June 5, 2020
The riots and protests in the United States, following the killing of a black man by a police officer, are an opportunity for people of faith to “live what we profess, to stand behind our statements and to walk according to the teachings of Jesus Christ.” Many pastors and deacons are “on the front line”...
June 9, 2020
The committee of Deans of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod express their deep concern for the ongoing racism and racial injustice that is deeply embedded in the fabric of our society. We have chosen to respond with words of Holy Scripture, knowing and trusting that God’s Word brings both comfort and challenge. Pastor Erika Wesch,...
June 9, 2020
Dear Beloved, The question has been posed, “Is the bishop going to respond to the horrific death of Mr. George Floyd?” “What is the bishop’s response to the protesting, the rioting and looting throughout the city of Philadelphia?” I do have a response, and it is not unlike that of Rachel: “A voice is heard...
June 5, 2020
June 5, 2020 “Out of my distress I called on the Lord” (Psalm 118:5). We are a nation in distress. We are a church in distress. The coronavirus has killed 103,000 of us. The virus of racism has taken hundreds of thousands more throughout our history. Now these two deadly viruses converge. Under...
June 4, 2020
At Lutheran Settlement House, we believe that Black lives matter. We share in the love, heartache, and anger of protesters in Philadelphia, and across the country. On Sunday night, the protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd came to the block where our family shelter is located. The building next to ours caught fire and...
June 4, 2020
The season of Pentecost begins with a remembrance of the early Church gathered in Jerusalem, not long after their leader Jesus was executed by the Roman state and three days later was alive again. When the disciples were in one place there was suddenly a “sound like the rush of a violent wind” and “divided...
June 4, 2020
Last week, the City of Philadelphia unveiled Safer at Home, a plan and executive order outlining the strategy for how Philadelphia will begin to reopen for business when the current Stay-at-Home Order is lifted, which is expected to occur later this week. The plan specifically outlines guidance for religious communities. Highlights include: Gatherings of over...
June 3, 2020
Prayers for your use during PRIDE month in June. God of LOVE, we thank you for the Spirits who were trailblazers, moving and shaking people’s hearts and minds. Stir up in us that same energy of those who helped pave the way for where our LGBTQIA+ siblings are today. May we never stop expanding the...
June 1, 2020
Three years ago our Synod Assembly focused on racial justice. As part of the Assembly’s opening worship there was an order of Anti-Racism Confession and Reconciliation, which was also shared for use in congregations. Today our city, region, and nation are rocked by the ongoing tensions painfully exposed in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna...
May 30, 2020
CHICAGO (May 29, 2020) — The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has called on the church to join with faith communities across the United States in lament and remembrance, and on our elected leaders to observe Monday, June 1, as a day of mourning to honor...
ELCA News
2018 Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
