Our July 2025 Mission Support Memo enlightens us about our ELCA chaplains in specialized ministry and federal chaplaincy across our church who minister to all in all kinds of places. Our ELCA chaplains in specialized ministry and federal chaplaincy serve to support those defending our country, in places outside church walls, tending to people of all needs and backgrounds and showing the gratitude and love of God to all.
LuMin is the Lutheran Campus Ministry Network. As part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), LuMin celebrates our partnerships with other traditions and welcomes people from a variety of faith backgrounds. There are currently more than 240 faith communities connected with LuMin.
Lugala Hospital is the only medical facility operating in a large geographic area. They try to address all the medical needs for the area. One thing they have not had is a well-equipped dental office. When asked, they requested $5000 to repair the office and get a dental chair. With the generosity of the people of the Northwest Intermountain Synod, we were able to fill that request and the funds are in transit.
Community of Holden, we are abundantly aware of darkness brought on by grief, fear, and frustration from the closure of Holden from road washouts and the unknowing of what lies ahead for the people and infrastructure of the village we hold dear. Landslides of soil and forest debris may continue. Rather than allowing our grief to become landslides of frustration, our way forward is through the One who is the Life and Light so that we may reflect the Life and Light into the heaviness of the larger world and of the particularities of Holden.
I have thought a great deal about how singing together is something I missed so much during pandemic days, how I love singing with youth and summer staff around a campfire at camp, how during an ELCA Youth Gathering we often sang our way home from the mass gatherings in the dome, how singing Taize chants quietly with others gives me that peace that passes understanding. And sometimes, when I cannot find my voice, I simply listen and let others carry the song. Collective or communal singing is one of the best things we can do for our spiritual, emotional, and communal health, and it is something Christians, including Lutherans, have a lot of experience with.
The ELCA Office of the Secretary has released a recorded webinar and PowerPoint presentation to help congregation leaders better understand and update their constitutions. The hour-long session, “Congregation Constitution 101,” was designed especially for congregation councils and leaders across the ELCA and is now available for on-demand viewing.
Our companion synod, the Ulanga Kilombero Diocese (UKD) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, has a Secondary and Bible school as one of their ministries: Tumaini Lutheran Secondary School. This is a boarding school for boys and girls as they get their first 4 years of secondary education. The school is well regarded and the NWIM Synod has shown great support for the school. As you talk to the leaders throughout the UKD, many have their roots at Tumaini. It is a school that is teaching the leaders for the diocese as pastors, doctors, teachers, evangelists, and business owners. Our support over the years has made a huge difference for the UKD and for the entire country.
The prophet Isaiah sings to us on the 3rd Sunday of Advent, "The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad. Like crocus blossoms it will be abundant with joy...Say to those with fearful hearts, 'be strong, do not be afraid. Here is your God.'"
Thinking about Isaiah's vision, I want to share a story of another kind of flood. A flood of blessing. An abundance of community and care. It also came to a desert recently, and there are blooms of joy and gladness beginning to flourish.