Southeastern Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
God's work. Our hands.
E-News Weekly |
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Issue: #351
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January 03, 2013
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By Rebecca H. Kolowé, Diaconal Minister
Director for Evangelical Mission and Assistant to the Bishop
It's that time of year again! It's time to make New Year's Resolutions. Do you participate in this tradition? If you do, the list of possibilities for resolutions is endless: lose weight (a very popular option), eat better, spend more time with your kids, get a new job, make more money, quit a bad habit, or something else.
We human beings enjoy making New Year's Resolutions, I think, because we enjoy the possibility of getting a "do-over." We like the thought that we can fix the things we may have messed up, or can try again at something at which we wish we were better. We are constantly seeking to improve ourselves, our situations, our relationships. This is part of who we are.
Read the rest of this reflection on our synod blog.
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Eleven Tips for a Healthy New Year
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A message from Connie Pearson
Team Leader of the Health Ministries Task Force
It is once again time to think about how to stay safe and healthy during the New Year. While these tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics are directed primarily toward children, there is something here for all ages. Keep these tips handy throughout the year and resolve to make your 2013 healthy!
Do a "childproofing" survey of your home -A "child's eye view" home survey should include a room to room inspection with removal of all "booby traps" that await the curious toddler or preschooler. When surveying, think of poisons, small objects, sharp edges, knives, firearms and places to fall. Even older children can be at risk just because they are kids.
Practice "safety on wheels" - Make sure everyone in the car is buckled up for every ride, with children in the back seat in age-appropriate child safety seats. All bikers, skaters and skateboarders should wear helmets and other appropriate sports gear. Stay off of the telephone while driving even if you have a hands-free system. The life you save could be your own or a child's mother or father.
Ask your neighbors - Ask your neighbor if they have a gun before sending your kids over to play. If the answer is NO, that's one less thing you have to worry about. If the answer is YES, you have to determine if your child's safety is at risk. Guns should be kept in a gun safe with the ammunition locked separately or they pose a real risk to your child.
Develop an emergency plan - Check smoke detectors once a month to ensure that they are working properly. Involve all family members in developing fire and tornado emergency plans. Hold practice fire and tornado drills several times a year so that everyone in the family knows what to do in case of an emergency. Teach young children the primary phone number for reaching a parent or trusted adult and how to dial the phone in case of an emergency.
Click here for more tips on how to have a happy and healthy New Year!
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Website and E-News Changes: Help Us Name the E-News!
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 If you have visited the Southeastern Synod website in the last couple of weeks, then you have noticed that it looks a bit different. The Synod Staff are in the process of making changes to it so that it is easier for us to use and manage and so that it is easier for visitors to find what they need and to make connections with one another. Changes will continue to be made gradually over the next couple of months. In the meantime, if you experience any problems with it or cannot find something you are looking for, please contact Michelle Angalet or Abby Koning in the Synod Office. In addition, our weekly E-news will be undergoing some significant changes in the near future. As we look to roll-out a newly formatted electronic newsletter, we invite you to help us give it a name. Now through January 31, please send us your suggestions for a name for our Southeastern Synod E-news. Entries can be submitted to Michelle Angalet. We can't wait to hear your ideas! |
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Anxiety & Hope
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Anxiety & Hope is the theme of the January/February 2013 issue of the Journal of Lutheran Ethics (JLE). In the midst of an anxiety-laden world, from the economy, to the shrinking church (click here to see an excerpt from the cover story of the January issue of The Lutheran on the subject), to war and violence, the church has an opportunity to use its voice to speak boldly about its message of hope.
We invite you to explore this timely issue of the JLE and to consider subscribing to receive future issues. JLE is a free, bi-monthly online publication living out the Lutheran tradition of addressing social issues theologically, using the resources of historical, theological, and ethical tradition, biblical interpretation, and social sciences. Note, too, the book review by our own Delmer Chilton.
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Community Organizing at the Lutheran Theological Center in Atlanta
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 The Lutheran Theological Center in Atlanta announces a One-Day Workshop entitled Community Organizing and the One-to-One "Relational Meeting": Practical Applications. The field of community organizing offers a great tool for building or deepening relationships within congregations as well as in the broader community. This workshop will also give you the opportunity to engage in and discover the practical applications of a community organizing tool known as the one-to-one relational meeting. The one-to-one is a natural but uncommon conversation, talking and listening with someone you want to know or know better. The one-to-one relational meeting is fundamental for effective community work. It's a natural approach that flows from your curiosity and how your conversation partner responds. Learn how the "One-to-One" can be an effective tool for enhancing public speaking, selecting issues for action, increasing involvement in public activity, and for heightening your organization's public profile.
The Rev. Susan Engh, Director for Congregation-Based Organizing (CBO) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, will facilitate. This workshop will be held on Wednesday, January 16, 2013, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 pm at LTCA, 700 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Atlanta, GA 30310. The $30 cost includes lunch. For information and registration, call or e-mail the Lutheran Theological Center in Atlanta at (404) 614-6328 or at ltcaadmin@itc.edu. Join the conversation!
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First Call Retreat Now Open to All Rostered Leaders
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Our First Call Theological Education Retreat is being opened to all rostered leaders in the Southeastern Synod. The First Call Retreat is a time for spiritual refreshment, worship, colleague support, and plain old fun. Attendees will participate in a Lenten text study led by Bishop H. Julian Gordy. The retreat will take place at Lutheranch in Tallapoosa, GA from noon on Monday, January 14 to noon on Wednesday, January 16. There is a $100 fee. Space is limited, so interested persons should contact Pr. Delmer Chilton at 404-556-6238 as soon as possible.
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Submit Your 2013 Statement of Intent Forms
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The 2013 Mission Support Statement of Intent forms are now available in both English and Spanish on the new synod website by clicking here. Please fill out and submit your 2013 forms as soon as possible.
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Upcoming MLK Day Opportunities
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As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Day rapidly approaches, here are some opportunities for commemoration and service throughout the Southeastern Synod.
Lutheran Day of Service in Clarkston, GA
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 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. On the Lutheran Day of Service, we have the opportunity to transform his life and teachings into action and help change our community for the better.
This year, the Lutheran community of metro Atlanta and the Clarkston Community Center are partnering to help make Dr. King's vision of a nation free from injustice, discrimination, and hate a reality. Together, we will serve some of the most vulnerable individuals in contemporary society - refugees. Clarkston, GA has one of the highest concentrations of refugees in the U.S. Refugees come to our country having faced violence, terrorism, and war yet maintain a spirit of optimism and resilience that serves as an example to us all.
Your congregation is invited to serve on MLK Day 2013 by sending a team of volunteers to participate in the Lutheran Day of Service to benefit refugees resettled by Lutheran Services of Georgia. This year's Day of Service will take place on January 21, 2013, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Clarkston Community Center (3701 College Ave, Clarkston, GA 30021). Opportunities for service include:
- Sorting and packaging rice for refugee families
- Sorting and packaging pots and pans for refugee families
- Cleaning up the neighborhood surrounding the Clarkston Community Center
- Distributing and sorting incoming book donations for the children of Clarkston
All volunteers are strongly encouraged to bring one or more of the following items to the Day of Service: a bag of rice of any size; pots, pans, or other flatware; new children's books. To help coordinate service opportunities, volunteers are asked to register in advance online here.
Congregations are also encouraged to for reflection and worship, either before or after serving with us. Congregational resources for preparation, worship, reflection, or organizing your own MLK Day of Service project are available here.
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Worship and Sing at the MLK Celebration Service
On Sunday, January 20, 2013, join us for this year's special MLK service of worship and celebration. The Celebration Service will bring Lutherans together to remember MLK's vision of justice and inclusive, beloved community. The service will begin at 3:00 pm at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd at 3099 Chapel Hill Rd in Douglasville, GA, 30135. As a part of your offering, please considering bringing bags of rice that will be used for the Lutheran Day of Service.
Also, if you are interested in being part of a Mass Choir for the MLK workship service, please contact Randy Stephens at (678) 639-4477 or Bernice Bland at (404) 294-9247. Tentative rehearsal dates are Saturday, 1 to 2:30 pm on January 12, 2013 and January 19, 1 to 2:30 pm, both at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 3099 Chapel Hill Rd, Douglasville, GA 30135.
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The House I Live In:
The House I Live In is a 2012 Sundance Award winning film on the consequences of America's failed drug war and the injustices of the current criminal justice system. In January of 2013, Charlotte Street Films and Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference are inviting high schools and faith communities to host screenings of this film as part of a national day of education. Click here to view the trailer or to learn about how your congregation can host a screening .
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Springs of Water in the Central African Republic
From ELCA LifeLines, Summer 2012
 | | Photo: Joe Troester/ELCA |
In the Central African Republic, ELCA World Hunger is helping lead the way to clean, safe water even in the most remote areas.
Here, concrete spring boxes are the best way to make clean water available. A spring is enclosed in a covered box that keeps animals and debris out, and pipes carry the clean water to a place where people can conveniently collect it.
ELCA missionary Joe Troester, who builds spring boxes and promotes sanitation throughout the Republic, says, "They are one of the most cost-effective ways of increasing access to safe drinking water. Once built, spring boxes require very little or no maintenance and usually last for decades."
 | Central African Republic.
CIA World Factbook |
But clean water is only one part of preventing waterborne diseases. Hand-washing is a crucial element in the equation, and so Joe also constructs hand-washing stations at schools and health centers, and teaches people how and why to use them.
Each spring box brings clean, safe water to as many as 2,000 villages. Sanitary latrines and hand-washing stations make a difference, too. Waterborne illnesses decrease. People are healthier.
And the women and children who used to spend hours every day fetching water can spend that time with school, work, and family.
Click here to read this and other stories about the ELCA's work around the globe.
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| View the entire Synod Calendar | | |
Jan 11-12
Talking Together as Christians Cross-Culturally
Nashville, TN
Jan 14-16
First Call Theological Education Retreat
Jan 18-19
Synod Council Meeting
Jan 20
MLK Worship and Celebration Service
Jan 21
Lutheran MLK Day of Service
Jan 24-27
ELCA Youthworkers Extravaganza in Anaheim, CA
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ELCA-Southeastern Synod
100 Edgewood Ave. NE, Suite 1600
Atlanta, GA 30303
404-589-1977
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