The Deaconess Community of the ELCA

Let the oppressed go free

Feb 20, 2019

For those of you following the work of the ELCA Women & Justice Social Statement Task Force, we descended on Chicago for our final meeting on January 25-27.

In addition to making final revisions and recommendations on the proposed social statement draft, the task force said their goodbyes after over six years of faithful work.

“Prophetic Diakonia”—what is that?

Feb 17, 2019

It can get pretty lonely out there on the edge; dirty and dangerous sometimes also. The love of God is not always welcome and sometimes you are struggling just to survive. But that is the call of Jesus in prophetic form, speaking the truth even when it hurts, but always ending with a statement of hope, forgiveness, and love.

2019 Assembly Theme

Feb 1, 2019

As creation – world, church, and humanity – yearns for ways to cross divides, our community celebrates our connectedness both to one another and to the shared work of diakonia in our contexts.

While we strive to be connected to community with intention, we also attempt to be connected with God and creation, as co-creators of the kin-dom of God.

Faithful Connections

Jan 22, 2019

Augusta Victora church-hospital complex, with surroundings of the Mount of Olives, in 2016. Source: Wikipedia (by אורי אלוני - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0). by Sr. Noreen Stevens From the 2018 Assembly At our 2018 Deaconess Community Assembly, we asked the Mission Support...

January 2019, DOTAC Prayer

Jan 16, 2019

by Ted Dodd, president of DOTAC and DIAKONIA of The United Church of Canada The 2019 DOTAC conference theme Preparations are underway for DOTAC (DIAKONIA of the Americas and Caribbean), which will be held in Vancouver, August 14- 20, 2019. The theme will explore:...

Fling Wide the Doors

Dec 6, 2018

by Jan Rizzo We had a fantastic Open House on November 14. The Deaconess Community offices are located in the Lutheran Center in Chicago, and for many of those who work in the building it was their first opportunity to pay us a visit. “This open house served as a...

Bethlehem Lutheran

Dec 4, 2018

by Jan Rizzo and Jonathan Tindor As we have read, since May 11, Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Fairfax, VA. Bethlehem Lutheran has been vandalized seven times. The most recent vandalism came on June 26 when congregation members found all the glass and candle holders...

Ecumenical Advocacy Days 2019

Dec 1, 2018

by Sr. Noreen Stevens Registration open Registration is now open for the Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD) 2019 conference. Friday, April 5 – Monday, April 8, 2019 In Washington, D.C. Troubling waters: this years theme from the EAD's website In 2019, we gather at a time...