outbreak might seem daunting. But not to Anthony Stephens, an ELCA pastor and an Army…
By the time asylum-seekers reach the Welcome and Respite center in Phoenix, they’ve migrated hundreds or thousands of miles to safety. The majority come from Central America, with a growing…
For years Marsha Harris worked at various congregations—first as a layperson and then while waiting for her first call—before a class attended by only a handful of people made her…
Focal verse I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the…
A centuries-old Christian tradition and its powerful celebration of baptism are making a slow but steady comeback in the ELCA. Pastors across the church are infusing their congregations with the…
There’s a reason why we in the Northern Hemisphere celebrate Easter during spring. It’s a time when the sun shines more, temperatures grow warmer, ice thaws, animals come out of…
Born in Jerusalem, Rodny Saïd felt called to serve the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL). “I felt my call was specifically to one geographical point…
From Spirit in the Hills Lutheran Church in Spicewood, Texas, to First Lutheran Church of San Diego, some ELCA congregations are adding clothing donations to their Palm Sunday processionals, linking…
“I was—I am—an alcoholic,” said Melody Gulbrantson. “On my own, I entered an AA recovery program. My sister cared for my children, but my son gave her trouble. I took…
Our family lives in the Holy Land, where political tensions dominate the news. This is a place where the land reigns supreme in debates over who belongs and who doesn’t….
You have attempted to access a feature of this website that is only available to members of livinglutheran.org.
A free membership gives you a customized dashboard for curated content based on your interest, the ability to like and save articles, an optional subscription to a weekly email digest “LL Stories”, and more.
Already have an account? log in
If you are a subscriber to the LL Stories email digest from before the introduction of the new website in December 2025, your account is intact, but your password will need to be reset unless you have a login for another ELCA website.
If you have a login for another ELCA website like community.elca.org, directory.elca.org or others you can use the password associated with that login.