Do Justice
Welcome to Do Justice, a bi-monthly newsletter of the Virginia Synod, lifting up God’s call and command that we, God’s people, do justice. You will find helpful info about justice ministries in congregations, around Virginia, and through the ELCA. If you have stories of justice to share from your congregation, please share those with me at bayerderrick@vasynod.org so I can share them with others in the synod!

The Rev. Kelly Bayer Derrick
Assistant to the Bishop
On April 9th in 1945, a Lutheran pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi dissident, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, was martyred at the hands of his Nazi captors. He was 39 years old. He was commemorated by the church on Monday, April 9
ELCA Global Mission 2018 Map
Virginia Synod Young Adult in Global Mission (YAGM) Emily Edmonds (St. Paul, Rural Retreat) was recently included in the ELCA Global Mission Map. Emily is now a candidate for the Ministry of Word and Service and a student at Luther Seminary.

“I was amazed how at home I suddenly felt,” says Emily Edmonds, part of Young Adults in Global Mission, after two 5-year-old girls helped her settle into the aboriginal community of Hope Vale, Queensland. “They took me door to door, but I was nervous. At every home, the girls said, ‘We brought Miss Emily to show her around the village because she doesn’t know anyone or where they live.’ Homeowners would respond, ‘Well that’s good. Take care of her now and have fun.’ They really were taking care of me!”

To view the ELCA Global Mission brochure and map, click here.
Global Farm Challenge - ELCA 2018 Youth Gathering in Houston
Join us in our year-long, youth-driven fundraising challenge to support the agriculture-related programs of ELCA World Hunger. Start raising funds in advance of the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering taking place in June. In the Interactive Learning Space in the NRG Center, youth and young adults will have the chance to have an unforgettable experience designed to immerse them in what it is like to be a smallholder farmer around the world. Watch the video and learn more here.
Preparation, by Jonathan Quist
Submitted by Tim Konhaus, Hebron, Madison.

Art selection and commentary by Christopher R. Brewer and Lil Copan

In his exploration of the story of David and Goliath (1 Sam. 17), Michigan-based painter Jonathan Quist shows a religious leader with stones and a sling in hand. But the giant he faces is the Goliath of racism and segregation in the church. The church watches from a distance as David prepares five stones taken from the rivery railroad tracks.
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