Announcements from the Synod | | |
Nominations for Synod Secretary Due December 1
Persons interested in being considered for possible nomination for Synod Secretary must complete the ONLINE BIOGRAPHICAL FORM by DECEMBER 1, 2012. The election for this officer position will take place at the 2013 Southeastern Synod Assembly in Chattanooga.The position of secretary is open to both clergy and lay members of the synod. The term of office is four years in length, beginning September 1, 2013 and ending August 31, 2017. It is a volunteer position which requires attendance at the Synod Assembly, approximately three Synod Council and Executive Committee meetings per year, and two or three meetings of the Southeastern Lutheran Holding Corporation Board of Directors. The secretary works with synod staff to prepare minutes for all of these meetings. In addition, the Secretary regularly reviews the synod's constitution, bylaws, and continuing resolutions to identify areas in need of change and to suggest specific language for amendments. An ad hoc nominating committee of the Synod Council has been appointed to consider potential nominees. The committee will recommend at least one individual to the Synod Council for official nomination. Note that all persons nominated by the Synod Council must undergo a criminal background check prior to the Synod Assembly.
***********************************
2012 Resource Book Available 
The 2012 issue of the Southeastern Synod Resource Book
***********************************
"Thou Shalt Not Steal"
When your congregation prints a song or liturgy in a bulletin or projects it onto a screen, you should also publish appropriate attribution and copyright information, including any required permissions. Not to do so is both a violation of law and the theft of intellectual property.
|
Lutheran MLK Day of Service | | |
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed in the possibility of a nation free from injustice, discrimination, and hate. He believed that all citizens had the power - and the responsibility - to create a better world by putting into action the principles of love, tolerance, and service to others. MLK Day is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service. The MLK Lutheran Day of Service is the perfect time to respond to Dr. King's challenge. On this day, we have the opportunity to transform his life and teachings into action and help change our communities for the better.
The Lutheran community of Metro Atlanta and the Clarkston Community Center are partnering for MLK Day 2013 on January 21, 2013 to help make Dr. King's vision become a reality by serving some of the most vulnerable individuals in society today - refugees. Clarkston, Georgia has one of the highest concentrations of refugees in the U.S. Refugees come to our country having faced horrendous acts of violence, terrorism, and war yet maintain a spirit of optimism and resilience that serves as an example to us all. Together, we can give them strength.
Congregations are invited to serve on MLK Day 2013 by hosting a congregational MLK Day of Service with one or more service projects for those in need in the neighborhood around the church as well as by sending a team of volunteers from each congregation to participate in the MLK Lutheran Day of Service in Clarkston to benefit refugees resettled by Lutheran Services of Georgia.
Click here to view resources to enable your congregation to host an MLK Day of Service. |
Dealing with Difficult Behaviors: An Alban Learning Retreat | | |
When you encounter blocking, intractable, even abusive behavior, do you wish you were better equipped to deal with it? This more advanced Alban learning experience will help you understand the dynamics behind this behavior and develop skills and approaches that can turn these frustrating and infuriating situations around.
What will you learn?
- To identify when a problem is actually being caused by a difficult person and when something else is the root cause
- When to embrace these individuals, when to negotiate, when to stand your ground, when to withdraw
- How to increase your congregation's ability to maintain health and integrity
Who should attend?
- Clergy and lay leaders who care deeply about creating a healthier congregation better equipped to fulfill God's mission and vision
- Seminary faculty teaching congregational leadership
- Denominational and judicatory staff responsible for dealing with congregational conflict
What else should you know?
- This event will begin with lunch on Tuesday, February 5 and end with lunch on Thursday, February 7. Shared meals are an important part of the learning experience.
- Susan Nienaber, premier consultant in the field of dialogue, healthy congregations, and conflict transformation in faith-based settings will lead this learning experience.
- This event will be held at Epworth By the Sea, a hospitality ministry of the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church, located on St. Simons Island, Georgia--"The Heart of the Golden Isles"
- Tuition fees range from $385 to $430. Lodging and meals vary.
- Scholarship assistance is available for clergy and lay leaders from small congregations.
For more information or to register, visit the Alban website here.
|
ELCA Church Council Adopts Message on Mental Illness | | |
The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) adopted "The Body of Christ and Mental Illness" as an official social message of the church when it met in Chicago Nov. 9-11. The message lifts up the ministries of ELCA congregations, social ministry organizations and others and the urgent need for efforts to make a place for and with people who suffer from mental illness in the church and in society.
One-half of U.S. citizens in their lifetimes will have a serious mental health condition but fewer than half will receive treatment, and the need for understanding and treatment is a crisis affecting the entire nation, according to the statement.
A study in the church found that 16 percent of male clergy and 24 percent of female clergy suffer from depression. Ten years of extended overseas military campaigns have also resulted in a large population of combat veterans who are experiencing mental health issues and are prone to suicide. At the same time, "the veterans' health system is widely deemed inadequate to address the massive mental health needs among our troops," it states.
The ELCA social message serves to encourage learning and moral discourse about mental illness and to shape the ELCA as a church that offers hope, prayer and support for people seeking treatment and support for caregivers and mental health professionals. The ELCA has 12 other social messages on topics ranging from homelessness to immigration, from AIDS to terrorism.
In recent visits to ELCA congregations the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, told the council in his report that he could "feel the excitement" among ELCA members to bear an evangelical witness "in a culture that often sees a very different face of Christianity, hears the gospel in a different accent, if not a different gospel altogether or no gospel, only the law."
"We can be a different face of Christianity," said Hanson. "We are united in our shared commitment to respond together to human suffering," he said. "It is who we are and what we do."....
Read the entire article on the ELCA website.
|
Lutheran Volunteer Corps Highlight | |
Lutheran Volunteer Corps (LVC) unites full-time stipended Volunteers with financial supporters, non-profit organizations and ministries to work for peace with justice across the nation. In addition to working for justice, LVC Volunteers live together in intentional household communities of 4-7 people to encourage simple, sustainable living. Learn more at the Lutheran Volunteer Corps website.
Meet Jeff Banks
Placement: Lutheran Services of Georgia
Hometown: Wilmette, Illinois
College: Davidson College
Major: English
Jeff Banks arrived in Atlanta in August with nine other LVC volunteers. He is placed at Lutheran Services of Georgia which offers programs for adoption, disaster response, employment services, family and children services, foster care, and refugee resettlement for people throughout Georgia. Jeff works as the communications coordinator, blogging, tweeting, and writing for LSG's various social media sites and publications. At LSG, Jeff is learning to treat the stories of LSG's refugee clients as not simply bad, or difficult, or challenging, but to see the story of each individual as complex and particular. Jeff regularly attends Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Atlanta.
A Year of Living Simply and in Community
"For me living simply and in community are spiritual experiences. They are 'spiritual' in the sense that they challenge me to grow; they challenge me to consume less and become less individualistic. I believe that this lifestyle is important for the world and its many ecosystems, but I have also found that it is more fulfilling--that by not going on the Internet, by not watching television, by not reading as many books, I have been able to pay attention to others and to my life more seriously. I certainly can't focus attentively every day, and living in community is difficult, but I strive to pay attention to all people and things around me. And some days I succeed--and this attentiveness brings great joy."
The Future?
"I don't know what the future holds for me, but I hope to spend much of this year reflecting on my gifts and talents and figuring out how I can best use them. I want to discover, to paraphrase Frederick Buechner's much-used phrase, 'the place where my deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.' To that end, I'll probably be spending a lot of my time reading the Bible, sermons, and any other source of wisdom, as well as writing about what I read. I am very grateful to the members of Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Atlanta for letting me read, think, and write in the solitude and silence of the church's library. I am also thankful to the congregation for welcoming me and the other volunteers, and for inviting us to participate in the activities and services of the church."
|
| Post-All Tennessee Youth Gathering | |
A message from Rachel Alley, Assistant to the Bishop for Young Adult and Young Ministries
We had another great year at the All-Tennessee Youth Gathering. This year, we went back to our roots and held the event at a church. Trinity Lutheran in Tullahoma, TN opened their church to over 100 youth and adults. Trinity organized amazing volunteers to cook our meals and we were able to keep the cost down for the gatherers.
Our theme this year was "Love Takes Flight," inspired by 1 John 3:18 which says, "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." After lunch on Saturday, Pastor Alex Hoffner welcomed us to Trinity. Chris Smith, our musician and worship leader for the weekend, led us in some fun songs and Pastor Matt Steinhauer shared our theme.
 After our opening, the youth immediately got busy in t he community. They divided into groups and did service projects all throughout the city of Tullahoma. Mary Beth Smith organized these projects. Some youth visited a nursing home and sang to the residents. Others made homemade dog biscuits and took them to a dog rescue, and still others painted or spread mulch at a daycare center. We had over 10 projects we did in the city. The band Lost and Found joined us at 4:00 pm for a concert.
 On Saturday evening, the youth got a tour of a Beechcraft airplane museum nearby, embodying the theme "Love Takes Flight." Then we returned to Trinity to celebrate with a dance and talent show. On Sunday morning, the youth attended the early service at Trinity. After worship, the members at Trinity hosted a huge potluck brunch for us. During their second worship service, they sent us out with a blessing for us to take our Love into the world.
|
|
| | |
Meet Maya: Story from the ELCA Malaria Campaign
 | |
www.elca.org/malaria
|
Maya Lulanga is less than a year old. Her father, Mike, couldn't have been more thrilled when Maya was born. But he was also scared. Mike knew of many little children who never made it to their fifth birthday.
"Two years ago, close to where I live in Chinsapo, Malawi, a baby girl was born. So beautiful and charming was this little angel with her babyish smile and pink cheeks," Mike remembers. "One day the mother noticed something strange. The baby was shivering and the body temperature was rising. The baby would not stop crying."
 | | Map of Malawi (CIA World Factbook) |
The little girl had malaria. A preventable, treatable disease caused by the bite of an infected mosquito. When she passed away she was only three months old.
To most of us in the United States, mosquitoes are nothing more than a nuisance. But in Malawi and many parts of Africa, just one bite from a mosquito could transmit malaria and lead to death. By providing mosquito nets, medication and comprehensive health education, the ELCA Malaria Campaign is working to eliminate deaths from this disease---for good.
By sleeping under an insecticide-treated mosquito net, Mike, baby Maya, and the rest of the family have stayed healthy for almost a year. And so have many other families in the community.
But that's not all. "The money which could have been used for medical bills [to treat malaria] is now used for other things. It helps me and my family save money." With savings and good health, the future looks bright for baby Maya.
For more stories from the ELCA Malaria Campaign or to donate to help fight malaria, visit the ELCA website here.
|
| Around the Synod | |
Reflections of a First Time WELCA Convention Delegate
Diana Palma, WELCA 2012 Delegate
 | |
Redeemer 2012 Convention Attendees--L to R
Jennie Mae Hill, Lorraine Dorough, Kathy Hill, Kristi Clark, Share Kilpatrick, Jeanna Andersen, (and attended but not pictured) Jacque Peppel and Rozella White |
When was the last time you spent a weekend with 200 Lutheran women of all ages from all over the Southeastern U.S.? Well, I'd never had that experience before, but I am still inspired weeks later, and I want to share some of the reasons why:
Three days of sharing stories about each other's lives; praying, singing, dancing, celebrating successes in the Southeastern Synod of the ELCA; learning which charitable projects we support; choosing charitable project goals for the coming year; meeting warmhearted Southeastern Synod clergy, staff and volunteers; attending workshops and worshiping; and reflecting on all the opportunities in the coming year.
If it has been a long time for you, or if you have not been able to participate before, then I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to join us in Natchez, Mississippi from September 20-22, 2013 for the next annual Southeastern Synod Women of the ELCA Convention!
For over forty years I have attended, organized, and presented at many types of conventions, yet I have never returned more refreshed, invigorated, and vitalized with renewed sense of purpose to promote the work of our Lord. The gift I received by attending my first WELCA Convention is the true sense of value we possess as Lutheran women in today's Southeastern Synod of the ELCA.
Click here to read more of Diana's reflections on this year's WELCA Convention.
|
| View the entire Synod Calendar | | |
Nov 22-23
Synod Office Closed for Thanksgiving
Nov 26-28
Lutheridge Almost Free Youth Gathering
Dec 1
Budget and Finance Committee Meeting
Dec 24-26
Southeastern Synod Office Closed for Christmas
Dec 28
Synod Council Reports Due
|
Share this e-news with a friend Do you know someone who might enjoy receiving news from the Southeastern Synod? Please forward a copy of this E-News and invite them to join the group!
ELCA-Southeastern Synod
100 Edgewood Ave. NE, Suite 1600
Atlanta, GA 30303
404-589-1977
|
|
