Hurricane Katrina Aides

As we all seek to respond to the devastation brought on by Hurricane Katrina, Augsburg Fortress offers the following prayer for use in worship. You may reprint or project this for your church's use.

God of mercy, in your hands is the earth and all that is in it. We pray for the people and animals, the cities, towns, and lands that have been devastated by hurricane Katrina. Hear the cries of those who suffer; give comfort to those who have lost so much, solace to those who mourn, healing to the injured, and strength to those who have come to their aid. Extend your rainbow of hope over that region, that sorrow may in time give way to gladness; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. © Augsburg Fortress 2005

Also the ELCA has set up the ELCA Domestic Disaster Response. Please keep the victims in your prayers.

Here We Stand and other Lutheran Handbook resources

Response to our Here We Stand Confirmation program has been outstanding. Augsburg Fortress worked hard to create a resource that congregations use in their Confirmation classes. We still have a day and a half before the 50% off offer expires.

Also by contacting me directly my ELCA congregations can receive 20% off on the Lutheran Handbook. Find out how you can survive in an unair-conditioned church or what to bring to a potluck. But also serious things like the difference between law and gospel.

For entertainment go check out "Winking Luther" and his webisodes. See the thought process of our own Martin Luther with a comic twist.

If you love the Lutheran Handbook and wish you could make up a class for adult to go along with it, keep your eye on the Lutheran Course. It will be released on December 28, 2005. A video starring James Nestingen, Kelly Fryer, Winston Persaud, Barbara Rossing and many more is being developed to accompany the program. With the same twist of humor as the handbook yet including the importance of being a Lutheran.

eNewsletter Sign-Up

I created this blog as a way to keep constant communication with my churches. Another good way to keep on the inside about new products from Augsburg Fortress is to sign up on the Augsburg Fortress eNewsletter. This will help you to select ways on keeping on top of new resources.

Also check out the blog kept by our own Augsburg Fortress CEO & President, Beth Lewis. I took this from her first blog entry.

One Mission. One Future. Together.

Several months ago, we adopted the slogan "One Mission. One Future. Together." As a publisher that must compete in the real world of business, our sales dollars must exceed our expenses in order for us to remain solvent. But, much more importantly, our new slogan conveys that we are a unit of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). We are the ministry of publishing within the ELCA and for the larger Christian community. We are in mission with our partners in ministry . . Congregationsns, synods, seminaries, social service agencies, colleges, individuals and more!

And, as a ministry, we invite and encourage our partners in ministry to consider the stewardship issues surrounding their purchases of curricula & books for faith formation, church supplies, worship resources, etc. When we are competitive in terms of quality, price and level of service, then the purchasing choices made by our partners in ministry become decisions of stewardship. Any revenue that exceeds our expenses is reinvested back into the development of new resources for the future. We are not just another vendor. We are a ministry of the church. One Mission. One Future. Together.

This "One Mission" blog will give you an insider's view of the ministry of publishing. As the President & CEO for Augsburg Fortress for the past 3 years, I have been on the road almost constantly. I have traveled throughout the USA, Canada & the Caribbean visiting with rostered and lay leaders in the ELCA and ELCIC. As I continue to travel and listen and learn from you about your ministry needs, I'll share some of the tales of wonderful, inspiring local ministries in this blog. I'll also share with you some of the "behind the scenes" stories around new resources being developed at Augsburg Fortress. I'll talk with you about what we look for in writers, composers, arrangers, artists, and other creative contributors to this ministry of publishing. And, I'll invite you to share with all of us at Augsburg Fortress your hopes & dreams for your ministry of publishing. One Mission. One Future. Together.

Beth A. Lewis,
President & CEO Augsburg Fortress

I look forward to to finding ways that I can serve you better and keep you on top about what is being developed here to better aid your ministry. I invite you to link this resource to your own blog, web pages or just bookmark it as an additional contact to me.

Blessings