Multi-generational moments with bold women
Women of the ELCA
by Guest blogger
6d ago
Editor’s note: for Women’s History Month, this post celebrates bold women of faith and the importance of multi-generational relationships. by Sara Olson-Smith I made my first quilt when I was in college. I learned about quilting mostly from books and the Internet. When I got stuck I would turn on my computer to try to figure it out. For generations, women would have watched and learned from their aunts or grandmothers when they had these sorts of questions. But when I started quilting I turned instead to YouTube to solve my quilting dilemmas. This worked until I tried to make mitered corners ..read more
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Extending an invitation
Women of the ELCA
by Guest blogger
6d ago
By Kimberly Knowle-Zeller [S]o we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the encourager, in encouragement; the giver, in sincerity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness (Romans 12:5-8).  It started with my front porch. While sitting one morning with my coffee, overlooking the town park, I had the idea to gather women together before the start of the school year. I posted a ..read more
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Lydia—A Bold Woman
Women of the ELCA
by Guest blogger
1w ago
By Sue Schneider Editor’s note: for Women’s History Month, we’re sharing reflections on bold women found in the Bible. From the very start, the book of Acts describes the baby church growing by leaps and bounds in every direction. So, it is intriguing that in Acts 16:6-7, we’re told that when Paul and his missionary friends wanted to visit Asia, they were prevented from doing so by the Holy Spirit! We are not told what that looked like or why, just that they pivot, as good mission developers do. Based on a dream, they head instead toward Macedonia, which—in case your global geography is as wea ..read more
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The Widow of Zaraphath: A Bold Woman
Women of the ELCA
by Guest blogger
2w ago
By Sue Schneider Editor’s note: for Women’s History Month, we’re sharing reflections on bold women found in the Bible. Read 1 Kings 17 When the prophet Elijah is on the run from the law, having called down a drought to punish corrupt rulers, God sends Elijah to the land of Sidon. This is notable because Sidon is Gentile territory—specifically, it’s the homeland of Elijah’s enemy, Queen Jezebel. God assures the prophet that he will be okay there because a bold woman in the region will take care of him. Sadly, there is no record of the conversation God may have had with the widow of Zaraphath ab ..read more
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Working backward during Lent
Women of the ELCA
by Elizabeth McBride
3w ago
“Working backward from the deadline” is a phrase we use when we’re establishing a production schedule or timeline to finish a project. When followed, it establishes an appropriate amount of time to achieve each step of accomplishing a goal. Yesterday, while I was attending the funeral service for Jim Mannion, the father of one of my oldest and closest friends, that phrase came to my mind. And it seemed timely, because Lent is a good time to examine these things. At this celebration of Mr. Mannion’s life, friends and family shared and remembered all of the ways that he touched our lives. We ref ..read more
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What seeds are you scattering?
Women of the ELCA
by Guest blogger
1M ago
by Kimberly Knowle-Zeller Lord, let my heart be good soil, open to the seed of your word. Lord, let my heart be good soil, where love can grow and peace is understood. When my heart is hard, break the stone away. When my heart is cold, warm it with the day. When my heart is lost, lead me on your way. Lord, let my heart, Lord, let my heart be good soil (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 512). Cupping hot coffee in my hands, I gaze outside and watch snow flurries swirling to the ground. My four-year old Isaac and I are at the dining room table. Papers, crayons, and markers lay scattered before us. Cl ..read more
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Diving deeper into Lent
Women of the ELCA
by Audrey Novak Riley
1M ago
Lent, to me, is an opportunity to swim a little further, splash a little higher, dive a little deeper into the waters of baptism that washed me up on the shore at Jesus’ feet so many years ago. The ancients have given us a classic triad of Lenten practices—prayer, fasting, almsgiving—and I find them useful guides to my own Lenten observance. What about you? Prayer: I experiment with forms of prayer that aren’t familiar to me during Lent. This year I’m practicing contemplative prayer. The distractions of home (particularly the four-footed distraction who’s sure that my sitting still indicates a ..read more
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From beads to ashes
Women of the ELCA
by Guest blogger
1M ago
Tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. “Shrove” comes from the word “shrive,” which referred to the confession of sins that was customary in the European Middle Ages as a preparation for Lent. Over the centuries, different cultures have developed creative ways of celebrating the Shrove Tuesday–almost all involve festivities related to food and drink. These evolved as a way to use up “luxury” ingredients such as eggs and flour and sweets, things that likely might be given up in Lent. In places such as Latin America, France, (and in this country, New Orleans) people ..read more
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Prayers for the final week before the Super Bowl
Women of the ELCA
by Women of the ELCA
2M ago
At the Eleventh Triennial Convention (2021), the voting members adopted a resolution setting the four weeks prior to the annual NFL Super Bowl as a time of prayer to end human trafficking and called on women of this organization engage in prayer. With the 2024 Super Bowl happening on Sunday, February 11, we’re offering daily prayers, one week at a time. They can be prayed individually or in group settings. Use them at circle meetings or other any gathering of people of faith. May they inspire you and others to engage in the difficult work of ending human trafficking. While the goal of the conv ..read more
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Make a gift of $525 to say “Happy birthday, Katie!”
Women of the ELCA
by Linda Post Bushkofsky
2M ago
By Linda Post Bushkofsky Being an armchair historian, I’ve spent some time with records of predecessor women’s organizations in North American Lutheran churches. Nowhere else have I found the fond regard Women of the ELCA extends to Katharina von Bora Luther (January 29, 1499 – December 20, 1552). What is it about the woman we affectionately call Katie that fascinates us so? She is both role model and muse, an example of someone living Reformation theology (see the Rev. Dr. Sarah Hinlicky Wilson). Katie’s been walking with us. For the 10th anniversary of Women of the ELCA in 1998, an endowment ..read more
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