1517 Media (Augsburg Fortress)

10 Things to Know About 1517 Media
Spring 2024

1. All Creation Sings continues to expand and provide new resources for your congregation to connect with each other, your community, and our world through worship and prayer. With the use of pew editions in your church; accompaniment options on piano, organ, and guitar; intergenerational activities and sessions with Gather Together; and Kids Celebrate booklets for the youngest in your church, you can help support the rhythms of the whole church year and give extra attention to themes of healing and wholeness, creation care, justice and peace, praise and lament. augsburgfortress.org/allcreationsings

2. The Spanish-language Oye Mi Voz: Un Libro de Oraciones para la Prisión joins the popular Hear My Voice: A Prison Prayer Book in supporting people in the criminal justice system and those who minister to them. This collaborative effort between the ELCA and Augsburg Fortress encourages all in the criminal justice system to spend time in prayer, trusting in God’s never-failing love for them and the whole world. augsburgfortress.org/prison-ministry

3. Augsburg Fortress released the first two books in its new Mouth House series. Every synod staff and congregational call committee can benefit from reading Call to Allyship: Preparing Your Congregation for Leaders of Color edited by Rev. Angela T. !Khabeb and featuring authors of color from throughout the ELCA. Ashes to Action: Finding Myself at the Intersection of the Minneapolis Uprising by Shari Seifert makes an excellent group read. augsburgfortress.org/mouthhouse

4. 1517 Media was awarded $1.25 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Nurturing Children through Worship and Prayer initiative. Funding will support research and the development of new resources for children, families, church leaders, and congregational education. Look for more news about this new multi-year program, Unbridled Presence.

5. Augsburg Fortress continues to publish vibrant music to engage the worshiping assembly. Our new choral music features an exciting anthem by Nathan Zullinger, “God You Spin the Whirling Planets.” Living in Wonder is the final collection of Susan Palo Cherwien’s hymn texts, featuring 21 new assembly songs. Our free Summer 2024 Music Clinics feature musicians extraordinaire David Cherwien and Mark Sedio. augsburgfortress.org/music/summer-music-clinics

6. Sparkhouse Digital continues to support early childhood programming, Sunday school, confirmation, and youth ministry. New mini camps, leader supports, and other activities are added quarterly! Subscribers can access Digital Activity Kits that help congregations provide resources for use in the home or as a supplement to in-person faith formation activities. sparkhousedigital.com

7. Sparkhouse continues to release books supporting youth and young adults in their faith journeys. Unscheduled Grace: 40 Reflections and Prayers for College Students by campus pastors Katie Fick and Matt Marohl accompanies students through the changes, challenges, and joys of college living. Unearthing Us, the third collection of poetry by Joe Davis, will release in July along with a facilitator guide by Rev. Jia Starr Brown. wearesparkhouse.org

8. Fortress Press publishes scholarship that matters in the academy, the church, and the community. Recent releases include Our Trespasses: White Churches and the Taking of American Neighborhoods, a timely examination of how race, geography, policy, and religion have created haunted landscapes and uncomfortable truths. Also of interest to churches are Luther for Everyone: Who He Was and Why He Still Matters and Bonhoeffer for the Church: An Introduction. fortresspress.com

9. Our Broadleaf Books imprint expands the mind, nourishes the soul, and cultivates the common good. Recent releases include Trash: A Poor White Journey —a personal look at economic divides— Psalms of My People: A Story of Black Liberation as Told through Hip-Hop, and A Faith of Many Rooms: Inhabiting a More Spacious Christianity. broadleafbooks.com

10. Our Beaming Books imprint sparks the imagination and equips kids and families to live full and flourishing lives, together. Recent releases include What If I Can’t Explain God?, I Love You Mucho Mucho, and Everyday Brave. beamingbooks.com

Want to learn more? Follow us on social media, sign up for our free e-newsletters, and connect with us at the Youth Gathering and Music Clinics this summer!

To learn more about the five imprints of 1517 Media, click here to watch a video that we created for the 2022 Churchwide Assembly.