New England Synod
NES News 
Season of Pentecost

June 6, 2012 

In This Issue
Van Driver Needed to Transport People with Disabilities at Synod Assembly
All You Need to Know to Prepare for Synod Assembly
LSS Names Forsberg as Interim President, CEO

Synod Assembly

 

Volunteer Needed to Drive Van for People with Disabilities on Sunday

A van to transport people with disabilities or who need some assistance with walking will run between the three hotels being used for our assembly and the MassMutual Center on Friday and Saturday. To date, we have been unable to find a volunteer to drive this van on Sunday, so we cannot guarantee transportation on Sunday.  If you, or someone you know, would be willing to volunteer to drive the van -- no special license needed, please contact Pr. Alice Kerr Laird immediately at aklaird@nesynod.org.

 

All You Need to Know to Prepare for Synod Assembly

  • The Annual Assembly of the New England Synod, "Trusting in Partnership," will be held June 8-10 at the MassMutual Center, Springfield, Mass. We will elect a new synod bishop. Tentative  agenda.
  • Commuter parking is available for $7 a day in the tiered parking building on Falcon's Way, across from the MassMutual Center. Parking on the open lot varies in price.
  • All voting members must register by 5 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday, June 7, in order to vote

    on the first ballot for bishop. Register now. Registration for non-voters has closed due to space restrictions.

  • No printed copies of the online pre-assembly material will be provided. However, there is free wireless at the MassMutual Center, so materials can be downloaded from a laptop, tablet or other electronic device right there.
  • Follow all the action on the synod website, as well as via Facebook: www.facebook.com/nesynod and Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/NESynod. The Twitter Hashtag to follow the assembly is #nesassembly.
  • Photos and bios of all nominees for synod elections (except synod bishop) are now online. Forms for nominations from the floor on Friday afternoon will be available at the Nominations Desk.
  • Bio forms for synod bishop nominees are now online.
  • Rostered leaders are invited to vest and process at the closing Eucharist Sunday, June 10, at approximately 10 a.m. The service will include several ordinations and a commissioning. Color of the day is red.
  • The Office of the Bishop will relocate from Worcester, Mass., to the MassMutual Center during the assembly. Phone: 413.271.3605.
  • The Office of the Bishop will be closed Monday, June 11, after the assembly, and reopen Tuesday, June 12.
Around the Synod
LSS Names Forsberg as Interim President, CEO
Forsberg

David P. Forsberg has been named interim president and CEO of Lutheran Social Services. He assumed his new responsibilities June 1. Forsberg, a lifelong member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Worcester, Mass., recently stepped down as president of the Worcester Business Development Corporation (WBDC), where he continues to serve as a senior advisor. 

 

Jeffrey Kinney, chair of the LSS Board of Directors, said, "We are fortunate that David has agreed to take on this challenge. He is the perfect person to lead us through this transition and help build a foundation for new permanent leadership."

  

Heather Feltman, president and CEO of LSS since 2007, recently left to pursue new professional opportunities in the Chicago area. 

 

"LSS has always been an important part of my life," said Forsberg, who served on the agency's board of directors for the last 10 years. "I am proud to join the LSS team and grateful to the WBDC for giving me the flexibility to assume this new role." 

 

Forsberg served in LSS' predecessor agency, The Lutheran Service Association (LSA), from 1984-1989. During those years, he was responsible for management and clinical oversight of community based programs, including residential treatment, mental health, developmental disabilities, family counseling, international adoption and refugee resettlement.

While at LSA, Forsberg was instrumental in developing the Florence House, a transitional housing program in Worcester for homeless teen mothers and their children. He also established LSS' first international adoption program. The David Forsberg Transitional Living Program in Worcester, which today serves 55 adults with developmental disabilities, is named for him.
 
Forsberg is a graduate of Bowdoin College and received his masters in urban affairs from Boston University in 1974.  He also studied at Harvard Divinity School. He has served the city of Worcester and the Commonwealth in many capacities. In 1990, he was appointed secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As a member of the Governor's cabinet, he was responsible for human service and healthcare policy, as well as managing a $6 billion budget and 17 different departments, agencies and offices.

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