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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Martin Lutheran King, Jr. Day of Celebration
Posted: January 27, 2026Last week I was invited to attend the Martin Lutheran King, Jr. Day of Celebration in Lansing. It is the oldest and one of the largest events held to honor Dr. King each year. The program was terrific. The highlight for me was hearing Diane Nash speak. Ms. Nash was one of the lead organizers of the student wing of the Civil Rights Movement and was key in organizing both the Freedom Riders, who desegregated interstate travel, and the effort to integrate lunch counters in Nashville. She was doing that courageous work already in her early 20s.
It was an honor and privilege to hear Ms. Nash speak. She is now 87 and had to come out on stage in a wheelchair, and yet her voice, heart and mind are as strong as ever. At one point, she said that she wanted to speak to those of us who were not yet born during the Civil Rights Movement. She said that when she stood arm and arm with others facing the threat of violence and arrest, we were the ones they had in mind.
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Winter Connection Day
Posted: January 23, 2026If you were anywhere in West Michigan during our Synod Winter Connection Days, you know exactly what we were up against. Bitter cold temperatures and truly difficult road conditions which prompted about half of our participants to cancel.
As the event unfolded, our schedule shifted more than once. Plans to the Muskegon Sports Park were cancelled due to the cold temperature. The Muskegon Museum of Art was also closed due to the weather. It wasn’t the event we originally envisioned, but it still became something meaningful.
Despite the changes in our schedule, we gathered for a lovely time of worship, grounding our days in prayer and gratitude and the reminder that God meets us wherever we are. The spirit carried through the rest of our time together, including a fun and laughter-filled trivia night that brought out both our competitive sides and our joy in simply being together.
Read more →ELCA Disability Ministries: Mental Health Awareness Month
Posted: May 2, 2025May is Mental Health Awareness Month! ELCA Disability Ministries shares some helpful links to help raise awareness and break the stigma around mental health.
Read more →Building Up
Posted: April 15, 2025In 1988-1989 my family and I lived in Heidelberg, West Germany, while I was a Fulbright Professor at the University of Heidelberg. We split our family worship time between our […]
Read more →Gathering with Honduran Partners
Posted: July 15, 2022By Pastor Megan Crouch, Linda Stark, Jamie Royalty, Dr. Erika Dianis, Julie Hyatt and Connie Lenkowski To many of us, Zoom meetings are boring and routine. However, some Zoom gatherings […]
Read more →Honduras Accompaniment via Zoom
Posted: February 21, 2022By Members of the North/West Lower Michigan Synod’s Honduras Team Recently, the Synod Honduras Team hosted a different kind of workshop for our friends in the Lutheran Church of Honduras […]
Read more →Making “God’s Work. Our Hands.” Evangelistic
Posted: August 26, 2021By Rev. David Sprang, Assistant to the Bishop and Director of Evangelical Mission On Sunday, September 12, 2021 many folks across the ELCA will wear their “God’s Work. Our Hands.” […]
Read more →Pastor Receives Emgage Action Ambassador Award
Posted: October 26, 2020By Sue Sprang EAST LANSING – On Sept. 20, Pastor Gary Bunge and University Lutheran Church, East Lansing, received an award of acknowledgement and appreciation. Bunge explained what the award […]
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