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Faith in Action

Spring to-do list for little Lutherans

It’s spring, the season of fresh-smelling grass, birds chirping, daffodils blooming, blue skies, rain showers and warmer temperatures. For some in the United States, spring seems to be taking its…

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Faith in Action

Rules for church

Parents of small children are likely to have a long do and don’t list for worshiping as a family: Don’t tear the pages out of the hymnal. Don’t climb under…

A barbershop blessing
Faith in Action

A barbershop blessing

Sometimes planning for the future can spur big changes in the present. That was the case for Elaine T. Jones and her daughter, Chanda Jones. Elaine, a retired teacher and…

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Mission & Ministry

Waves of faith

Rolling, sun-kissed waves on the Pacific Ocean provide Jerry Phillips, a fourth-year undergraduate at the University of California–Santa Barbara (UCSB) more than a stage on which to improve his surfing…

The “e” word
Mission & Ministry

The “e” word

The Bible-Belt funeral director didn’t know about the ELCA. All he knew was that an Evangelical Lutheran pastor would officiate at his client’s service in Nashville, Tenn. Surprised when Kevin…

The living Last Supper
Faith in Action

The living Last Supper

One of the most well-known works of art of all time, Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper is also one of the most important and influential paintings to Christians worldwide….

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Mission & Ministry

More than just waving in worship

Every year on Palm Sunday, Lutherans across America gather palm fronds and wave them in remembrance of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. At St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church in St….

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Faith in Action

A blessed goodbye

Our sadness in saying goodbye is mixed with the joy and hopefulness of our new life. For many families, life is marked by transition. Often, when moving to a new…

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Faith in Action

Congregation finds new life in funeral home chapel

Trinity Lutheran used to have a large church building in downtown Appleton, Wis. But now they worship around a wooden cross and baptismal font cut from their former building’s altar…