First Evangelical Lutheran Church Toronto
116 Bond Street M5B1X8 Toronto, ON, Canada

Message us here for the Zoom link for worship every Sunday. Friedrich Brunzema is preaching on Sunday February 14, which coincides with Valentine's Day, the Transfiguration of our Lord, and the Day to Remember Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls. Read more from Kairos:https://www.kairoscanada.org/missing-murdered-indigenous-wo

Pastor Ralph Carl Wushke is preaching and celebrating Holy Communion on the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany at 10:30 am, Feb. 7. Message us here for the Zoom link. All are welcome!

The funeral for Scott Weidler, until recently cantor and music director at First Lutheran, who died on Saturday, Jan. 23, will be held on on the Zoom platform. Join us as we remember and celebrate the life of Scott Weidler on Saturday, January 30, 2021, at 2:00 pm Eastern Time (1 pm Central Time, 12:00 pm Mountain Time, 11:00 am Pacific Time). There will be Cocktails and Conversation following the funeral, with breakout rooms for family, friends, and colleagues. Memorial Gif...ts in honour of Scott can be made to: The Association of Lutheran Church Musicians https://alcm.org/make-a-donation/ Music that Makes Community https://www.musicthatmakescommunity.org/donate_to_mmc To register in advance for this meeting, please send us a message here and we will provide you with the link to the registration page.

Scott Weidler, June 21, 1959-January 23, 2021 Our beloved cantor and worship coordinator until the end of December, 2020, Scott Weidler, was called home yesterday, after fighting pancreatic cancer for 14 months. His legacy is monumental. His life's work was supporting the liturgical and musical life of the church. Most significant was the leading role he played on the production team for Evangelical Lutheran Worship. He died at home in Puerto Vallarta with his loving partner & husband Zia at his side. May he rest in peace and rise in glory. Well done, good and faithful servant.

Students! The Ryerson Liberal Arts Society is sponsoring a panel on the intersections of faith and queer identities. Pastor Ralph Carl is one of the panelists along with Imam El-Farouk Khaki and Rabbi Ariela Rosen. Please join us this Wednesday at 1:00 pm, by registering here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/interfaith-queer-panel-tickets-

We look forward to welcoming Ariel back!

Candles burning brightly for those who have been called home in the past year at the First Lutheran ZOOM service for #reignofchrist / #totensontag #Ewigkeitssontag

Join us November 15 at 10:30 for the 24th Sunday after Pentecost and online Holy Communion. Message us here for the ZOOM link. Reflecting on what it means to be awake and woke in light of I Thessalonians 5:1-11, the starting point for Pastor Ralph Carl's sermon is the legendary 1961 radio interview with Black author James Baldwin, about the "stage of rage almost all of the time" and the ignorance and indifference of most white people. Listen to the quote on NPR: https://www.npr.org///-to-be-in-a-rage-almost-all-the-time

Blessed Reformation Sunday. Ecclesia semper reformanda Reminder: no sooner is a revolution or a reformation over than the gate-keeping and calcification sets in.

DEAR CHURCH: A LOVE LETTER FROM A BLACK PREACHER TO THE WHITEST DENOMINATION IN THE US Do the stories Black Canadians share in newspapers, on radio or TV and in social media about experiences of systemic racism leave you wondering, what can I do? or what should the church do about racism? One place to start is by thinking about ourselves and our church community in context. Lenny Duncan is a Black Pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. His book, Dear Church...: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the US is an excellent starting point for such conversation. It’s easy to order a copy from Parasource church supply store in Paris, ON: 1-800-263-2664 [email protected] for $30 including postage. The Kindle e-reader version is available from Amazon. If you would like to join a Dear Church book study please send us a message here.

‘Whose head is on this?’he asked. Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s. Matt 22:21-22. What’s at stake in our relationship to civil authorities? Message us for the ZOOM link to the service at 10:30 am ET, Sunday, Oct 18, Pastor Ralph Carl Wushke preaching.

Blessed Thanksgiving! Join our Sunday ZOOM service at 10:30 AM for a Day of Thanksgiving with guest preacher, Pastor Katharina Moeller. Message us here for the link.

ZOOM makes it possible for students and young adults from near and far to join the SCM at Ryerson contextual Bible Study under the leadership of Marianne Uptegrove.