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Elizabeth Eaton to be Installed as Presiding Bishop on Oct. 5
 The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton will be installed as presiding bishop of the ELCA on October 5 at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel in Chicago. The installation is open to the public; tickets are not required. Worship begins at 2:00 p.m. (Central); doors open at 1:00 p.m. A free public reception will follow. Click here for more.
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"God's Work. Our Hands." Sunday -
A Congregational Resource To Use
 September 8 is "God's Work. Our Hands." Sunday. Congregations throughout our synod are sharing their service projects for the day on our website. If you'd like to share your ideas with the synod, email Abby Koning. Don't forget to send us stories, photos, and reflections on what "God's Work. Our Hands." Sunday meant for you and your communities! Also, our synod Administrative Liaison for Leadership Jeanette Burgess has written a special hymn for "God's Work. Our Hands." Sunday. Jeanette has given permission for her text to be used, free of charge. It is also permissible to sing it to the tune of "Gather Us In" as long as you don't reproduce the tune. If the tune or accompaniment is to be printed or projected, you must either use OneLicense or seek permission from GIA, the publisher. Click here to download the lyrics for use in your congregation's worship service. Jeanette's hymn is also available on our website.
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Health Care Reform: Information from Portico Benefit Services
Affordable Health Care and You - A Message from Bishop Gordy ~ Much has been said about the large-scale changes set in motion by passage of the Federal Affordable Health Care Act. Major changes in how health care costs are covered will come online this fall and will affect the benefits provided by congregations and other ministries that cover their employees through Portico. Click here to read more.
Calculators and tools are now available to help congregations estimate 2014 health insurance costs. Four plan options are available. The Southeastern Synod is recommending the "Gold+ Plan", which is the most comparable to current 2013 benefits. After employers have chosen a plan, Portico plan members may also choose to purchase additional coverage for themselves.
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Deadline for Wellness/Sabbatical Grant Applications is September 1
The deadline to apply for the Southeastern Synod Wellness/Sabbatical Grants is fast approaching! This grant is intended to promote self-care of leaders in our synod. Congregations can apply for assistance to allow rostered leaders to benefit from time away from their congregations for a significant period of time or to assist rostered leaders in self-care by providing a grant to assist with costs associated with a rostered leader being gone from a congregation for vacation or continuing education. To apply, complete the application form ( available on our website) and mail, fax, or e-mail it to the synod office. Completed applications are due by September 1, 2013. |
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A New Year in Campus Ministry
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65 Students Attend Lutheran Campus Ministry Atlanta on Opening Night!
This past week Lutheran Campus Ministry Atlanta had the largest number of student participants ever and only one of the four schools served through this ministry was in session! At 65+ students already on the first night, this ministry needs your financial support. LCM is a ministry of the whole church, so it belongs to all of us. Please consider how God might be calling you and your congregation to help this amazing ministry.
If you missed the Low Country Boil and Silent Auction this past weekend, you really missed out! However, we worship a God who is full of grace and mercy, so you can still make a donation to the Lutheran Campus Ministry Atlanta by clicking here. Contact Pr. Matt Simpkins for more information or to learn how you might help by donating weekly meals. |
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Welcome Cookout at Tyson House
Tyson House, the Lutheran Episcopal Campus Ministry at the University of Tennessee, recently had a welcome cookout to kickoff the year. 150 students and partners attended and over 50 volunteers from local ELCA and Episcopal communities around Chattanooga showed up to help out! Below, folks from Trinity Lutheran in Hixson, TN, did the grilling, and folks from Ascension and Resurrection (bottom photo) volunteered their time and donated food.  |
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Register for Leadership Convocation
 | | The Rev. Dr. Clayton Schmit |
The early bird discount ends on September 3! Register now!!
The 2013 Southeastern Synod Leadership Convocation is a gathering for the rostered leaders and church professionals of the Southeastern Synod. This year's Leadership Convocation will carry on the long-standing tradition of stimulating presentations, inspiring worship, Sabbath, and fellowship for leaders. The Rev. Dr. Clayton Schmit, Provost of the School of Theology at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, will serve as our keynote speaker and will speak on the topic of Extraordinary Worship. The Convocation will be held September 24 to 26 at the Lutheridge Conference Center in Arden, NC. Click here to register. Visit our website for the agenda.
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Employment Opportunities
Our synod website will now feature employment opportunities submitted by congregations and ministries throughout our synod. Click here to view descriptions and application instructions for the following open positions:
Organist Needed Immediately: Grace Lutheran Church in Oak Ridge, TN.
Full-Time Director of Youth and Family Ministries: St. John's Lutheran Church in Springfield, IL.
Executive Assistant to the Bishop & Communications Support Specialist, ELCA Southeastern Synod
If you'd like to see your employment opportunity listed on our website, please submit your position title, description, contact information, application instructions, and other relevant information to Michelle Angalet. |
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Serve the Hungry with Redeemer
 Did you know that there is a service opportunity at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer (Atlanta, GA), nearly every Monday through Friday of the year? Our Community Food Ministry seeks volunteers for many mornings to help prepare and serve a hot meal to the homeless and hungry of the city. If you are unable to serve, you can still help! We always welcome donations of pasta and rice for the soup. You can drop them off at the church (731 Peachtree St Ne, Atlanta, GA 30308) anytime the office is open or on Sundays during worship. Contact Redeemer.
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St. Stephen Invites You...
Come and join us for one or all of our upcoming events at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church! We will be blessed to have you with us. For more information, call 404-284-7271.
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Update on Our Companion Synod Partners in Guatemala
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Rebecca Kolowé
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We are called to accompaniment. Accompaniment literally means walking together side by side. Its biblical roots are found in Luke 24:13-35, the Easter story of the friends walking on the road to Emmaus. The Disciples on the road, the accompanying stranger, the dialogue and examination of scripture, the extending of hospitality and a meal, and finally, the revelation of the risen Christ in the breaking of bread, are all elements of the mission. We walk with each other in a journey where the presence of God is revealed to us. God in Christ accompanies us in the fellowship of word and table....
Click here to read more about accompaniment in Guatemala on our synod blog.
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The Sarcastic Lutheran in Atlanta
 ELCA Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber, also known by her blog name as "The Sarcastic Lutheran", will be at Sandy Springs Christian Church for their "Real People, Real Faith" event on September 13 and 14. Pr. Bolz-Weber is the founding pastor of House for All Sinners and Saints, an ELCA mission church in Denver, CO, and a leading voice in the emerging church movement. Her writing can be found in The Christian Century and Jim Wallis' God's Politics blog. Click here for more details on this event. |
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Planning Your Last Days Intelligently
 Two great opportunities are coming up to help you reflect on planning for end of life decisions intelligently. Anyone over 18 years of age is invited. Thursday September 5th: GA Advance Directive: Have you ever filled out a GA Advance Directive? Everyone over 18 should fill out this form for themselves. Come join us for an hour and half as we walk through the GA Advance Directive form together. Thursday October 10 - POLST: What is the POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) & does it apply to me and my loved ones? POLST is a new form with actionable medical orders for the care a person receives at the end of life. Medical personnel from many settings such as nursing homes, ambulances, and hospitals will be able to turn the wishes of your advance directives into actions. The POLST form can be completed with your doctor. We will learn about the choices you can make, who the form is for, and when it is appropriate. Clarice Wasmuth, MSN, RN-CS, ANP, Optum Nurse Practioner, Christ the King, Norcross, GA member will lead the discussion. Wasmuth earned a BSN and an MSN from Emory. She has been a Nurse Practitioner in nursing homes in the greater Atlanta area since 1999 caring for the elderly and helping their families understand the diagnosis and care of their loved ones. For further information, call Christ the King Lutheran Church at 770-449-1211. The church is located at 5575 Peachtree Parkway, Norcross, GA Peachtree Corners.
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Funding Requests Now Being Accepted
Deadline: September 30
The Southeastern Synod's Budget and Finance Committee is now accepting proposals for funding in the 2015-16 Ministry Funding Plan. Agencies, institutions, and other groups who wish to request synodical funding are invited to submit their requests online using the following link: 2015-16 Funding Request.
Funding for committees and task forces is approved on a different cycle and requires a different form. The most recent Synod Assembly approved lump sum funding for committees and task forces during the 2014-15 fiscal year. The Synod Council will allocate the approved total among the different groups, based on recommendations from the Budget and Finance Committee. Committee and Task Force chairpersons should submit their funding request from the 2014-15 fiscal year, using the online form located at: Committee/TF Funding for 2014-15.
The deadline for submission of funding requests is Monday, September 30, 2013. Anyone unable to submit a funding request electronically may obtain a paper copy of the necessary forms by contacting the Synod Office (404-589-1977).
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Resources, Retreats, & Learning Opportunities
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Making Sense Courses with David Lose
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David J. Lose
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Get your congregation talking with the Making Sense series by David Lose. Questions are a great way to engage small group participants. Each course in the Making Sense series invites participants to ask their faith questions, and then dialogue, reflect, and share with one another. David Lose, Director of the Center for Biblical Preaching and The Marbury E. Anderson Chair in Biblical Preaching at Luther Seminary, has designed each course to stimulate rich discussion, deepening understanding and faith. Click here to learn more!
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Academy of Faith and Leadership
 Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary announces the formation of a new initiative, the Academy of Faith and Leadership.The Academy will offer continuing education opportunities to equip both lay and clergy for their lifelong work as ministers of the gospel.
"The Academy of Faith and Leadership fills a need for the communities we serve, here in the Columbia, in the Eau Claire neighborhood, and in churches around the region and beyond," said the Rev. Dr. Clayton Schmit, provost of the seminary. "The church is in need of educated and enthusiastic proclaimers of the faith from a variety of perspectives. So whether you are a pastor, Sunday school teacher, nurse, accountant, soldier, parent, retiree-or anything in between-we want to provide you with the confidence to lead Christ's church boldly into the future." Visit the AFL website |
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All Aboard for Lands of the Bible Cruise!
 On October 17-November 1, 2014, join Dr. Monte Luker on the 16-day Lands of the Bible Cruise through Jerusalem, the Galilee, Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, Egypt, Italy, Sicily, and more! The all-inclusive starting price of $3998 includes: international airfair and airline fuel surcharges, most shore excursions, administration fee, port charges, fuel surcharges, and taxes. Click here to register or here to download and share a brochure. |
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Lutheran Interpretation of Secular Law
 A conference on Lutheran interpretation of secular law will be hosted by the Valparaiso University Law School in Chicago, March 27-28, 2014. Lutheran theologians and ethicists and other theological disciplines, along with people in the legal professions, are the primary audience for this conference. W hile the program is still in flux, presenters will include Lutheran legal and theological scholars who are contributing essays to a book on this topic being edited by Marie Failinger of the Hamline University Law School and Ron Duty of the ELCA. The conference will also include a panel of Lutheran judges reflecting on how their faith operates in the way they live out their calling as judges in the courts of the land. Martin E. Marty will also give a luncheon address on March 28. Registration information will be available in early 2014 on the website of the Valparaiso University Law School.
There has been increasing attention paid by legal scholars in recent years to the role of religion in the interpretation of secular law. A number of essays and books have been published about the influence of various religious traditions on the interpretation of law. Until now, none of these works have considered this matter from a Lutheran perspective. This conference and the forthcoming book will begin to fill that void. This conference may also be looking for presenters, so if your field is in legal ethics or Luther and the law, you might consider contacting Ron Duty.
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Fast Action for Immigration Reform
 Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) invites you and your congregations to sign up and participate in an interfaith 40 Days of Fasting, Prayer and Action for immigration reform. This national initiative is part of our interfaith coalition effort to keep the pressure on the U.S. Congress after the August recess to pass compassionate immigration reform legislation. Please join us and other faith communities across the country as we pray, fast, and advocate to change our broken immigration system. The 40 Days Fast Action for Immigration Reform starts the Sunday after Labor Day and lasts from September 8 to October 18. You can find more information and register for the action here. Information in Spanish is available here. |
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September is Hunger Action Month
 This September, 200 Feeding America food banks across the country will partner with concerned neighbors everywhere to mark Hunger Action Month. The Atlanta Community Food Bank has put together a list of several ways you and your congregation can take action against hunger. On September 10 and September 22, ACFB will also host two public screenings of the documentary "A Place at the Table", a powerful film that tells the stories of three American families who face hunger in a nation with more than enough food. Click here to learn more! |
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Raise Your Voice - Opportunities for Advocacy
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To learn more about the ELCA's approach to advocacy and important issues for 2013, visit the ELCA website.
Save the Date for 2014 Ecumenical Advocacy Days: Ecumenical Advocacy Days is a movement of the ecumenical Christian community, and its recognized partners and allies, grounded in biblical witness and our shared traditions of justice, peace, and the integrity of creation. Through worship, theological reflection and opportunities for learning and witness, EAD aims to strengthen a Christian voice and to mobilize for advocacy on a wide variety of U.S. domestic and international policy issues. The 2013 theme for EAD was "At God's Table: Food Justice for a Healthy World." The 2014 National Gathering will be Friday, March 21-Monday, March 24 at Doubletree Hotel, Crystal City, Virginia. Watch this website for information as it becomes available.
LIRS August Recess Toolkit for Action: The August recess, which stretches from August 5 - September 6, is a critical month for immigration reform. During this time, communities of faith must remind House Members of God's love for the sojourner. LIRS has developed this toolkit with a menu of actions to help amplify your voices at this critical moment. Click here to view the toolkit. Contact Folabi Olagbaju for more suggestions on ways to get involved.
Take Action Against Human Trafficking: The wisdom of Proverbs 31 urges us to "speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves...." Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services is asking individuals and congregations to take a stand against human trafficking. Click here to watch a video and to learn more how about you can join the fight against human trafficking in our communities and beyond.
 E-Advocacy-Take Action Now!: Become a part of the ELCA advocacy effort by signing up for the e-Advocacy network.
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Did You Know?
The ELCA has a YouTube page to which it posts all kinds of videos about the work this church is engaged in? Click hereto visit The ELCA's Youtube page. While you are there, watch this video. It features Shepherd of the Lake, a new congregation in our own Southeastern Synod in Loudon, TN.
 | | CWA13 profile: New start, young at heart |
This video was featured at the 2013 Churchwide Assembly.
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Share Your Story
Is God doing exciting work in your congregation or ministry that you would like to share with the rest of the synod? Are you looking to spread the word about an upcoming event or opportunity for ministry? The E-News Weekly is open for congregations to share news, stories, photos, announcements and more. Send your stories to Michelle Angalet. Michelle can also be reached at (404) 589-1977, ext. 235. Submissions are due Mondays by 5 pm. The Synod E-News Weekly (usually) goes out on Wednesdays.
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LSG Spotlight
Heroes of Hope, Healing, and Strength
Please join Lutheran Services of Georgia for its annual Heroes of Hope, Healing, and Strength gala on Thursday, August 29, 2013 to honor the heroes in our community. This year, LSG will be recognizing two important members of the community: The Rev. Dr. Rusty Edwards, pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Marietta, GA; and For the Kid in All of Us, a nonprofit organization that has supported LSG's programs through its fundraising events, the Toy Party and Backpack in the Park.
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Living Lutheran Spotlight
The Perfect Host
In his lectionary blog for September 1, The Rev. Delmer Chilton reflects on what it means to practice Biblical hospitality in the world today. He writes, "Biblical hospitality is about taking a risk on behalf of the strangers and aliens in your midst. It is rooted in the Hebrew awareness that we are all, every one of us, strangers here on this earth." Click here to read more.
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NovusWay Ministries Spotlight
Wild Women Weekends
at Lutheridge -
Space Still Available!
February 7-9
February 14-16
March 7-9
March 14-16
March 21-23
Adult women of all ages and life situations have five opportunities to gain vision and strength for the new year. Bring a group to deepen fellowship with women you know - or come alone to find kindred spirits in Wild Women from across the southeast. This year we'll explore storytelling as we hear the old, old story told in fresh new ways and become reacquainted with Jesus the storyteller. Come to discover the power story has to touch our hearts and shape our lives. Rates include lodging for two nights, Saturday breakfast through Sunday breafkast, and all program costs. Limited space! Registration will open at 3:30 PM on August 17. Click here for more.
Rate: $205 per person (Valentine's Weekend Special - $20 discount + Surprise!)
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The Lutheran
Conversations
with Atheists
Recently, Lisa Dahill taught a course entitled "Religion and Environmental Values in the U.S." at Ohio State University. In her class of 16 students, at least half were agnostic, uninterested in religion or hostile to organized religion. Lisa reflects on how to listen to and engage in conversation with people like her students. She writes, "One thing we learn when we listen deeply to...people like your own nonreligious neighbors, cousins, children or collegues, is that we haven't always done a very good job of communicating what the Christian God is all about." Click here to read more.
Excerpts from
The Lutheran
are available on their website. To read the issue in its entirety, consider purchasing a one-year online subscription for only $11.95.
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Malaria Campaign Spotlight
2013 Churchwide Assembly - the Malaria Perspective!
 In case you missed it, almost every day of the 2013 Churchwide Assembly included highlights related to the ELCA Malaria Campaign. Assembly attendees gave generously to the campaign. Updates and information on the campaign were shared with the assembly throughout the week. Click here to read more! If you'd like to learn more about the Southeastern Synod's role in ending malaria, contact Jonathan Trapp, Chair of the synod's Poverty, Hunger, and Justice, task force, via email.
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The Update
A complicated debate and legislative process lies ahead for comprehensive immigration reform. Here to decipher the headlines for you every Monday is The Update, a weekly blog series whose panel of experts will analyze how recent events affect the prospects for real reform. This week's panelists answer the question, "Given the most recent developments, are we getting any closer to immigration reform?" Click to read their answers in Spanish or in English.
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Who to Contact
Do you have a question or a comment for a member of the synod staff, but aren't sure who to contact? Check out our regularly updated contact page on the synod website.
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| Synod Calendar |
August 27-29 Synod Office Closed September 1 Sabbatical/Wellness Grant Applications Due September 3 Early Registration Discount Ends for Convocation September 6-7 Synod Council Meeting September 8 God's Work Our Hands Sunday September 13-14 Missional Hospitality Savannah September 20-22 Southeastern Synod Women of the ELCA Convention Natchez, MS September 24-26 Southeastern Synod Leadership Convocation at Lutheridge Synod Office Closed
View the entire synod calendar
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