We belong to the Truth | Pertenecemos a la Verdad

In her July column for Living Lutheran, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton asks: “How do we live as people of Truth in a time of spin?” In deep humility, profound gratitude, and real joy. Read her column in English: We belong to the Truth o lee su columna en español: Pertenecemos a la Verdad.

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Dear Church Book Tour

THIS Tuesday, July 16, 7-10pm, Lenny is coming to Houston to do a reading of #DearChurch and Q&A with some music and adult beverages. Hosted by Kindred Montrose and the good folks at Gulf Coast Synod. Tickets are FREE and available here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dear-church-houston-tickets-60425472214

Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the U.S.

Lenny Duncan is the unlikeliest of pastors. Formerly incarcerated, he is now a black preacher in the whitest denomination in the United States: the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Shifting demographics and shrinking congregations make all the headlines, but Duncan sees something else at work—drawing a direct line between the church’s lack of diversity and the church’s lack of vitality. The problems the ELCA faces are theological, not sociological. But so are the answers.

Part manifesto, part confession, and all love letter, Dear Church offers a bold new vision for the future of Duncan’s denomination and the broader mainline Christian community of faith. Dear Church rejects the narrative of church decline and calls everyone—leaders and laity alike—to the front lines of the church’s renewal through racial equality and justice.

It is time for the church to rise up, dust itself off, and take on forces of this world that act against God: whiteness, misogyny, nationalism, homophobia, and economic injustice. Duncan gives a blueprint for the way forward and urges us to follow in the revolutionary path of Jesus.

Dear Church also features a discussion guide at the back—perfect for church groups, book clubs, and other group discussion.

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LWF Jerusalem 2018 Annual Report

Let me begin by thanking you for your support of the Lutheran World Federation’s Jerusalem Program as we work to promote human dignity, justice and peace in Palestine, following the example of Jesus Christ.

The linked 2018 Annual Report documents the ways we have sought to live out this work in the Holy Land. Inside you will find updates on our programs and you will get to know some of the people your support has helped as well as some of the people who do the work.

Highlights include:

• The story of 4-year-old Karim and how our palliative care program has helped ease the toll his cancer treatment takes on him and his family
• The story of how our mobile mammography clinic saved the life of Souad, a mother of six from Hebron
• The work Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH) is doing to prevent hospital acquired infections and the spread of antibiotic-resistant organisms across Palestine
• Meet AVH staff members and hear what the best part of their work is
• The story of Rasha Nimer, a mother of five who studied at our Vocational Training Program and became an executive secretary and receptionist
• The story of Ahmad Bilal, who is one of eight members of his family who studied auto mechanics through our Vocational Training Program

I hope this report brings you joy in knowing that you helped make this work possible. We ask you to continue to pray for our work here and to continue giving as you can. Your donations are important not only for the financial impact they have, but also because this support buoys our spirits and sustains through this difficult work.

Sincerely,
Lennart Hernander
Interim Representative

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Save the Date

Bishop Gronberg:

Greeting new Colleagues in the Conference of Bishops

(https://www.ntnl.org/greeting-new-colleagues-in-the-conference-of-bishops/ – published Jul. 8)

DEM Irma Bañales Featured in ELCA Blog

(https://www.ntnl.org/dem-irma-banales-featured-in-elca-blog/ – published Jul. 11)

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Where in the world is?

Bishop Gronberg:

• Jul. 18-28: Continuing Education

Pastor Totzke:

• Jul. 15: Interim Pastors meeting
• Jul. 21: Covenant, Temple

Pastora Bañales:

• Jul. 15: NTNL Stewardship Retreat, Synod Office
• Jul. 18: Texas – Louisiana Directors for Evangelical Mission meeting, Seguin