God of refuge and strength, we observe this day marking two years since the crisis in the Holy Land began.
We grieve the loss of every life — Israeli and Palestinian — and the deep suffering that continues.
Amid rubble and despair, stir in us your resolve for peace with justice.
Be near to those who mourn, those who wait for loved ones and those working to heal and rebuild. We pray for ceasefire negotiations and for leaders taking their part.
Turn the hearts of all leaders and peoples toward mercy, truth and ending the suffering.
Strengthen the work and witness of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and all who labor for peace.
Grant us the courage to seek your justice and the faith to trust your promise of a new day.
Working with and through our congregations in the U.S., Lutheran churches around the world, and other partners, ELCA World Hunger is uniquely positioned to reach communities in need. From health clinics to microloans, community meals to advocacy, your gifts to ELCA World Hunger support sustainable solutions that get at the root causes of hunger and poverty. Learn More.
Ready to get started? From education to fundraising, using calendars, studies, congregational action guides and more — you will find resources for all ages and group sizes.
Seasonal times of the church year like Advent are ideal seasons to raise awareness for issues surrounding hunger and poverty. Use these resources to plan educational and fundraising events at your congregation.
Action Guide for Congregations 2025
This guide is designed to equip you with some of the newest and most popular ELCA resources to activate your congregation as you continue your ministry. Through this work and together as a church, we are achieving things on a scale and scope we could never do otherwise. FREE and free shipping. 16 PG, 65 MB.
ELCA World Hunger’s Advent Calendar 2025
Create the feeling of a welcoming hearth with this year’s interactive Advent calendar. The calendar activity includes a 11″x17″ standing nativity scene, ready to be colored throughout the season. Alongside each day’s craft activity is a hymn, Bible verse, learning opportunity or information about how ELCA Good Gifts make a difference in the world. If ordering, this resource includes all 3 pieces. FREE and free shipping.
ELCA World Hunger’s Advent Study 2025
This season’s ELCA World Hunger study guide provides reflection questions for engaging the brand-new, ELCA World Hunger-produced short video documentary “Intersections: Justice Ministry With ELCA Partners.” The video and study guide ask viewers to think differently about the root causes of hunger and poverty, making complex issues seem manageable through our collective action as the church.
We prayerfully invite your household and congregation to light your own stable lamp to warm you for your ministry under the starry sky and among the crying stones. Note: If ordering, this resource comes in packs of 10. 1 = 10 studies. FREE and free shipping.
Congregational Resources for the 2025 Advent Season
Helpful resources to get your congregation more involved with the Advent theme for 2025m A Stable Lamp Is Lighted.
ELCA Good Gifts Catalog. The 24-page ELCA Good Gifts catalog offers many ways to honor friends and loved ones with gifts that will make a difference in the world. With more than 60 giving options – from 10 little chicks to help a family escape poverty to a scholarship to help a young leader attend an ELCA seminary – there’s something for everyone on your list. The catalog is also a great resource for your congregation. Sunday school classes, youth groups and adults can use it for special fundraising events. Shop the catalog online at ELCA.org/goodgifts.
“Stocking the Streets” Bags. Use these instructions to participate in ELCA World Hunger’s “Stocking the Streets” activity this Advent. “Stocking the Streets” is an effort by ELCA World Hunger and your community to care for all our neighbors, some of whom lack a roof over their heads. A “Stocking the Streets” bag includes the items most frequently requested by individuals facing homelessness. .149MB.Download here.
Social Media Graphics. Use these social media graphics to invite others to join ELCA World Hunger for Advent, share instructions for the “Stocking the Streets” activity, share the theme verses for each session of the Advent study, and invite people to share photos of their colored Advent nativity scenes. There are sizes suitable for Facebook, Instagram and stories. 29MB.Download here.
Bulletin Inserts. This bulletin insert can be distributed in your congregation to learn more about the new ELCA World Hunger Advent resources and the “Stocking the Streets” activity. .509MB. Download here.
Powerpoint Slides. These PowerPoint slides can be used in your congregation to learn more about the new ELCA World Hunger Advent resources and the “Stocking the Streets” activity. You can also customize the blank slide with information about your congregation’s participation in the ELCA World Hunger Advent activities. 23MB. Download here.
Word is around that a special session could be called in November. The issues could range from the special tax credits for the movie industry, addressing shortfalls caused by recision reductions in the One Big Beautiful Bill, or possibly the crime bill. We should know in the weeks to come.
This week, we heard from the Gospel of Luke, the seventeenth chapter: “Increase our faith.”
It’s an impulse I think many of us can relate to. The seasons are changing—pumpkin pie and apple picking for some, pecan lattes and warm blankets for others. But even amid the beauty of autumn, we are aware of how much suffering fills our world: year two of a genocide in Gaza, the rise of authoritarianism across nations, and grocery prices that keep climbing. There is so much pain and uncertainty.
So we, too, cry out, “Jesus, increase our faith.”
It feels familiar, but then I remember the ordinary moments. On Sunday, I invited my parishioners to write down one thing they did this week to help their neighbor. Then I asked them to imagine what would have happened if that act had not been done.
Simple gestures—a meal shared, a phone call made, a moment of kindness—these are all moments when God’s love breaks through a world that can feel so broken.
Our faith calls us to act, to lead with integrity and courage, to do what is right, and to be decent human beings.
As the prophet Micah reminds us: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
Join us on Oct. 22 from 6-7:30 p.m. for a community forum exploring the challenges of homeownership in Nevada, featuring a team of reporters from KUNR and KNPR.
Moderated by KUNR’s Lucia Starbuck, they will discuss why owning a home is increasingly out of reach for many Nevadans and why it’s coming with new threats like the need for wildfire insurance.
This ticketed event is offered both in-person at the Wells Fargo Auditorium inside the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center on the University of Nevada, Reno campus, and live streamed for remote viewing.
This event is sponsored in part by Greater Nevada Credit Union.
Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada 