Provincial officials say 40 per cent of the town of Slave Lake, Alta., has been destroyed or damaged by wildfires which swept into the community with little warning Sunday night, forcing thousands to flee their homes.nload an electronic copy of the Workbook... <...full story >*

*picture and news clip courtesy of cbc.ca   

Relief Efforts:

Edmonton, AB: 

 CUCA is accepting donations for the victims of the Slave Lake fire! (Rexall is operating as one of the evac. centers.)

Drop off clothing, blankets, towels, toys and toiletries at Student and Enrolment Services in the Hole Academic Center.

Red Deer, AB:

A clothing drive has been started to help those affected by these fires. Clothing of all sizes is needed. If you have anything to donate, your donations can be dropped off at: JOE DUMONT FITNESS 403-348-5338 and GROWING LIKE A WEED 403-347-4769 - both in Red Deer. Whatever you can spare will be very much appreciated. Volunteers are also needed to assemble these items please call SHELLEY at 403-505-3354 if you can help out. MONEY IS ALSO NEEDED, you can donate over the phone through the Red Cross at 1-800-418-1111. Even small amounts add up.  

lccabc.ca - for updates on relief efforts 

A Call to Prayer from President Robert Bugbee 

Dear members and friends of Lutheran Church-Canada:

Our co-workers here at Synod's office in Winnipeg have prayed repeatedly for people affected by the flood threat now engulfing many parts of the province of Manitoba and elsewhere. The authorities seek to minimize damage to towns and other populated areas, and yet our hearts go out to farmers and others whose land will be covered with water because of the measures often taken to protect homes and families.

It is heartening to know of the great volunteer spirit here on the prairies, where many people put in long hours of strenuous work to erect sandbag dikes and other defences against the rising water. For the children of God who trust in Jesus Christ, it is even more comforting to realize that the Lord of winds and waves knows how to help. Above all, He cares. St. Paul meant what he said, "He Who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all-how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:39 NIV). Does that mean there will be an easy end to the flooding of 2011? Perhaps not. It does mean that the people of God will have what they need to cope, to endure, and even to grow in the middle of a disaster.

Whether you live near the flooded areas, as I do, or are in some region that right now seems pleasant, high and dry, I hope you'll spend time in the coming days to pray the Lord's blessing on your beleaguered fellow Canadians threatened by the flooding. Ask God to stand by them. Ask Him to bless the efforts of those trying to help them. Ask Him, too, to give opportunities to His children to give witness to Christ and the peace He shares with people, even in their darkest hours.

Robert Bugbee, President

Lutheran Church-Canada

Canadian Lutheran Online Stories:

Slave Lake, AB: 

http://www.canadianlutheran.ca/lutheran-university-college-responds-to-slave-lake-fire/ 

Manitoba:  

http://www.canadianlutheran.ca/lutheran-evacuees-say-manitoba-flood-crisis-now-in-god%E2%80%99s-hands/ 

June 3rd - 6th - Hamilton

 

click here to download an electronic copy of the Workbook

click here to see and download the proposed resolutions for the 2011 Synod Convention 

• June 1st - Registration for Sabbatical Week  
• June 15th - Nominations for Excellence in Lutheran Education Award. 

Our ABC District Convention in 2009 passed a resolution encouraging ABC District to develop a partner relationship with the New South Wales District of the Lutheran Church of Australia.

In this issue of ABC Connect, we are introducing the congregations of the New South Wales District and encouraging the members of ABC District to pray for our fellow Lutherans as we introduce them.

In this issue, we feature St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Albury, NSW  (map) and their pastor  Rev Geoff Kuchel.  Their mission statement is:

St Luke's Lutheran Church is dedicated to preach, teach and live the Gospel so that people will know Jesus Christ and grow in faith toward him and in loving service to others.

To find out more about the mission and ministry of St. Luke's, check out their website at  www.lutheranchurchalbury.org.au.   

Please keep Rev. Kuchel and St. Luke's in your prayers this week. 

The Edmonton Lutheran School Society invites applications for the position of Principal / Developer for King of Kings Lutheran School, effective August 1, 2011. King of Kings Lutheran School offers a quality education on a firm foundation to students from Kindergarten to Grade 6. ..read full posting 

Kelti Malone has been chosen to serve as a missionary to North East Edmonton as she works with the participants of the new outreach initiative known as The Olive Branch.  As missionary to NE Edmonton, Kelti's responsibilities include:

1. Seeking/searching for those who are lost and sharing God's Word with people in the Clareview community. 
2. Networking and developing relationships with neighbouring community leaders and organizations (e.g. local schools) for the purpose of being able to share God's Gospel and mobilizing God's people for acts of loving service in the community.
3. Identifying Christian lay leadership within the NE Edmonton community who will be trained and equipped by the missionary to be lay missionaries to their community.
4. Training all Olive Branch participants to be missionaries in their vocations.

 Kelti has been a lifelong member of Grace Lutheran Church in Edmonton and recently initiated a singing career through which she proclaims the Word of God.  She composes and performs her own music.  

Please keep Kelti and The Olive Branch. Watch for details regarding Kelti's commissioning service.  

Short-term Mission Participants Needed in Kitimat

Prayer for those involved in the Transforming for Missions (T4M) Process

Christ Lutheran Church in Markerville is preparing for their Transforming for Missions weekend consultation scheduled for June 10-12. In preparation for the weekend, they are conducting a congregational self-study and they are working through a six week Bible study, "Motivation for Missions."  

Three other congregations in the ABC District have gone through the T4M weekend consultation and are working on the prescriptions that were prescribed by the T4M teams.  These congregations are: Grace (Edmonton), St. Peter's (Leduc), and St. Paul's (Chilliwack).  Pray that God's Spirit will transform these congregations as they immerse themselves in the Word of God and as they engage their communities with the Gospel of God. 

Our friends in the LCMS Northern California, Nevada, and Hawaii District have requested that we pray for two of their congregations that are going through the T4M process.  Please pray for God's people at:  St. John (Clearlake, CA)/First (Lucerne, CA) who had a T4M consultation on May 13-15 and for the congregation of Grace Lutheran in Crescent City, CA who will be having a T4M consultation on June 3-5.

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflectthe Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)

Nominations must be received by June 15, 2011