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Luther Seminary is supporting students who would like to attend the 2026 ELCA Extravaganza. The Extravaganza is a four-day, in-person event for ELCA congregational leaders in children’s, youth, young adult, and outdoor ministries. The event is January 30-February 2, 2026 in St. Louis, Missouri.
Luther Seminary has some funds available to provide limited scholarships for students to attend this event. Scholarships will cover all or part of the registration depending upon the date registered. Note that hotel and travel costs are covered by the student. Sign up for the event on this spreadsheet and you will receive an email with instructions.

To support students who may be facing food insecurity, Luther Seminary operates a direct-order grocery process for the seminary community. Luther Seminary’s Grocery Assistance Program is a lifeline for students facing food insecurity. Started during the pandemic, this vital program continues to provide essential groceries to an average of 25 students each week. Through the program, students can request necessary food items that are then carefully processed, purchased, and delivered to campus by dedicated volunteers. This initiative helps students meet their nutritional needs and fosters a sense of community and support within the seminary. Your generous donation will ensure that this program can continue to make a real difference in the lives of Luther Seminary students. On the Grocery Assistance Program webpage, you can make a one-time or recurring gift to support this important ministry.

Want to share something in an upcoming edition of Inside Luther News, the seminary’s internal e-newsletter? Send your announcement to communic@luthersem.edu. Submit items for the November edition by Wednesday, October 15. Inside Luther News helps keep students, staff, and faculty connected to our mission, people, and stories. Content in the e-newsletter is meant to be somewhat broader in scope—seasonal announcements, monthly reminders, stories about recent events or news of upcoming projects—than the daily Community Announcements posts and emails.

In this devotion, Jeanne Fish ’16 M.A., shares how the psalmist’s claims of faith in the living God carry us through the darkest days of life. Read today’s God Pause.

We gather at 11:00 a.m. CT in the OCC Meditation Chapel and on Zoom (link in email) for contemplative practice of your choice—mindful sketching, centering prayer, or however you choose to engage silence. Facilitated by Dean of the Chapel Steve Thomason, we read the text and then practice in silence for 15 minutes. Afterward, you are welcome to sit in fellowship or go about your day.
Share your prayer requests.

Columbus Day is still celebrated on the second Monday of October as a national holiday. Did you know that in Minnesota and a few other places this commemoration is replaced by the celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day? Check out Luther Seminary Library’s brief bibliography on Native American Heritage and Indigenous Religions of North America to learn more!