Emmaus Lutheran Church

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EMMAUS BLOG

Letter from Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton

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“The Church of Christ in every age, beset by change but Spirit-led, must claim and test its heritage, and keep on rising from the dead”
(Fred Pratt Green, 1969).

Dear church,

Words matter. Words matter in our Scripture, in our hymns, in our governing documents, and beyond. Fifty years ago, on June 29, 1970, the Lutheran Church in America voted to change the word “man” to “person” in its bylaws and opened the door for the ordination of women. The American Lutheran Church achieved the same thing by resolution a few months later. The church was led by the Spirit to change. At the time it was scary for some. Fifty years later, it is now part of our heritage.

Fifty years later we celebrate the anniversary as a whole church. The influence of those decisions 50 years ago is not merely the impact on women. This is a celebration for the whole church, because the whole church has been strengthened by the gifts of ordained women in its leadership. We celebrate how these pastors have shared the Word, including with words of compassion, conviction, and curiosity. We also give thanks for the moments when there are no words, but they have offered their presence.

We also know that women who are pastors have struggled in ways men who are pastors have not. They deal with sexual harassment, disrespect, and often lower pay due to gender-based discrimination. The first women of color in our predecessor bodies weren’t ordained until 1979. And it wasn’t until 2009 that barriers to ordination were removed for LGBTQIA+ individuals in committed relationships. We know that racism and heterosexism complexify and intensify these problems. This discrimination is also part of our heritage, and something that we need to continue to work to eliminate.

In recognition of this 50th anniversary on June 29th, I invite you to express gratitude to a pastor who is a woman for how she has influenced your life. It could be by letter or email, or by other means. If you post on social media, please use the hashtag #thankyoupastor. If you would like more resources for celebrating this year, go to elca.org/50yearsofordainedwomen, which has an adult forum, Bible Study, video, and worship materials.

Fifty years after 1970, we also live in a world beset by change. I am grateful for the Spirit who continues to lead us and for the women God has called to minister to us.

I thank God for all of you who minister so faithfully.

In Christ,


Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

“There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus”
Galatians 3:28.

Call to Action – Rev. Melissa Reed

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CALL TO ACTION!

In the ongoing wake of COVID, Oregon Synod leaders, along with Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, have convened a statewide conversation among 65 faith leaders — evangelicals, Catholics, and mainline — from across the state (particularly Coast, Southern Oregon, Central Oregon, Mid-Willamette Valley and Eastern Oregon). We have shared our stories, asking: What are the pressures your communities are experiencing in this lasting wake of COVID and what could be done to protect the most vulnerable? We heard a resounding response: HOUSING.  Those who are unemployed and rent are on the edge; those who are already houseless are even more vulnerable.

Working with partners like the Oregon Food Bank and others, we have organized phone calls, emails and in person meetings with our state legislatures to make TWO asks around the upcoming budget legislative session that begins next Wednesday, June 24th:

  1. Extend the moratorium on evictions until October 1, and provide a period of six months after the moratorium ends (a) for tenants and homeowners to pay back rent and (b) during which time tenants may not be evicted for failure to pay their back rent.
  2. Support expanded funding to basic homeless services, especially for unaccompanied houseless youth (UHY) by bringing back and passing HB 4039.

Join your faith-filled voices and call your legislators into God’s pandemic Love!  You can either look up and call your legislators, or submit an email through the Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon site. It will literally take you less than 5 minutes to make sure people stay housed and have the services they need during this time. Perhaps it will make sure you stay housed.

Most important: be sure to tell your story. Here are three easy steps to help you do that:

  1. Start by introducing yourself, including your congregation, where it is located.
  2. Share 2-4 sentences about your own story—the housing pressures on your community, particularly in the midst of the pandemic. Create urgency—why the NOW of this moment.
  3. Share in 2 sentences the impact the moratorium on evictions and the expanded funding to basic homeless services would have. What difference will this make for your community?
GET COURAGEOUS, Oregon Synod.

Your stories have power.

You are GOOD NEWS!  

“Avoiding Spiritual Malnutrition and the Feast of Daily Devotions” — By guest blogger Rev. Dave Paulson

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It’s never been a secret: one of the pillars of our life in the Christian faith is God’s Word. The preaching in worship, Bible study, and daily devotions are all modes of our exposure to what God wants to say to us and take to heart. “Taste and see that the Lord is good”—concerning the Word and making it part of ourselves—is an essential practice for a well-nourished faith. Unless we make some effort, though, we can easily end up limited to a weekly (or less often) meal served on Sunday; however wonderful a sermon may be, we cannot consider ourselves well-nourished on one meal a week!
Making time for devotions each day—Bible reading, meditation, and prayer—is an effective way to avert malnutrition. We have many tools available for this, the most accessible for us are present in our hallway at church. The Word in Season is a small booklet of daily devotionals published by Augsburg-Fortress (A-F), the publishing house for the ELCA. Another similar booklet, also by A-F, is Christ in Our Home. Quite a few other devotionals are readily available too: Portals of Prayer (LC-MS), The Upper Room (United Methodist), Our Daily Bread (ODB Ministries), and many other on-line or printed materials (see https://www.elca.org/worship for more resources).
Of the two publications from A-F, I prefer Christ in Our Home. This seems more closely tied to the Sunday worship texts as well as those for special days in the church year, and generally more thoughtful in its approach to scripture. Whatever your preference may be, I hope you will avail yourself of some manner of daily devotions, especially one that includes a portion of scripture. Regularly nourishing your faith through the Word and conversation with God will carry over into all facets of your life, and make you much more resilient in dealing with whatever the world may throw at you.

A Letter from Bishop Laurie Larson Caesar

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Dear Emmaus Community,

While we realize that people are very eager to reconnect and worship together, we also recognize the responsibility we have to take care of each other, even if that means not gathering in person. Please read Bishop Laurie’s latest missive.

 

 

 
An Update from Bishop Laurie
                            

Dear friends in Christ, 

 

 As June approaches, it is time for us to check-in about in-person gatherings. The messages coming from our elected leaders can be contradictory and confusing.

  • Governor Brown has allowed 31 of the 33 Oregon counties (not the Portland-metro area) to begin phase 1, which allows for groups of up to 25 people to gather with social distancing.
  • President Trump has deemed churches and other houses of worship “essential” and has called on governors across the country to allow these places of worship to reopen.
  • Public health experts warn us that the nature of the virus has not changed; it is still highly contagious and our communities are still vulnerable.

More troubling news comes from those churches that have already attempted to reopen.

  • At least 107 people became infected after attending or coming into contact with someone who attended a service at a German baptist church, despite church officials insisting that social distancing and hygiene guidelines were upheld during the service.
  • A Baptist church in Georgia stopped in-person services two weeks after reopening as several families came down with coronavirus. Again, the church states that all modes of social distancing were practiced and followed by the families attending.
  • A Catholic church in Texas also closed after it was discovered multiple members had contracted the novel coronavirus and one leader had died. Again, the parish had followed cleaning, sanitation and social distancing guidelines prescribed by State health officials.

Here in Oregon, we are blessed with the opportunity to learn from these churches experience and protect our ministers, lay leaders, members and communities from risk. In-person, indoor gatherings of people from different households are high risk and they are a risk we do not have to take. We know we are essential, but it is not essential to gather in person at this time.

Our priority is protecting the well-being, health and safety of ALL members of the Oregon Synod: congregants and staff.  Therefore, we advise that church buildings remain closed to all but essential staff for as long as in-person, indoor gatherings remain high risk. 

Thank you all for taking care of each other during these troubling times. Let us continue to pray for those who are sick, those who have died, and for the good health and welfare of all members of our communities.

In Christ,

Bishop Laurie

Emmaus Food Drive

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We have an opportunity to respond to the unprecedented surge in need at our local food banks. Emmaus will be collecting foodstuffs next week at two times:
  • Wednesday, May 27, 5:30–7:30 pm
  • Thursday, May 28, 9 am–12 pm
While many people have sent cash to Food for Lane County, they have received far fewer actual food donations, leaving many people eager to receive a diverse set of foods (see the attached list for Most Wanted Foods for ideas).
In order to keep everyone safe, we will have food barrels available during the above times at church for you to drop off food (we will be nearby to keep an eye on the donations, but not too near!). Please consider wearing a mask and maintain appropriate social distances. If you would like to participate but cannot drive by the church, please email Melinda or call during office hours and she will arrange for someone to come by (if you are willing to help with picking up food from individuals, please email Melinda as well).
Thanks so much!