The pastor in me hears pain in these statements. These are hard things to express and to experience. But it also seems like some of our communities are suffering from low self-esteem. The difficult realities that some of us are facing can quickly turn into a self-defining narrative that may seem true, but also leaves out some of the good parts.

On Sunday, August 18th, the people of God at First United Lutheran Church in Sheboygan celebrated the 50th ordination anniversary of our previous bishop, Pastor Jerry Mansholt. He currently is serving as interim pastor in the Greater Milwaukee Synod, ELCA and Bishop Paul Erickson was the preacher of the day.

Earlier this month, my colleagues and I in the ELCA Conference of Bishops met for a time of connection, worship, and shared ministry in Itasca, Illinois. A full summary of our time together is linked here and included in the news release below. One of the most important items on the agenda included drafting and delivering a letter to President Biden as well as issuing a statement calling for a permanent bilateral cease-fire in Gaza.

The European Descent Lutheran Association for Racial Justice (EDLARJ) Triennial Assembly in Minneapolis March 1-3 and the ECSW was well represented.

Our ELCA Conference of Bishops, including our synod's Bishop Anne Edison-Albright, met Feb. 27 to March 2 in Itasca, IL; in this statement the Conference calls for ceasefire in Gaza and prays for peacemaking.