Southeastern Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
God's work. Our hands. E-News Weekly |
| Issue: #267 | April 20, 2011 | |
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2011 Easter Message
from ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson | | |
So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. - Matthew 28:8
 Mary Magdalene and Mary walked to Jesus' grave, expecting to find death. It's understandable. Images of violence filled their minds. Thoughts of their vulnerability and mortality deadened their spirits. Death had become the defining story of their lives.
Instead of death, the women met a resurrection messenger who said, "He is not here: for he has been raised, as he said." As they hurried to tell others, the risen Jesus met them. They were changed. Now resurrection, not death, would define their lives.
Jesus lives! Now resurrection, not death, defines our lives. Jesus continues to meet you in resurrection messengers, just as Jesus met me in Pastor Josephus Livenson Lauvanus, president of the Lutheran Church of Haiti. As we walked through the ruins and rubble that lie in the aftermath of Haiti's earthquake, Pastor Livenson Lauvanus proclaimed, "We will not be defined by rubble, but by restoration, for we are a people of the resurrection."
Baptized into Jesus' death and raised to newness of life we, too, are people of the resurrection. We, too, are resurrection messengers. We, too, are about God's work of restoration.
The world aches to hear the message we have to tell. Sing with joy! Jesus lives! We are a people of the resurrection. |
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Affirm Units Filling Fast! | | |
Southeastern Synod Director for Youth Ministries, Rachel Alley, says there is still room but some AFFIRM units are filling up fast! AFFIRM is the Southeastern Synod's Summer Discipleship and Leadership Event at Berry College in Rome, Georgia. The dates for AFFRIM this year are June 19-24th--the theme is: "The Rock."
AFFIRM is an event for youth and young adults. Youth participants are middle and high school students in grades 7-12. Young Adults (those who are college freshmen/sophomore age) will receive 30 hours of Hands on Youth Ministry training in YAYMI. You can register online at www.sesyouth.org and pay with Paypal or send a check with the rest of your paperwork! Cost is $350.
On Monday, June 20, Nashville Musician Eric Bledsoe will join AFFIRM attendees for a concert. Have questions? Contact Rachel at ralley@elca-ses.org.
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Dare We Tarry There? | | |
 by the Rev. Dr. Joy Blaylock
As we move through Holy Week, we remember the story of Lazarus in the Gospel of John. As I mulled over this reading recently I came back to an early transitional moment in the story, one that can get eclipsed by the grand finale. It is the moment when the gospel tells us that Jesus "stayed" on for an extra couple of days even after hearing of Lazarus' illness.
Read more on the synod blog.
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Southeastern Synod Assembly Update | | |
The Southeastern Synod Assembly will be held June 3, 4 & 5, 2011 at the Marriott Renaissance Waverly Hotel, Atlanta, GA. Information about the Synod Assembly and the registration form can be found at www.elca-ses.org/Assembly.html.
The deadline for online registration is May 15, 2011. Congregations can still pre-register even if they won't know the names of Voting Members until after the registration deadline. Simply call the synod office at 404-589-1977 for instructions on how to complete the registration form.
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Youth and Young Adult Voting Members at Synod Assembly
The Southeastern Synod sees its youth and young adults as not only the future of the Church, but also as fully participating members in the Church today. To that end, we are committed to involving youth and young adults in every aspect of synod life. The synod has a goal that at least 10% of Assembly Voting Members be youth and young adults. When electing Voting Members for Synod Assembly, remember to consider youth and young adults.
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Deadline for Assembly Reports Extended!
Synod Committee, Task Force Chairs and Conference Chairs
Agencies, Institutions and other Entities Supported by the Southeastern Synod
The due date for annual reports to the Southeastern Synod Assembly has been extended to April 28. For those who have not already submitted a report, please send it to sgustavson@elca-ses.org by APRIL 28, so that it can be included in the assembly materials that will be made available to the voting members. (If your report requests that either the Assembly or the Synod Council take a particular action, be sure to highlight that request.)
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Hotel Information
Please keep in mind that registration for Synod Assembly DOES NOT include a hotel reservation. A block of rooms for the Southeastern Synod is available at the Marriott Renaissance Waverly. The assembly hotel rate is $112 per night, plus tax. Free parking is available at the hotel.
To get the special assembly rate at the Waverly, CLICK HERE or call the Waverly at 770-953-4500 and mention that you are attending the ELCA-Southeastern Synod Assembly.
The cut-off date for the hotels is Friday April 29, 2011. After the cut-off, the discounted group rates will no longer be available. The hotel has another group booked for the weekend of the assembly and no rooms are available outside the synod block. Use the link above (or on the Assembly website, www.elca-ses.org/Assembly.html) to reserve your room without delay.
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| Book of Faith Brief | |
http://www.bookoffaith.org/ This week we feature another resource for Bible study available through Select Learning. Select, a program of continuing theological education designed for small groups, is an offering of the ELCA in cooperation with Lutheran seminaries. Bible Tutor is an online educational tool which can be used to support congregational ministries such as Bible studies, Sunday School and Confirmation. It is available for individuals to purchase or an annual license can be purchased by congregations for $100. This would allow members of the congregation to access it to supplement Bible studies or to learn on their own.
Bible Tutor offers you:
- Seven categories for easy navigation: Bible Overview, Books, People, Dates, Places, General Knowledge, and Self-Tests.
- Illustrations and maps to guide you through historical places.
- Photographs of modern day sites.
- Biblical references to direct you toward additional studies.
- Interactive self-tests that help you judge your proficiency.
- Browser-based programming for easy use.
- Hyperlinks that connect you with online resources.
You can try a free trial online demo at http://www.bibletutor.com. For purchase information, click here.
Learn more about Select Learning and other resources it offers at
http://www.selectlearning.org/.
Blessings,
Your Book of Faith advocates
Pastor John Rossing
Christ the King, Dalton, GA
706-278-3979
ctkdalton@optilink.us
Michelle Angalet, Associate in Ministry
Good Shepherd, Woodstock, GA
770-924-7286
michelle.angalet-gslc@comcast.net |
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Openings on Budget & Finance and Nominating Committees | | |
The following two synod committees will have openings for persons to serve two-year terms, beginning in June 2011:
Budget & Finance Committee (lay person): Committee members should have an interest in financial matters, but are NOT expected to be experts in finance and accounting. This committee meets by conference call at least twice a year to review the synod's overall financial situation and make recommendations to the synod council as needed. The committee also meets once a year in person to formulate a budget proposal for the synod council and synod assembly. This meeting is usually scheduled for the first Saturday in December, usually at the synod office in Atlanta.
Nominating Committee (clergy): This committee is charged with recommending nominees for positions to be elected at each synod assembly. The committee meets by conference call about four times each year, with most of the work during the period January through April.
Persons interested in being appointed to either of these committees may indicate their interest by completing the form located HERE. |
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New Tools Help Congregations Become Connectors Among Young Adults | | |
Congregations ready to spark thinking and conversation among young adults and others who might consider a vocation within the ministries of the church have a new tool to help them start talking.
Project Connect has created an assessment tool that helps congregational leaders step outside their usual familiar patterns and evaluate how their ministries are going with, mainly, 18-30 year old young adults. The assessment weighs 17 factors and provides 12 concrete steps for growing the congregation's work with and among the age group. This tool and other resources are designed to help congregations take on a role of "connector" in enhancing its engagement.
Project Connect is a web of connections among many and various parts of the church--seminaries, colleges, camps, campus ministries, pastors, lay leaders, congregations, social ministry organizations, volunteer organizations and, particularly, young adults--that works together toward a single, remarkably important goal: to involve young adults in programs and projects and retreats and discussions about how God is calling them to build a life.
Project Connect is a program of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (Gettysburg, PA), The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA), and the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (Columbia, SC).
A growing collection of opportunities and excellent resources are available at the Project Connect website, www.projectconnect.org. You can find a link to the "Connecting Young Adults with Ministries" assessment tool on the Home Page of the www.projectconnect.org website.
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LTSS Alumni Day on May 12 | | |
Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary's annual Alumni Day will be held Thursday, May 12, on the seminary's campus. All seminary graduates are invited back to campus for a day of fellowship, ministry workshops, the Yost Lectures by the Rev. Dr. Mark Swanson, and special alumni meals with the class of 2011 and the seminary community.
Register today at: http://www.ltss.edu/southern_alumni/alumni_day_and_events/.
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AROUND THE SYNOD | | |
 On March 13, 2011, thirteen members left from Messiah Lutheran Church in Knoxville, TN for an eight-day Lenten Pilgrimage to Guatemala. During their eight days abroad, these members interacted with the students, staff and missionary directors of La Escuela Integrada, a school for working children in Antigua, Guatemala. In addition, our Messiah group met with Padre Horacio Castillo, the Bishop of La Iglesia Luterana Agustina de Guatemala (ILAG). ILAG is one of our ELCA-Southeastern Synod companion synods. Finally, on the last day of their pilgrimage, our members worshiped with Pastors Horacio & Amanda Castillo, the son and daughter-in-law of Padre Castillo at the congregation of La Iglesia Luterana Agustina de La Resurreccion in Guatemala City. Read the story of their Guatemala Lenten Pilgrimage here.
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Lutheran Church of the Atonement in Atlanta, GA will present "The Living Last Supper," Saturday April 23, 2011 at 6:30PM.
For infomation, contact the church at 404-794-7970.
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| Synod Calendar Highlights | | |
April 22
Good Friday (Synod Office closed)
April 28
Synod Assembly Reports Due
April 29-May 1
Alassippi Youth Gathering, Gulf Shores Christian Retreat Center
May 5
National Day of Prayer
May 7
Conference 2 meeting and work project
May 13 & 14
Region 9 Ventures meeting
May 15
Deadline to register for Synod Assembly
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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