The synod's Nominating Committee will be meeting in early April to formulate its nominations for synod vice president, young adult (ages 18-30) synod council member, voting members of the 2011 Churchwide Assembly, and other potential nominees for at-large Synod Council positions. Elections for these positions will take place at the synod assembly in Chattanooga.

The Nominating Committee will consider all nomination forms submitted by the April 1 deadline. Click here to go to the online form to be used for this purpose. (Or call the synod office at 404-589-1977 if you would like a paper form mailed to you.) Brief details about the positions for which nominations are sought are listed below:

SYNOD VICE PRESIDENT (4-year term to 2014) - Must be a lay person

11 VOTING MEMBERS for 2011 CHURCHWIDE ASSEMBLY (August 14-20, 2011 in Orlando, Florida) - Of those elected, 3 must be clergy (both male and female) and 8 must be lay persons (4 males and 4 females). Of the lay persons, at least 1 must be a youth (under age 18 at time of election) and at least 1 must be a young adult (ages 18-30 at time of election). At least two voting members must be persons of color or whose primary language is other than English.

YOUNG ADULT SYNOD COUNCIL MEMBER (2-year term to 2012) - Must be a lay person between the ages of 18 and 30 at the time of election.

AT-LARGE LAY SYNOD COUNCIL MEMBERS (2-year terms to 2012) - Additional specifications regarding gender or other inclusivity categories may be specified, based on the results of elections for conference representatives to the synod council.

As Lutherans respond generously to help meet Haiti's current massive emergency needs, an organization started by Lutherans outside Nashville-right here in the SE Synod-has been quietly feeding desperately hungry Haitian children for the past ten years.

Begun in 1998 to feed 42 students at a single Christian school, Trinity/HOPE has grown to feeding over 10,000 children daily at 65 schools around Haiti (8 in Port-au-Prince). Regular support now comes from congregations, groups and individuals in some 30 states and Canada ... some sponsoring a single school's feeding program alone. For many children, this daily meal is the only food they get.

The good news is many Haitian schools are now back in session, and even those in hard-hit Port-au-Prince are scheduled to reopen April 5. Because of new funds, the organization is immediately adding eight more school feeding locations, which means almost 12,000 students at 73 schools will get daily food. But the demand is expected to escalate. With all the death, destruction and despair brought on by the Jan. 12 earthquake, it's likely more children than ever will flock to these schools because of their regular, dependable feeding programs. At the same time, basic food prices have gone up, and no one knows for how long.

But Trinity/HOPE is uniquely positioned to provide sustainable help during the long recovery period ahead. In addition to coordinating funds and supplies with various emergency relief efforts, its reliable network of carefully vetted schools and onsite managers-many of whom are still unable to live in their damaged homes-will ensure that the children get the daily food promised. Swelling enrollments at these Christian schools also mean that more Haitian children will not only get an education but will hear about and feel firsthand the love of Christ.

To learn more about Trinity/HOPE, please go online to www.trinityhope.org, which includes a Facebook link and an opportunity to donate, or contact volunteer director John Hall at 615-478-6773 or hall.j.t@att.net. Congregations and organizations may also request a presentation and slide show. Your support will change children's lives.

The Morally Divided Body:
Ethical Disagreement and the Disunity of the Church

An ecumenical conference for clergy and laity
Sponsored by the Center for
Catholic and Evangelical Theology

Monday evening, June 14 - Wednesday noon, June 16
at the Loyola University, Baltimore, MD

While doctrinal issues have often in the past been the most ecumenically neuralgic tropics, increasingly today ethical issues - abortion and homeosexuality most prominently - have become a focus of difference between the churches and of potentially splintering debate within churches.  These issues are more laden with emotion than many traditional droctrinal disputes, but ecumenical discussions have yet to address them in detail.  We have little sense of just when and how ethical disputes rightly impact communion within and among the churches.  When can we live together with difference over such matters and when does unity in Christ require common teaching?  These questions will be addressed from a variety of perspectives.

Accommodations: available on the Loyola Campus
Conference Cost: $210 (including banquet) - reduced price for early registrations, retired clergy ($175), and students ($95)

For more information - contact Michael Root 803-735-1178 or mroot1@sc.rr.com.  Online registration at www.acteva.com/go/ccet.  More information and mail-in registration at www.e-ccet.org.

Four years after Hurricane Katrina, Bethel Church in Biloxi, MS has a new sign.  Congratulations and keep up the hard work!

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St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Franklin, TN is looking for a home for their pews.   The pews were made by Sauder Manufacturing Company in 1982 and might be considered more of a unity seating than a traditional pew as they come in sections.  We have 30 rows of 4 seats, 12 rows of 3 seats and 5 rows of 2 seats for a total of 166 seats.  The pews are movable, have red upholstered seat and back cushions, book holders, pencil and envelope holders.  They are in very good condition with the exception of maybe one or two seats that are faded from sun.  You may find a picture of them online on our website at www.saintandrewchurch.com and look under the "About Us" tab.  Please email Jolene Richardson at office@saintandrewchurch.com or call 615-794-1624 for more information.