Southeastern Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
God's work. Our hands. E-News Weekly |
| Issue: #256 | January 20, 2011 | |
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| What Do You Have To Say? | | |
Delmer Chilton, Assistant to the Bishop in the Southeastern Synod
 This is a somewhat embarrassing confession; when I was a young pastor (yes, I can actually remember that far back) I used to daydream about what I would say if I had the chance to preach to the Synod Assembly, or the Pastor's Conference or whatever gathering I thought needed the benefit of my wisdom. It never really happened back then, and for the most part that was a good thing because many of the things I wanted to tell them were either ill-advised or not as important as I thought they were at the time. But, there was some good stuff in there that needed to be said and I never got the chance to say it when it mattered.
(Click here to read the rest on the synod blog.) |
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Jill Schumann Named to White House Council | |
Lutheran Services in America (LSA) recently announced that Jill A. Schumann, President and CEO of LSA, is among 25 nonprofit, business and foundation leaders named by President Obama to the new White House Council for Community Solutions. The Council is charged with advising the president on ways to involve more people in solving community needs.
Read the entire story. |
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If You Really Want to Help... | |
Often Synod staff members hear..."Let us know how we can help." We appreciate your sentiment and your concern for Synod ministry. From time to time, we plan to include in the E-News some ways that you can help. Here are a few:
Parochial Reports
Encourage your congregation to complete and submit Annual Congregational Reports. It is crucially important for ALL congregations to complete and submit their reports, as the number of Churchwide Voting Members allotted to our synod is determined by this report.
 Paper forms were recently mailed to congregations. Reports can also easily be submitted electronically. The deadline for report submission is February 15, 2011.
Click here to retrieve the Web version of your congregation's Annual Congregational Report Forms A and C, or Form B, the Congregational Leadership Directory:
- Enter the five-digit congregation identification number (including all zeros), and
- In the Password box enter the eight-digit password.
- You will find both the congregation's ID number and the matching password printed in the upper right corner of the paper version of Form A, which congregations received in the mail.
- If you did not receive a form in the mail or you cannot locate it, please contact the ELCA Office of the Secretary.
- If you cannot locate your congregation's password, contact the synod office at 404-589-1977.
Health Assessments
If you are a Board of Pensions Health Plan member, please take the health assessmenton the Mayo Clinic EmbodyHealth web portal (www.elcaforwellness.org.) Pick a day to take it, and put it on your calendar. If you take it by April 30, 2011, not only will you earn a $150 personal wellness account credit, your employer can earn a 2% discount on health contributions for all of 2011. If 65% of ELCA-primary plan members and eligilbe spouses in the synod take the assesment, the Southeastern Synod could be eligible for a "wellness reward" of 1% of the estimated 2011 health contributions paid by eligible employers in the synod.
Find out more today!
Nominations needed
The Southeastern Synod Nominating Committee is currently seeking potential nominees for several positions to be elected at the 2011 Synod Assembly. Positions for which nominees are needed include:
 Consultation Committee
3 Clergy (6-year terms), male or female
2 Lay Males (6-year terms)
Discipline Committee
2 Clergy (6-year terms), male or female
1 Lay Female (6-year term)
1 Lay Male (6-year term)
1 Lay Male (4-year unexpired term)
Synod Council
1 Youth Member (2-year term), male or female, must be at least in the 10th grade and able to complete the two-year term prior to high school graduation
1 At-Large Clergy (2-year term), male or female
1 At-Large Lay Person (2-year term), gender and possible designation as a multicultural position depend on the outcome of Conference representative elections
Click HERE for more information about these positions.
DEADLINE for submission of biographical forms to be considered by the Nominating Committee: March 15, 2011. |
| Book of Faith Brief | |
Book of Faith Resources for Lent
Even though Ash Wednesday is historically late this year, it will be here before you know it. (Maybe Habakkuk was reminding preachers that Lent is coming when he wrote, "If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.")
The Book of Faith Initiative includes resources for private Bible study and devotion as well as for public worship during Lent. If you are looking for ideas for personal growth or for a Lenten worship series, check out the Book of Faith material available from Augsburg Fortress. New this year is Book of Faith Lenten Journey: Seven Wonders of the Word. This is a forty-day guide to the power of God's word. It includes daily Bible readings, reflection questions, historical comments, and hymn connections.
Augsburg Fortress publishes a free downloadable companion resource that provides ideas for using the seven weekly themes of the Lenten Journey for worship services. The worship resource includes Bible readings, hymn suggestions, sermon starters, and prayer petitions. You could use it as the basis for midweek Lenten services, a Sunday sermon series, or an adult Bible study group during Lent.
You can find these from the Augsburg Fortress home page in the following directory: Home > Special Occasions > Seasonal > Lent, Easter & Spring > Books > Lenten Books
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Synod Council Minutes Available | | |
Preliminary minutes of the Synod Council's January meeting are now available on the synod website. Click HERE to go directly to the minutes page.
Although these minutes have not yet been officially approved, they are being made available so that all interested persons may know the decisions that were made. If you have any questions about the minutes, please contact the Synod Secretary, Pastor Terri Stagner-Collier.
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Recommended Reading | | |
Pastor Kevin Strickland, chair of the Synod Worship Team, recommends checking out ELCA Worship Resources.. While you're there, sign up for WorshipNews to get up-to-date information from the ELCA worship staff every month.
Pastor Bryn Carlson suggests "Caring Connections" available at http://caringconnectionsonline.org. This publication is put out jointly by ELCA and LCMS Chaplains, Pastoral Counselors and Clinical Pastoral Educators. The Fall 2010 issue focuses on Pastoral Care and Addictions (check out Pastor Carlson's article Toward a Theology of Addiction on page 11.)
Bishop Gordy says: "Among other things, good preaching is placing the appointed text in the preacher/hearer's context and pointing to some of the connections." Pastor Nancy Christensen preached at Cross and Crown Church in Chamblee this past Sunday and did just that, bringing God's word to bear on a world that had seen its share of tragedy in the previous week. You can read her sermon for Epiphany 2A on the synod website.
Pastor Beth Birkholz's recent synod blog entry was picked up by LivingLutheran.com on January 12. Read it here.
Pastor Don Poole recommends Archival Survey, the newsletter of the ELCA Region 9 James R. Crumley Archives. Want to subscribe? Contact Kyra Moore.
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Ecumenical Advocacy Days | | |
Development, Security and Economic Justice:
What's Gender Got to Do with It?
March 25 - 28, 2011
Washington, D.C.
Be part of an action weekend addressing legislation that will equip you to speak boldly on behalf of people-centered sustainable development and economic justice, physical safety, security and peacemaking, with a particular focus on those most impacted - women, girls and families. Worship and dialogue with hundreds of faith-based advocates at Ecumenical Advocacy Days, March 25-28, 2011. Join us as we visit Capitol Hill to advocate remedying this global injustice. Lutheran activities are being planned. For scholarships, e-mail Jodi Deike at jodi.deike@elca.org or call 202-626-7947. More info: www.elca.org/advocacy. |
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Upcoming Events | | |
JANUARY 31 - FEBRUARY 1
Transition Pastors Gathering
Current and potential Transition Pastors are invited to a Gathering with Bishop Julian Gordy, Pastor Delmer Chilton and Pastor Darrel Peterson for a conversation about the nature of Transition Ministry in our Southeastern Synod.
WHERE:
Living Grace Lutheran Church, 1812 Cooledge Road, Tucker, GA, 30084, (678) 406-9229.
COST:
Cost is $15 per person. Click here to register on-line.
If you have questions, please contact Pastor Darrel Peterson in the synod office at 404-589-1977, ext 226.
FEBRUARY 6, 7 & 8, 2011
Newberry College Jazz Band Tour
Coming soon to a Lutheran Church near you! Newberry College Jazz Big Band. Bring your family and friends for an exciting evening of your favorite music.
Sunday, February 6, 2011 4:00PM
Trinity Lutheran Church
1826 Killian Hill Road
Lilburn, GA 30047-2532
(770) 972-4418
Monday, February 7, 2011 7:00PM
Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church
101 North Peachtree Parkway
Peachtree City, GA 30269
(770) 487-8717
Tuesday, February 8, 2011 7:00PM
Messiah Lutheran Church
6900 Kingston Pike
Knoxville, TN 37919-5714
(865) 588-9753
Can't make it? Jazz Outreach events are planned February 7 at Adairsville High School, Adairsville, GA, February 8 at the Univerisity of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN, and February 9 at Broome High School in Spartanburg, SC. Call 803-321-5633 for details.
FEBRUARY 10, 2011
The St. Olaf Choir
The St. Olaf Choir from St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN will be performing in Memphis on their upcoming national tour. They will perform at St. John's Episcopal Church, 3245 Central Ave., Memphis, TN on Thursday, February 10th at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at www.stolaftickets.com or by calling 1-800-363-5487.
 FEBRUARY 25 & 26, 2011
Catch the Spirit
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
731 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30308-1281
Keynote Speaker: John Arthur Nunes, President and CEO of Lutheran World Relief
"God's Work. Our Hands."
Turning dreams into action!
Learn more at www.catchthespiritlutheran.org. |
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AROUND THE SYNOD | | |
The stone building stood grey against inches of white snow, parking lot sparkling solid ice under the shadow of the steeple's cross. All was quiet outside St. John's Lutheran Church in Atlanta the week of January 10. But inside, coffee makers gurgled, voices chattered, and phone calls were being made: "We need more cough drops! Can anyone get over to pick up laundry? Who can get out of their driveway to trade nights with me?"
When the thermometer dips below 29 degrees as it did with this winter storm, St. John's Freeze Shelter is in full swing. Partnering with Mercy Community Church, a ministry housed at a nearby Presbyterian church to serve the needs of the homeless, St. John's retreat center opened as a freeze shelter last winter and just recently helped to start a second at the neighboring Methodist church.
Some facts and figures:
- January to March 2010 - open 40 nights; December 2010 - open 18 nights, including Christmas; already open 10 nights this year as of 1/18
- Usual number of guests per night - 16 (referred by Mercy Church)
- Volunteers involved on a regular basis - approximately 35 (most serve as hosts, spend the night, or do laundry)
- Budget - almost non-existent; linens, laundry supplies, snacks, hot drinks, food for occasional meals, toiletries, cough drops, tissues, etc. donated
Steve Gallo and Faith McKinley are the coordinators who hold it all together. With enthusiasm Steve says, "This is a very unique and fulfilling ministry, and one that keeps us very close to some wonderful people who really need us most!"
Last week was a challenge with impassable roads and minimal travel possible, but it was well worth the work. Warmth, safety, and friendly conversation were provided. A friend of St. John's, Pastor Kim Stover, summed up those unusual days as a time when "... the homebound (were) striving to serve the homeless."
Submitted by Associate in Ministry Jeanette Burgess
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Snapshot of the week:
Pastor Rusty Edwards (right) of Christ Lutheran in Marietta, GA and Patrick Matsikenyiri of Mutare, Zimbabwe, met in Atlanta recently to write hymns. The meeting almost didn't happen because of the snow and ice in the Atlanta area; in fact, one hymn was written over the phone. But then they had their chance to meet and sing. One of the new hymn tunes is entitled Mutare Marietta and is for the text "I Am Thankful." It will be in Rusty's upcoming new book of songs, Come My Chosen, which he co-wrote with people from New Zealand, Sweden, Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, and the USA.
Pastor Edwards will be traveling to Brazil shortly to be honored with the Benemerito/Fellow from Soemus Sacred Music Organization. Congratulations, Pastor Edwards. |
| Synod Calendar | | |
Jan 22 Global Mission Committee Meeting at Synod Office
Jan 25 Nominations/Elections Task Force Conference Call
Jan 31-Feb 1 Transition Pastors Gathering
Feb 5 Leadership Program for Musicians
Feb 8-9 First Call Retreat
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ELCA-Southeastern Synod
100 Edgewood Ave. NE, Suite 1600
Atlanta, GA 30303
404-589-1977
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