As people of faith in this God who became incarnate, who brought good news of great joy to all people, who sent angels singing of peace on earth, what questions do we need to ask about the violence, especially gun violence, that seems so prevalent these days in our cul...

After attending a large university in Colorado for two years, I transferred to California Lutheran College, back when it was a college, not yet a university. While there, I became very involved in campus ministry, and attended a campus ministry retreat lead by George J...

Sermon preached at the Bishop’s Convo 2019

Theme of the Convo:  Spiritual Foundations for a Vital Church

Text:  John 10:11-18

Theme:  We have a shepherd who has us – so come and rest in Christ.

            So how are you doing?  How is life treating you?  Is it good to get...

Before I get into youth and young Adults in the Church, let me introduce myself. I’m Megan Mong, a recent graduate of Wittenberg University with a degree in religion and a minor in sociology. I will be living In Jerusalem as a part of the Young Adults in Global Mission...

This past weekend I had the opportunity to be in WaKeeney, KS to attend the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Pastor Randy Gibbs’ ordination and then preach the following morning at St. John’s Lutheran, north of Ellis.  It seemed so appropriate that my first publi...

One of the most creative, difficult, and fun exercises that the OWWR sewing classes have taken on is making story quilts.  We learned early on that many, perhaps even most, of our students have no reading or writing skills. Communication is almost entirely oral through...

One of the most rewarding experiences that come my way at the annual Bishop’s Convocation, our synod’s fall theological conference, is an unpredictable, unscripted series of side conversations with rostered leaders and Parish Ministry Associates.  This year, a few of t...

I attended California Lutheran College in Thousand Oaks, CA my last two years of college.  This was before it became California Lutheran University. I would go jogging in the mornings before class and there was a wonderful trail that lead me out of the campus, through...

Let’s connect!

That desire is the engine driving this new blog, written by synod staff members for the people of our territory.  We want to deepen our connection with you where you are in your ministry context.  So we’re reaching out with a blog whose content is likely...

Music seems to be playing all the time in our house. Sometimes cello, beginner piano, the blues, or Hamilton, something is always floating in the background. We have been listening to a lot of Rhiannon Giddens' album Freedom Highway especially, though. If you have neve...