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Check out the latest from Gather magazine.
September 2022 video supplement to “Jesus and Nature: Teachers of Faith”
Welcome to the September 2022 video supplement to the Gather Bible study, “Jesus and nature: Teacher of Faith” by the Rev. Sarah Olson-Smith. September 2022, Session 1: “Trees,” will tap into Biblical images of trees and explore why planting and protecting trees is...
Time for pruning
Jesus talked about this. by Cara Strickland I’M NOT MUCH OF A GARDENER. In my time, I’ve tended a pathetically small group of corn stalks and a modest group of green bean plants. I’ve killed every basil plant I’ve ever bought at the grocery store and every potted...
Support 2122 and Katie’s Fund
by Linda Post Bushkofsky EARLIER THIS SUMMER WOMEN OF THE ELCA launched a major campaign to raise $1 million for the Katharina von Bora Luther Endowment Fund, lovingly known as Katie’s Fund. The churchwide executive board, as financial stewards of Women of the ELCA,...
August 2022 video supplement to “Crafted in Christ”
Welcome to the August 2022 video supplement to the Gather Bible study, “Crafted in Christ,” by the Rev. Katie Hines-Shah. August 2022, Session 3: “Ties that bind,” examines how God invites us to commit to a new way of life with God and with each other.
Piecing resilience
LWR quilts wrap the world in God’s love. by Anne Basye IS THERE ANY MORE POWERFUL symbol for resilience than a quilt? Patched together from scraps of worn clothing and linen, quilts blend beauty with thrift. Stitched with love by their creators, they strengthen their...
Small dragons, deep prayers
by Lisa A. Smith BEDTIME THEOLOGY WITH MY 3-YEAR-OLD: 3-year-old: Are dragons real? Me: No, honey, they’re not real. 3-year-old: (Yelling toward ceiling) God, can you make dragons? (Pause). He said no. They’re too big. Me: Well, there are some lizards that are like...
A purse that won’t wear out
Peggy found the real treasure. By Jennifer M. Ginn WHILE I’M PUTTING IN my customary few hours at the church yard sale, talking with shoppers and cruising the tables for my own bargains, along comes Peggy, an older church member whose adult daughter lives with her....
Lessons from the forge
by Laura Brix Newbury A SMALL FORGE in a church parking lot may seem like an unusual place to heal wounded hearts, but that's what happened at an event our congregation hosted this past spring. We were fortunate to be one of the stops on a nationwide book tour for...
July 2022 video supplement to Gather Bible study, “Crafted in Christ”
Welcome to the July 2022 video supplement to the Gather Bible study, “Crafted in Christ,” by the Rev. Katie Hines-Shah. Session 2: “Quilt cutting and piecing,” explores how our lives and Christian communities come together into a cohesive whole, including people of...
Under a quilt
That was where the magic happened By Mary Dixon THE WOMEN IN MY FAMILY have always used needlework to share their Christian faith and love with others. My maternal grandmother, Ella (or “GrandElla,” as I called her), and my mother taught me needlework of all kinds. My...
Sewn together
By Elizabeth Hunter I’VE ONLY BEGUN TO LEARN about quilting, but I’ve wanted to sew ever since I was a young child. At age 7, I came across an ad for a “first sewing machine” that claimed to be child-safe and able to sew anything. That was great news: I had a homemade...
First, belonging
Toward a more Christ-like welcome by Julia Seymour The Autumn of 2017 was one of the most overwhelming of my life. I was not sure what was happening in my marriage. I was feeling increasing pressure from the Holy Spirit to be open to a new call as a pastor....
When a pastor can’t forgive
Can I bear the burden of racism any more than I already do? By Tuhina Verma Rasche I currently find myself swimming in seas of whiteness, which leads to my conflicted feelings about confession and forgiveness. I serve as an ordained minister of Word and Sacrament...
God’s table for all
By Women of the ELCA staff June is an opportunity to welcome everyone to the table. ST. MATTHEW’S LUTHERAN CHURCH, Taylorsville, Utah; Trinity Lutheran Church, Kutztown, Penn.; University Lutheran Church, Clemson, S.C. These are among the most recent congregations...
What I’ve learned from quilters
by Jordan Miller-Stubbendick A FEW MONTHS AFTER OUR WEDDING, Adam and I packed a U-Haul and drove to our first call—a joint one, serving three congregations in eastern Nebraska. I attended my first quilting group in the basement of one of those congregations. The...
Coming together
By Linda Post Bushkofsky IT WAS A HUMBLE NINE-PATCH SCRAP QUILT that started my lifelong love affair with quilting. My maternal grandmother made it for my sixth birthday. Little did I know then where my quilting journey would take me. All I knew was that I was...
Audacious Faith
In Luke 24, the disciples stood dumbfounded, staring into heaven, wondering what was next, the words of Jesus ringing in their ears: “See, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”...
Three ways to journal
Try the spiritual equivalent of making your bed. by Kathryn Haueisen “IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD, start by making your bed.” Admiral William McRaven’s 2014 commencement address at the University of Texas, Austin, went viral with this secret to success. I believe...