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Assembly Elects First 'Native Son' Synod Bishop;
Bishop-elect Hazelwood to Be Installed Sept. 29
 The Rev. James E. Hazelwood, 53, pastor of St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Charlestown, R.I., since 1993, was elected June 9 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the New England Synod. He succeeds the Rev. Margaret G. Payne, the farmer's wife who retires Aug. 31 after serving two terms as synod bishop. Bishop-elect Hazelwood, who begins his new call Sept. 1, will be installed Saturday, Sept. 29, at 2 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, Worcester, Mass.
Bishop-elect Hazelwood, who was born in Concord, Mass., will be the first native New Englander and the first parish pastor to serve as our synod bishop since the ELCA was founded in 1987. He also may be the first "native son" to ever serve in this role in of any of the predecessor bodies of the ELCA in New England, dating back to at least the 1920s. His family left New England when he was four years old, and he later attended schools and seminary in California.
For more assembly news, click here. We'll be adding photos and video clips soon. |
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2013 Synod Assembly
The 2013 Annual Assembly of the New England Synod will be held June 7-9, 2013 (Friday through Sunday) at the MassMutual Center, Springfield, Mass. |
Synod to Honor Bishop Payne Sept. 15 at Retirement Celebration
 The New England Synod will honor Bishop Margaret G. Payne with a Celebration of Her Ministry Saturday, Sept, 15, beginning at noon at the Pleasant Valley Country Club in Sutton, Mass. Lunch will be served at 1 p.m. Bishop Payne retires Aug. 31 after having served two terms (12 years) as bishop of the New England Synod.
Registration for the celebration will be done only online. Please register as soon as possible as seating is limited. Each person must register separately, using their own unique email address.
As a retirement gift, monetary donations are being accepted in 10 dollar increments from $10 up to $200 to benefit the "Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) Libraries Project: Opening a World of Possibilities," which provides books and cataloging software for the ELCJHL Library. You can make a contribution when you register for the celebration or you may send a check payable to "New England Synod" (with the notation "Bishop Retirement Gift" on the memo line) to: New England Synod, PO Box 13, Worcester, MA 01614-0013. |
 Help Us Decide How To Spend The Money!
Remember when you were getting hounded every week to fill out the Portal/Board of Pensions health survey? Well, you all did it, and $18,000 came back to our synod. That's right, $18,000! Now the Health and Wholeness Team needs some input on how to direct some of these dollars toward improving rostered leaders' health. If you are a rostered leader, please take 10 minutes right now to follow the link below and take the survey. The deadline is June 30. Your input makes a difference in shaping the offerings in the coming year that support your health. Click here to take the survey.
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Doing What Matters Sunday Yields Some 'Fruitful' Results
 As part of the New England Synod's ongoing mission strategy, congregations throughout our region were encouraged to "go where love leads and serve where love calls" by having a "Doing What Matters Sunday" in their churches. Several of them chose May 13, including Bethesda, Springfield, Mass., and St. James, Barrington, R.I. As Kim Bergstrand, a lay leader at St. James reports, "We actually had two completely different formats -- one for the contemporary service and one for the traditional. We had members of the congregation break into small groups, discuss the questions with their neighbors, and then record their answers. I gave a brief overview of the Doing What Matters strategy, and then we took some quiet time after the message to complete the community surveys."
 | | Cake at St. James |
As part of the process, each church member was given three sticky notes -- one each for assets, passions and resources. They were asked to make up lists for each category and to post their answers on the back wall of the church on their way out of worship. "It was a wonderful, visual representation of all the gifts God has given us," said Bergstrand. "We saw that we at St. James truly had blessings in abundance. It was a fruitful day!" After worship, the congregation celebrated with a cake decorated with the synod's purpose statement.
In Western Massachusetts, Bethesda Lutheran and East Church (UCC) took a slightly different approach. Pr. Lauren Holm, who leads both congregations, decided to ask some important questions while giving her sermon. For example, "What do you see happening where you live, work and worship that is breaking God's heart?" The answers ranged from hunger and homelessness, to crime, bullying and discrimination. And what makes God smile? According to the two churches, rebuilding, a sense of community, neighbors helping neighbors, and -- appropriately -- "smiling at strangers on the street."
Some of the answers to one question hit very close to home for parishioners. The responses to, "What good things are happening right here in our congregation?" included everything from tutoring, community gardens, basketball and visitation of shut-ins to "Kevin's getting married" and "welcoming those who are here for the first time."
Synod Assembly has come and gone, but it's not too late to plan a "Doing What Matters" Sunday at your congregation. All of the resources you need are on the synod website -- including worship suggestions and readings. Then you can add your church's community survey to the "pile" Pr. Lisa Hazelwood already has on her desk! |
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