There is a place for you here.
We are a church that shares a living, daring confidence in God's grace. Liberated by our faith, we embrace you as a whole person — questions, complexities and all. Join us as we do God's work in Christ's name for the life of the world.
Receiving ashes as a sign of repentance is an ancient practice. Learn more about why and how ELCA congregations use ashes as part of the Ash Wednesday liturgy.
Join congregations across the country by hosting a “Buck-a-Chick” sale. For $1 members can purchase and decorate a paper chick and help families living in poverty. | Donate.
Constance Mamba plans to establish HIV and AIDS programs after earning her master's degree, thanks to an ELCA scholarship. | LivingLutheran.com
Interested in learning more about what's happening across this church? Visit ELCA Updates for blog entries and news stories that share, with all audiences, the ELCA's message of God's love.
Committed to restoring communities together, ELCA members and the people of Haiti broke ground for a new resettlement village in Gressier for people displaced by an earthquake. | Read more.
Lutheran peace activist Leymah Gbowee led a nonviolent women's movement that ended a 14-year civil war in Liberia. She won the Nobel Peace Prize for her peace-building work and securing the political rights and safety of women in Liberia.
For ELCA volunteer Chelsea Mathis, living in Palestine brought frustration and joy. "The worst part was realizing how helpless I am in changing the political situation," she says, "and the best part is that I have changed the future with my presence, support and simple acts of kindness."
Together ELCA members are sustaining farming and ranching communities in drought-stricken Texas. Contributions of hay came from ELCA members across the Upper Midwest. "The response has blown me away," says Harold McMillin, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Luana, Iowa. "It says something about the heart of ELCA members who respond very generously."
The 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly was a real eye-opener for Walter "Alook" Savetilik, a member of Alaska Native Lutheran Church in Anchorage, Alaska. His experience as a voting member at the assembly helped him learn about important initiatives like the ELCA Malaria Campaign.
With the help of ELCA members, École Saint Matthieu has risen from the rubble of the January 2010 earthquake. The new school building is strong and designed to withstand earthquakes, floods and hurricanes. "I'm happy to be back at school," says 11-year-old Josette Jean Pierre. "I'm not even scared anymore."
An ELCA scholarship helped Patricia Cuyatti, a pastor in the young Peruvian Lutheran Evangelical Church, earn her doctorate degree. "The Lutheran church in Peru has a goal to develop more leaders," Patricia says. "My personal goal is to develop my knowledge to help the church not only as an educator but also as a pastor."
More than 20 ELCA missionaries in Japan witness signs of hope in the midst of devastation following the 2011 earthquake — one of the largest on record there. ELCA members continue to stand in solidarity with the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church, helping to restore communities and lives.
Leslie Abell believes that she will make her own small but vital contribution to combating climate change. Serving at a science base in the Antarctic, Leslie says, "Everyone will be impacted by climate change, but the poor will be the hardest hit of all. I need to do my part to help."
A clear and compelling call is driving the Leiseths to accept a new journey overseas. | more »
We are called to do God's work in the world. Here are some ways we can work together:
