Southeastern Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
God's work. Our hands. E-News Weekly |
| Issue: # 245 | November 4, 2010 | |
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| ELCA Presiding Bishop, Other Christian Leaders Meet with President Obama | |
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) joined about 20 other U.S. Christian leaders in a meeting with President Obama Nov. 1 at the White House. The leaders met with the president "speaking first out of our faith and Scriptures, and secondly, to issues before this nation and world," Hanson said in an interview. |
| How Cheap Are You? | |
by the Rev. Dr. Delmer Chilton  In the November 2, 2010 edition of the Christian Century magazine, it was reported that, "Three marketing researchers have concluded that the less religious one is, the more commercial brand names matter. . . .For people who aren't religious, visible markers of commercial brands, such as logos on a laptop or shirt pocket, function as a means of self-expression and an assertion of self-worth comparable to the symbolic expression of faith." (p.9) Gee, by that measure I must be one of the most religious people on the planet... (read more on the synod blog.) |
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| LPM - The Church Musician's Best Friend | |
LPM started in September, but it's not too late to join!
The Leadership Program for Musicians (LPM) empowers music and worship ministries in many ways:
 helping church musicians working in smaller churches who deal with new ways of doing things and new music or materials; - showing young people, who have the skills to be a parish musician, how to put those skills to best use in their church;
- providing established musicians and leaders an opportunity to gather and learn from one another;
- empowering clergy and laity with a boost to their worship lives.
For full details, go to www.lpm-online.org. If you have questions, contact: John Marsh, 713-206-8896, or marek2go@gmail.com. A descriptive brochure with complete information is available on the LPM website. |
| Join Bishop Hanson Nov 21 for "Holy Conversation" |
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Spend an hour with Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson and learn how the 4.5 million members of the ELCA make a difference in the world at the online Town Hall Forum Nov. 21 at 5 p.m. EST.
Be an active participant! Post a question for the presiding bishop and engage in thought-provoking, inspiring conversation. Make the experience even more enjoyable by gathering members of your congregation for a viewing party. Participation is easy:
- Use the online tool kit at www.elca.org/townhall to plan a viewing party
- Watch the event live and submit your question for the presiding bishop at www.elca.org/townhall
- Post comments using Facebook Connect
- Tweet about the event using hashtag #ELCA
- View open captioning
Whether or not you have a question to ask the presiding bishop, you will be part of building community with the more than 10,000 congregations across this church.
"The forum offers an opportunity to interact with church members, congregations and synods in holy conversation. I think people in this church want to have honest conversation about the church and discover how the gospel is calling us to be faith-in-action people."
Eric Peterson, Bethel Lutheran Church, Madison, Wis.
Join in Nov. 21 and be part of this church's ongoing conversation.
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Click here to view Bishop Hanson's most recent column in The Lutheran. |
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Book of Faith Brief |
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http://www.bookoffaith.org/
One of the common reasons people give for not getting involved in Bible study is that they feel too lacking in basic Bible knowledge to even know how to start. In earlier editions of this newsletter, we've mentioned some of the Book of Faith resources for folks who need basic tools for Bible study (Opening the Book of Faith, Rediscovering the Book of Faith, Making Sense of Scripture). Augsburg-Fortress also has three books for beginning Bible students.
- A Beginner's Guide to Reading the Bible acquaints readers with various types of literature in the Bible, the history of the Old and New Testament writings, modern English translations, and other Bible study tools.
- A Beginner's Guide to Studying the Bible deals with Bible study methods, the use of commentaries and concordances, and finding the meaning of Bible passages.
- A Beginner's Guide to the Books of the Bible (co-written by the Southeastern Synod's own Robert Kysar) contains introduction and background information for each book of the Bible, as well as an overview of larger sections of the Bible.
Don't let people be kept away from Bible study by a lack of basic tools for reading and studying the Bible, when there are such good resources available. And please be sure to contact your synod Book of Faith advocates with your comments, suggestions, or questions.
Blessings,
Your Book of Faith advocates
Pastor John Rossing
Christ the King, Dalton, GA
706-278-3979
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Youth Ministry Notes |
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From Rachel Alley, Southeastern Synod
Director of Youth Ministries
All-Tennesse Youth Gathering, Nov 20-21, is only 15 days away! Is your group registered? If not, please email our registrar, Neelie Crook, at neelie.crooke@gmail.com so she can get numbers together to order your t-shirts. We also need to purchase supplies for the Peer Ministry Programming and give numbers to the camp so they can purchase food ASAP. The All-TN Updated Registration Packet was sent to all Tennessee congregations and is available online at http://www.elca-ses.org/Youth&Young-Adults.html.
2011 Affirm Staff Applications can be downloaded at http://www.elca-ses.org/Youth&Young-Adults.html or you can go online to www.sesyouth.org for an application as well. Affirm is the Southeastern Synod's Youth Discipleship and Leadership Training Event for 6th-12th graders as well as college freshmen and sophomores interested in youth ministry. Affirm will be held at Berry College in Rome, GA June 19th-24th. Over 85 staff volunteer their week to serve the youth of the synod. They arrive on June 17th for a training weekend to prepare for our synod youth. We are looking for people who have a passion for working with youth as well as a little experience. First time applicants are expected to have a letter of recommendation and we do background checks on all staff. If you would like more information about Affirm or what it is like to be on staff please contact Rachel at ralley@elca-ses.org. Registration for youth participants will be available in December! Think about giving the gift of Affirm to your child, grandchild or grant a scholarship to another child in the synod this year!
Announcing High School Southeastern Synod Servants Week at Lutheridge June 5-11, 2011. High School youth will go out and serve the Asheville community as well as work on some projects on site! We will stay on site at Lutheridge. This is the same week that Faith Alive will be held at Lutheridge for Middle School Youth or your confirmation class.
In the October Youth Ministry E-news, I recommended reading the book Almost Christian by Kenda Creasy Dean. This book is in response to a study of youth by the National Study of Youth and Religion. Kenda is a professor at Princeton. This would be a great book for a Parent Sunday School Class or your Youth Ministry Team. Kenda has also created a chapter study guide to go along with the book, which can be found at http://kendadean.com/. |
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Link to Learn About... |
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WorshipNews A monthly e-newsletter from the ELCA Worship and Liturgical Resources staff. WorshipNews is a great way to receive important and timely information about what's happening in worship around the ELCA, including new resources, conferences, helpful topics and more.
Subscribe to WorshipNews
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Investment lnfo -- Your source for monthly updates from the Board of Pensions
Each month, the Board of Pensions publishes Investment Info. an electronic investment newsletter complete with investment updates, links to market commentaries, helpful articles and other important information about your ELCA Retirement Plan account.
To receive Investment Info from the Board of Pensions:
Visit www.elcabop.org/subscribe.
Provide your name and e-mail address and select Investment-info.
Select Subscribe.
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The Value of Lutheran Higher Education
Men and women who graduate from our Lutheran colleges and universities are disproportionately involved in our church communities, from lay leadership at the congregational level to positions of prominence in the larger church. This is in part because their faith and commitment have been nurtured through four years of college.
Discover a group of colleges that has faith in your future. LutheranColleges.org |
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Support the Southeastern Synod Through Thrivent Choice |
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Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has replaced its former matching gifts programs with Thrivent Choice, a program where Thrivent members have the ability to direct a portion of Thrivent's charitable dollars to support their favorite ministries.
We are pleased to share that the Southeastern Synod is one of the eligible recipients of your Choice dollars. You also may give your Choice dollars to agencies and institutions of our ELCA. And providing that your congregation has properly signed up with Thrivent, you may also be able to donate to your congregation.
Member eligibility and designated Choice dollars are based on:
...Holding a Thrivent Financial volunteer leadership position.
...Annual premiums of qualifying insurance products.
...Contract value on qualifying products.
The potential of available Choice dollars significantly exceeds the amounts that Thrivent previously made available through GivingPlus and Care in Congregations. For more information about Choice dollars, visit www.Thrivent.com/thriventchoice or call 800.847.4836.
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| AROUND THE SYNOD | | |
Seen in the news...
 This month's issue of The Lutheran had an article by the Rev. Deb Halter (page 22) with a photo of the Rev. Terri Stagner-Collier and family (page 25) and mentions Christ Lutheran's (Nashville) practice of "Feed the Call Committee" on page 68. Don't have the paper copy? View it online. Click the following link for Pastor Deb's article -http://www.thelutheran.org/article/article.cfm?article_id=9461
The October 28 issue of the Cobb Neighbor newspaper featured a story about Pastor Scott Seeke's journey, writing the story that became the movie "Get Low." Click here to read the story.
The Ashland City Times recently featured a story about how volunteers at Rau-Wood Retreat Center near Nashville are making a difference in the lives of flood victims. Read the story.
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St Andrew, Franklin, TN honored
The Nashville Chapter of the American Red Cross honored St. Andrew, Franklin, TN with one of its "Hometown Heroes" awards at a luncheon and awards ceremony on Oct. 28. Saint Andrew received the Lifesaver Award. The award is given to blood drive sponsors that help in a pinch or are especially accommodating. They replace cancelled drives, demonstrate flexibility when asked to sponsor a drive on short notice and accommodate unexpected scheduling changes. (Story: Jolene Richardson, St. Andrew, Franklin, TN)
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Middle Tennesee Rostered Meeting
The rostered folk of the Middle Tennessee cluster met for their monthly meeting on November 2 at St. Andrew ELCA in Franklin, TN. The gathering began with a devotion and prayer. Together they shared the visible, viable ministries that are taking place in our churches. Our time with each other concluded with lunch at a local restaurant. (Story and photo: Pastor Ann Bassett)
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Coming up
Dr. Margot Kaessmann, former bishop of the EKD (Evangelische Kirche Deutschland), the German Protestant Church, will speak as part of Wednesday evening programming, hosted by Redeemer Lutheran Church and the German Church Atlanta, at Redeemer, 731 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA on November 17 from 6:15-7:30 about her perspective on the state of the Church in Europe and her vision for the future of that church as well as in America. All are invited to attend.
She will also speak on Nov 16 at the Cannon Chapel, Emory University from 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. The lecture is entitled Bible, Prayer, and Confession: Anticipating the 500th Anniversary of the
Reformation. For more information contact Anequa Jackson at 404-727-6324 or ajack03@emory.edu.
William Seth Gibson, former intern in the Southeastern Synod, will be ordained Thursday, November 18, 2010 at Saint Stephen's Lutheran Church, 119 North Church Street, Lexington, SC 29072. The service will begin at 6:30 pm. North Carolina Synod Bishop Leonard Bolick will preside along with South Carolina Synod Bishop Herman Yoos. A reception will follow the service. Clergy are invited to vest in red and process.
Rock of Ages Lutheran Church (5135 Memorial Drive, Stone Mountain, GA) will host its annual "Holiday Jazz" Community Jazz Vespers services at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 12th. The service will feature internationally renowned jazz pianist Gary Motley and vocalist Veronica Motley, along with other invited world-class jazz artists. A reception will follow the service. All are welcome! For additional information, please contact the church office at 404-292-7888, or visit our website at http://roa.ctsmemberconnect.net |
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Upcoming Synod Calendar Events |
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Don't forget - Plans are being made for an Atlanta-area MLK service on Sunday, January 16, 2011. Anyone interested in assisting with these plans should contact Elaine Schwartz in the synod office at 404-589-1977, ext 235, by Friday, November 12, 2010.
This month:
Nov 6 Conference 6 meeting
Nov 6 Leadership Program for Musicians
Nov 11 Veterans Day
Nov 11-13 Synod Candidacy Meeting
Nov 20-21 All Tennessee Youth Gathering
Nov 25 Thanksgiving
Nov 25-26 Synod Office Closed
View the entire Synod Calendar
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ELCA-Southeastern Synod
100 Edgewood Ave. NE, Suite 1600
Atlanta, GA 30303
404-589-1977
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