June 2016
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Have you scheduled your retreat?

Summer is a great time to schedule a one-day Bible study retreat using Gather's three-session summer study, "The heart of the matter."
     Although we look to the church for a safe haven from conflict, author Angie Shannon says, "life follows us through the doors, and there too we find conflict."
       Download the study for free. Invite your friends and neighbors into a discussion about disarming conflict. After all, the election is coming up, and we should all be prepared.
NEW RACIAL JUSTICE ADVOCACY RESOURCES AVAILABLE ONLINE

At a time when ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton is asking congregations to have conversations about race, Women of the ELCA has released three resources that can help. Find them at womenoftheelca.org/racialjustice
DON'T MISS THESE NEW GATHER BIBLE STUDIES: SUBSCRIBE NOW

Are you enjoying Gather magazine's new format of shorter Bible studies? Have you appreciated having the leader guides printed in the magazine itself, rather than having to order them separately? Have you noticed the larger, more diverse group of writers? We hope these changes can help you to encourage more women to join study groups. Learn about what's coming up.

In the next few weeks, Gather will debut a monthly newsletter that offers a preview of the upcoming issue and links to exclusive online content. Sign up here.
GREAT TEACHER, LEADER LEAVES WOMEN OF THE ELCA $50,000 GIFT

"There is one Great Teacher, but Theda comes in second!"
The women of St. James Lutheran Church in Fayetteville, N.C., said this about Theda Johnson Suggs, a longtime leader of Women of the ELCA in the congregation and in the North Carolina Synodical Women's Organization. Learn more. 
RELATIONSHIP KEY TO BUILDING INTERGENERATIONAL CHURCH

Many congregations and women's groups are inclusive, spanning a few generations. Yet sometimes when I hear people say, "We need/want younger women in our church/women's group," it seems to come from a place of fear, rather than a place of mutual relationship building. Learn five ways to build relationships
TODAY, WE'LL CHANGE TOMORROW 
 
Women of the ELCA executive director Linda Post Bushkofsky is representing the organization at a June 14 United State of Women Summit. With the theme "Today, We'll Change Tomorrow," the White House summit will celebrate what's been done by and for women and girls and look at ways to take action moving forward, specifically looking at gender equality issues. 
BEGINNING THE JOURNEY
  
Just like commencement, confirmation marks the beginning of a journey. It means we've got the basics, and now it's time to start living into the promises we made (or that were made for us) at our baptism and affirmed at our confirmation.  Read the devotion.  
BODY LOVE AND ROLLER DERBY  
 
In our culture, it can be hard to have a positive relationship with our bodies. Read in Cafe how one pastor learned to love her body. "When I was younger, I hated how my body looked and I hated the way it worked," Pastor Amanda Zentz-Alo writes. 
HAVE YOU DECIDED WHAT TO BUY YOUR NEW GRADUATE? 
 
We can help: jewelry and aprons and mugs and shawls are available in our Women of the ELCA's e-store. Check it out before you leave home to shop for your new graduate. She deserves a special gift.  
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