Southeastern Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
God's work. Our hands. E-News Weekly |
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Do Not Be Afraid | | |
by Dr. Everett Flanigan
Assistant to the Bishop/Director for Evangelical Mission
ELCA-Southeastern Synod
This year's Easter morning sermon started out pretty much like many sermons I've heard over the years. I hear the sermons from a front row pew. You see, I'm a member of the choir, and at my home congregation, after the acclamation, choir members move from the steps of the altar to seats on the front row. You know the routine: the pastor moves into the center aisle, reads the gospel among the people, and delivers his sermon.
Read more on the synod blog. |
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| Synod Disaster Response Task Force Update | |
Tornado Damage and Response
Losses from recent the tornadoes are great, the needs are many, and the recovery process will take a long time. The Southeastern Synod Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan is in action. We have been meeting with the Synod Volunteer Disaster Response Coordinators and Social Ministry Organization staff in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. In collaboration with Lutheran Disaster Response as well as our church and community partners, we are working to develop a long-term response in all four states.
Synod Volunteer Disaster Response Coordinators are active in their areas, working with congregations to identify ways they can serve in the long-term recovery efforts. Diaconal Minister Sandra Braasch, Synod Disaster Coordinator, toured damaged areas of Apison, TN and Ringgold, GA with Karen Witt, Synod Volunteer Disaster Coordinator; Kathy Thoreson, Executive Director of Lutheran Services in Tennessee; and Edie Young, a member, and the Rev. Pauline Pezzino, pastor, of Resurrection Lutheran Church in Ooltewah, TN. They also discussed opportunities for Resurrection to become a hospitality site to house volunteers and other ways that the church can assist in long-term recovery efforts.
The Rev. Deborah Halter, Coordinator for Pastoral Care, is working with local pastors to assess and respond to current pastoral care needs in disaster-affected areas.
L To R
Sandra Braasch, Karen Witt, the Rev. Pauline Pezzino
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?
PRAY
Pray for God's people ╾ those with losses and those who will help with recovery.
VOLUNTEER
If you would like to be added to a volunteer database that will be distributed to our social ministry organizations when they are ready to compile volunteer groups, contact us at sbraasch07@gmail.com.
STAY INFORMED
For information about a specific areas, here is a current contact list:
Alabama
Tuscaloosa: Volunteer Coordination Center, 205-248-5045.
Cullman: Volunteer Coordination Center, 334-264-4636, ext. 1.
Birmingham/Jefferson County: http://www.handsonbirmingham.org or call 205-251-
5849.
Georgia
Ringgold: Volunteer Coordination Center, 706-935-2424, ext. 1028.
Mississippi
Meridian: Volunteer Coordination Center, 601-485-515.
Aberdeen: Volunteer Coordination Center, 662-315-1545.
Cumberland: Volunteer Coordination Center, 601-813-3055.
Mississippi State Department of Health information on flood safety, www.HEALTHYMS.com.
Tennessee
Greene County: Volunteers needed to unpack, sort, and distribute donated supplies to families. Volunteers also needed for chainsaw work. Contact David Sledge, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, 615-339-7466.
Memphis: The Memphis Emergency Operation Center is currently the best place to call to find out about volunteer needs, 901-515-2584.
Shelby County and Memphis Flood Resources--Real-time updates on flood relief/recovery at www.StaySafeShelby.us.
FINANCIAL DONATIONS
At this time donations of funds are the most needed for various disaster responses within the synod. Designate donations for disaster response and send to: ELCA Southeastern Synod, 100 Edgewood Ave., NE, Suite 1600, Atlanta, GA 30303.
A special offering will be taken during the Saturday morning plenary session at the Synod Assembly (June 4, 2011). Congregations may send checks for Synod Disaster Response twith their voting members to be contributed as part of this special offering.
Long-term response donations may also be made to Lutheran Services of GA, Lutheran Ministries of AL, Lutheran Episcopal Services in MS, and Lutheran Services in TN. |
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Synod Assembly | | |
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 can be found at www.elca-ses.org/Assembly.html.
Online registration is now closed. On-site registration will be available at the assembly June 3 & 4, 2011.
Voting members................................$135
Retired rostered persons and visitors......$85
Assembly materials, including the agenda, workshop choices and resolutions are currently being posted on the Assembly webpage, www.elca-ses.org/Assembly.html. Please keep in mind that only the final agenda and items that require action of the Assembly will be printed and available at the Assembly.
THE LATEST INFO...
Offerings at Synod Assembly: Offerings collected at the Synod Asseembly have been designated by the Synod Council for Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. In addition, the Synod Council Executive Committee has approved a special offering to be taken during the Saturday morning plenary session for Southeastern Synod Disaster Response.
Flower deadline extended: The Worship Team invites you to help decorate the chancel and baptismal areas at synod assembly by being a "flower sponsor." Potted begonias may be purchased for $9.00 each in memory of a beloved member, in honor of a congregational leader, or in recognition of a ministry in your church. The deadline to order has been extended to Friday, May 27. Mail a check made out to the ELCA-Southeastern Synod (to be received in the synod office no later than May 27) and mark it for "Assembly Flowers." Don't forget to include a note as to how many plants and the names you would like recognized for each. These remembrances will be included in the worship booklet and at the end of assembly, your congregation may take your flowers home to plant in a church garden as a sign of the growing life of Christ in our synod.
Pictorial Directory: Attention rostered persons in the Southeastern Synod: Last chance to send your photo to be included in the pictorial directory to be compiled at this year's Assembly. It will be published and distributed once completed. Those included in the directory will be clergy, associates in ministry, diaconal ministers, deaconesses, and members of Synod Council and staff.
If you are a rosterd person and already have a picture you like, you may submit it to Margery at margerykeller@comast.net prior to Assembly weekend. If you don't have a current one, a booth where digital photos can be taken will be avialable during the workshop sessions during the Assembly weekend!
Roomates wanted: Are you are looking for a roomate to split hotel costs for the Assembly? You are not alone! Contact Alice Schunemann who is working to try to connect potential roomates for the weekend. |
| Book of Faith Brief | |
Upcoming opportunities:
Your synod Book of Faith advocates invite you to attend a workshop on biblical fluency and faith formation at this year's synod assembly. We'll talk about some of the reasons church members are becoming less biblically literate, and some new ways to approach Bible study and faith formation that might help address the challenges. The workshop will be offered twice during the Assembly, on Saturday morning and again on Sunday morning.
Registration begins on June 1 for this year's "Celebration of Biblical Preaching" at Luther Seminary. The Celebration will be held October 3-5, and speakers will include Walter Brueggemann, Will Willimon, and other first-rate preachers and teachers. The preaching celebration will be followed by the annual lectionary study, led by Walter Wangerin, Jr., and Luther Sem faculty members. For more information, visit
www.Luthersem.edu and click on "Lifelong Learning."
Blessings,
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Stop the Presses! | | |
Lutheridge + Lutherock Summer Camp Registration Date Extended
In order to provide a lower rate to more campers, the May 15 deadline has been extended to Monday, May 23, 2011. Simply mail in your registration form or use the online registration system to lock in that rate!
Scholarships are still available for those requiring financial assistance. Through the generosity of donors, Lutheridge and Lutherock are able to provide the faith-camp experience to many. No camper should be unable to come to camp because of finances.
Don't miss out on this opportunity to save and enjoy a summer on the mountain!
Visit www.llmi.net to learn more about program opportunities available for youth of all ages. |
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Spotlight on Appalachian Ministries | | |
ELCMA Assembly
The Evangelical Lutheran Coalition for Mission in Appalachia (ELCMA) Assembly met last week, May 9-11 in Charleston, West Virginia. Representing the Southeastern Synod were (L-R) Associate in Ministry Mary Golnitz, (Mountain of Life, Blairsville, GA) Pr. Delmer Chilton (Assistant to the Bishop) Whitney LaFollette (Salem, Parrotsville, TN and East Tennessee State Lutheran Campus Ministry), Pastor Eric Luedtke (Gloria Dei, Knoxville, TN) and Pr. Min Chan Park (Advent, LaGrange, GA). The mission of ELCMA is to "Connect People and Resources for Christ's Ministries in Appalachia." Please check the ELCMA website at www.elcma.org for more information and discover ways in which you can help support this ministry in the rural areas of Appalachia.
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Growing in Faith in the Appalachians
Over the past few weeks, St. James Lutheran Church, Greeneville, TN, experienced some extremes: sorrow and rejoicing.
On Saturday, May 7, about 20 members from St. James Lutheran Church gathered for prayer and service, as we helped our neighbors in the Camp Creek area - just a few miles east of our own homes. An F2 tornado ripped through parts of the Camp Creek area in east Tennessee, which killed and injured several, in some cases leveling homes, in others shifting entire homes from their foundations. Many barns have been partially or totally destroyed and tin roofs peppered the fields in which the cattle graze and hay is grown.
Many response efforts already have been coming together to help out our neighbors. Obviously, shelter will be a major part of the recovery efforts, but so will cleaning up the fields surrounding these homes. The long-term recovery efforts will be vital for this community. Without fields to grow hay or fields in which the cattle can graze, the farmers' economic sustainability will be hindered greatly. That's just the way it goes out there at Camp Creek. No fields, no jobs. St. James Lutheran Church looks to be involved in clean-up efforts in the Camp Creek area for months to come.
In the midst of this tension, we have cause to rejoice, too, while St. James celebrates 200 years of mission and ministry to, for, and with the St. James community. In January, St. James enjoyed a Hymn Festival. In April, the 60 members of the Berea  College Concert Choir performed on a Saturday night and joined us for worship the next day, followed by a grand dinner for all. On Sunday, May 15, a local historian with family ties to St. James directed an historical play of St. James, which she also wrote.
While challenged to find God's presence in the midst of devastation, we've been constantly recalling God's presence through our bicentennial celebrations.
Our final bicentennial celebration weekend will be Saturday, September 24, with "Dessert with the Bishop." That Sunday, Bishop Julian Gordy will be preaching and presiding at worship. That worship service, will, in good East Tennessee Lutheran fashion, be followed by a meal. J
Submitted by Pastor Michael Jannett |
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Around the Synod | | |
Check out this YouTube video about the flood relief efforts of members of Holy Trinty Lutheran Church in Nashville and Peace Lutheran Church in Spring Hill, TN.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek5ebZEsgWQ
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Noel (Kahl) Reagan was installed as Associate in Ministry at Faith Lutheran Church in Knoxville, TN on May 15 by Assistant to the Bishop, the Rev. Dr. Delmer Chilton.
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William Flippen to preach on "Day 1"
The Rev. William E. Flippin, Jr., senior pastor of St. Matthew Evangelical Lutheran Church in Columbus, Ga., will be the featured preacher June 12 and 19 on "Day 1," the nationally syndicated radio program also accessible online at www.Day1.org. Each program will include a sermon by Pastor Flippin along with interviews conducted by producer and host Peter Wallace.
In his sermon for Pentecost Sunday, entitled "When Christ Shows Up," Flippin focuses on Jesus' initial appearance to the disciples after his resurrection (John 20:19-23). His message for Trinity Sunday, "Blessed Assurances," is based on Romans 5:1-5.
Formerly known as "The Protestant Hour," "Day 1" has been broadcast every week for 66 years. It is currently distributed to more than 200 radio stations across America and overseas. For more information, call 1-888-411-Day-1 or check the program's website, www.Day1.org.
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Baptismal Font
St. James Brunswick, GA, has a baptismal font that is available to a church that may need one, at no cost. The two wooden pieces that form the base come apart and fit onto a third round piece on top and the basin fits inside. If interested, please contact St. James Office Administrator, Janice Kirkendall, at (912) 265-6814.
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| 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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