Faith Formation Forums & Class
Forum: ELCA Ordination Anniversaries
Forum: Health and Wellness in a Pandemic
Forum: 500th Anniversary of "Freedom of a Christian"
6-session Class: "Is This the Apocalypse?! Breaking Revelation Open to Healing Hope"
Forum: ELCA Ordination Anniversaries
Forum: Health and Wellness in a Pandemic
Forum: 500th Anniversary of "Freedom of a Christian"
6-session Class: "Is This the Apocalypse?! Breaking Revelation Open to Healing Hope"
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FORUM: ELCA Ordination Anniversaries
50 Years: Women's Ordination 40 Years: Women of Color Ordination 10 Years: LGBTQ Ordination On October 11th, three women clergy share their stories: Pastor Donna Herzfeldt-Kamprath (current co-pastor at WLLC); Pastor Dianne Eller (member of WLLC); Pastor Dayle Askey (sabbatical pastor and friend of WLLC). Two other women have served in a called position: Pastor Sara Gross Samuelson (co-leader/pastor/organizer - Storyline Community) and Paisley Le Roy (seminary intern 2018-2019). 
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FORUM: Health and Wellness
COVID has presented a unique challenge to all of us living in the pandemic. WLLC has a team of members regularly monitoring the latest guidelines from the Governor's office and the Oregon Health Authority. They are in it for the long haul as we all try to figure out how to be well in this new situation. Dr. Stephanie Broadhurst, Oct. 18, 2020
How will the Covid-19 pandemic end and when will normal life resume? The virus which causes Covid-19 is not going away. Experts have predicted an increase in infections during the fall and winter months which is starting to happen now. We are eager for a vaccine to help us get back to normal. The good news is that over 160 vaccine candidates are in development worldwide and over 30 are in human trials now. Hopefully a safe and effective vaccine will be approved in the near future. So, how do pandemics come to an "end" so we can get back to normal? There are 2 ways: 1) Herd Immunity. This is when a large proportion of the community is immune after either recovering from a natural infection or vaccination. Antibodies make the spread of the infection between people unlikely and everyone is protected whether they are immune or not. Experts estimate that 60-70% of the population must be immune to Covid-19 for herd immunity to be effective. A recent estimate is that about 9% of the US population is immune to Covid-19 now due to prior infection. The percent of people in Oregon who are immune is probably less because Oregon has had less Covid-19 infection than most other states. We clearly are a long way from achieving herd immunity due to natural infection and a vaccine will help achieve this goal. There has been some recent interest in possibly allowing infection to spread among low risk people to try to achieve herd immunity naturally but many experts don't recommend this due to the expected increase in illness and death this could cause. 2). Social. When fear of the infection wanes and society chooses to live with it, a pandemic may be considered "ended" although it still could be present. People may choose to resume their normal lives and accept the consequences of illness and death. Consider that since 2010, 12,000 - 61,000 Americans have died of the flu every year and our society has accepted this without enacting the strict measures we have for Covid-19. There have been nearly 220,000 deaths in the US due to Covid-19 so far in 2020 and it appears to be more lethal than the flu, so society will probably be more reluctant to choose to live with it at least until the number of deaths is much lower. Many of us are eagerly waiting for a vaccine so we hopefully can put this pandemic behind us. However, there are considerations that can play a role in how quickly we return to normal after a vaccine is approved. Here are 6 issues to consider: 1) After the FDA approves one or more vaccines, it will take many months to manufacture and distribute enough vaccine to immunize 331 million people in the US. (The 7.8 billion people in the world also will need to be offered vaccine.) Some vaccines will require 2 or 3 doses which means much more vaccine will be needed. 2) Distribution of the vaccine may be challenging because some must be maintained at minus 112 degrees Fahrenheit all along the supply chain. Many transportation systems and medical facilities are not able to keep vaccines at this very low temperature. This will be a problem to solve if a vaccine requiring a very low temperature is approved. 3) If a successful vaccine is not made by a US company there will probably be delays in when the US will be able to get the vaccine. 4) Experts do not expect immunity from the vaccine to be perfect. The FDA states that a Covid-19 vaccine must have at least 50% efficacy to be approved. This means that in at least 50% of people a vaccine for Covid-19 would prevent infection or decrease it’s severity (mild illness instead of being in the hospital and possibly on a ventilator). Although we hope for efficacy to be much higher than 50%, efficacy of 50% is still a good thing. However, after being vaccinated, we might be advised to continue to follow some form of masking, social distancing, and quarantining of sick people depending on how efficacious the vaccine turns out to be. 5) Polls in recent months reveal that 1/4 - 1/2of Americans would refuse getting a Covid-19 vaccine. This will impair efforts to immunize the population. 6) It is unknown how long human immunity to Covid-19 lasts. With other coronaviruses, immunity lasts under a year for some and 2-3 years for others. Having to repeat vaccines periodically will be another barrier to achieving lasting herd immunity. With all of these issues and uncertainty, when will we be back to normal? Some experts believe that we will be back to normal living at the end of 2021 or sometime in 2022. Of course, no one knows for sure when this will be. Regarding how Covid-19 has affected our lives, we need to acknowledge the reality and the unknowns of the situation. This pandemic has been stressful, frustrating, isolating, and difficult for all of us. We need to focus on what we can do to optimize support of ourselves and each other. This pandemic will pass eventually but we don't know exactly when it will happen. |
5-Minute Gratitude Journal Practice
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FORUM: 500th Anniversary of "Freedom of a Christian" by Martin Luther
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"Is This the Apocalypse?! Breaking Revelation Open to Healing Hope
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Covid, racial reckoning, wildfires - it’s easy to get overwhelmed and feel like the world as we know it is ending.
The book of Revelation in the Bible has been turned to in times of crisis as a source for reading dire signs. “Warning!” “Prepare!” We will read it in light of Christ as a source of hope! Let’s learn more about how to read this book which closes the whole Bible with amazing power. |
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SESSION ONE: What does "apocalypse" mean? Where do we see it? Viewing a video on Apocalyptic Literature in the Bible. Reading and discussing the first chapter of Revelation.
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SESSION TWO - What is God's messages to the 7 churches of Asia Minor? Who are those churches today?! Reading and discussing Chapters 2-3 of Revelation
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David Stotts takes us to Patmos Island (Note that Stotts points to John the Apostle as the writer of Revelation which may not be agreed to by all commentators.)
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David Stotts takes us inside the cave where John wrote Revelation
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Rick Steves, Lutheran travel guide, takes us around ancient Ephesus
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SESSION THREE - We start the visionary journey with John in chapters 4 and 5! Welcome through the "open door" into the throne room!
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SESSION FOUR - The vision that unfolds as seals are broken and trumpets are blown is a wake up call! This session explores how this wake-up call intersects with the longing for hope in our world today.
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SESSION 5 - Study the battle between the power of this world (the beasts, dragons, empire) facing off with the power of the Lamb! Explore their differences and the calling of the followers of the Lamb.
HOMEWORK: Watch "The Empire Has Fallen" with Barbara Rossing REFLECT: o What does it mean for your church to live differently? o How are you going to model that? |
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SESSION 6 - The journey home! In the final chapters of Revelation we join John in a vision of the "New Jerusalem" filled with light, healing, and holy joy! Everything we have learned about how God reveals Godself guides us in knowing when we glimpse this newness even while we live in the midst of empire. Also, we are motivated to live as citizens of this glorious kingdom now, sharing God's power to lift up and heal all who are in need. Glory be to God! Amen!
EXERCISE: o Take a piece of blank paper and a pen or markers. o Breathe deeply a few times and settle yourself. (This music may help!) o Sketch out with words or pictures your vision of heaven. o Bring that to your study of Revelation 20-22! |
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