W E L C A

Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Our Journey to Wellness

This new resource is your starting point for participating in Women of the ELCA's health initiative, Raising Up Healthy Women and Girls. It is a guide to having healthy dialogue in your community about women's total health: physical, emotional, and spiritual. Our Journey to Wellness will help ground your understanding of women's total wellness in non-threatening, intergenerational, faith-centered dialogue.

The four women who wrote this resource are advocates for women's health and for Women of the ELCA taking on this heart-healthy challenge.

* The Rev. Mary Stein-Webber, part-time pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, licensed counselor, and director of A Safe Place to Heal Christian Counseling in Oakland, Calif., helps us explore emotional health.

* The Rev. Ginger Anderson-Larson, director for spiritual formation and associate director of contextual education at Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, leads us through spiritual health.

* Dr. Gwen Wagstrom Halaas, a family physician in St. Paul, Minn., and author of The Right Road: Life Choices for Clergy (Fortress Press, 2004), shapes our discussion on physical health. 

* Tammy Devine, diaconal minister, registered nurse, and wellness coordinator for the ELCA Board of Pensions in Minneapolis, designed a process to facilitate fruitful dialogue toward making a difference. 

Our Journey to Wellness is a free resource. Look for a copy in the spring 2006 mailing, which should arrive in your congregation mid to late April. Or go to our website and download a PDF file by clicking on the "Printable Version" icon in the right-hand column. The contributors, who also will be presenters for our Raising Up Healthy Women and Girls events in late summer and early fall (watch for details to come in May), challenge us to explore all aspects of our health.  

This resource may be used as a Women of the ELCA unit program, as part of a cluster or conference event, or as part of a synodical women's convention. Use it also with your confirmation class, young adults (especially those entering their first profession), with congregation council members, or congregation committees. 

You may choose to discuss this over several sessions or over the course of a weekend, perhaps as a retreat.

Act Boldly with Faithfulness

When two people exchange vows, they trust their lives will grow richer over time. When you know you have a friend who will remain faithful to you in a time of crisis, you are comforted. These are examples of bold faithfulness, evident in biblical times with stories like Ruth and Naomi's and evident today. What's your personal story of bold faithfulness?

Praying for Peacemakers

In the Mekong region of Asia, women learn how to deal with the aftereffects of war. They are becoming community leaders and peacemakers.

Focus on Health

Smile for good health! If you think flossing is a waste of time, 

 News & Events

Cross-cultural Immersion Experience
Participants in a previous Rocky Boy immersion experience The Women of the ELCA Cultural Immersion and Exchange Program uses the following principles. The program will use anti-racist and anti-sexist principles while educating about how the world disenfranchises people. It will lift up the incomparable working of God in the lives of women and underscore and highlight the boldness of the faith of women and provide valid cultural exchange experiences and exercises.

Is it time to awaken your mind, body, and spirit? If so, take part in the immersion experience in Appalachia in late summer or the fall immersion experience on the Rocky Boy Reservation in Montana ... or choose to participate in both!