As a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), a portion of the offering Esperanza receives each Sunday goes to the ministry of our synod, the Grand Canyon Synod. And a large portion—about 50%–of the offerings that the Grand Canyon Synod receives goes to the ministry of the wider church, what we call the “churchwide” expression of the ELCA. These monies fund Lutheran Disaster Response, Lutheran World Relief, global mission, Lutheran Outdoor Ministries, Lutheran Campus Ministries, the national youth gathering, ecumenical and inter-religious work, mission starts (i.e. new congregations), and many, many other aspects of our common ministry across the ELCA. To learn more about what those benevolence dollars do, check out Stories of Faith in Action: https://www.livinglutheran.org/sofia/.
