World Aids Day Service 

Today

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Bishop Mark Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA,will speak today at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Atlanta, as part of the ELCA's national commemoration of World AIDS Day. The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer is located at 731 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Georgia 30308, (404) 874-8664. For more information, visit www.redeemer.org and click on news and events. 

Upcoming Volunteer Disaster Response Coordinator Training

The Synod Disaster Response Task Force announces upcoming training for new synod disaster response coordinators throughout the synod!
 

CAMPFIRMATION RETREATS FOR YOUTH in grades 5-10

Unique curriculum uses experiential learning to leave lasting lessons. Lutheridge staff provides supervision for campers, staying in cabins with them and sharing their unique and faithful witness. Campers can come alone or with a group. Lessons are geared to middle school, but 5th grade and high school youth are welcome to attend. (Campers will be placed in cabin groups by age so older/younger youth will be together.) Adult leaders welcome and encouraged to participate, but not required to attend. Each camper creates a "witness" to share learning back home. The program design and oversight are by Pastors Mary and Tim Canniff-Kuhn, with involvement from others.

February 3-5, 2012 

Holy Baptism:  This retreat teaches the centrality of sacrament in Lutheran worship. Youth will experience baptism as the sacrament of belonging. We are God's forever! (Wilderness Cabins)

Holy Communion:  The sacrament of Communion takes on deeper meaning as the meal of forgiveness, nourishment and community, central to Lutheran worship. (Lakeside Cottages)

April 20-22, 2012

Ten Commandments:  Youth learn the Ten Commandments using pictures and stories that make their meaning relevant RIGHT NOW in an adolescent's life. (Wilderness Cabins)

Reformation:  Luther's life and reformation principles inspire youth to continue the reforming tradition by asking questions and keeping faith alive today!  (Lakeside Cottages)

To find out more and register, visit http://www.llmi.net/about/faith-alive.aspx.

Photo by Sandi Van Orden

Advanced Handbell Festival 

Friday-Saturday, February 17-18, 2012

New Ebenezer Retreat Center, Rincon, GA

Clinician - Christine Anderson

Intermediate Handbell Festival

Friday-Saturday, February 24-25, 2012

New Ebenezer Retreat Center, Rincon, GA

Clinician - Susan Berry

Information on the New Ebenezer webpage or contact Connie Bazemore at retreat@newebenezer.org or call 912-754-9242.

Exciting things are happening in our Synod and beyond!

Youth News Update 

Check out the latest Southeastern Synod Youth News at

http://www.elca-ses.org/Youth-Ministry-News.html.

Gift from East Conference of the LaCrosse Area Synod 

Recently, Bishop Gordy received the following letter with a check:

Dear Bishop Gordy,

Each Fall our East Conference of the La Crosse Area Synod puts together a service event for our confirmation students (grades 6-8). We call our event Con-Serve, and we have a project followed by dinner and worship. Each year it takes a different shape. In previous years we put together thousands of health kits.

This year we put together a sponsored walk and asked our kids to find sponsors on behalf of disaster relief. After speaking to our youth, it was decided that the money raised would go to our companion synod, knowing that with the tornados and floods of last spring, there would still be great need.

It is our great pleasure to send this $3000 to you on behalf of the 30 young people who took on the challenge, walking 5 miles for the needs of our friends in Southeastern Synod. We hope it is a blessing to you!

Together In Christ,

Pr. Wendy A.H. Ruetten

LaCrosse Area Synod East Conference Dean

The Southeastern Synod sends a huge "THANK YOU!" to the young people who walked five miles each to raise money for disaster relief in our synod. This generous gift will go a long way in helping to provide services to the many people in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee who lost their homes in the spring storms. Perhaps even more meaningful than the monetary contribution, however, is the realization that young people in our companion synod were thinking about us and wanting to contribute.

by Pastor Katie and Bill Pasch
 

Nothing makes Lutheran heritage come alive so meaningfully as walking in Luther's steps and being in the places where so many of his actions in daily life transformed the Church forever after.  Doubly meaningful is doing so in the Luther 2017 decade celebrating the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation. 
 

Within the past two months we were made aware through the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians of the opportunity to join an ELCA-sponsored Church Musicians Introductory Tour of key sites in Lutherland in Germany.  It was a whirlwind tour (November 18-22) but an unforgettable experience.

Sixteen ELCA musicians and traveling companions from all around the U.S. first visited Berlin, where highlight stops included the Holocaust and Berlin Wall memorials, noontime organ devotion in the Berliner Dom (Cathedral), the American Church in Berlin, and important WWII and Cold War sites such as the Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate.

The following day was in Leipzig, visiting the Mendelssohn and Schumann houses.  The day's highlight was hearing the "Motette," a concert given in the Thomaskirche (Church of St. Thomas) by the famous Thomanerchor (boys' choir), whose history dates back 800 years.  The Thomaskirche is also where Bach spent the final, most productive years of his life serving as cantor (music director), and where his remains are now buried.

The next day (Sunday) brought yet another unforgettable experience: worship in the Schlosskirche (Castle Church), of the famous 95 Theses door and Luther's grave.  Highlights of the afternoon's touring were the Luther House, where the Luther family lived, and the City Church, where Luther regularly preached.

The final touring day took us first to Halle, to visit the Lutheran (Evangelische) college for church musicians and the Handel House, where that famous composer was born and which now houses a fine museum.  The later afternoon took us to the nearby town of Graefenhainichen, home of Paul Gerhardt, the most important Lutheran hymn text author (most notably of "O Sacred Head Now Wounded").

Any tourist can visit the above sites.  What made this tour especially worth publicizing is that our "home base" was the Colleg Wittenberg (the original name of the university in Wittenberg where Luther and Melanchthon taught).  This 1824 historic building--within easy walking distance of all the important Wittenberg sites--has now been renovated into a hotel/conference center. It is managed by our excellent tour guide, Christian Eggert, who is eager to help organize tours of any groups wishing to make a Lutherland pilgrimage. 

Since the focus of this current year (2012) of the Luther Decade is music, the Castle Church is inviting choirs to come sing in that famous venue.  These need not be professional-level choirs; choirs from individual congregations are welcome.  Singing time is rented, with rates beginning at 80 Euro (roughly $120) per 15-20 minute time block. Choir tours may also wish to investigate adding concerts in local churches, either in the Lutherland region or elsewhere in Germany or beyond.)

We Pasches (Bill, musician at Emmanuel, Atlanta; Katie, pastor at Saint John, Griffin) would be glad to speak further about our experience or about possibilities for your own travel--choir-related or otherwise--as part of the Luther Decade celebrations.  Our home e-mail address is kbpasch@comcast.net or you may contact Christian Eggert directly at Colleg Wittenberg, Judenstrasse 8, D - 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg (telephone from US: 011-49-3491-507950).

You will not regret a trip like this!

Advent Events

Sunday, December 4

5th Annual German Advent Service - 4:00 PM

St. Timothy Lutheran Church

650 East Main

Hendersonville, TN 37075

Sunday, December 4

Advent Cantata, "Saviour of the Nations Come" - 11:00 AM

Amazing Grace Lutheran Church

3305 Highway 29 South

Lawrenceville, GA 30044-4185

Sunday, December 11

Jazz Vespers - 5:30 PM

Rock of Ages Lutheran Church

5135 Memorial Drive

Stone Mountain, GA 30083-3110

Reception to follow

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Condolences:
Henriellen Quail
10388 Launcelot Lane
Columbia, MD 21044

December 1

World Aids Day Event, Redeemer, Atlanta, GA  

December 3

Bible Study with Diane Jacobson and Constitution Seminar

Shepherd of the Hills, Birmingham, AL

December 3

Budget and Finance Committee meeting, Synod Office

December 4

Bible Study with Diane Jacobson

Good Shepherd, Woodstock, GA

December 8

Nominating Committee conference call

December 12

Synod office closed, Staff Retreat

View the entire Synod Calendar