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Faith Alive!
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Lutheridge Confirmation Camp
June 7-12, 2009
Several members of the Southeastern
Synod staff left Synod Assembly in Atlanta on June 7, and headed straight for
Lutheridge in Arden, NC. There they
greeted 70 youth from the synod, ages from 12-19, for a week
of "Summer Faith Alive! Confirmation
Camp." A brand-new program for
Lutheridge, this week was especially designed to reach youth from congregations
who are not already part of a "Campfirmation Cluster," so there were a number who came as the only one from his/her congregation to participate. In addition, there was a rich multicultural
mix of youth from Atlanta and across the synod. Bishop Gordy, Rachel Alley, and most of the
Assistants to the Bishop spent at least a few days engaging with these youth
during instructional time, worship, and regular camp activities.
The theme for the week was "Lutherans Worship!" and the participants
attended two sessions daily to learn about the parts of worship and the
seasons of the church year. Throughout
the week, the youth worked on plans for their own service which was held on
Friday. They also made seasonal banners
to enhance the worship space. These
youth left camp ready to go back into their own congregations as worship
leaders!
The overwhelming response from the
congregations in the Southeastern Synod made this event a wonderful addition to the
Lutheridge summer program. Watch for details as plans are made for "Summer Faith Alive!" in 2010!
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Ski LEAP Weekends at Lutheridge & Lutherock
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Don't let the warm weather
fool you! Go ahead and make a reservation to bring your youth to a ski LEAP
weekend at Lutheridge or Lutherock.
Enjoy
a weekend of fellowship, faith-building, and SKIING! Let us do all the work of
coordinating ski rentals and lift tickets and enjoy our group rate discount!
Click for info on dates & discounts
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There is still time to save money
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If you
have ELCA-primary health benefits, please take 30 minutes to complete the
confidential Mayo Clinic Health Assessment. Doing so will save
[each congregation] a 2% discount on ELCA health
contributions - a [collective synod-wide] savings of $15,833. (If
your spouse has ELCA-primary benefits, encourage her or him to take it, too.
Spouse participation counts toward our 75% goal.)
And
remember, by taking the assessment, you will be taking stock of your health,
and will earn a $100 credit to your personal wellness account in the process.
Instructions for how to register on EmbodyHealth and access the
assessment are available at www.elcabop.org. Follow the 2009 ELCA-primary link.
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50 Days of Prayer
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ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson has
asked members to pray and study Scripture -- focusing on this church
and the 2009 Churchwide Assembly -- for the 50 days prior to the
assembly. "50 Days of Prayer" begins June 28. Members are asked to pray
daily, meet in groups each week and use the assembly's daily lectionary
for reflection. Congregations are invited to use suggested petitions
for prayers during Sunday worship. Find resources and instructions at www.elca.org/50days.
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Pastor Larry Richardson Installed at Faith Lutheran, Clay, AL
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On Sunday afternoon, June 21, the congregation of Faith Lutheran
Church in Clay, Alabama, gathered to celebrate the installation of
their new pastor. The Rev. Larry Richardson, who formerly served
Christ Lutheran Church in Nashville, Tennessee, began this call on June
1, and is excited to start this new chapter with the people of Faith.
The service of celebration was attended by the Conference Dean,
Pastor Randy Jones, as well as by a number of other pastors from the
conference and the synod. Pastor Nancy Christensen preached and
performed the installation rite. Council President Jamie Irwin
presented Pastor Richardson, and the congregation provided a wonderful
reception following the service for all those present.
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Times They Are A-changin'
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by The Rev. Dr. Delmer Chilton
It was while standing in the narthex of Our Savior Lutheran Church in
Gatlinburg Tennessee that it hit me.
"Isn't that interesting," I thought as I continued to talk
over details of Pastor Janet Volk's
Installation Service with the Dean, Pastor Jerry Weeks.
What was so interesting?
As I talked with Pastor Weeks, I realized that I had preached four of
the last five Sundays, each of those services had been an installation
and, here's the interesting part, each of the pastors installed had been a
woman. I have two more installations
on tap this summer, and those pastors are women, too. Three interims: Gretchen Person at Holy
Trinity, Nashville, TN; Marie Hatcher at Christ in Nashville; Sandy Niiler at
Christ in Cullman, AL. Three called pastors: Janet Volk at Our Savior,
Gatlinburg; Beth Birkholtz at Holy Trinity, Marietta, GA; and Pauline Pezzino
at Trinity, Hixson and Resurrection, Ooltewah, TN.
That may not be significant to a younger generation, but I
have personally lived through the debates on this and have seen the acceptance
of women clergy grow from the time when I was a young twenty-six year-old
pastor who got an Intern from Duke Divinity because no other rural church would
accept her to a time when I have congregations in the call process stating a
preference for female clergy candidates. (I won't tell you how long that's
been, but it's longer than some of our younger clergy have been alive!)
The "church" moves slowly because it is a "progressively
conservative" institution; devoted both to a 4000-year-old religious
tradition and to being relevant and responsive to the modern world in which we
live. So, it takes time for hearts
to melt and minds to change and consensus to build and for the innovative to
become the normative. Those of us in
a hurry wish it all happened faster, and those of us who are naturally cautious
worry that we're rushing ahead without thinking; in midst of it all we
trust that God is both pulling us forward and holding us back.
As I stood in the pulpit to preach Sunday in
Gatlinburg I glanced over at Pastor Janet Volk sitting with her family in the
front pew. Sticking out from under her
somber white alb were a pair of ruby red slippers. I laughed to myself
"No we certainly aren't in Kansas anymore, Toto." Thank God for that.
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Upcoming Events
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July 19-22 MYLE & DAYLE 22 Lutheran Night at the Braves 22-26 ELCA Youth Gathering 26-29 LYO Convention
August 13-15 Candidacy Meeting 14-16 SESLYO Board Meeting 17-23 Churchwide Assembly 23 Conference 4 Meeting 28-30 Alassippi
For more information on these and other events visit our synod calendar.
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