One paws-itively holy hound
Living Faithfully

One paws-itively holy hound

ELCA pastor Denise Gundersen was at a church meeting when a dog wandered into the room. She wondered aloud where it came from, and the host pastor replied, “He’s a…
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Theology & Beliefs

cross+generation Reformation experience expressed in education and fun

Our 2016-17 Faith Formation theme at Living Springs Lutheran Church, Columbia, SC was G.I.F.T or Growing In Faith Together using the bible verse from 2 Thessalonians 1:3b, “….because your faith…
Adventure awaits
Living Faithfully

Adventure awaits

Vacation Bible school (VBS) has long exemplified the ingenuity of Christian faith formation. The seasonal education program may date back as far as the 1870s, to the Chautauqua adult education…
 Explore. Wonder. Create.
Living Faithfully

 Explore. Wonder. Create.

The sacredness of nature and the preciousness of childhood are intersecting  in a nationally recognized manner at St. Mark Lutheran Preschool in Charlottesville, Va. This spring the preschool became a…
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Living Faithfully

Culture eats strategy for breakfast

I lean in and listen intently. A colleague describes how her congregation has tried to reach out to the neighborhood, how they’ve had meeting after meeting on how to engage…
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Theology & Beliefs

Katie Luther’s Brew benefits seminary scholarships

In the small town of Kutztown, Pennsylvania a local brewery is doing its part to honor the 500th anniversary of the reformation. Saucony Creek Craft Brewery + Gastropub was brewing…
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Voices of Faith

Transformation in Mexico

I walked into my Mexican home and collapsed on the couch. Through tears, I exclaimed to my host dad, “I wish I had never come to Mexico. This was a…
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Living Faithfully

Showing up

It was a familiar scene for me as the pastor, newly married: “So, Pastor, when are you planning on having kids?” “You don’t feel well? (Big smile.) Oh, I can…
A seat at the table
Living Faithfully

A seat at the table

It’s a Tuesday night. People are gathered in a back room of a restaurant in downtown Tulsa, Okla. Amid the pouring of refills and clearing of plates, someone begins to…
Building more than structures
Living Faithfully

Building more than structures

Entrusting a half-million-dollar renovation investment to a construction team made up of a retired pastor, a farmer, an administrative assistant, an engineer and a salesman may seem like a risky…
Hope, dignity and love
Living Faithfully

Hope, dignity and love

The four “grandmas” playing pinochle grinned when Elson Daniels ran to their card table. Seated in a cozy living room overlooking a snow-covered courtyard in Billings, Mont., they greeted the…