Southeastern Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
God's work. Our hands.
E-News Weekly |
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Issue: #352
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January 09, 2013
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Presiding Bishop to Preach in Tennessee
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Reprinted from the Tennessean
[The Reverend] Mark Hanson, the presiding bishop of the 4 million member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), will be visiting and preaching in Nashville and Franklin next weekend.
Bishop Hanson will be preaching sermons at Christ Lutheran Church in Nashville on Saturday and St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Franklin on Sunday. All services and events will be open to the public.
He will begin his visit and host a breakfast and morning prayer at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday at Christ Lutheran, 299 Haywood Lane, Nashville. The Rev. H. Julian Gordy, bishop of the ELCA Southeastern Synod, will preside over a service of Holy Communion with Bishop Hanson preaching at 1 p.m. followed by a reception and closing remarks.
On Sunday the bishop will visit St. Andrew Lutheran Church, 908 Murfreesboro Road, Franklin, where he will preach at 8:30 and 11 a.m. worship services and host a discussion session between services. Following the late service, a lunch and reception for Bishop Hanson will be held at 12:30 p.m. at the church.
Click here to read more about Bishop Hanson's visit.
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The Church We Hope To See
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By Rachel Alley
Assistant to the Bishop for Young Adult and Youth Ministries.
Four times a year, I receive a journal from the ELCA Youthworkers Network. The latest edition was entitled "The Church We Hope To See." This statement made me a little angry. The church "we" hope to see? "We" haven't been doing so well. It's been a rough couple of decades for Protestant churches. Worship attendance, membership, and giving are down. The largest growing religious affiliation in the United States is "None". Nearly one in five adults claim no religion--20%, up from 15% in 2007. Only 40% of our country self-identifies as being a Protestant Christian whereas in 1972 Protestants comprised over two-thirds of the population. Even in the ELCA, the trends are similar. Since 1990 we have lost over one million people and 1,000 congregations. In that span of time, 64 of 65 synods have experienced an overall decline.
Among the many articles in the journal was a Facebook conversation. The Connect journal editing team had asked, "What does the future of the church look like?" There were many responses. Too many for me to share with you, but a few caught my eye and gave me hope:
"Not in our hands, in God's."
"There will be one. We may not recognize it. It will be good, because God is."
"I hope there are lasers. Man that would be cool."....
Visit our blog to read the rest of the responses and share your vision for the future of the church.
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New Year, New ID Cards, and Other New Year Reminders
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Last week new ID cards were mailed to all rostered leaders. ID cards contain your Leader's Key, a unique identifying number used by the Office of Secretary for each rostered leader in our ELCA. Please remember to sign it and put it in your wallet or another place for safe keeping.
 Reports Due February 15! Send Your Congregational (Parochial) Report: It is the responsibility of the pastor of each congregation to see that this report is completed and submitted. This annual report is necessary to keep accurate records on congregational, synodical, and churchwide levels. In addition, these statistics are used to determine the number of votes each synod may have at Churchwide Assembly. Click here for information and instructions on submitting your report. If you need additional assistance in submitting this report, please contact the synod office. Send Your Rostered Leaders Report: All rostered leaders who are not retired should complete this report annually. In order to do so, please be certain that the latest version of Formatta Filler is installed on your computer. Click here for more information and to access the report. Once completed, please email them to bishop@elca-ses.org or you can send a copy to Southeastern Synod Office. Send Your 2013 Statement of Intent Form: The 2013 Mission Support Statement of Intent forms are now available in both English and Spanish on the new synod website. Click here to access the forms. Please fill out and submit your 2013 forms as soon as possible. Health Assessment
 It's that time of the year again: Portico Health Assessment. Not only does this program remind us of the need to be good stewards of our health for the sake of our ministries, but ELCA employers (congregations, seminaries, other organizations) earn a 2% discount on their health contribution payments if 65% or more of the ELCA-primary plan members and eligible spouses take the online Mayo Clinic Health Assessment between Jan. 1 and April 30, 2013. It only takes 10-20 minutes and you get $150 in wellness dollars just for taking the assessment! Plus, if you do the follow-up activities, you can earn even more wellness dollars! Click here to get started. Last year, for the first time, we made our goal in the Southeastern Synod. Let's make it two in a row!
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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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Lutheran Day at Georgia Tech Basketball
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Georgia Tech vs. Virginia Tech
January 12, 2013 at 2:30 p.m.
McCamish Pavilion
Whether you bleed old gold and white or any other collegiate colors, come enjoy a day of college basketball and benefit those in need at the 2nd annual Lutheran Day at Georgia Tech Basketball on Saturday, January 12 at 2:30 p.m. You get to watch the Yellow Jackets take on the Virginia Tech Hokies while Lutheran Services of Georgia raises money with each ticket sold for its adoption and foster care services, as well as for its programs supporting developmentally disabled children and adults. Even a diehard Bulldogs fan would watch a Georgia Tech game to support such a good cause! Bring your kids, friends, parents, and all other basketball fans with you to watch the encounter between these two ACC heavyweights. It's the perfect way to spend a chilly January afternoon! To purchase your tickets for $23, please contact Mary Kay Kates at mkates@lsga.org or at 678-686-9601.
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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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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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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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Opportunities at Lutheridge + Lutherock Ministries
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Standing on the Promise for Lutheranch Congregation Leader Training
To fund the construction of the Lutheranch camp and conference center, Standing on the Promise seeks to raise $4.9 million in gifts from individuals, families, congregations, and foundations across the Southeastern Synod. On February 2, 2013, Standing on the Promise will offer two Congregational Leader Training sessions for those who will engage congregations in giving. The training will take place at the Lutheranch Holy Trinity House at 333 McGinnis Road, Tallapoosa, GA 30176. There are two different training time opportunities so that you can choose the one that works best for you. The first training session will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon and the second from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Refreshments will be served and materials will be provided for each congregation. Please RSVP to Libby Bedenbaugh at libby@llmi.org or by cell phone at 803-940-6523.
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Summertime Programs and Events
Registration for the summer of 2013 at Lutheridge + Lutherock + Luther Springs is now open! Be sure to check out the exciting new programs and opportunities to save on your camp fee!
Here are links to all the information you'll need to make the summer of 2013 one you'll never forget:
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Faith Alive! at Lutheridge: Campfirmation Retreats for Youth (Grades 5-10)
Unique curriculum uses experiential learning to leave lasting lessons. Lutheridge staff provides supervision for campers, staying in cabins with them and sharing their unique and faithful witness. Campers can come alone or with a group. Lessons are geared to middle school, but 5th grade and high school youth are welcome to attend. (Campers will be placed in cabin groups by age so older/younger youth will be together.) Adult leaders are welcome and encouraged to participate, but not required to attend. Each camper creates a "witness" to share learning back home. The program design and oversight are by Pastors Mary and Tim Canniff-Kuhn, with involvement from others.
FEBRUARY 15-17
Holy Baptism: This retreat teaches the centrality of sacrament in Lutheran worship. Youth will experience baptism as the sacrament of belonging. We are God's forever! (Wilderness Cabins)
Holy Communion: The sacrament of Communion takes on deeper meaning as the meal of forgiveness, nourishment and community, central to Lutheran worship. (Lakeside Cottages)
APRIL 19-21
Ten Commandments: Youth learn the Ten Commandments using pictures and stories that make their meaning relevant right now in an adolescent's life. (Wilderness Cabins)
Reformation: Luther's life and reformation principles inspire youth to continue the reforming tradition by asking questions and keeping faith alive today! (Lakeside Cottages)
For more information or to register, visit the LLMI website.
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 The portrait on the left depicts Luther as an Augustinian monk, debating the pope, a cardinal, a bishop, and another monk at the Diet of Worms in 1521. This and other historical pieces of Reformation artwork are available through the Digital Image Archive. The Digital Image Archive is a useful source for artwork that illustrates passages from the Bible, provides portraits of Luther, Melanchthon and other reformers, and much more. It includes thousands of images and is searchable by keyword or Scripture text, and is available to all without charge through the Pitts Theological Library at Emory University. Visit the archive here.
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Angel Tree Delivery a Success with Lutheran Services of Georgia
Reprinted with permission. Visit LSG's website for more photos.
It's late afternoon on a mild, sunny day in mid-December. In Southern Place, an apartment complex in Clarkston, Georgia, school has clearly just ended: children are racing around together, some kicking around a ball, others playing tag.
Driving slowly, so as not to run over a stray soccer ball, LSG staff make their way through Southern Place to drop off gifts to families who have just arrived in the United States as refugees from around the world. Here are some photographs:
 
Thank you to the following congregations, groups, and individuals for your contributions to LSG's Angel Tree program. Your gifts went not only to the children of our refugee families, but also to the youth in foster care and to the developmentally disabled children and adults that we serve.
Christ Lutheran Church, Marietta
Christ the King Lutheran Church
Cross and Crown Lutheran Church
Emmanuel Lutheran Church
Epiphany Lutheran Church
Epiphany Lutheran Church, Conyers
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Woodstock
The Hopkins Family
Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Alpharetta
Lutheran Church of the Incarnation
Lutheran Church of the Messiah, Decatur
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Atlanta
Lutheran Services of Georgia, Board of Directors
Oak Road Lutheran Church
Open Arms, Lutheran Church of the Ascension
Women of the ELCA, Magi Conference (and friends)
We also want to thank the countless volunteers who helped shop for the gifts, sort them, and distribute them!
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Churchwide Multicultural Summit to Occur This Weekend
 Catherine Crimi, a member of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Nashville, TN and Chair of the Southeastern Synod Anti-Racism Task Force, will be traveling to the ELCA Office of Churchwide Ministries in Chicago, IL this weekend to participate in the Multi-Cultural/Ethnic Specific Ministries Summit. This summit is comprised of leaders from around the ELCA who will gather to advance the work of the ELCA through its multicultural and ethnic specific ministries. We offer prayers that this summit be guided by the Holy Spirit as it seeks to discern and guide the future of Christ's church.
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Nordic Choir to Perform in Athens, GA
Luther College Nordic Choir, one of the top college choirs in the nation, will present a concert at 8:00 pm on Thursday, January 31, 2013 at the University of Georgia Performing Art Centers: Hodgson Concert Hall, 230 River Road, Athens, GA. Conducted by Allen Hightower, the choir will perform sacred choral works.
Tickets cost $15 for the general public and $5 for students. To purchase tickets, visit www.pac.uga.edu or call 706-542-4400.
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Forum on Ecumenical Dialogue
You are invited to a special adult forum at St. Luke Lutheran Church, Atlanta, on Sunday, January 27 at 9:00 a.m. The Rev. Lowell G. Almen, former secretary of the ELCA, will discuss the U.S. Lutheran-Roman Catholic Ecumenical Dialogue. Pastor Almen was one of the co-chairs of Round XI of the dialogue, which focused on "The Hope of Eternal Life." Come hear what the dialogue discussed about such topics as purgatory, prayers for the dead, judgement, and eternal life. You are also welcome to stay for worship and fellowship hour following the forum.
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"God Bless Each of You": Story from ELCA World Hunger
 Lrije, is a 40-year-old war widow from Kosovo. She writes, "In 1987, I married Xhavit and we were blessed with five children. We had a good life with our own house, some land, three cows, a tractor and a car. "When the war began, we escaped to my parent's village. My husband was killed in the war and the soldiers entered our farm, burned our house, killed our three cows, and destroyed our tractor and car. "Today, I am doing well. Help came from the Lutheran World Federation in reconstructing my house. The LWF gave my family 10 sheep to raise for the wool. The LWF started a Women's Center in our village. They taught us to weave. With three other women I make wool carpets for our Kosovo market and earn a regular income to support my family. I am  | Kosovo
CIA World Factbook |
so grateful. God bless each of you." At the end of the Kosovo war in 1999, almost one million Kosovar Albanians returned to destroyed homes and farms. Gifts to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal help the Lutheran World Federation serve as the lead agency in the region. The LWF provided resources for 5,400 families to repair or reconstruct their homes. The LWF continues work in revitalizing the economic and social life of communities through small- scale economic enterprises in village agriculture.
Click here for more stories from ELCA World Hunger. |
| View the entire Synod Calendar | | |
Jan 11-12
Talking Together as Christians Cross-Culturally
Nashville, TN
Jan 14-16
First Call Theological Education Retreat
Lutheranch in Tallapoosa, GA
Jan 18-19
Synod Council Meeting
Grayson, GA
Jan 20
MLK Worship and Celebration Service
Douglasville, GA
Jan 21
Lutheran MLK Day of Service
Clarkston, GA
Jan 24-27
ELCA Youthworkers Extravaganza
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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