We celebrate the contributions of Asian and Pacific Islanders in the ELCA and reaffirm our commitment to the Asian and Pacific Islander communities in the United States.
Read More
On May 18, 2022, ELCA Presiding Bishop Eaton and 44 ELCA synod bishops, including Bishop Hutterer, wrote to Congress about their concerns related to the funding of Augusta Victoria Hospital. Read the full letter here: ELCA Bishops’ letter to Congress concerning US funding for Augusta Victoria Hospital.
Ask your Members of Congress to restore funding for Augusta Victoria Hospital and the other East Jerusalem hospitals (This form will give you a sample letter you can personalize and send).
Read More
Presiding Bishop Eaton wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken to express her “profound shock and sadness concerning the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in Jenin, the West Bank, on May 11 and the deplorable disruption of her funeral procession on May 13.”
Read the letter from Bishop Eaton to Secretary of State Blinken on the killing and funeral of Shireen Abu Akleh and join Bishop Eaton in taking action by writing to Secretary of State Blinken here. (The action alert will give you sample language that you can edit and personalize).
Read More
The pandemic has resulted in years of isolation, anxiety, loss and grief. In her May column for Living Lutheran, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reminds us that we can “remain isolated and reactive, or we can live as the new creation in Christ and be a witness to the world of the reconciliation we have received from God.” Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/3sHQkOL and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/3PwkzCm.
Read More
Our unity as Christians is through Jesus Christ, the One who embodies God's grace among us. Every day we dive into our baptism, through which God promises grace and mercy and draws us out to love and serve neighbors.
Yet, there are times when, even in our unity, we do not agree. The people of this church and this country have various and perhaps contrasting responses to the Supreme Court's leaked draft opinion on abortion. Regardless of where each of us stands on the issue, the ELCA's 1991 social statement on abortion speaks to all of us.
Read More
Bishop Eaton shares a message regarding the listening panel which reviewed the interactions of Bishop Megan Rohrer with Misión Latina Luterana leading up to and on Dec. 12, 2021, and asks for prayers for all concerned in these matters. Leer en español también.
Read More
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Bishop Eaton reminds us that caring for our mental health is not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of courage, faithfulness and hope.
Greetings to you for a joyous Eid al-Fitr.
On this blessed occasion, I write to share "A Declaration of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to the Muslim Community." Through this message to you, we recommit ourselves to the heart of both our theological traditions: love of God and love of neighbor.
Read More
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will observe its 35th anniversary on April 30, 2022. On this date in 1987, the ELCA constitution was adopted during the opening session of the Constituting Convention in Columbus, Ohio.
To symbolize the formation of the new denomination, the bishops from the three predecessor church bodies poured water from separate containers into one baptismal font.
Read More
Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton shares her letter to 2022 assemblies. View as PDF in English or Spanish, and also read in this post.
“Theresa of Avila talked about the church as the hands and feet of Christ in the world, the very way God will work to engage new people.”
Read More
April is Fair Housing Awareness Month and Bishop Eaton encourages us to continue the Lutheran tradition of being advocates for fair housing legislation and “tackle the legacy of segregation, housing discrimination, and ongoing disparities of homeownership for persons with disabilities, or based on race and gender.”
Read More
As we return to a post-pandemic world, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reminds us that we will need the “word of the Lord—the Word that calls us back to our center, which is the steadfast love of God, law and gospel, judgment and promise.” Read her April column for Living Lutheran in English and in Spanish, or download as PDF or Word document.
Read More
As we enter the third year of this pandemic, we see the signs of stress and incivility, even the signs of war and disease in Ethiopia and Sudan, in Europe. It might seem like death still has sway, but Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reminds us to declare confidently on this Easter and all times "I know that my Redeemer lives.”
View in this post, on YouTube, or download the video here. Read the message as PDF in English or Spanish.
Read More
As we prepare to celebrate Earth Day later this month, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton shares some examples of how Lutherans are caring for creation and addressing climate justice.
God calls us to be stewards of the earth, and to fully integrate creation care into our love of God, neighbor and everything in our environment. Learn more at https://elca.org/environment.
Read More
“For those of you who are wondering about the particulars of the process to address the issues that arose in the Sierra Pacific Synod, I want to give you an update on the ways in which we are moving forward.” (This update is provided in English and en español.)
Read More
On March 25, 2022, we commemorate the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, declared by the United Nations in 2007. As we remember the victims of what has been called the “the worst violation of human rights in history,” Bishop Eaton calls us to “learn more about the inhumane history of the transatlantic slave trade and examine the paths that will lead us towards racial healing and justice.”
Read More
In her March column for Living Lutheran, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reminds us that “over and over again humankind has betrayed the hope God has for us.” She suggests that this is a “time for a reset.” Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/361wmXp and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/3wgluj2.
Read More
Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton shares some of the ways the ELCA, Lutheran Disaster Response and our partners in ministry are responding to the growing humanitarian crisis in eastern Europe by providing support for refugees and internally displaced people. Please keep our companions in your prayers during these turbulent times. God of life, give us your peace.
Read More
“I am appointing a listening panel of three people to review the interactions of Bishop Megan Rohrer with Misión Latina Luterana, particularly on December 12, the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and to make recommendations to me.” Read more in English and Spanish in this post.
Read More
Bishop Eaton provides a prayer as we enter Lent, and invites us to explore Now Is the Time: A Study Guide for ELCA Declaration to People of African Descent and ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving at ELCA.org/40Days.
Read More