Bishop Leila Ortiz’s Farewell Message
Praying Forward: With God's Help and In Jesus' Name... The time has come. My term as your bishop has ended. This calling has been both soul-crushing and life-saving, a sacred trust that has opened my heart to unconditional and unapologetic...
For Such a Time as This: A Call to Prayer and Fasting
I write to you in this hour of urgent need, compelled by the Spirit to call our Synod to a time of concentrated prayer and fasting. As I shared in my recent letter on spiritual warfare, we are witnessing systemic...
A Call to Spiritual Warfare: Remembering Our Baptismal Power
This week I’ve been forced to reflect on what I know in my bones but have let atrophy during my years in the Lutheran church. For months I’ve been listening to colleagues, friends, and strangers interpret the news and our...
Post-Assembly 2025 Recap & Actions Taken
The 2025 Synod Assembly, under the theme Bold and Boundless, gathered voting members, leaders, synod staff, and council for worship, discernment, and connection—including the important work of electing our next bishop, Rev. Dr. Philip Hirsch. Below are highlights of the...
Rev. Dr. Philip Hirsch Elected Bishop of the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod, ELCA
The Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is pleased to announce the election of Rev. Dr. Philip Hirsch as its next bishop. Rev. Dr. Hirsch returns to the synod following years of local, national,...
Growing Community, One Garden at a Time
In a season when so many are seeking connection, nourishment, and purpose, a simple plot of land in Fairfax, Virginia, is becoming something beautiful. This spring, Bethlehem Lutheran Church partnered with the Pozez Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia to...
One in Christ’s Resurrection
He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! As we celebrate Easter Sunday, I am drawn to Luke's account of that first morning when the women arrived at the tomb. "Why do you look for the living among the dead?"...
Faithful Focus in a World of Daily New Urgencies
Dear Beloved in Christ, “Jesus would withdraw to deserted places and pray."* (Luke 5:16) As we enter this sacred season of Lent, I find myself drawn to this simple verse about Jesus. In a ministry surrounded by constant demands—healing the...
Supporting Lutheran Ministry
February 6, 2025 Dear Synod, In light of recent social media posts attacking the humanitarian work of Lutheran social service agencies, I reached out to Katharyn Wheeler, my representative on the board of Lutheran Social Services National Capital Area (LSSNCA),...
As dawn broke over D.C.
Reflecting on Bishop Budde’s Sermon Click here to read the reflection from Bishop's Ortiz.