A Big Day for the ELCA: God’s Work, Whose Hands?
September 8 is a big day all across the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. On this one day of 365 Lutherans will unite in living their motto: God’s Work: Our Hands.
A scan of local church newsletters and bulletins reveals big plans. Congregations will volunteer at local parks, spruce up their own grounds, pack school kits and other charitable giveaways. Many churches will do some cleaning.
We predict not one of the 159 churches in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod will lift a finger to help clean up the mess they have created in East Falls. We are just a piece of litter everyone pretends none of them dropped. Besides, there are so many other people who need help that won’t test anyone’s conscience.
Roll up your sleeves. Put on your gloves. Do something safe.
Four. Five. Six Years. We are still here. We still worship weekly. We have our own service projects. We work on them every day. We are still locked out of the Church we supported all our lives. We are still waiting for our Church to practice what it preaches.
In East Falls, the ELCA motto is:
Here’s our service list:
- Weekly Ambassador visits and reports.
- Daily blog posts and ministry aides.
- Analyzing the state of the church from our unique perspective.
- Providing daily devotional materials — print and online.
- Supporting our individual members in their faith journeys.
- Occasionally hosting a neighborhood event with thanks to the Old Academy for the use of their valuable property.
- Planning monthly worship in our neighborhood — again with thanks to the Old Academy.
- Little acts of kindness—many which grow from our Ambassador visits.
- Fostering spirituality—especially prayer.
- Encouraging and uniting overseas mission workers in Pakistan, Kenya, Nigeria and Sweden.
- Fighting to protect the constitutional rights of all Lutherans. You’re welcome!