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Cath The Spirit - Register Today
Attention Rostered Leaders
Bishop's School
January Synod Council Minutes Available
Plant Seeds of Hope
Bavarian Delegation
Interested in Serving on a Synod Committee?
Lutheridge/Lutherock 2010 Summer Camp Registration
Upcoming Events
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Mobley Hope
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Issue: # 206
January/2010
Catch The Spirit - Register Today
Catch The SpiritYou are invited to attend the annual Catch the Spirit two-day retreat on February 5 & 6, 2010 at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Atlanta, GA.  David Stark from Changing Church is the keynote speaker.  There are several workshops to choose from that will encourage growth and transformation in the church.

Cost is $25 prepaid or $30 at the door.  Visit the website to register online, view the schedule and find workshop descriptions.
Attention Rostered Leaders
Reports to the Bishop are due by March 1.  Access the forms by clicking here.  Under the "leaders" column, find "Report to the Bishop" then go to the appropriate form for your status.  NOTE:  You must save the form in your computer before opening and using it.  The form can be e-mailed to [email protected].

Bishop's School

Bishop's SchoolPlease take a minute to think of that one special youth in your congregation.  You know the one...  he or she is always asking you the hard questions, excelled in Confirmation class, and just seems to have a yearning to deepen his or her faith.  If that youth is a current 11th or 12th grader, please nominate him or her for the 2010 Bishop's School.

The 2010 Bishop's School will be held the week of June 20-26 on the campus of Southern Seminary in Columbia, SC.  Youth from all over the Southeast will come together to study with seminary professors, worship in Christ Chapel and witness the way God is working in the world and in their own lives.  They'll learn what it means to think theologically!

Click here to download the brochure with additional information.  Please note, nominations are due by March 1, 2010.  (Feel free to nominate more than one youth from your congregation.)

Should you have any questions, please contact Ms. Sandra Holland, AIM at [email protected] or call 803-461-3263, or Ms. Jenny Tomalka at [email protected] or call 803-461-3297.

January Synod Council Minutes Available

Preliminary minutes of the January 15-16 meeting of the Southeastern Synod Council are available online at http://www.elca-ses.org/Synod-Council.html. These minutes have not yet been officially approved, but are provided to increase awareness of the Synod Council's activities and decisions.

Plant Seeds of Hope
GardenWhen I was growing up, this was the time of the year to peruse seed catalogs, make plans for the family garden and make the appropriate orders.  The grip of winter was still very much evident, but we knew the days for planting were in the foreseeable future.

We have our share of negative messages these days.  The economy is bad.  Budgets have been cut.  And some of our congregations and pastors are agonizing about recent churchwide actions.  It is sort of like living in the grip of frigid winter in the locale where I grew up.  When people who read the bishop's realistic letters see me coming, they often express their sympathy.

Well, it is time to prepare to plant seeds of hope!  When our Southeastern Synod Council met two weeks ago, the Friday session was devoted to dealing with the realities, but the Saturday session was focused on forging a vision of hope for the future.  What is God calling us to do?  We may be short on funds, but we do have resources.  What is the resourceful strategy that will be faithful to God and to the partnerships in our church?  The ministry is primarily about relationships, not functions.

As I think of planting seeds of hope, I think of the stories of mission and faith.  We as rostered and lay leaders, know the stories; we need to peruse the catalogs.  We need to identify the seeds that are going to be planted to bring the next crop.  In my time of doing synod work, I have heard over and over again, "I didn't know our church did that".

Let me just recount a few resources:  Our ELCA website, www.elca.org - use it (it is continuously being reworked into a more effective tool); SEEDS FOR THE PARISH - a resource paper for leaders of congregations; THE LUTHERAN magazine - it has stores; our synod website, www.elca-ses.org - use it (it, too, is always being revamped to support your work).

Have you thought of transforming your congregation's coffee hour into a mission interpretation center?  You already have folks gathering to chit-cat; why not make the room an interpretive center of ministries, giving your people a chance to grow and respond?  If your budget has left your committees without the funds to which they have been accustomed, it is time to get creative; you still have the relationships.  I know I'm writing to the "choir" - you know this stuff.  But enough of the grousing and the angst!  It's time to plant seeds of hope!  God's garden must not lie fallow this year.

Pastor Darrel Peterson, Assistant to the Bishop

Bavarian Delegation
Interested in learning more about our partner synod in Bavaria, Germany?  In May 2010, a delegation of clergy and laity from the Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern will be visiting congregations in the Southeastern Synod.  The primary focus of their time here will be missions.  Host congregations will provide lodging and meals for small groups of members of the delegation.  Itineraries will be developed by hosting congregations to foster dialog, sharing of mission opportunities and experiencing partnership in mission.  For more information contact Bill Aderfer at [email protected] or Lois Graff at [email protected].

Interested in Serving on a Synod Committee?

Several synod committees and task forces are currently seeking to identify potential new members. Groups with current or anticipated openings later this year are listed below, along with brief descriptions of the committees' responsibilities.

 

Mission Outreach & Renewal Committee - (1) Develops synod mission strategies, partnerships, and ethnic-specific mission strategies; (2) identifies new mission fields; and (3) trains and supports missional leaders.

 

Budget and Finance Committee - Prepares the annual mission funding plan for approval by the Synod Assembly and oversees the implementation of approved investment and other financial policies.

 

Synod Assembly Committee - Plans and coordinates the program and logistical arrangements of synod assemblies.

 

Personnel Committee - Recommends personnel policies, position descriptions, salaries, and benefits for synod staff, for approval by the Synod Council.

 

Immigration Task Force - Studies the implications of immigration reform and seeks to inform congregations about ways to advocate for fair and just treatment of all persons within their communities.

 

Southeastern Lutheran Holding Corporation Board - Manages the separately incorporated Southeastern Lutheran Holding Corporation, which has authority to receive and manage assets for the benefit of the Southeastern Synod.

 

Click HERE to go to the synod's online volunteer form to indicate your interest in possible appointment to these or other synod committees and task forces. Note that the Synod Council must approve all appointments. Council members consider the skills and experience of potential appointees, as well as a variety of other factors. For example, 60 percent of the membership of most committees must be lay persons. Groups are also encouraged to have some geographic diversity among their members and to include young adults (age 30 or under) and persons of color whenever possible.

Lutheridge/Lutherock 2010 Summer Camp Registration

LLMILutheridge/Lutherock is very excited to introduce a NEW online registration system this year.  They will introduce the new system with summer program registration and will work to phase in to the non-summer programs as well. 

Visit their website for registration and the weekly calendar for the summer 2010 schedule.
Upcoming Events
January
29-30 Affirm Administrative Meeting

February
2-3     First Call Pre-Lenten Retreat
5-6     Catch The Spirit

For more information on these and other events visit our synod calendar.