ELCA Global Links – July 2016 – Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rahway NJ

‘Fresco Love’
Zach Courter and the Rev. Rachel Eskesen are Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) missionaries serving as the Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) country coordinators in Central Europe. Recently, Zach posted a sermon titled, “Fresco Love.” In his sermon, he reflects on neighbor love and shares the ways in which he encountered God’s transforming love during on a recent trip to Bódvalenke, a small village in Hungary, through two young girls riding their bicycles and beautiful fresco murals.

Global Church Sponsorship stories in Living Lutheran
The July issue of the Living Lutheran magazine has some wonderful stories and updates about some of the incredible ministry that is happening around the world through Lutheran churches. If you haven’t yet seen it, be on the lookout for this issue and read about stories of the Lutheran church in countries ranging from Cambodia to Siberia to Tanzania to Costa Rica!

‘Our Song’
Savanna Sullivan is a YAGM who has been serving in Rwanda this past year. In her most recent blog, Savanna reflects on one of her most difficult days in Rwanda during a worship when she felt overwhelmed by the challenge of not being able to sing in Kinyarwanda with her congregation. Near the end of the blog she writes, “I think I’ve learned that we, we Rwandans, we Americans, we Christians, we Muslims, we students, we YAGM, we’re not always singing the same songs, and as much of a gift as it is to sing someone’s song with them for a while, being in community doesn’t mean changing your whole song to their whole song. The point isn’t that the songs are the same. The point is the songs go together.”

P.S. Don’t forget to watch the video of Savanna and one of her students, Rita, singing a mashup song of “Halo” and the Kinyarwanda song, “Malaika.”

Lutherans represented at historic Orthodox Church council meeting
During the last week in June, the ELCA joined Christians from around the world as the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Christian Church convened on the island of Crete. This was the first time the council had met in more than 1,200 years. It was attended by 220 Orthodox bishops and archbishops and 70 advisers. Throughout the week, the council met and spoke of the importance of unity within the church, lifted up the importance of inter-religious dialogue and talked about its commitment to human rights and religious freedom.

Effective outreach in the 21st century
Did you know that there are more Lutherans in Tanzania than there are in the U.S.? One reason is the culture of passionate and strategic evangelism that has been central to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania’s mission. Part of this mission is the need to teach and train people (Tanzanians, East Africans and Lutherans around the world) in evangelism and outreach for the global Lutheran church. Learn more about a Global Ministry project that will help support this training and will provide the support needed to teach even more leaders how to effectively do outreach.

2015 campaign report now available
The 2015 report for Always Being Made New: The Campaign for the ELCA is now available. The report includes updates and stories about the work and ministry made possible by gifts to the campaign this past year. Learn how this church is stretching and supporting new initiatives to more fully be a church for the sake of the world.

Conflict transformation: Join an immersion program in Oaxaca, Mexico
In the face of constant violence at home and abroad, learn how to transform conflicts in your own life, in your community and globally. Join the Sept. 18-24 trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, during which leaders from Amextra and Lutheran Peace Fellowship will share more than half a decade of experience in peacemaking through hands-on workshops and visits to communities where these techniques are used. Go to amextra.org/seeds for more information. Email semillas@amextra.org to sign up.

Calling all Thrivent Choice members!
We are excited to share that ELCA Global Church Sponsorship was recently added as an organization available to receive funds through the Thrivent Choice program. If you are a Thrivent member, consider supporting Global Church Sponsorship through your Thrivent Choice Dollars and support us in sending missionaries and volunteers, training leaders, planting churches and supporting existing churches as they continue to expand their efforts and reach.

Give today!
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Learn more
To find out how you can sponsor a missionary or global ministry or support International Leaders through ELCA Global Church Sponsorship, visit elca.org/globalchurch.

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