ELCA Global Mission

06/01/2026

On a recent trip to Poland, missionary Sarah Grow participated in a choir festival and gospel workshop accompanied by Anna Wrzesińska, the Director for International Relations of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland (ECACP). The festival was sponsored by the Warsaw Diocese of the ECACP and hosted by the congregation in Zunska Wola. Choirs from six parishes performed two songs, and a combined choir of all participants performed the gospel songs that had been workshopped throughout the day including "Yes, I Know Jesus" by Clarence Eggleton. A culminating concert that afternoon was open to the public. The ECACP is a vibrant church of 60,000 members in the majority Catholic country. The Church consists of six dioceses and 133 parishes, employs 146 pastors, and it ordains both men and women.

photo 1: Song book for the Gospel workshop
photo 2: gospel song rehearsal with director Lea Kjeldsen

05/29/2026

Shaping the Future Conference in Cieszyn, Poland 5-7 May 2026

Representatives from Central European and German churches gathered to discuss the future of partnerships and strengthen relational networks. Conversations and workshops focused on movement from organized cooperation (e.g., solidarity) to relationship connectedness. In the keynote address, Bishop Frank Kopania of the EKD, emphasized the human aspect of networks. “A network lives from attention from people who remain in contact even when there is no immediate reason to do so. It lives from relationships that are not primarily functional but meaningful. The future of partnership will not depend first on structures but on the quality of relationships we are willing to sustain.”

Photo 1: Shaping the Future Conference participants gather in front of the Jesus Church in Cieszyn, Poland.

Photo 2: ECCB representative Anna Sabelová reads the scripture lesson with ECACP pastors Marcin Brzóska and Damian Rusin in the background. The Evangelical Church of the Czech Brethren and the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland are two relatively small "minority" churches in Central Europe who have a tangible impact in their communities and in the region.

Photo 3: Participants in the Shaping the Future conference share a blessing of peace before departure

05/11/2026

05/11/2026

05/10/2026

05/05/2026

“Red is believed to be the only color spirits can see, representing a calling back of the spirits of missing and murdered loved ones.” —Rev. Wanda Frenchman

Adopted by the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, the memorial "Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women" encourages "congregations, synods and the churchwide organization to observe annually MMIW Awareness Day on May 5 and to promote the wearing of red to raise awareness of MMIW."

Today is May 5, the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (also referred to as "Red Dress Day"). On this day we lament the MMIW crisis and call attention to the MMIW movement alongside our Indigenous siblings — those missing and those still searching for loved ones.

To learn more about this crisis and the movement it inspired, to find a tool kit of action steps and resources, and to plug in to the ongoing work of the ELCA's Indigenous Ministry and Tribal Relations network, visit elca.org/mmiw.

As you join us in observing Red Dress Day, we invite you to share in the comments section a photo of yourself wearing red in solidarity.

04/26/2026

ELCA Global Mission is hiring a part time interim pastor for Bratislava International Church. Check out the details below!

https://recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/Jobs/Details/4104712

03/18/2026

Join faith leaders, policymakers and economists in Lenten Conversation on the pressing global health challenges of our time. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a cosponsor of "Connecting Faith and Action in a Global Health Crisis," an interactive, online convening on Wed. Mar. 25 from 1-3:30 ET. Register from bit.ly/FaithGlobalHealth.

This is a Lenten opportunity to reflect on the state of global health and the moral responsibility to protect life and dignity - including the role of Christians in advancing global health and faithful, evidence-based responses to challenges.

ELCA Global Mission Young Adults in Global Mission - ELCA