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Theology & Beliefs

Looking Back & Called Forward: ELCA 500

On Oct. 31, ELCA leaders and members gathered at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation in Washington, D.C., for a daylong program of worship and commemoration of the 500th anniversary…

A ministry of presence
Mission & Ministry

A ministry of presence

Deployed in Saudi Arabia, John Shipman, an Air Force chaplain, had an airman come to his door looking for help. He told Shipman that he was in charge of the…

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Living Faithfully

Badminton, Thai food and faith

Every Sunday after worship, members of St. Paul Thai Lutheran Church in Forest Park, Ill., take part in what might seem like an unusual tradition. They enjoy a homemade luncheon,…

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Voices of Faith

Perspective: Pride

I entered Epiphany Lutheran Church in Milwaukee on a Pentecost Sunday in the late ’60s. As a curious young man reared and baptized Baptist, it was strange to hear someone…

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Mission & Ministry

Drawing a diverse future

Fifteen-year-old Sarah Harrison (left), a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Monroe, Conn., was chosen out of 140,000 entries for Google’s “Doodle 4 Google” contest. Her art was featured on…

To my mom, with love
Living Faithfully

To my mom, with love

Editor’s note: This letter celebrates God’s gift of motherhood, but we are also mindful that for some, Mother’s Day is complicated. Let us remember in our prayers neighbors among us…

Living out our commitment
Living Faithfully

Living out our commitment

In 30 years the nation’s increased racial and ethnic diversity hasn’t changed ELCA demographics, according to statistics. Since the 1980s, the U.S. Census Bureau shows the total number of African-American,…

Study guide: Living out our commitment
Study Guides

Study guide: Living out our commitment

The ELCA’s 1993 social statement “Freed in Christ: Race, Ethnicity and Culture” reminds us that when it was formed in 1988, the denomination established a goal to grow its membership…

Celebrating diversity
Living Faithfully

Celebrating diversity

How can we teach children to celebrate diversity? Years ago, as I dropped my daughter off at preschool one day, I noticed a girl point to a boy and ask…

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Voices of Faith

A collaboration of voices

We talk. We listen. The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) took these words from ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton to heart. Following the 2015 shooting at Emanuel…

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Voices of Faith

I’m a Lutheran: Howard Stendahl

“I’m a Lutheran” is a monthly profile featuring ELCA members around the world. The profiles showcase ELCA members in all their diversity, connecting one another through individual faith stories as…