Blog

Nothing Ever Just Happens

Nothing Ever Just Happens

Sermon for the 2025 Synod Assembly St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, Mahtomedi John 1:35-42 Grace and peace to you in the name of the Living God, Christ Jesus, our Lord. AMEN. I don’t know if I made it to church the first few weeks of my life, but when I was six weeks...

Grateful for Volunteers

Grateful for Volunteers

Recently, members of the Iringa Committee took a full weekday to retreat and reflect on this beloved companionship, with an eye toward reviewing and updating mission and values statements. The stories flowed as members shared how Bega Kwa Bega has impacted their lives...

Embracing Faith & Culture

Embracing Faith & Culture

While our congregation is very supportive of our global mission partnerships, delegation visits to Guatemala represent only a small percentage of the membership. Engaging our congregation in activities that connect Augustana members with San Agustín Lutheran Church...

Grant Funding for Your Hunger Ministry?

Grant Funding for Your Hunger Ministry?

Yes, I can already hear you saying that you barely have time to prepare a community meal or write up a newsletter article or staff your food shelf. You also likely comment that you know nothing about grant writing and cannot hire someone to apply for grants on your...

Reflections on Easter Monday at the Cathedral

Reflections on Easter Monday at the Cathedral

I was surprised to hear that churches in the Iringa Diocese (DIRA) were also planning to have services on Easter Monday as well as Easter Sunday. This is a long-standing tradition in Tanzania. The pastors I asked said they can’t remember when there wasn’t an Easter...

Easter Greetings

Easter Greetings

The recent messages, greetings, and news coming from our friends in Iringa paint a picture of the church at work, proclaiming the Gospel, ministering to those in need, and sharing God’s love with the world. Here are a few highlights: Holy Week and Easter celebrations...

We Are Church Together – April 2025

We Are Church Together – April 2025

Thank you for your congregation’s faithful and generous sharing of mission support with the synod and churchwide expressions of the ELCA during March 2025. One of those ways we are church together is through the work of the synod's six conferences.Welcome one another,...

Hunger, Food, Justice, Recipes & More

Hunger, Food, Justice, Recipes & More

Our Hunger Awareness and Advocacy group at Incarnation is probably typical of many hunger groups — we meet and share food together. We are perhaps more unusual in that we also read and discuss a book together each year. Our title for 2024-2025 has been one that we...

An Inspiring EcoFaith Summit

An Inspiring EcoFaith Summit

Our synod’s Care of Creation Work Group works closely with the EcoFaith Network of the Northeastern Minnesota Synod and the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin to plan and sponsor an annual EcoFaith Summit. I attended the 2025 event on April 5 with 240 others at First...