Stories of Faith in Action
Growing In Mission
“I had been in churches before, but immediately I sensed something different at Kaw Prairie Community Church,” said Min Baker. “It was OK to come with questions. I felt inspired and accepted.”
Chaplains Serve Faithfully
“There is a lot of outreach to Iraqis that doesn’t always get reported amid all the very real horrors of the war here,” said the Rev. Glenn Palmer in The Lutheran magazine’s...
Building a Hopeful Future
Imagine you had survived a bloody civil war a decade ago that pitted neighbor against neighbor. Now imagine your community had to choose between health care or clean water.
A New Home
The Lakota Lutheran Center and Chapel (LCC) faced severe space challenges when it lost its fellowship and distribution center areas to the new owner of its current site.
After the Floods 
See how ELCA members serve as beacons of hope to communities recovering from the 2008 floods and tornadoes in the Midwest. [5 minute video]
Breakthroughs
Last fall, 14-year-old James wrote a summer vacation essay. His teacher was amazed at the people James met, the books he read and the field trips he took, not to mention his...
Building Bridges
Abundant Life Arabic Lutheran Church, Dearborn, Mich., is located literally next door to the largest mosque in North America.
Discovering God's Grace
When Joy of Discovery Lutheran Church opened its doors in May 2006 in an inner city, multicultural setting in Raleigh, N.C., the congregation invited all people to come in and...
Equipping Caregivers to Respond to HIV/AIDS
In a tidy home in Arusha, Tanzania, a Maasai nurse is counting out pills for Jamila, a 48-year-old woman who is HIV positive. The medicine will alleviate Jamila’s leg pain...
First Lutheran in the Community
“We may be small, but our voices are loud,” said Jeandra Le Beauf, a member at First Lutheran Church, Inglewood, Calif.
Friends Feeding Friends
John had a good paying job in computers in the San Francisco Bay area—then he was laid off. As months grew into years without a new job, John sold his possessions and went hungry.
Getting Fluent in Faith's First Language
“The careful reading of Scripture opens up the possibility of hearing a voice other than our own,” said Diane Jacobson, professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary and director of the ELCA Book of Faith initiative.
God's Work. Our Hands.
“The careful reading of Scripture opens up the possibility of hearing a voice other than our own,” said Diane Jacobson, professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary and director of the ELCA Book of Faith initiative.
Hospitality Amid Election Frenzy
In the run up to the 2008 presidential primaries, the ELCA Washington Office coordinated a nonpartisan civic engagement tour.
Malawi Church Growth the Outcome of Evangelism
The fast-growing Evangelical Lutheran Church of Malawi (ELCM) plans and implements its own evangelism program with financial support from two expressions of the ELCA--the ELCA churchwide Global Mission Unit, and the ELCA Northwest Synod of Wisconsin.
Meeting People Where They Live
When the Communist era in Central and Eastern Europe came to an end, the tiny Silesian Church faced a great opportunity and a tremendous challenge in the Czech Republic, where only 30 percent of the population has any affiliation with Christianity.
Orphaned But Not Alone
Simon wakes early each morning and goes to the community well to get four buckets of water for the family for the day. He then starts a small cooking fire and begins to make breakfast for his siblings. Samuel is the sole caregiver for his brothers.
Piecing Together Community
The church is strengthened by strong partners. That’s a lesson that members of Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church, Glen Ellyn, Ill., learned as they addressed the growing number of people in need in their community.
Prepared to Care
When a tornado struck Enterprise, Ala., in March 2007, the members of Christ the King Lutheran Church were equipped to respond, bringing help and hope to the community.
Raising Up Leaders for Service
“I was working and using my retirement savings to fund my seminary preparation to become a pastor,” said the Rev. Myrta Robles. “The situation was prolonging my education. Finally, I just handed everything over to God.”
Reaching Young Adults
Your mission support provides for the ELCA’s present and future gospel witness by funding the gathering and empowering of young adults (ages 18-30) for service through ELCA congregations, synods, seminaries, outdoor ministries, campus and chaplaincy ministries, colleges and universities, and pilot ministry programs.
Rewriting the Future
It's a Wednesday afternoon in the village of Keur Massar, outside Yeumbeul, Senegal. Most women are busy with household chores — watching children, sweeping the yard, or preparing supper.
Sent Out to Serve Others
Come2go ministries began in 2003 by transforming an inner city warehouse in Fort Wayne, Ind., into a musical, coffeehouse atmosphere. One come2go member, Brad Etter, said the goal is to reach those “who otherwise wouldn’t want to pull open heavy church doors.”
Service to the Whole Community
Lin Ling of the Federation of People with Disabilities was reluctant to meet leaders of the Luzhou Christian Church. But Pastor Peter Shen, who serves as China consultant for ELCA Global Mission, knew that Ms. Ling wanted to improve services to children with cerebral palsy—and that the Luzhou Church’s 24-year-old early childhood program stood ready to help.
The Joy of Generosity
Early in their marriage, the Rev. Dr. Theodore Schneider and his wife, Doris, decided to make tithing a priority in their lives—an idea that, at first, scared Doris. “We had very little money when we were first married,” she recalled. “I thought, ‘How are we going to give away something that we don’t even have?’”
Waters of New Life
Families from the village of Longairo in southern Sudan spent years hiding in the mountains to escape the atrocities of a 20-year civil war. Finally it was safe enough to return home. The joy of homecoming was short lived, though, for when they reached their village they found their sources of drinking water were dried up or contaminated.