This week I have a special prayer request for you: Prayers of thanksgiving are welcome as we celebrate with our sister church in Poland, the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession. Our Polish Lutheran siblings in Christ voted last year to allow the ordination of women as pastors. Tomorrow, Saturday, May 7, 2022, nine women who are currently serving as deacons will be ordained into the Ministry of Word and Sacrament at Holy Trinity Church in Warsaw. They are:
Deacons Karina Chwastek-Kamieniorz (parish in Goleszów), Małgorzata Gaś (Holy Trinity parish in Warsaw), Beata Janota (parish in Cieszyn), Katarzyna Kowalska (Center for Mission and Evangelism), Wiktoria Matloch (parish in Kraków), Halina Radacz (parish in Żyrardów), Katarzyna Rudkowska (parish in Radom), Izabela Sikora (parish in Szczecin), Marta Zachraj-Mikołajczyk (Divine Providence parish in Wrocław)
A personal note: I met Halina Radacz in 2017, the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, when I traveled to Poland with a group from the Oregon Synod. Marta Zachraj-Mikołajczyk was my roommate when I traveled to the International Women's Seminar in Wittenberg in 2018. What an incredible gift these women are to the church! Thanks be to God!
You can find this week's prayer list below. As always, please let Karen know of any updates.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Michelle Manicke
Please click the link to access this week's prayer list.