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Voices of Faith

A Blue Christmas story

For some time I had wanted to have a “Blue Christmas” service for those who were suffering during the holiday season. After an aborted attempt in 2017 due to blizzardy…

Voices of Faith

ELCA Young Adult Ministry hosts a retreat

ELCA Young Adult Ministry hosted their transitions retreat Nov. 16-19 at Lutherdale in Elkhorn, Wis. The weekend was filled with worship, community connection and free life coaching sessions with ELCA…

Living Faithfully

Worth the wait

We were waiting for her, and we didn’t even know it. When our family of four decided to host an international exchange student, it felt like a leap of faith….

Voices of Faith

Hopeful waiting

I think of Advent as the waiting season. For the First Sunday of Advent, the Gospel of Mark reminds us that no one knows the precise day or hour the…

Voices of Faith

I’m a Lutheran: Samuel L. Jones

Mountain View Lutheran Church, Edgewood, Wash. Eagle Scout; retired U.S. Navy commander When I got involved in my congregation, it started with the children. My wife and I wanted to…

Voices of Faith

My take: Pastoral approaches to the end—and the beginning

Many believers are naturally curious about death and what comes after. This curiosity often appears in the context of funerals and hospitals, yet it also arises naturally throughout one’s life….

Living Faithfully

Unexpected gifts

Focal verse “To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will…

Living Faithfully

North American church leaders call for peace in Holy Land in Advent resource

The leaders of the ELCA, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, the Anglican Church of Canada and The Episcopal Church have released the Churches Beyond Borders 2023 Advent Cycle of…

Voices of Faith

We are leaders, not guest speakers

Growing up as the child of an ELCA pastor in South Dakota, Gabe Wounded Head experienced life not on a reservation but amid a very white congregation. Now, as a…

Living Faithfully

A faithful journey of service in Alaska’s Inupiaq community

I acknowledge the Yup’ik, Inupiaq and St. Lawrence Island Yupik peoples on whose traditional lands I work and live. I also acknowledge the Creator and all Indigenous people of Alaska….

Mission & Ministry

A church of hope

In a triumph of rebirth and renewal, a single Seattle block will soon accommodate not only an ELCA church but homes for dozens of people. Columbia City Church of Hope,…

Voices of Faith

A holy gift

Editor’s note: This article originally ran Nov. 28, 2019.  My mom’s death, in December 2013, took my feet out from under me. I couldn’t imagine a life without her. But…