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Mission & Ministry

Abundance for stomachs and souls

Most pastors and leaders pray that people involved in their ministry will be spiritually fed. But The Abundant Table ministry in Ventura County, Calif., has taken that goal a step…

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Voices of Faith

The first

Every Thanksgiving I pull out my favorite Billy Collins poem, “The Lanyard.” The poet opens the dictionary to the “L” section one day and his eyes fall upon a word…

To serve and love the neighbor
Living Faithfully

To serve and love the neighbor

You know them if you’ve seen them—the bright yellow shirts emblazoned with the message “God’s work. Our hands.” They first appeared in 2013 when “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday, a…

All we have to live on
Voices of Faith

All we have to live on

Poignantly, the Gospel reading for Nov. 11, the centennial of the armistice ending World War I (Veterans Day), focuses on a widow. Jesus points her out to his disciples, saying…

Care package connections
Mission & Ministry

Care package connections

At a remote outpost, a military chaplain reads from an ELCA prayer book. Outside a Turkish orphanage, a boy plays with a new soccer ball. In a Wisconsin veterans center,…

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Voices of Faith

Saints who remain with us

It could be any Sunday at Lake Park Lutheran Church, Milwaukee. You find your seat in the pew and greet your neighbors. Yet something about today feels different. A bit…

The enduring role of the cantor
Mission & Ministry

The enduring role of the cantor

Editor’s note: Martin Luther famously said, “Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 53). The ELCA still holds tightly to Luther’s understanding. In…

ELCA, Episcopalian, Catholic leaders issue statement on East Jerusalem hospitals
Living Faithfully

ELCA, Episcopalian, Catholic leaders issue statement on East Jerusalem hospitals

The presiding bishop and Conference of Bishops of the ELCA, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church on behalf of its House of Bishops, and the United States Conference of…

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Voices of Faith

Unlikely saints

On All Saints Day, the church remembers beloved individuals who have died since the previous All Saints Day. We also honor the faithful martyrs and servants who died long before…