“In May the [Lutheran World Federation (LWF)] met in assembly in Windhoek, Namibia. Lutherans from Africa; Asia; Latin America and the Caribbean; North America; and Western, Central and Eastern Europe gathered to worship, sing, deliberate, study and dance,” ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton writes in her July column in Living Lutheran. “We are 145 member churches in 98 countries. There are 74 million of us. And your congregation is part of this worldwide Lutheran movement.”
“Our contexts are very different. Climate, cuisine and cultures all vary. Our challenges are different. Lutherans in many parts of the world are a minority community, face persecution, contend with war and forced migration, and deal with the devastating effects of climate change. Lutherans in many parts of the world are ministering and serving faithfully in an increasingly secularized culture, or in parts of the world where the church was suppressed for nearly a century resulting in entire generations that have not heard the gospel. But there is something that we all have in common—our life in Christ.”