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 LSS Moves from Wellesley to WorcesterLutheran Social Services (LSS) has moved its main office from Wellesley, Mass., to the third floor of a rehabilitated factory building at 12-14 East Worcester St., Suite 300, Worcester, MA 01604. CEO Heather Feltman said, "We are happy to be at home in Worcester, amid the people we serve." Please join LSS staff for an open house Thursday, March 29, from 4-6 p.m. to celebrate the new location, as well as140 years of human service in New England on behalf of the Lutheran church. |
 Advocacy Conference to Focus on Federal Budget PrioritiesThe 10th Annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace (EAD) with Justice will be held March 23-26 in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the ELCA Advocacy Network. In this era of economic and political urgency, as critical decisions are being made about U.S. federal budget priorities and as national elections are fast approaching, EAD asks, "Is This the Fast I Seek?" Participants will explore economy, livelihood and our national priorities through the lens of Isaiah 58. Join other Christians in seeking a global economy and a national budget that break the yokes of injustice, poverty, hunger and unemployment throughout the world - heeding Isaiah's call to become "repairers of the breach and restorers of streets to live in." Register now. Scholarship money is available, especially for youth. |
 St. Ansgar Hosts Interfaith Conference Feb. 4 in Portland, Maine
An interfaith conference, "The Future of Religious Communities: Will They Be Here for Us?" will be held Saturday Feb. 4, at 6 p.m. at St. Ansgar Lutheran Church, 515 Woodford St., Portland, Maine. The event is sponsored by
the Portland Discernment Group , a gathering of faith leaders seeking to find and promote spiritual growth and renewal in our faith communities, and to foster interfaith dialogue and fellowship. All are invited to join them for conversation about the challenges and signs of hope springing within each of our religious circles. For more information email conference2012@saintansgar.org. |
Doing What Matters: Listening to Your Community
 The great theologian Karl Barth was reported to have said that we should, "read the Bible with one hand, and the newspaper with the other." In other words, our hearing of the Bible is always influenced by our time and place, as well as the issues and needs that are most meaningful to us as individuals, congregations and communities. Last week, we talked about listening to each other. The next step is to go and listen to people in our community. For most of us, that translates into those towns, neighborhoods and school districts where we have roots, influence and reach. The A Renewal Enterprise (ARE) book, Seeing Through New Eyes: The PAWN Process for Faith-Based Organizations, as well as the New England Synod's Visioning Toolkit may help you and your congregation begin to "go where love leads" by listening to your community. Feel free to mix and match the tools in this toolkit -- or make up your own way of gathering information about the assets, needs and wows in your community and congregation. Just remember: God is at work in our lives, in our congregations and in the lives of our neighbors. So, take a good look around ... talk to anyone who will give you a minute ... and really look at what you have, what God is already doing, and those whom God is using to do it. Let's expect God to show us both the greatest needs in our communities, and the assets we already have to begin to meet those needs. God is on the loose ... so let's be who we are, see what we have, and do what matters to God!
Click here to locate all "Doing What Matters" resources, including the visioning toolkit. (Look for the resources under "Downloads" toward the bottom of the page.) |
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