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Monthly Topic

Every month new topics that are relevant to women and how faith relates to those issues are featured.

Communion and Dinner Church

Communion and Dinner Church

by Melissa Woeppel A communal worship experience that has been important in my life of faith is the practice of dinner church.  Dinner Church is a pattern of worship set around the place of eating, like a dinner table. Worship happens as those gather to eat, share,...

Recipes for renewal

Recipes for renewal

by Melissa Woeppel I live in Lindsborg, Kan., a small city of just under 4,000 people. The city is affectionately known to many as “Little Sweden, USA.” In the late 1800s, Lindsborg was settled by immigrants from Sweden, a history and heritage that continues today....

Boldcafe dinner

Boldcafe dinner

Join us for community via Zoom with Boldcafe’s favorite writers and readers + friends.

Living our stories

Living our stories

by Sarah Carson It all started as any typical day does in my household. I woke up around 5 a.m. and made myself a pot of coffee. I spent some time in the living room reading and writing (on this day: Thomas Lynch’s wonderful book of new and selected poems, Bone...

Stories that feel

Stories that feel

by Sarah Carson There is a wealth of scientific data in support of the power of a story to make a difference. Storytelling has demonstrated benefits across disciplines—from treating survivors of abuse and trauma to helping students learn more effectively to selling us...

Faith Reflection: From tension to transformation

Faith Reflection: From tension to transformation

by Emily Carson Jesus consistently stepped into tense situations rather than tiptoeing around them. He didn’t avoid difficult interpersonal dynamics; he embraced them and recognized that tension is often a catalyst for transformation (of people and systems). Tension...

The spirituality of tension

The spirituality of tension

by Emily Carson The room was silent for a long time before the first council member spoke up. “No one here seems to be getting along anymore. There’s so much gossip. Something needs to change.” There were many pauses that evening as church council members took turns...

The spiritual work of transition

The spiritual work of transition

by Jennifer Hackbarth Our bodies work hard to maintain homeostasis, a state when all bodily systems are functioning in balance. No matter the temperature of our environment, our internal body temperature needs to stay within a fairly narrow range; if it goes too high...

Transitions open us up to newness

Transitions open us up to newness

by Jennifer Hackbarth I transitioned from a long-term congregational call to interim ministry in the winter of 2022. Over the past year and a half, I’ve served three congregations as an associate interim pastor. Going from a thirteen-year call to jumping between...

That me–God’s beloved

That me–God’s beloved

by Kristen Kuempel I am going to be straight-up honest here: I am the absolute worst person to be asked to write an article on loving yourself. Instead of writing them, I should just paper my house with articles written by others in the hopes that I would absorb some...

Check out our Past Issues

See something you like? All of our featured articles are part of a monthly collaboration of related topics.

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This monthly publication and podcast is made possible through regular offerings donated by women from over 7,000 active Women of the ELCA units in congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).