June 19, 2018
CHICAGO (June 7, 2018) – The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has convened ELCA ecumenical and inter-religious partners in a statement addressing concerns over a recent U.S. government policy calling for more stringent enforcement of federal immigration laws. The policy will most likely result in an...
June 19, 2018
500 participants from churches in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod are heading to Houston June 27 to July 1 for the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering. Some will be participating in pre-event gatherings including MYLE, the Multicultural Youth Leadership Event of the ELCA and the tAble event for youth with disabilities. Please hold these youth and their...
May 31, 2018
Our Synod is offering $26,000 in grants to congregations and leaders in 2019 for new initiatives and ministries that support the emphases of the Forward Together in Faith Campaign. These grants, drawn from interest earned by the principal of the campaign, will support new projects that help networkcongregations, leaders and community partners, innovate new forms of ministry and/or communities of faith, communicatethrough digital...
May 16, 2018
“I came into the church during an era of ‘You’re welcome to come, but leave your baggage and all of your gifts, all the things you bring, at the door,’ ” Bishop-elect Patricia A. Davenport tells Living Lutheran magazine for a profile of the ELCA’s first two African-American woman bishops. “So this (election) says to...
May 6, 2018
Pastor Patricia A. Davenport was elected the next Bishop of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Saturday, May 5, at Franconia Mennonite Church. Pastor Davenport is the first African-descent woman to be elected a bishop in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. On the fourth ballot, Bishop-elect Davenport, currently our...
February 28, 2018
When “T,” a single African professional, and her children experienced mistreatment in their neighborhood and middle school in Havertown, a colleague — Chase Ferguson, a member of the synod’s Anti Racism Team (ART) — connected her with nearby Temple Lutheran Church. After Pastor Tim Johansen told “T”’s story in a sermon, the congregation wrote and...
June 19, 2018
— En Español Father’s Day is in June. Let me tell you a little bit about my dad. His name was William Frederick Eaton. He was born in 1924 to an Irish Catholic father and a German Lutheran mother. (There were always going to be potatoes and cabbage in my future.) My father was a child...
June 19, 2018
Suicide is a leading cause of death in the U.S., and suicide rates have increased in almost every state since 1999 (some by more than 30 percent), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suicide occurs among all demographics, including all religious groups. And behind these statistics are individuals–people who live in our families,...
June 5, 2018
Be sure to download and save the NEW 2018-19 SEPA Youth Events Calendar with all of the exciting events we have coming up for the next year. We’re looking forward to an exciting year, and we hope to see you at some of these great events! Download PDF
June 5, 2018
ELCA World Hunger is pleased to announce the 2019 Domestic Hunger Grant application will open soon! Beginning in June, you will be able learn more about the grants and how to apply by visiting ELCA.org/domestichungergrants. The Domestic Hunger Grant process has been in transition this year. Based on feedback from previous applicants, our team has...
June 5, 2018
One of the ironic tragedies of our 21st-century world is that many of our global conflicts are over religious differences or claims to power and oppression using religion as a cover. In the Reformation tradition, we affirm that we witness to the gospel of God in Christ not by force, oppression or dominance, but by...
June 5, 2018
For the past year we have had six congregations in SEPA Synod and eight congregations in NEPA Synod participating in a pilot program to Create Congregational Cultures of Generosity. Teams from each congregation of the Pastor(s) and four to six lay leaders attended a two day intensive training program to help them understand what to...
May 17, 2018
On May 16, the United Lutheran Seminary (ULS) Board of Trustees unanimously approved Dr. Richard Green as interim president. He will begin his duties on June 1st. “Dr. Green brings to United Lutheran Seminary a record of accomplishments in higher education that have supported transitional and transformation needs of a variety of institutions, especially in faith-based...
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