"In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters." Genesis 1:1-2

"Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to your life's span? And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these." Matthew 6:26-29

"We see the despoiling of the environment as nothing less than the degradation of God's gracious gift of creation."

ELCA Statement “Caring for Creation”
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Highlights: Resources, Events, and News


RESOURCES
 
NEW The Sound of Scripture: Reading the Bible Aloud (Lutheran University Press, 2013). This is a brief guide for lay readers who want to become more confident and effective in communicating the meaning of God's Word listeners. Reading scripture aloud involves knowledge and understanding, faith, respect, “spirit and heart,” vocal skill, and physical control. Barbara Laughlin Adler is professor emerita of Communication Studies at Concordia University-Ann Arbor.

"Cultivating Hope: Greening Churches Guide" now available

As part of the 2012 Greening Churches Summer Program at Luther College, interns Kristi Holmberg and Callie Mabry partnered with seven churches in Decorah, Iowa and two in Mason City, Iowa to work on environmental stewardship. They have created "Cultivating Hope: Greening Churches Guide" for churches and other interested individuals. 
The contents of this guide include an introduction to the connections between faith, social justice and sustainability, suggestions for what churches can do regarding water, energy, waste, recycling, and land use, resources for incorporating environmentalism into worship, Sunday school lessons and youth group activities written by Holmberg and Mabry, recommendations of curriculum available online and for purchase, and a list of additional online resources.

If you are interested in learning more about the Greening Churches Guide or Program, please contact Internship supervisor, Professor Ruth Kath at kathruth@luther.edu.

Download the guide in PDF Format (the file is large and may take time to load).

Advocacy for Animals

A new webpage on faith and our treatment of animals including links to resources from the Humane Society of the United States, a collection of ELCA statements, action alerts, and more. Click here.

VIDEOS

 

Food, Inc. (2010)

Lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that's been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Reveals surprising — and often shocking truths — about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here. www.pbs.org/pov/foodinc/credits.php.

The Future of Food  (Two Disc set, 2005).

Offers in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled grocery store shelves for the past decade. Examines the complex web of market and political forces that are changing what we eat as huge multinational corporations seek to control the world’s food system.  This award-winning film also explores alternatives to large-scale industrial agriculture as real solutions to the farm crisis. www.thefutureoffood.com.

 

The Story of Stuff
From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. A fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever. www.thestoryofstuff.com. 20 minutes. Award winning.



 
NEWS
 
 
NEW Gaithersburg Church Gets Educational Wildlife Habitat (Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Gaithersburg, MD)

"Welcoming Winged Guests" (Gloria Dei Lutheran, Duluth MN) in The Lutheran

"Environmentalists Tout Church's Energy Efficiency" (First English Lutheran, Columbus OH) 

 
 
 
 
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