Southeastern Synod E-News Weekly

The mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus we celebrate this Triduum is not just another thing we Christians believe. It is the very center of our faith. Everything hinges on it. The stakes are high. Very high.

"If Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain...If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins and those who have died in Christ have perished," St. Paul wrote in I Corinthians 15. That's about as stark as it gets.

But, if Jesus is raised, if his death and resurrection offer us abundant life, then we are free to live, free to take a risk and do the things that we believe we should do. If Jesus is raised, this side of death can be a resurrection party because ultimately, we have nothing to fear.

St. Paul goes on, "If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied." He wrote those words to people who were being ostracized and even asked to die for their faith. What fools they are if this life is all there is.

But. . . But, if Jesus is raised from the dead, if what we believe and teach is true, we are free people. Free to take a risk. Free to do something worthwhile, whatever it costs. Free to live the upside down way Jesus taught us.

There is no proof of resurrection. Evidence is hard to find. There is no proof, but there is the promise. The promise that life will win out over death, that we - you and I - shall not die, but live. The promise that the risen Lord lives with us. Now. Here. In our communities, in the meal we share at Christ's table, in the ones counted least by the world. The Risen One is with us now, here, in this life.

There is no proof, but there is the promise, and it is a promise to stake your life on.

+ H. Julian Gordy
Bishop
ELCA Southeastern Synod

Also available on the synod blog.

Lutheridge + Lutherock Ministries - Summer Camp

Lutheridge + Lutherock Ministries (LLMI) announces the next rate deadline is fast approaching!

Register now at www.llmi.net or by mail by April 12, 2012, to receive a great rate for summer camp. All you have to do is register and pay the deposit to lock in the lower rate. Learn more about payment options and program descriptions on each grade level page at www.llmi.net/youth/summer-gateway.aspx. Scholarships are available for those requiring financial assistance. Through the generosity of donors, LLMI is able to provide the faith-camp experience to many.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to save and enjoy a summer on the mountain! Visit LLMI's website at www.llmi.net to learn more about program opportunities available for youth of all ages.

World Malaria Day - April 25

A Notice from Jessica Nipp, Coordinator of the ELCA Malaria Campaign

We are a church that rolls up our sleeves and gets to work. It's time for us to take the next step in the ELCA Malaria Campaign - and I want you to be the first to know.

"Where is the ELCA in our fight against malaria?"

A Liberian health official asked that question of my colleague during his recent trip to West Africa. "We have heard about the ELCA Malaria Campaign. We need your help, and we need it now."

Malaria is a leading cause of death in Africa, claiming the life of a child every 45 seconds. In Liberia, malaria accounts for 30 percent of all deaths seen in hospitals.

Since the launch of the ELCA Malaria Campaign last year, Lutheran churches in Angola, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe are working to control this disease - distributing mosquito nets and medicine, as well as educating communities on prevention. However, we don't yet have the funds to begin this work in Liberia.

Our sisters and brothers in Liberia are ready. They have a large network of Lutheran hospitals, clinics and community leaders that are doing the best they can to serve hundreds of thousands of people. They know what it takes to prevent and treat malaria. But they need your support. The time is now.

World Malaria Day is coming up on April 25, 2012. We're turning this day into one week (April 25 - May 1) to raise $200,000 - enough to expand our anti-malaria work to include Liberia this year. You and your congregation are invited to join congregations across this church to take an offering for the ELCA Malaria Campaign on Sunday, April 29, and help make this dream a reality.

Here's how your congregation can observe World Malaria Day:

Announce on Sunday, April 22, that you'll be joining congregations from across the country in the fight against malaria by observing World Malaria Day the following Sunday.
Invite your congregation to dedicate its offering to the ELCA Malaria Campaign on Sunday, April 29. Order free offering envelopes with free shipping by April 11 for timely delivery. Mail your checks to the ELCA Malaria Campaign at P.O. Box 71764, Chicago, IL 60694-1764. Be sure to include "World Malaria Day" in the memo line.
Pray for those affected by malaria by using prayers, litanies and suggested hymns specifically designed for World Malaria Day.
Show the ELCA Malaria Campaign video before or during your service.
Share the World Malaria Day bulletin insert.
Find more resources on our website and blog.

We are a church that is called to do God's work in the world. Standing together, we can work to overcome malaria.

Did You Know?

Many veterans and their family members who seek help for their problems do so from clergy.

Rural veterans in particular have limited choices for healthcare. In some communities and in the military culture, the stigma associated with mental health problems can be quite strong, which could reduce a Veteran's motivation to seek care. Some Veterans may delay seeking help until a crisis makes it unavoidable.

To help build a strong support net for our Veterans, the National VA Chaplain Service is hosting 1-day education and training events for local clergy of all faith groups, as well as for non-VA chaplains and representatives from Veterans Service Organizations.

Events in Kentucky and Tennessee are coming up in April and May.

Visit www.ruralhealth.va.gov/ruralclergytraining/ to find out more.

Synod Assembly Information

The Southeastern Synod will meet in

Assembly June 1-3, 2012 at Marriott's Renaissance Waverly Hotel, Atlanta GA.

The theme for the 2012 Assembly is "What in God's Name are We Doing Here?"

Visit www.elca-ses.org/Assembly.html for information and to register.

CHILDCARE

This year, for the first time, childcare will be available at the Synod Assembly for children of voting members! There is no fee, but a freewill offering for an honorarium will be accepted (caregivers will be volunteers from area churches who are background checked and all Safe Haven guidelines will be followed).

We will be able to accommodate children ages 3 through 10, and parents will need to pick up their children for meals. If you would like to reserve a space for your child(ren), please contact Pastor Beth Birkholz at 404-663-4639 or bethbirk@gmail.com by May 1, 2012.

Around the Synod

"Love God, Love Neighbor"

St Timothy Hendersonville,TN, collected new socks, underwear & tees for Nashville homeless friends. The clothes were "strewn" along the Palm Sunday processional in front of the baptismal font, and Pastor Lewis Groce, Vicar Monica Weber, along with confirmands Emily Thompson & Noah Wessel delivered the clothes to a downtown Palm Sunday solidarity for the homeless rally where the clothes were distributed. The many new pairs of socks were given as an incentive to those who participated in a medical foot exam & foot washing. This effort wrapped up St Timothy's Lenten study, "Love God, Love Neighbor."

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A Piper Among Us

Pastor Tom Kenny, Prince of Peace, Johns Creek, GA, is the only native-born Irish pastor in our synod. Recently Pastor Kenny took up the bag pipes again after a many-year hiatus. His teacher was the well-known piper Winter Taylor, who died recently. During their time as student and teacher, Pastor Kenny became very fond of Ms Taylor and wrote this on the occasion of her death:

I had learned to play the pipes when I was 15 years old. I was part of a start-up band in my home town. I lived in a farming community in Co. Cork in the south of Ireland.

The 'Castlelyons Pipe Band' was formed c.1957. My brother Kevin and I were part of the band as beginning pipers. We player till the end of secondary school and then went off to college or seminary in 1961. I have not played in the intervening years.

Attending the Scottish Games at Stone Mountain had renewed my interest in getting back to playing. I made contact with Winter Taylor and started to take lessons in July of last year. My first goal was to play in a recital with Winter's adult students. The recital was planned for February 5th at St Dunstan's Episcopal in Atlanta.

I had my last lesson with Winter on January 20th. She said I was cleared to play in the recital. On Friday January 20 Winter played at St. Brigid's in Johns Creek in preparation for their January 29 Sunday service. I received a call on Sunday, January 22nd, from one of Winter's students, informing me that Winter had had a massive heart attack on Sunday morning. She was rushed to Kennestone Hospital and later life-flighted to Emory. She did not make it.

The recital did take place a week later than originally planned. It took place at Prince of Peace on February 12th.

The student who called me was Tom Crawford. Tom has now taken on most of Winter's students including me. Tom is a member at Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Marietta, GA, and is their bookkeeper.

For some reason, I became attached to Winter and I miss her greatly. Without her help, her patience and her love of the pipes, I doubt that I would be so far along. I am deeply indebted to her and I thank God for her.

To see and hear Pr. Tom Kenny play the bagpipes, click this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FLsx2LTXzW0.

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Your prayers and presence are requested.

The Southeastern Synod of the ELCA invites you to attend a Service of Reception and Installation for the Reverend Andrea Rauch at Die Deutsche Kirchengemeinde Atlanta (The German Church in Atlanta) on Sunday, April 15, 2012 at the 11:00 AM service.

The Rev. Darrel Peterson, Assistant to the Bishop of the Southeastern Synod, will officiate. Clergy and rostered lay people in attendance are invited to vest and participate. The color for the day is white.

DIE DEUTSCHE KIRCHENGEMEINDE ATLANTA
The German Church in Atlanta/Redeemer Lutheran Church
731 Peachtree St NE
Atlanta, GA 30308-1281

(404) 817-0600

View the entire Synod Calendar

April 6

Good Friday

Synod Office closed

April 12-14

Candidacy Committee Meeting

Synod Office

April 19

Interim Ministry Conference

Ascension Lutheran Church, Chattanooga, TN

April 19

Nominating Committee Conference Call

April 27-29

All-Georgia Youth Gathering

FFA Camp, Covington GA

May 1

Mission Conference Gathering

Location TBA

May 1 & 2

Southeastern Synod Pre-Retirement Seminar

Trinity Lutheran Church, Hixson, TN

Click here to learn more and register

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ELCA-Southeastern Synod

100 Edgewood Ave. NE, Suite 1600
Atlanta, GA 30303
404-589-1977

www.elca-ses.org