Small Talk: Summer Safety Prevention Training
Posted: June 9, 2026As we slip and slide into summertime, our children will be diving into new adventures. Leaving behind the routine of the school year, kids will be traveling, attending camps, visiting […]
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Pastor Megan Crouch Honduras Reflection
Posted: May 12, 2026This week’s “Wandering” reflection comes with a guest narrator! Pastor Megan Crouch (Peace, Gaylord) has graciously agreed to share reflections from her recent travels with the Synod’s Global Missions Table. […]
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Honduras
Posted: May 5, 2026The man standing in the picture above is Pastor Rolando Ortez Martinez. He is the President (think bishop) of the Iglesia Cristiana Luterana de Honduras, which is one of our […]
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Sheep Week
Posted: April 28, 2026Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the pasture… “Sheep Week” started in the spring of 2020. We were all staying home and staying safe in […]
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Shoes on the Danube
Posted: April 21, 2026“Make sure you see Shoes on the Danube,” that’s what my sister told me when I asked what she recommended from her own visit to Budapest. “Shoes on the Danube” […]
Read more →Check In: Spring Storms
Posted: April 15, 2026Dear Friends in Christ, In the wake of last night’s severe storms across Michigan, we are holding you in our prayers. We know that many communities have experienced heavy rain, […]
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Bishop Julie is Off to Austria
Posted: April 7, 2026Thanks to the many rostered ministers who sent in their annual report to me (the personal one, not the congregation one)! It has been very helpful to hear people reflect […]
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Palm Sunday Path
Posted: March 5, 2026The Palm Sunday Path is based on the principles of Matthew 25: healing the sick, feeding the hungry and welcoming the stranger. Just as Jesus entered Jerusalem humbly and peacefully […]
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More Than Meets the Eye
Posted: February 10, 2026One of the things I love about having snow in the winter is getting to see all of the animal activity that is going on in our yard! Mostly it’s rabbits, squirrels, birds and cats tromping though our back yard. Last week this interesting track appeared in our front yard. I would really love to know what was going on! What are these tracks? Why do they just stop? Was it some sort of rabbit rapture? The tracks this time of the year remind me of the activity that is going on year-round but largely unseen. There is so much more than meets the eye!
There is so much more than meets the eye. This coming Sunday we will celebrate “Transfiguration of Our Lord.” We will read from Matthew 17 about Peter, James and John seeing Jesus in a new light (pun intended) and hearing the voice of God tell them directly who Jesus is. To have been there with them!
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Extravaganza
Posted: February 3, 2026It felt very much like the many youth gatherings I have attended over the years — a large hotel ballroom, chairs set up in rows, a brightly-lit stage at the front. The music starts and people start swaying and clapping. It felt very much the same but with one big difference — there were no youth! This past weekend’s Extravaganza was held in St. Louis, MO. The tagline is “Renew. Educate. Connect.” This is a yearly gathering of people from around the ELCA who work with Children, youth and young adults.
This year there was a deliberate invitation put out to the bishops of the ELCA to come to Extravaganza, to experience what it’s all about, to spend time with the people who are ministering to and with our youth and young adults, and to offer a workshop where we had a chance to listen to what young adults wanted to say to bishops. Our synod was well-represented by over 20 people in attendance. The photo above is from a combined lunch we had with Southeast Michigan Synod.
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