April fools
MONTHLY MESSAGE FROM THE ELCA PRESIDING BISHOP It all started with such promise: The angel announcing to Mary that the child she would bear would be called Son of the Most High; Mary’s conviction that this child was the embodiment...
For healing of the trauma
Let us share “prayers for healing of the trauma that has hit the whole community near Great Mills High and particularly for the healing of the injured Senior and the rest of [the school community],” asks Christy Hartigan, member of...
Closer to God’s vision
“Along the way I want to be the kind of person that God set free.” From this gathering song lyric through other centering, listening, and reflecting opportunities, rostered ministers of the Metro D.C. Synod used a day in Lent on...
Unshakeable resolve for peace
While announcements in our area alert us to anticipated traffic snarls and advise preordering Metro SmarTrip cards in advance of the March 24, 2018 March for Our Lives demanding that “lives and safety become a priority and that we end...
God’s irresistible call
A MONTHLY MESSAGE FROM THE ELCA PRESIDING BISHOP When first elected presiding bishop, I was often asked what it meant to be the first woman entrusted with this call. I didn’t like that question then. I’m still ambivalent about it...
Sustainable power through women’s activity
On this International Women’s Day, our Metro D.C. Synodical Women’s Organization (SWO) encourages us with initiative both empowering and powering. A ribbon-cutting success was celebrated in November 2017 when Phebe Hospital in Liberia achieved self-reliance through solar power, allowing them...
Energy efficiency upgrade in Waldorf
When he peeks outside to check the weather, Don Zimmer may be seeing numbers as well as the forecast. "On the two days this week where we had good sun, we offset 77% and 73%," he reported to his congregation...
There has to be a way to feed all
by Dorothy Sorrell Maria Rose Belding, MEANS Database cofounder and executive director As a 16-year-old volunteering at a food bank, Maria Rose Belding, an ELCA member, saw food that was thrown away because of expiration dates...
A valentine gift from God
A MONTHLY MESSAGE FROM THE ELCA PRESIDING BISHOP “Love means never having to say you’re sorry” (Love Story). “Forgiveness guaranteed. Repentance optional” (sign in front of a Lutheran church). This year Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day...
Church speak
A MONTHLY MESSAGE FROM THE ELCA PRESIDING BISHOP A colleague at the Lutheran Center related this story. An unchurched friend of hers was visiting and noticed her Advent calendar. “What is Advent?” she asked. A simple question. But my colleague...