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"Youth Matters" at 2011 Synod Assembly: Packaging Meals for Hungry Families
Lent is a time for the traditional practices of prayer, repentance and self-denial as we prepare for the death and resurrection of Christ. Some Christians choose to fast during this time. It serves as a poignant reminder that there are so many for whom being hungry is not an option, but a reality of daily living in a hurting and often dangerous world. At Synod Assembly this year, our youth will be helping those who are struggling to survive by packaging fortified meals to distribute to hungry children and their families in Haiti.
Food packaging is a ministry that is already being practiced in several of our New England ELCA churches, including Faith in Quincy, Mass. Last summer, the youth group from Faith assembled over 40,000 meals for distribution, and developed a passion for the work. When the whole world is your "community," the idea of community service takes on a new and deeper meaning. And so does the word justice. Watch for the Lutheran youth of New England to be "doing what matters" on Saturday, June 4, as they come together for assembly-line style food packaging at 2011 Synod Assembly in Springfield, Mass.
For more information and to register your Youth Group Click Here Registration Deadline is May 15th
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Doing What Matters to God:
Continuing the Conversation in
New England
Where 300 or more are gathered in Jesus' name, some wonderful and church-renewing things can happen! "Doing What Matters" attendees came to Mission Area Assemblies throughout New England to find out how they could begin to equip their leaders, empower their congregations, and engage their communities in doing the work that matters most to God.
In a few weeks, rostered and lay leaders involved in the "Doing What Matters" mission strategy will meet again - to evaluate the process, discuss "next steps" and plan upcoming events. But in the meantime, the future starts now! On the New England Synod website, you will find all the resources you need to start the exciting and challenging process of becoming a renewable church. Here are a few examples:
The World-Cafe Track allows a large group of people to engage in meaningful conversations in a series of small, informal groups. Get to the "heart of the matter" in your congregation by asking powerful and provocative questions, identifying common themes and sharing the results.
The Devotional Track is a bible-based resource designed for use at meetings by councils, committees, teams and groups. Key insights and questions are shared as groups are inspired to "be who they are, see what they have, and do what matters to God" by reading scripture.
The Study/Action Track is already helping two of our New England congregations begin a congregation-wide process that is intended to have a broad impact on the life and ministry of their churches. They are using the A Renewable Enterprise (ARE) book, The Future Starts Now.
Soon, coaches will be trained to walk with congregations and conferences as they apply the "Doing What Matters" principles within their own contexts. For more information, contact Rev. Lisa Stoen Hazelwood ( lisastoenhazelwood@gmail.com) or
Rev. Andrew Simon ( mysaltshaker@gmail.com).
Click here for the Doing What Matters Web Page
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Kelly Fryer on Holy Week
The "I don't know if I can survive Holy Week!" Facebook statuses started appearing in my feed from pastor-type friends about a week ago. Last year they got more intense as the week bore down, followed by a crescendo of "Let's rock out for Jesus!" statuses on Easter morning, ending on Easter Sunday afternoon with a fading morendo of statuses that said something along the lines of "He is Risen! Time for a nap."
Read the whole article at the Doing What Matters Web Page
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ELC in Jordan and the Holy Land
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A personal invitation from Pr. Tim Keyl to travel with him to the Holy Land in November
"Special greetings to Kari, Gabriel and Bethany, and to your congregation." These are common sentiments ending my conversations with friends from Jerusalem. Barhoum Azar, pastor of the Arabic-speaking congregation in the Old City and I remain connected through the internet, Facebook and occasional phone conversations. "When are you coming?" they often ask first. Middle Eastern hospitality is wonderful and is not to be missed. For us to be a companion to Lutherans in Jordan and the Holy Land, face-to-face encounter is the best way to demonstrate our solidarity. Over there we see how people live, we worship together, we hear stories about struggle, and we come back with an idea of partnership as an embodied reality. Join me and others in a trip to meet brothers and sisters in our companion synod, to discover holy sites, to learn about peace and justice, and to participate in the olive harvest. You'll never be the same again. For details, click here . While the deadline is April 25, there still might be room for you!
Pr. Keyl, a member of the synod's Global Mission Team, is pastor of Bethesda Lutheran Church, New Haven, Conn.
Also, read a reflection by Pr. Paul D. Sinnott, who served in Jerusalem during March with the Lutheran World Federation and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) as part of his three-month sabbatical. The ELCJHL is a companion relationship of the New England Synod.
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Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem receives new radiation therapy system from U.S. government; Sinnott at celebration
Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH) on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem celebrated the introduction of a new radiation therapy system in March. Among those at the event was Pr. Paul Sinnott, ministry specialist for the New England Synod, who was in Jerusalem during March as part of his three-month sabbatical. The system, a medical linear accelerator, will double the capacity of the hospital's current Radiology Unit and will benefit Palestinian cancer patients by locally providing the highest-quality care available. The accelerator was provided by the U.S. Government through the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Palestinian Health Sector Reform and Development Project. Since its establishment in 1949, AVH has served the medical needs of Palestinian refugees throughout Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza. Sinnott served with the Lutheran World Federation and the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in the Old City section of Jerusalem, one of the six congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), a companion relationship of the New England Synod. AVH is a ministry of the Lutheran World Federation in Jerusalem, which works in partnership with the ELCJHL. Learn more here. |
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The Office of the Bishop of the New England Synod in Worcester, Mass., will be closed April 22 in observance of Good Friday.
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St. Paul, Old Saybrook, Conn., hosts ecological theologian Dr. Santmire April 30-May 1
As part of its emphasis on "Caring for Creation," St. Paul Lutheran Church, Old Saybrook, Conn., will welcome the Rev. Dr. H. Paul Santmire of Watertown,, Mass., a noted speaker and writer on faith and ecology, the weekend of April 30-May 1. On Saturday at 6:30 p.m., Dr. Santmire will discuss the need to weave creation and God's continuing creative activity deeply into the worship life of the Church. On Sunday, he will preach at the 8:30 and 10:45 a.m. worshipservices, as well as lead an adult forum on "Jesus and Ecology?" at 9:40 a.m. For more than 40 years, Dr. Santmire has been addressing ecological issues from a Christian theological perspective, beginning with his groundbreaking book, "Brother Earth: Nature, God, and Ecology in a Time of Crisis" (1970). For more information, contact the church at 860-388-2398 or kimm_stpaul@yahoo.com.
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Opportunities and Resources
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Projec t Connect offers new tool to help congregations spark interest among young adults for public ministry
Congregations ready to spark thinking and conversation among young adults and others who might consider a vocation within the ministries of the church now have a new assessment tool from Project Connect to help them start talking. "Connecting Young Adults with Ministries" weighs 17 factors and provides 12 concrete steps for growing your congregation's work with active young adults. Project Connect is a program of Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (Pa); The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, and Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, S.C.). Check out the assessment tool and additional resources at www.projectconnect.org or contact Don Johnson, executive director of ProjectConnect, at don@projectconnect.org or 603-539-7757.
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LSS seeks to "link" with congregations
Lutheran Social Services (LSS) would be grateful if you would link your congregation's website to the LSS site: www.LSSNE.org. Also, if your church has a Facebook page, LSS would be happy to "like" you and in turn asks that you "like" LSS back! Thanks for supporting LSS in this way - it is mutual! A button is available to use as an icon on church websites for the link to LSS. If you have any questions, just contact Martha Lindberg Mann at mmann@lssne.org.
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