Ethiopian choir

sings at Our Saviour, Richmond

Visiting choir and a drum at Our Saviour, Richmond

            Our Saviour, Richmond, started Pentecost worship with members of St. Mary's Ethiopian Orthodox Church choir singing, accompanied by a drum. St. Mary's members have worshiped in Our Saviour's sanctuary most Saturday mornings since September, 2006. They are led by Father Gabre Marian, who recently arrived in the United States.

            "It's always fun trying some new worship ideas for these special festivals," said Pastor Ken Ruppar of Our Saviour.

Lutherans in the news

           

              Heather J. Neff (left), head of a Connecticut network of health clinics and residential complexes, will become president and chief executive officer of Virginia Lutheran Homes in September. She will follow George "Skip" Zubrod, who is retiring after six years in that post. Neff, who has more than15 years of experience in senior services, is a graduate of Juniata College and holds a master's degree in health policy and administration from Penn State University. As CEO of Waveny Care Network, New Canaan, Conn., she has focused on person-centered care and organizational sustainability. Zubrod is retiring after more than 35 years of management experience.

            Pastor Paul Pingel (right), who served the Floyd-Willis Parish from 1993 to 2003, has accepted a call to Grace, Waynesboro. He has been at Ebenezer, Columbia, S.C., since 2003. While in Virginia, he served on the Global Mission Committee.

            Pastor David Nelson has resigned after serving 91/2 years at Muhlenberg, Harrisonburg, to accept a call to St. Peter Lutheran, Southport, N.C. He has been chair of the Synod Social Action Committee.

            Roanoke College has been preparing to welcome high school juniors and seniors during Virginia Private College Week, July 30-Aug. 4. More than 100 families visited the campus during that event last year, said Pat LeDonne, college director of admissions. For the 15^th year, 25 participating colleges plan information sessions and campus tours during the week.

            Children at the vacation Bible School at Our Saviour, Virginia Beach, raised $500 for a Bayside area Stop Hunger meal program planned to give overseas school children high protein meals. Bayside churches will purchase 100-pound sacks of soybeans, corn, rice, flour, cabbage and other food. Volunteers will divide the food into smaller bags containing six meals for a family, to be shipped overseas. They plan to provide about 10,000 meals.

            Participants from St. Philip, Roanoke, who visited Malawi in May will describe their mission at Christ, Staunton, and Holy Trinity, Martinsville, this month. They will be sharing their experiences and seek more support for the people of Malawi. Also, St. Philip's preschool has been accepted in the Virginia Start Quality initiative, a program designed to assess, improve and communicate the level of quality in early care and education settings in schools.

            Members of Luther Memorial, Blacksburg, have been invited to Comfort for Colorado, an event at the Farmer's Market in Blacksburg on Saturday, Aug. 4, from noon to 5 p.m. to offer cards of hope, sympathy and good wishes to the Aurora, Colorado community, site of a July shooting. After the Virginia Tech shooting, hundreds of cards of encouragement were sent to Blacksburg. Also, volunteers are needed at Luther Memorial for Gobblerfest, an event to meet new Virginia Tech students on the university Drill Field on Friday, Sept. 7, from 4 to 8 p.m. New students will be introduced to the community.

            At St. Michael, Blacksburg, Steve Muras, director of transportation and campus services at Virginia Tech, has received the Governor's Award for Innovation for his work in increasing efficiency and productivity in managing the university's parking, fleet and alternative transportation services, as well as the print shop, centralized mailing and records management programs. St. Michael's Micah's Backpack feeding program for children received its second $5,000 grant from the Food Lion Charitable Foundation. The Middle Agers, (between PTA and AARP) at St. Michael plan to join New River House and the AARP to start Micah's Soup for Seniors, providing food for senior adults who are struggling to afford groceries.

            At Holy Trinity, Lynchburg, Andrew Prasse, editor of Hunter's Raid-the Battle for Lynchburg, a Civil War documentary, was recognized when the film won three regional Emmy awards for directing, editing and best documentary in Washington in June.

            At Christ, Staunton, bluegrass was added to worship on July 15 when Woody Sanders and friends set the tone in the style of Garrison Keillor and Prairie Home Companion.

  A malaria net was used in a service and at a vacation Bible School at Our Saviour, Richmond. This reminder of the ELCA Malaria Campaign will be used by the congregation following a decision by its church council to support the program, according to Pastor Ken Ruppar.

Dr. Paul Hinlicky, Tise professor of Lutheran studies at Roanoke College, will lead the fall ACTS course on "Lutheran Confessions" at Grace, Waynesboro, on Sept. 15 and Oct. 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The course also will be telecast to Ebenezer, Marion, and St. John, Norfolk.

The course will consist of two Saturday classes and five small group sessions of two hours each. Suggested dates for small group meetings are Sept. 28, Oct. 5, 12, 26 and Nov. 2. The registration fee for the course, lunch and breaks is $175 per person or a group rate of $900 for six or more participants from one church. Registration payments may be made to Virginia Synod.The textbook will be The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. By Robert Kolb, Timothy Wengert and James Schaffer.

Hinlicky, ordained in 1978, served parishes in New York, Blacksburg and Roanoke and taught theology in Bratislava, Slovakia, before joining the college faculty in 1999. He has written a number of books and articles.

            Many strangers---refugees, immigrants, homeless, poor people and anybody who is different---were welcomed at the 26^th annual Power in the Spirit at Roanoke College on July 12-14. Outstanding messages on the theme of "Welcoming the Stranger" came from the keynote speaker, the Rev. Ruben Duran, director for new evangelizing congregations in the ELCA, and Bishop Margaret Payne of the New England Synod, Bible study leader.

            Duran, a native of Lima, Peru, said the Christian church ought to welcome the stranger "so the doors are always open...We stand equally in God's eyes in the world."

He spoke of "a time for mutual strangers to get to know each other better, a time to get out of the comfort zone and meet in the public square."

            Jesus, "a refugee at birth...never saw people as strangers," said Bishop Payne. Jesus "was born to break down barriers...he welcomed every stranger on the street." God's word "shapes us for welcome," she said. Payne described Christians as "resident aliens" and posed the question, "What if we were engaged instead of enraged?"

            Araceli Ryuz of First United Methodist Church, Pulaski, a native of Mexico, asked in a worship service, "If you were a stranger in a foreign culture, how would you like to be welcomed?"

            Twenty-eight workshops covered a wide variety of topics related directly or indirectly to the theme of "Welcoming the Stranger."  Servant trips to other lands, refugee resettlement programs, disciples welcoming strangers, science and religion, Appalachian Trail hospitality, backpack feeding ministry for low-income children, justice of loving neighbors, travels of 18^th century missionary Paul Henkel, prayer, music and art were some of the topics.

            Worship was led by Pastor Sandra Wisco, St. Mark, Charlottesville; Pastor Kathleen Miko, Brandon Oaks chaplain; Vicar Peter Suwak of Central, Burkes Garden;

Father Joe Lehman, Our Lady of Nazareth Catholic Church, Roanoke, and Pastor Bill Stewart, Charlottesville. Music was led by Mark Merz, Anna Merz, Catherine Merz and Hannah Long, Mt. Rogers Parish. Musical storytelling by Ed Kilbourne of Rock Hill, S.C., was an entertainment feature.

            Bishop Jim Mauney acted as master of ceremonies, standing in for Elizabeth Smythe, Power in the Spirit coordinator, who was with her ailing husband, Michael Smythe, in Marion. After a long illness, Michael Smythe died on July 17.

            A Performing Arts troupe of 11 youths at Caroline Furnace took a musical, "God is in Control," on the road for three performances in July. They presented the musical at St. Philip, Roanoke, St. Luke, Culpeper and St. Paul, Strasburg, directed by Anita Smallin. 

Youths and leaders from St. Mark's, Roanoke, rest after New Orleans service project.

The 2012 ELCA youth gathering was an amazing experience for me and my group,  It was wonderful to not only see old friends from Virginia but to also make new friends from all over the country and even Puerto Rico.

 This was also a really great learning experience. The ELCA wonderfully combined fun and faith together to make one of the greatest trips I have ever had the pleasure to be a part of. They also incorporated some of New Orleans rich culture as well. Even though this is the first national youth gathering I have gone to, it certainly made quite an impact on my life.

            While there they taught us about discipleship, justice and peacemaking. Before this trip I thought I had a good understanding of these three topics but now I have a better understanding. They explained it in a way that not only helps me understand its meaning but also helps me see how I can incorporate it into my daily life. I am going to be a freshman in high school and as a teenager it is hard to find ways to incorporate these kinds of things in our daily lives. But after gong to this gathering I now know that it is possible.

            During the large group at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, they had a bunch of great speakers who really knew how to connect with the audience. What I mean by this is that they put their speeches in more of a teenager's understanding. When my group had its nightly small group, it was easier for me and my group to talk about what the speaker had said.

And the music was very lively and upbeat, fun to sing along with. And when they played a slow song, it was touching to sing along, rest your arm on your friend's shoulder as they did the same to you, and sway side to side. And it was especially nice to look around and see the thousands of people sitting in the stands around you also enjoying this wonderful experience. I thought it was really cool to know that there were over 33,000 youth who came from around the country just to be together.

            At night, after the large group, we had community life. This was where we got to go to different hotels had the special activities like inflatables, dance parties, all kinds of fun things. I thought this was the icing on the cake. It was so fun to be able to meet new people here. And the dances they had were very fun. They played all of the music we listen to. I thought it was really cool how even at the end of the day we still had so much energy. When we actually return back to our hotels, that is when the tiredness and exhaustion really comes into play.

            The service project took place in one of the neighborhoods. What we did was clear a lot that had overgrown bushes, shrubs, grass and a lot of litter. It took about 41/2 hours and it was great to see how much our hard work paid off. It was also great to see some of the people from the neighborhood come out and help. I really enjoyed being able to look out at the land that we had just cleared and then the neighborhood as a whole. Other groups were cleaning up a park across and the street and it felt nice to know that we had helped brighten their community.

            All in all, I had the time of my life, probably one of the most memorable experiences of my life time. There was not a moment I was there that I would change. There were so many things to be done that I wasn't able to try everything. I really enjoyed the Peacemaking Zone  even though at first glance you would probably think it was just one big play zone. They had so many fun things to try, like zip-lining, bumper cars, mini golf, more inflatables, sports, includng soccer, volleyball and basketball, and also blood donation spaces and hair donation spaces. It was hard for me to contain my excitement.

And then also being able to witness the beauty of New Orleans, learn about its rich culture and eat its delicious food. And the fact that I got to experience this with my friend just made it all the more memorable. After such a wonderful experience, I can't wait to see how it goes in 2015 when they hold it in Detroit, Michigan.  

(Chi-Chi is a member of St. Mark's, Roanoke. Her parents are natives of Nigeria. Close to 500 youth and adults from Virginia went to New Orleans for the Gathering.)

            Three hearings have been scheduled for September and October on the ELCA Criminal Justice Draft Social Statement that will be open for comment until Oct. 31.  The Criminal Justice Task Force will sign off on the revised proposed statement in February and it will go to the ELCA Church Council for possible consideration at ELCA Churchwide Assembly at Orlando, Fla., next summer.

            The dates and places for the Synod hearings:

                 Our Saviour, Warrenton, Sept. 9, 4 p.m.

                 Ebenezer, Marion, Sept. 16, 6:30 p.m.

                 St. Stephen, Williamsburg, Oct. 14, 4 p.m.

            "Obviously, we want as much input and participation as possible," said Nancy Reed, a Luray lawyer who is a member of the ELCA Criminal Justice Task Force.

            Information on the task force is on the ELCA website at http://www.elca.org/What-We-Believe/Social-Issues/Social-Statements-in-Process/Criminal-Justice.aspx

            The central thought of the statement is that "the ELCA affirms the fundamental principles of the U.S./ criminal justice system but also hears the cries that reflect the system's serious deficiencies. Drawing from the biblical witness to God's wondrously rich forms of love and justice, the ELCA  is compelled by a "holy yearning" to address the need for change and improvement.

            "The ELCA, through its members and various expressions, is called to strengthen or take up responsive ministries. In addition, drawing on evidence and data, the ELCA is compelled to speak publicly to commend positive efforts and to identify areas in the criminal justice system that require reform."

            The draft statement points out that the U.S. ranks among the top two or three countries in the world in percentage of adults under control of the criminal justice system-one of 31 of all adults and as high as one of 11 for people of color.

            Also, Christians "are called to confess that the church as individuals and through its organizations, has fallen short in responding to crime, both in terms of its harms and the problems in the justice system. We ask God's aid in opening our hearts to the cries of our neighbors and pray for guidance to speak and work more prophetically and actively toward earthly justice."