“It’s important that we speak about God’s grace. … But we do have to try our best to live into what that means. We should try to be a church of overwhelming grace so that our words match what we’re doing.” –ELCA Vice President-elect Imran Siddiqui Continue reading the Living Lutheran article about the ELCA […]

I am full of emotions on this last day of the 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Columbus, Ohio. The last time I attended a mass gathering with my Lutheran sisters and brothers was in 2018 at the ELCA youth gathering in Houston, Texas. As 30,000 Lutherans received Holy Communion together in NRG stadium, I found […]

Day four of the 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly included a service of Holy Communion and the seventh plenary session. Continue reading the Living Lutheran recap of the 2022 Churchwide Assembly, Day Four.

Thursday began with worship, an expanded version of morning prayer that celebrated the gift of baptism. We were all “sprinkled” a bit to remember our own baptism. I leave services each day inspired by the beauty of our worship—where the presence of the Holy Spirit can surely be felt. Voting members and visitors were asked […]

On day three of the 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, the assembly elected Imran Siddiqui, a member of St. John Lutheran Church in Atlanta, as vice president—the highest position a layperson can hold in the ELCA. Continue reading the Living Lutheran recap of the 2022 Churchwide Assembly, Day Three.

The 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly continued Aug. 10 at the Greater Columbus (Ohio) Convention Center. Day two included officer reports, a presentation on the “Declaration of the ELCA to American Indian and Alaska Native People,” ballots for vice president, a service of Holy Communion, and more. Continue reading the Living Lutheran recap of the 2022 […]

Tuesday was the first full day of Churchwide Assembly in Columbus, and boy, was it full. We began the process of electing a new Vice President, began to hear and vote on memorials, and conducted other important business of this church. The day concluded with a difficult yet beautiful example of the CWA theme, Embody […]

You are likely old enough to remember the finger play: This is the church. Here is the steeple. Open the doors. See all the people. The emphasis on Day Two of the 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly was on all the people. I wish that I had kept a tally of the number of times I […]

The 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly officially opened Aug. 9 at the Greater Columbus (Ohio) Convention Center, meeting through Aug. 12. Day one consisted of plenary sessions one and two, an apology to Iglesia Luterana Santa María Peregrina, Stockton, Calif., and a service of word and prayer. Continue reading the Living Lutheran recap of the 2022 […]

My first day as a Churchwide Assembly voting member. Wow, what a day. From COVID protocol checks at registration to sharing stories and meals with colleagues and seeing old friends and meeting new ones, today was a full day. As I walked into the hall where we will go about the business of our church […]