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An Abecedarian Blog From an Abecedarian

An Abecedarian Blog From an Abecedarian

A “what”? What does "an abecedarian" have to do with hunger and food insecurity? Perhaps not much but, hopefully, it will get you thinking...which often leads to action! An abecedarian is a person who is learning the alphabet or the basic elements of a subject. As an...

2024 Annual Report of the Synod

2024 Annual Report of the Synod

“Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you: I have said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord, my good above all other.” Psalm 16:1 (ELW translation) As we come to the close of 2024, these are complicated days in our world. I think most congregations in this synod are...

Into the New Year

Into the New Year

Happy New Year! Heri ya mwaka mpya! Greetings from Iringa, where I’m enjoying warm weather that alternates between grey and overcast with a good soaking rain, and blue skies and sunshine, all in the same day. As we enter a new year, many of us take the opportunity to...

The Fourth Pillar: Patience

The Fourth Pillar: Patience

When talking about our companionships and the commitments we make to one another, Bega Kwa Bega leaders settled on the “Three Pillars” of prayer, presence and projects. These are the foundational promises of our life together. During Bishop Lull’s trip to Iringa a...

A Message From Pastor Karen

A Message From Pastor Karen

Dear Saint Paul Area Synod Guatemala Friends, Warm greetings to you from the Iglesia Luterana Agustina de Guatemala (ILAG) as we enter this holy season of Advent. During this time of waiting and preparation for the birth of our Savior, we are reminded of the light of...

We Are Church Together – December 2024

We Are Church Together – December 2024

Thank you for your congregation’s faithful and generous sharing of mission support with the synod and churchwide expressions of the ELCA during November 2024.I was recently blessed to experience what it means to be church together in a whole new way. Along with Bishop...

Our Next Joint Infrastructure Project

Our Next Joint Infrastructure Project

Prayer, Presence, and Projects guide our Bega Kwa Bega companionship with the Iringa Diocese. The Scholarship and Education Working Group of the Iringa Committee focuses primarily on Projects. Through your generosity, in addition to providing scholarships for...

Brewed Theology

Brewed Theology

There’s not an empty parking spot among the diagonal spaces that line Farmington’s Third Street on a blustery Tuesday evening in November. Latecomers park around the corner and foot it up the dark sidewalk past a smattering of restaurants, bars, gift shops and other...

Joy in the Presence

Joy in the Presence

A week ago I was in Guatemala City for a visit to the Iglesia Luterana Agustina de Guatemala (ILAG), one of our global companions. I was accompanied by Pastor Justin Grimm, assistant to the bishop, and joined by Bishop Kevin Strickland and Pastor Justin Eller from the...