ELCA Domestic Hunger Grants
Applications for ELCA World Hunger’s 2025 Domestic Hunger Grants are open! To learn more about submitting a Letter of Inquiry (LOI),…
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Who We Are
People focused
We value connection.
Grace filled
We cherish this gift from God in Jesus.
Welcome all
We welcome all people.
Connected across the mitten
From St. Joe to Alpena.
Synod Shoutout
- How Much Snow?!
After a week of true Northern Michigan winter, where communities saw several inches of snow accumulation, fierce winds, and drifts reaching multiple feet high, one story coming out of our synod was nothing short of inspiring!
North/West Lower Michigan Synod at a Glance
25,000+
Baptized members
100
Congregations and Ministry Sites
181
Rostered leaders
7
Conferences
Wandering and Wondering with Bishop Julie Schneider-Thomas
- Holy Week
Holy Week. It is the oldest Christian observance — far older than the celebration of Christ’s birth. The Great Three Days (Triduum) of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter — these are God’s gift to us.
- Worthy of Praise
The Pigeon on the red rocks is hanging out in the Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs. The black bird sitting on the snow is an Alpine Chough, which I met on the top of Nordkette, a mountain in the Austrian Alps. Honestly, I don’t know that I would have paid much attention to either bird if it weren’t for one of my young parishioners from Hope, Rockford who is passionate about birds. His love and knowledge have inspired me to pay more attention to the feathered friends around me.
- Fast for the Eyes
This photo was taken at the Cathedral of St. James in Innsbruck, Austria. I was there last year near the end of Lent. Every one of the churches I visited had some piece of temporary artwork hung in front of the reredos (the panel behind the altar). Many also had pieces of purple cloth covering the cross. This is a widespread practice in Roman Catholic churches, and even among a few Lutheran churches. At the very least, this happens on Good Friday in many of our churches. The instruction in the Roman Catholic church is that this begins on the Fifth Sunday of Lent through Good Friday, but I don’t want to get too far into the weeds about the particulars of this practice!
News
Supplies for Living Water Ministries
Living Water Ministries invites you to gather supplies for foster care and summer campers and have put together two Amazon…
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Disaster Response: Midwest Tornados
Recent tornados have caused damage to those in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. Clean-up and recovery efforts are ongoing in the…
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New Resources from Portico
2023 Tax Preparation Resources Available Two helpful tax guides are now available for church personnel. Portico provides rostered ministers and…
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Church Mutual
ELCA Churchwide is aware of the difficulties currently facing the entire property insurance marketplace and the direct impact of insurers’…
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FEMA Declaration for Michigan Storms and Flooding
As of Thursday, February 8, 2024, The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that a Federal Disaster Declaration has been…
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2024 Synod Assembly
Jesus names us “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world,” and compares the kingdom of heaven…
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Annual Rostered Minister and Congregation Reports
Annual Rostered Minister Report Annual Rostered Minister Report forms are now available! All rostered ministers are expected to complete and…
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Register for Winter Learning Events!
Don’t forget to register for our January Learning Events! Boundary Training for Rostered Ministers The North/West Lower Michigan Synod will…
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Synod ELCA Youth Gathering Fund
Synod Council recently approved the creation of the North/West Lower Michigan Synod ELCA Youth Gathering Fund, which seeks to make…
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