By Pastor John Hulden Today I had the privilege to take four pastors out to lunch so we could talk about – can you guess? – starting a Peer Group! Hey, how’s your peer group coming along? Isn’t it amazing to pray, support, and learn together? (By the way, my offer still stands: I’ll take [...]
by Bishop Ann Svennungsen Occasionally, I am free to worship at the church where our son, John Amos, is interred. The columbarium is next to the baptismal font; as I dip my fingers in the water, I remember the promise, “if you have been buried with Christ in a death like his, you shall also [...]
By Rev. Craig Pederson, Assistant to the Bishop The Prayer Vigil and March held at Luther Seminary last July to remember Philando Castile – the black man who was shot by police at a roadside stop – was a powerful and poignant event for the hundreds of people who attended. This memorial service came just [...]
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen In the midst of 95 degree heat and under cloudless skies, some 30,000 Lutherans gathered for a five-day annual conference in Demsa, Nigeria. Arriving in vehicles of all sizes and kinds – including pick-up trucks with families sitting on top of their belongings in the cargo bed – attendees set up temporary shelters to house them for the week. . Bible studies, prayer, [...]
By Bob Hulteen, Director of Communications, Stewardship, and Organizing I had always “prided” myself on not having traveled internationally. While all my friends were headed to other countries for service or learning or vacation, I bragged that I didn’t have a passport. (Though I might have actually been jealous, I used it as an opportunity [...]
By Bob Hulteen, Director of Communications and Stewardship I have a confession to make, like a real confession: I don’t say the first line of the Lord’s Prayer. (It’s not the only slight edit I make, but it is the most noticeable one, probably.) Yep. I don’t say “Our Father, who art in heaven.” I [...]
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen What joy I felt to see the Star Tribune’s picture of the Somali family reunited last Thursday. Peeking behind a teddy bear as big as she, a four-year-old girl stands embraced by her sisters and mother – together after more than three years of separation. Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota (LSS) [...]
By Rev. John Hulden, Assistant to the Bishop How is your congregation doing at lifting up leaders and sending them out to serve the Church? Can you name someone from your congregation who felt the call to leadership in the church and now is a children, youth, and family director? How about someone who is [...]
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen In times like these, the social teachings of the ELCA are a significant gift as we in the church discern how to act in fresh, faithful, and wise ways in response to the issues of our day. I commend the social statements, along with the catechism, as good reading in this [...]
Recently I participated in the installations of two new pastors who were called to serve churches set in very different contexts. One was a thriving congregation in an affluent suburb, the other was a new mission start in an eclectic urban neighborhood. Both of these installation services were distinct and wonderful. Still, each shared a [...]
