Christmas Eve at Mother of the Savior
The Christmas celebration this year at Mother of the Savior was truly special! With a youth program, children's choir, young adults gathering, family fellowship after worship, and Santa himself showing up (all the way from the North Pole) to give gifts to the little ones, the Christmas Eve service turned into quite an event. The gathering and fellowship continued through the night and well into the morning hours of the next day. The presence of the Word incarnate in our midst was truly felt. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ continues to bring us together. To him be all thanks, praise and glory!
ELCA Peace Not Walls Campaign
Six Palestinian youth will be attending the ELCA Youth Gathering in July, where there will be a whole section called "The Wall." This area will have stories of different kinds of walls, like the Palestinian wall, the Berlin Wall, the Great Wall of Mexico, etc. The Palestinian group hopes to make stops and presentations on the way from Minneapolis to New Orleans and back to the area of Southeast Michigan, the synod who is hosting them and has sponsored several youth exchanges in the past. Dina Tannous and Pastor Elly McHan are working with them now in Palestine to tell their stories and be part of an interactive game that might simulate a home demolition, checkpoint or home eviction. The plan is to have an actual-size replica of a part of the wall and a checkpoint on the floor of the interactive center at the Gathering. The area will provide an opportunity to tell stories and see more about each wall. There will also be a place for the youth to interact with their learning and one another around the role of the church in peace and justice-making.
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ELCA 2012 "Glocal" Events
God's work in mission always propels us to encounter the neighbor, particularly in the stranger. ELCA "Glocal" Mission Gatherings equip us for God's work in today's global and local realities as well as their "glocal" intersections. What is mission? Who is the neighbor? How can we be rooted in our communities to live out God's call for us? Consider these questions with other participants. How do these questions relate to our migrating and immigrating world? Come, join us for mission conversations around the realities of the world we live in today. To find out more or to see what events are in your area, visit www.elca.org/glocal.
For more information about participating in or attending an event, please contact Erin Daubert at erin.daubert@elca.org or at 800-638-3522, ext 2852.