From Pastor Adam

Dear Beloved Members and Friends of Lord of Life,

Grace and peace to you from God our Creator and from Jesus Christ, the One who calls and sends us in love.

This week, our wider church family—the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America—gathered in Phoenix for the 2025 Churchwide Assembly. In a spirit of prayerful discernment and joyful celebration, the assembly elected The Rev. Yehiel Curry as the next Presiding Bishop of the ELCA. Bishop Curry is the first Black leader to serve in this role in the history of our denomination. Thanks be to God for this historic moment!

Many of us know Bishop Curry from his faithful leadership here in our Metropolitan Chicago Synod, where he has served as bishop since 2019. He began his ministry in our synod as a lay leader and mission developer at Shekinah Chapel in Riverdale. His journey—from hesitant “no” to bold “yes”—is a powerful reminder of how the Spirit calls unlikely people into courageous leadership. As Bishop Curry said to the assembly:

“If you want to know what your benevolence dollars look like, it looks like me. And I want to say thank you.”

Because Bishop Curry has now accepted the call to serve as presiding bishop of the whole ELCA, our synod will begin the process of transition and preparation. An interim bishop will be appointed in the coming months to guide us through this time, and our synod will hold a special election for a new bishop in 2026.

What does this mean for us at Lord of Life?

It means we are part of something bigger than ourselves. It means our prayers, offerings, and shared ministry are making a real difference across the church. It means that God is still raising up leaders in our midst—and that our little part of the Body of Christ has helped shape the leader now guiding the ELCA forward.

Please keep Bishop Curry in your prayers as he begins this new chapter, and pray also for the leaders of our synod as they discern what comes next. May we remain open to the movement of the Spirit, trusting that God is leading us all—for the life of the world.

With hope and gratitude,

 Pastor Adam Dowd
Lord of Life Lutheran Church