Southeastern Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
God's work. Our hands. E-News Weekly |
Issue: #275
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June 15, 2011 | |
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Grande es el Amor de Dios! | | |
Southeastern Synod Trip to Guatemala
May 21-28, 2011
by the Rev. Nancy Christensen
"El Amor de Dios" was the theme song for this year's Southeastern Synod trip to Guatemala! No matter that it was over 100 degrees in the shade, with no electricity for even a fan to cool things off, the children in the small village of Israel couldn't get enough of the action song that joined them with their new friends from Georgia and Alabama. Together, they all stood on their toes with thei r arms waving to sing, "So high, I can't get over it" (in Spanish, of course!); then crouched down to sing, "So low, I can't get under it;" then spread their arms as they sung, "So wide, I can't get around it - Great is the love of God!"
Read the rest on the synod blog. |
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ELCA Video Contest | | |
The 2011 ELCA Video Contest is officially underway. Enter now and you could win a $3,000 ministry grant or a $1,500 cash prize. There are also cash prizes for the most popular congregation and individual video entries. Click here for details and judging criteria. |
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ELCA "Glocal" Mission Gathering | | |
When:
August 4, 2011 - August 6, 2011
Where:
Christ the King Lutheran Church 5575 Peachtree Parkway, Norcorss, GA 30092
God's work in mission always propels us to encounter the neighbor, particularly in the stranger. Glocal Mission Gatherings equip us for God's work in today's global and local realities and their "glocal" intersections. So what is mission? Who is the neighbor? Let's answer these questions together for our migrating and immigrating world. Come, join some of the most relevant mission conversations of our time. The ELCA Glocal Mission Gathering(GMG) gathers leaders for a day and a half of worship, workshops, and sharing around global and local mission.
You are invited to gather a congregational team and register for an upcoming event. For only $35 per person your team can:
- Enhance your connections with local and global Christians
- Gain practical skills for mission
- Learn how churches are changing how they proclaim and serve
- Lead inviting worship that includes global voices
- Serve in a way that is sustainable, respectful, and cross-culturally sensitive
- Give, receive, lead and serve in every facet of ministry
A significant part of the Glocal Gatherings will be skill-building workshops so that team members can better understand how to work within a specific area of mission.
Click here for more information, an agenda and to register today.
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| Book of Faith Brief | |
Once again, we'd like to thank everyone who participated in the Book of Faith workshops at the synod assembly. Folks who attended the workshops talked about challenges and obstacles to Bible learning in their congregations, but also shared some ideas about ways to meet the challenges.
Some of the common challenges people mentioned were:
people are too busy to get involved in Bible study;
people who aren't already knowledgeable about the Bible are too intimidated to take the first steps;
people find Bible study boring or of little benefit;
typical Bible studies in congregations aren't tech-savvy enough for young people;
the Bible is either neglected or misused in our culture, so people get the wrong message.
Some suggestions the groups made were:
online Bible studies, or Bible study conversations using social media;
flexible Bible study times, repeated often during the week;
short-duration Bible study series, so people don't have to commit for many weeks;
Bible studies that don't presuppose a lot of biblical knowledge or expertise;
Bible studies that help people understand the message of the Bible as a whole, rather than just verses that support certain opinions about issues.
Many of the features people suggested are already incorporated into Book of Faith Bible Studies. BOF studies are short series, can be led by lay people in small groups, and conscientiously connect the biblical message to people's daily lives. New studies called The Greatest Story try to acquaint people with the whole biblical narrative or the whole life of Jesus. And the Book of Faith Initiative has a social media page to foster online connectedness and sharing.
Blessings,
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Region 9 News | | |
Native American Ministries
On May 2, 2011, representatives of Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat
Center, an agency of the Southeast Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church, with representatives of Region 9 of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (Southeastern U.S. and the Caribbean), and leadership from the United Methodist Southeastern Jurisdiction Association of Native American Ministries (SEJANAM) met at Trinity Lutheran Church in Greenville, SC, to discuss economic challenges, stereotyping, and justice inequality which Native people have experienced, particularly in the Southeast, as part of the Shared Communion initiative. Read more here.
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ELCMA Cookbook and Appalachian Heritage Project | | |
ELCMA (The Evangelical Coalition for Mission in Appalachia) is embarking on a project to capture recipes and stories of the Appalachian region and needs YOUR help.
 We all have favorite foods that remind us of our childhood or special occasions. We also have foods that we eat at home day in and day out. Along with the food there is always a story; a story of where we learned the recipe; of a particularly memorable celebration; or maybe even of the time that you left a vital ingredient out.
If you have a recipe you'd like to share, please submit it to the ELCMA Cookbook and Appalachian Heritage Project at www.familycookbookproject.com/lv.asp?l=EricLuedtke1170&p=cookbook.
The website is fairly self-explanatory and easy to use. There's space on the website to include a story with each recipe. If you have photos that show Appalachian heritage, those are welcome as well. Please forward digital photo files (.jpg preferred) to volunteer@elcma.org. The deadline for submission is Sunday, July 31. Start looking for recipes and remembering those stories so that your Appalachian heritage gets included in this great project. |
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Seminary Interns for 2012-13 | | |
The 2011 - 12 interns and their respective supervisors have been sent (liturgically) on their way rejoicing. Now is the time to invite pastors and congregants to consider being an internship site for academic year 2012 - 13.
The financial investment by the congregation is: $32,000 if housing is not provided and $20,000 when housing is provided. Offering your baptismal gifts to help form a future public leader of the Church is always deeply appreciated.
For detailed information, please contact:
The Rev. Dr. Julius Carroll
Associate Professor of Contextual Education
Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary
Telephone: 803-461-3216
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Synod Assembly Evaluations and Highlights | | |
 All assembly attendees should have received a link to the assembly evaluation survey via email. If you attended the assembly and have not received a survey email, please reply to this E-News with your name and the email address where you would like to receive the survey. Completed evaluations may be submitted through June 20.
A link to Assembly highlights and photos is available on the synod website at www.elca-ses.org/Assembly.html. The highlights are also available as a Word document for those who would like to "copy and paste" into bulletins and newsletters.
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Around the Synod | | |
 As reported in last week's E-News, the Rev. William E. Flippin, Jr., was scheduled to be the featured preacher June 12 and June 19 on "Day 1," the nationally syndicated radio program. However, upon tuning into WSB radio in Atlanta this past Sunday, many were disappointed to hear a repeat of an earlier program, not Pastor Flippin.
WSB realized their error and will broadcast Pastor Flippen's June 12 message, entitled "When Christ Shows Up," on June 26. Pastor Flippin's June 19 message, "Blessed Assurances," will air as originally scheduled. Both programs are accessible online at www.Day1.org.
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FINDING HIS INNER FISH
 From ancient times tracing shapes in the sand to modern car bumpers, one of the most common identifying symbols of a Christian has been the sign of the fish. Now we have a pastor in the synod who swims like one! Mark Beatty, a pastor on family leave to be "dad" in Roswell, GA took up competitive swimming a year ago with US Masters Swimming after about 20 years out of the pool.
Mark competes in the men's 40-44 age group. Several weeks ago the national rankings for the 2010 season became official, and in the 50 meter freestyle, Mark is currently ranked number 1 in the US! In fact, his short course 50 meter freestyle was faster than any other Masters swimmer 35 or older in America. Mark also made Top 10 in the nation in each of the other strokes and the individual medley and was just named All American for his freestyle.
In addition to 50,000+ Masters adult swimmers in the US, many other countries across the globe compete in Masters swimming. The official Masters World Top 10 rankings were also recently released and in his age group Mark's 50 meter freestyle placed 4th fastest in the world!
 So what's it like to be a pastor who happens to swim like a fish? At least according to Mark, it's easy to relate faithful ministry and fast swimming. In fact, Mark believes virtually all clergy already have the tools we need for healthy physical fitness and for maintaining or re-shaping our bodies into their intended temples (finding our inner "fish"). He says most rostered and lay leaders are already trained and committed to exercise. It's just often been heavily weighted toward mental and spiritual exercise. From Mark's perspective, having come from both weekly sermon preparation and weekly physical training, many of the tools in each discipline completely overlap...... tools such as commitment, focus, dedication, consistency, and follow-through.
He maintains that these tools can be translated into virtually any other discipline in life. So for any clergy who wonder if it's been too long, too hard, or just too late to bring their bodies back to "holy temple" health, he encourages hanging in there with the same commitment and faith you bring to other areas of your life. It just takes an adjustment period for any new discipline. It did for Mark after having been out of the pool for 20 years. He describes his first day back in the pool as "like swimming in honey." Week 1 was basic survival with plenty of huffing, puffing, and reorienting goals from swimming fast to not drowning! After a  month, light began to emerge. Now after a year, the results continue to be incredibly rewarding. But it took time, hard work, and, well, as Mark says, basically the same kind of focus, dedication, and other stuff pastors pretty much all do to create faithful sermons each week.
Mark has a passion for wholeness, wellness, and striving for balance in life. He serves on the synod's compensation guidelines committee and is also looking forward to connecting with the synod's health ministry team. Last fall he began a coaching business called Fast Lane Coaching, Inc to help others bring out their "inner fish." He and his wife Dena have two children, Lauren 5, and Brandon 4.
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Snapshot of the week:
John Hammond and B.L. Brown from Redeemer Lutheran Church in Newberry, S.C., delivered much-needed supplies to Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran in Birmingham for use at Christ Lutheran in Cullman, AL, which was destroyed by an April tornado.
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| Synod Calendar Highlights | | |
June 19-24 AFFIRM, Berry College, Rome, GA
June 20 Deadline to submit Synod Assembly evaluations
July 4 Independence Day, 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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