Hear the good news
A MONTHLY MESSAGE FROM THE ELCA PRESIDING BISHOP But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the...
#dcsynod Advent devotions via phone
Join Advent Devotions via phone when the synod staff gathers on Tuesdays for our staff meeting. With the clanging of so much holiday noise around us, perhaps this Advent centering will fit into your schedule. Listen in all 4 weeks,...
From the Bishop’s desk: Joy to the world
Jesus says, “Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them.” ~ Luke 21:8 All over the world this morning* in many different kinds of Christian communities this...
Marking Veterans Day in our faith communities
by the Rev. Mark W. Olsen Our 2016 Metro D.C. Synod Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution entitled “Gratitude and Support for Military Service Members and Veterans.” Combined with similar resolutions from other synods, that resolution was forwarded for consideration of...
I was a stranger
A MONTHLY MESSAGE FROM THE ELCA PRESIDING BISHOP I was a stranger and you welcomed me .... (Matthew 25:35) Today there are more than 60 million displaced people in the world, more than at any time since World War II....
499th anniversary of Reformation
Red leaves shimmered outside in seeming reflection of red clothing and liturgical-red stoles inside when members and friends of the ELCA Metro D.C. Synod congregated with visitors to the Washington National Cathedral for the annual synod-hosted Reformation Worship Service. The...
Big look at Small Catechism
A MONTHLY MESSAGE FROM THE ELCA PRESIDING BISHOP Several years ago my husband’s bishop tried initiating a diocese-wide call to the catechumenate to engage those preparing for confirmation in a period of study and formation. We call it confirmation class...
Church intern without a tabbed collar
A chat about summer plans between Roanoke College student Jamie Donahue and the Rev. Jeff Wilson of her home congregation, Bethel Lutheran Church in Manassas, Virginia, shaped into a creative and mutually beneficial arrangement. Intern Jamie...
ELCA resource and local expert guide criminal justice study
Contributed by the Rev. Carmelo Santos “We have put a lot of people in prison who need other services and not cages,” said an instructor of a study series for adults at Hope Lutheran Church in Annandale, Virginia. “There is...
How will people know?
A MONTHLY MESSAGE FROM THE ELCA PRESIDING BISHOPA MONTHLY MESSAGE FROM THE ELCA PRESIDING BISHOP On Wednesday, Aug. 10, the voting members of the 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly received the document “Declaration on the Way.” More than 99 percent of...