Stewardship: Beyond

The Virginia Synod Hunger Team would like to invite YOU to join our group.  We meet regularly via Zoom to:

• Brainstorm ways to uplift local and global hunger concerns.
• Review ELCA hunger grant applications.
• Consider ways to support people in need.
• Enjoy meeting new people from around the synod and beyond!

If you would like to take advantage of the opportunity, please contact Betsy Liljeberg.

Many mission sites have opened up again post-pandemic.  Young adults are departing for Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Central Europe, Senegal, and Jerusalem / West Bank to work with missionaries onsite.   Learn more!

By providing immediate relief to those who are hungry, ELCA World Hunger meets basic needs and recognizes the universal human right to food. But ending hunger is about more than food. By connecting people with the resources they need to produce food and gain access to clean water, education, health care and sources of income, long-term, sustainable change can be accomplished.   For 50 years, Lutherans have joined together to address the root causes of hunger and poverty around the world through ELCA World Hunger. In 2024, we will commemorate the 50th anniversary of this ministry.

For over 80 years, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service has been a champion for refugees and migrants from around the globe.  Through the Long Welcome, LIRS helps ensure that refugees and migrants are protected, embraced and empowered in a world of just and welcoming communities.

 Lutheran Disaster Response brings God’s hope, healing and renewal to people whose lives have been disrupted by disasters in the United States and around the world. When the dust settles and the headlines change, Lutheran Disaster Response stays to provide ongoing assistance to those in need. 

 The ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission program invites ELCA young adults ages 21-29 into a transformative, year-long journey in international service. As they offer themselves in service, ELCA young adults are shaped by the witness of our global neighbors. They share in the journeys of companion churches and organizations in one of ten countries around the world. 

enCircle (formerly Lutheran Family Services) is seeking to ease the journey for children and youth seeking refuge at the US southern border.  enCircle is expanding its Immigration and Refugee Services rapidly to meet the growing need for reuniting youth with relatives in the country or finding sponsor families as it works in partnership with Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS).

Since 1917, Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA) has served boldly in the Washington Metropolitan Area.  Today, it provides services that foster healthy and self-sufficient livelihoods. It serves the DMV through community services - including refugee and immigrant resettlement, workforce development, and interpretation; family and children services - including foster care for unaccompanied refugee minors and adoption services; and health and wellness services - including CARE for Newcomers, healthy relationships education and Youth Haven.

As members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), we believe that God is calling us into the world – together.  And with generous, loving hands, we can make a difference.

ELCA Good Gifts is your opportunity to provide critical support to the ministries and programs that mean the most to you and the people you love.

The RAM clinic provides free medical, dental, and vision care to anyone in our

communities who otherwise could not afford such care.  The support of our communities of faith for the RAM Clinic in our area make a huge impact on the success of the event. Many congregations and faith groups provide financial support to meet the lodging costs of the professional volunteers who travelled from other states to provide care to those who are in need right here.  Others work to provide lunch and breakfast foods, which can be offered to patients waiting to receive treatment. 

GraceInside provides chaplain support to inmates across Virginia.   GraceInside’s chaplains are dedicated to meeting the spiritual needs of all residents of Virginia’s state prisons by providing one-on-one pastoral care, conducting worship services, and working with the Department of Corrections staff in offering rehabilitative programs.  Hope Springs from the Empty Tomb is the theme for the spring fund drive.

In every country, domestic violence is a tragic reality.  This violence is frequently hidden, and victims are often silent, fearing stigma and further violence.  As our own local shelter (Response) reminds us, we all have a responsibility to speak out against violence to ensure that women and men, boys and girls, are safe from harm, wherever the location.  A small group of women began a campaign in Argentina that has gradually spread across the globe and has now been adopted by the World Council of Churches.  This campaign is simple but profound, namely wear black on Thursdays.  Remind yourself and teach others that you are part of the global movement that resists attitudes and practices that permit rape and violence.  Show your respect for victims who are resilient in the face of injustice and violence.  Encourage others to join you.