Tag: community
Gathering Transitions: Thank You to Molly Beck Dean
Dear friends, At this year’s Extravaganza, ELCA staff members and many of the team leaders from the ELCA Youth Gathering were present to talk about the cancellation of the 2022 Gathering and the transition to the 2024 Youth Gathering. And at this event, Deacon Tammy Jones West was introduced as the new Interim Director of the ...
“I Didn’t Know I Needed This”
I noticed something at this year’s Extravaganza. All of the themes for the different “main stage” sessions were really well received. But there was one that stood out: “Holding Grief.” The live chat during all of the sessions was very busy. But when this session started, and the speakers started doing their work to unpack ...
Trust, Grace and Accountability: How we think about the Roar Curriculum Problem
I’ve been paying attention to the conversations in the past 2 weeks about the Roar Curriculum, produced by Group Publishing. It reminds me of the critical obligation that those of us who practice faith formation in congregations have. One of our basic and most important tasks is to look through any materials we receive or ...
That One Time When Your Kid Met Your Friends
Six days ago, our 14 year old son, Samuel, climbed aboard a 12-passenger van with other members of the youth group from our congregation, Trinity Lutheran Church in Owatonna, Minnesota and the group began its journey to Detroit, Michigan. The groups is spending the week working with Living Waters Ministries, one of the ELCA‘s amazing ...
A Different Way to Live
God is up to something new within our community, within our church. The church talks a good game when it comes to community. We focus on “being” together in congregations. But the world is shifting. Our very understanding of what community is changing as a relationships in a digital age are stretching our understanding of ...
Network is a Verb 