Southeastern Synod E-News Weekly
|
|
Assembly 2010
|
|
Click on logo for updated Assembly information
|
Join Our List |
|
|
|
ELCA Presiding Bishop's 2010 Easter Message
|
|
The last enemy to be destroyed is death. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:26
For a brief time, while the crucified Jesus lay in a borrowed tomb, it seemed
as if death had triumphed once again. Threatened by a messenger of God's
expansive, steadfast love, yet another human mob succumbed to death's
seduction. They chose its brutal, silencing power and trusted its empty finality. Death's murderous rebellion against the Creator of life seemed
unstoppable.
Click here for entire message.
|
Spouses Count Too
|
|
Does
your spouse have coverage under your ELCA health benefits? Ask her or him to
complete the Mayo Clinic Health Assessment. He/she will also earn 150 personal wellness dollars for your
family, and help us to the 65% participation we all need to receive our
synod-wide 2% discount on health contributions.
Access the assessment today at https://www.elcaforwellness.org.
Learn more about the
health assessment at https://www.elcabop.org/UnderstandMyBenefits/Health/ELCAPrimary/HealthAssessment/WhatsNew.aspx
|
Career Crossroads
|
|
Career Crossroads
April 30th - May 2nd, 2010
Lutheran Theological Southern
Seminary
Are you or is someone you
know going though a career crisis? Many people are unhappy in their
vocation and aren't sure which steps to take to find work that fits
their gifts and mission in life. Career Crossroads is a spiritual
retreat that can help with these difficult decisions.
For questions, please contact the
Region 9 office at 803-461-3203 or email [email protected]. The
deadline for registrations is April 1st.
|
|
|
|
|
All-GA Youth Gathering
|
|
ELCA Southeastern Synod Youth have been
meeting together now for over 15 years
for a weekend retreat, and once again over 200 youth and adults from all across the state of
Georgia attended the All-GA Youth Gathering at the FFA-FCCLA in Covington, GA this
month. Many said it was the best weekend ever and will be hard to top!
David Sherer, also known as Agape, shared his music and
the message for the weekend. The theme was "Keep it Tov". (We learned that "Tov" in
Greek means "Wow, that was Good!") He led us in four different sessions using
youth to help him dance, sing, and share his message. You can check out
his ministry at www.hiphopoutreach.org. The Praise
Band from Trinity Lutheran Church led us in music throughout the weekend and worship on Sunday morning! Thank you to the 2010 Planning Team: Robby Johnson
(St. John's Atlanta); John Parsons (Trinity Lilburn); Crystal
Rowe (Resurrection Marietta); Vickie Davis (Christ the Lord
Lawrenceville); and Alex Hoffner (Christ the King Evans). All-Georgia 2011 will be March 11-13 at the Ebenezer Retreat
Center near Savannah, Georgia. Jerusalem , Zion h,
and other churches in the Savannah area are already thinking about next year's All-GA
Youth Gathering. See you there!
|
Into All the World
|
|
The 2010 Southeastern Synod Assembly
will be held June 4-6, 2010 at the Chattanooga Convention Center in
Chattanooga, TN. Join the voting members and visitors to
the Southeastern Synod Assembly as we examine the Church - within the
congregation, the community, and around the world.
Keynote speaker
John Arthur Nunes will be our keynote
speaker. He is the President and CEO of
Lutheran World Relief-an organization that acts to end poverty and uphold human
dignity by empowering the world's most impoverished communities to bring about
the transformation they need in order to live healthy, safe and secure lives.
A prominent Lutheran leader, thinker and
speaker, Nunes is known for his compelling voice applying theological insight
to matters ranging from global issues to urban affairs. He joined LWR in July
2007. Prior to that, he has served as a college professor, management consultant,
church musician, community organizer and pastor.
Nunes states: "My call to LWR really
gives me a prodigious opportunity to serve in the power of the Spirit, since,
as Luther reminds us, 'we should allow no one to suffer harm but show every
kindness and love' (The Large Catechism)."
Nunes holds advanced academic degrees
from schools affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS). He is currently a PhD candidate
at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
Click here for more information or to register for the 2010 Southeastern Synod Assembly.
|
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
|
|
This quotation from Charles Dickens' A TALE OF TWO CITIES
came into my thoughts the other day.
(Who says 9th grade English teachers don't make an
impact?) I was thinking of the
passionate divisions in our country over the healthcare bill. And of course, the divisions in our church were
not too far from my thoughts either. I
was also mindful of Holy Week and Easter bearing down upon us.
Some of my most memorable and significant experiences
have occurred when "it was the best of times and the worst of times". The preparations in the Lenten season leading
up to Easter in the parish are often demanding and stressful. But I cherish the memory of Lenten dramas and
the joy of having eleven baptisms at an Easter Vigil service in a mission
congregation. We make jokes about the C
and E people showing up on Christmas and Easter, but what a joy to have filled
churches and extraordinary proclaiming celebrations. It doesn't get much better than the opening
procession on Easter morning!
With this Dickens' quotation in my head, I looked up the
words to that beginning quotation set in the developing unrest leading up to the
French Revolution.
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of
foolishness; it was the epoch of
incredulity; it was the season of light,
it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of
despair; we had everything before us, we
had nothing before us; we were all going directly to heaven, we were all going
the other way."
One of the blessings of age and experience is the
opportunity to be able to reflect on more "times". I recall being on the front lines of the
Wounded Knee trials in my first parish in South Dakota. I remember temporarily "losing" a 15 year old
girl on a mission trip while changing trains in Mexico. I remember being called out at night to a bad
part of town to relate to a family crisis. (What was I doing there!)
I also remember the times of being included in the personal
times of ministry, the family times of birth, of death, of reconciliation, of
illness. Many of us can remember hateful
times, the discriminations, the ugliness, the disrespect, the indifference.
In my present role in the ministry, I seem to feel a more
present sense that...it's about God, it's not about me. Whatever circumstances I may be confronted
with, the joys, the sorrows, the angst...the ministry is about God's great and
loving presence. What is God seeking to
do in this place? What is my role as a
disciple? In the best and the worst of
times, our unity moving forward is in Christ Jesus, who has come to bring hope
and salvation to the whole world. It is
a privilege to serve in Christ's church.
Pastor Darrel Peterson, Assistant to the Bishop
|
AROUND THE SYNOD
|
|
You are invited!
Epiphany Lutheran Church in Conyers,
GA is hosting a gala honoring Karen Olson, founder of Family Promise. The event will be on Friday, April 16 at
Epiphany Lutheran Church, 2375 GA Highway 20 SE, Conyers, GA 30013.
The festivities will get underway at 6PM and are slated to last until
8PM. If you plan on attending or need more information, please contact Pastor Nathan Hilkert at 770-483-6222.
|
Upcoming Events
|
|
April 14-16 Project Connect Annual Gathering 20 Formula of Agreement Luncheon 22-24 Candidacy Meeting
For more information on these and other events visit our synod calendar.
|
Share this e-news with a friend!
If you know someone who might enjoy receiving the e-news from the Southeastern Synod, please send them your copy and invite them to join the group.
Mobley Hope Director of Communications
|
|
|