About the Lenten Challenge

About the Lenten Challenge

Challenge History

In 2023, the Grand Canyon Synod and the Southeastern Iowa Synod challenged one another to participate in spiritual and physical practices during the 40 days of Lent. This 40-40-40 Challenge was a good-natured way to engage each other and raise awareness of anti-hunger ministry and wellness for both synods. More than 204 individuals from more than 70 congregations pledged to participate in daily devotions, daily decluttering, daily wellness activities, or a donation of a dollar or more per day for ELCA World Hunger.

In 2024, all of the ELCA synods in Region 2 (noted below) challenged one another to raise money for ELCA World Hunger in honor of ELCA World Hunger’s 50th year in mission and ministry. Individuals pledged to participate in some spiritual and physical practices during Lent and raise funds for ELCA World Hunger. 717 people across the region participated in the challenge; the Grand Canyon Synod ‘won’ with 432 participants.

2025 Lenten Challenge: A Watered Garden

Isaiah 58:11 grounds this year’s Lenten journey, in which the five Region 2 synods are challenging one another to explore the intersection of hunger and water while learning about the sacred journey of one of our Region 2 Indigenous Ministries, the 70-year-old Navajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission in Rock Point, AZ.

The challenge is to pledge to participate in some personal and community spiritual practices during Lent and raise funds for and awareness of the ELCA’s work in the Truth and Healing Movement as well as the Rock Point Mission. The “winning synod” will be the one with the most individual participants.

Lent is 40 days to reflect, remember our dependence on God and one another, and look forward to the ways God calls us to be. Adding one or more of these small practices to your observation of Lent might help you feel more connected. A light-hearted challenge like this might help our synods be the Church together, and to see God’s vision and invitation for us to be a church for the world and share the good news of Jesus Christ.

Participating synods:

“The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”

How does the 40-40-40 Lenten Challenge work?

There are 4 Lenten practices to consider, and you commit to 3 of the 4.

  1. Daily Devotion ~ Subscribe to receive daily email devotions for Lent by Pastor Bill Dohle of King of Kings Lutheran Church in Pueblo, Colorado, or use ELCA World Hunger pre-made devotions. Learn more.

  2. Personal Commitment ~ Drink water; play in water; give up single-use water bottles; learn about water resources in your community and historical ELCA water projects; find ways each day to save water. Read more.

  3. Public Commitment ~ Engage with your community in this exploration. Consider participating in worship or Bible study; learn together, join a reading circle; encourage children’s actvities around conservation; celebrate World Water Day; organize a water walk; advocate for or clean up your local watershed. Get ideas.

  4. Daily Donation ~ Pledge to give $1 a day (or more) to ELCA World Hunger for the 40 days of Lent for the benefit of the Rock Point Mission. Ways to give.

How is this a Challenge?

This a little friendly competition for a good cause. Individuals from across the Region 2 synods will sign up to do three of four (or all 4!) of the practices and the synod with the most individuals signed up wins the challenge! Our goal is for individuals representing 50 congregations per synod to participate.

Join the Cross-Synod Challenge for Lent

The more individual sign-ups, the better.

Bragging rights goes to the synod with the most individual registrations. So if you’re a family of 4, enter all 4 email addresses, and have all 4 people commit to 3 things. And no, not all 4 need to donate to ELCA World Hunger for benefit of the Rock Point Mission (though it’s worth considering).

Share with your congregation

All the resources you need to spread the word in your congregation are available on the Lenten Challenge website, created especially for this challenge. Announcements in PDF and artwork in jpg format for use in newsletters, bulletin inserts, and social media can help you promote this synod-wide event. Website is https://www.lentenchallenge.org/

What do we get if we win?

The ‘winning’ bishop will play a short video with congratulatory clips recorded by the other participating bishops. This acknowledgement of the ‘superiority’ by the other synods for this one challenge is all in fun. All bishops may choose to air the video at their synod assemblies in 2025. Hunger leaders in each synod will receive progress updates each week.