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Issue #417                                                             July 14, 2014
News                                                                            
Strickland Called to Serve as Director of Worship and Liturgical Resources for the ELCA
 
The Rev. Kevin Strickland, Holy Trinity, Nashville, TN has been named Director of Worship and Liturgical Resources for the ELCA effective August 24, 2014.  A native of Lexington, SC, Strickland is a graduate of Newberry College, Newberry, SC, and earned his Master of Divinity degree at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, SC.  

Pr. Strickland has also served as pastor at St. Paul, Maryville, TN and at several congregations in the South Carolina Synod, including Incarnation, Columbia, SC, St. Philip's, Newberry, SC, Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Newberry, SC, and Mt. Tabor Lutheran, Columbia, SC.  In addition, Pr. Strickland has served as chair of the Southeastern Synod Worship Committee, member of the Southeastern Synod Immigration and Refugee Task Force, President of the Board for Lutheran Services in Tennessee, and was recently elected to serve on the ELCA Southeastern Synod Council.  

Pr. Strickland is humbled and honored to be called to serve in this role.  He states, "It is a true joy for me to accept the call to this position and to work with brothers and sisters around the ELCA in what is central to our mission: worship. Worship is at the heart of our mission as Christ's church and provides an opportunity for us to be made whole and encounter the holy. Worship equips us to be disciples in the world, striving for justice, and in doing so, we return often to the heart of our mission to be re-charged and fed."

  

The Rev. Delmer Chilton, Acting Southeastern Synod Bishop, says, "His gifts as a pastor and worship leader in the Southeastern Synod have been significant and will be missed.  Pr. Strickland's passion for proclaiming the gospel through worship and the use of liturgical resources will be a blessing to the wider church." 
   Funding Requests Now Being Accepted

Deadline: October 20

 

The Southeastern Synod's Budget and Finance Committee is now accepting proposals for funding in the 2016-17 Ministry Funding Plan. Agencies, institutions and other groups are invited to submit their requests between now and the
October 20th deadline, using the online request form available HERE.    

 

Funding for committees and task forces is approved on a different cycle and requires a different form. Please use the online form located HERE to request support for a committee or task force during the next fiscal year (2015-16). The deadline for submitting committee/task force requests is October 20.   

 

Anyone unable to submit an electronic funding request may obtain a paper copy of the necessary form by contacting the Synod Office (404-589-1977).

New ELCA Forms - Save Early, Save Often

 

AIM Jeanette Burgess, synod staff Administrative Liaision for Leadership, shares words of wisdom for working with the new ELCA form.  She says, "The new forms for congregations seeking leadership (MSP) and rostered people seeking calls (RLP) are web-based.  As a result, they have a 30-minute time out so be sure to save your work before you go to the kitchen to make yourself a sandwich or head out to pick up the kids from soccer!" 

 

Detailed instructions for accessing the forms were printed in the July 10 issue of the ENews.  Click here to access an archived copy of that publication.  Should you have questions, please contact AIM Jeanette Burgess in the synod office at 404 589-1977, x232.  

Around the Synod                                                                              
Prayers for Gatherers  
 
During the next two weeks, Lutheran men from our synod and around the country will gather in Nashville, TN for the Lutheran Men in Mission Gathering, women from around our synod and around the country will gather in Charlotte, NC for the Women of the ELCA Triennial Gathering, and our young adults and leaders from the Southeastern Synod will travel to Guatemala.  Please pray for traveling mercies and the work of the Holy Spirit to be done in these gatherings, for the sake of the world.

The ELCA Glocal Mission Gathering brings together congregational teams and leaders for worship, workshops and sharing around global and local mission.

 

ELCA Glocal Mission Gathering

Atlanta, GA   

 

When?
Friday, October 17, 2014, 2:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Saturday, October 18, 2014, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Eastern Time  

Where?
The Lutheran Theological Center 

700 Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr
Atlanta Georgia, 30135

Cost?
Just $35 per person  

   
You are invited to gather a congregational team and register for this upcoming ELCA Glocal Mission Gathering.  Click here for more information and registration for your congregational team.
 
Low Country Boil & Silent Auction
Lutheran Campus Ministry of Atlanta Fundraiser
Saturday, August 23, 2014, 4:00 p.m.
 
Living Grace Lutheran Church
1812 Cooledge Road
Tucker, GA 30344
 
This annual event is the major fundraiser for Lutheran Campus Ministry of Atlanta (LCM Atlanta), a ministry dedicated to bringing the good news of Christ to college students. Tickets may be purchased at the LCM Atlanta webpage or contact [email protected].  If you have an item to donate for auction, please contact Evelyn Cannon at [email protected].
"Prayers, Please"  
 
"Prayers, Please" is a Southeastern Synod electronic publication used to request prayers for rostered leaders, staff, and their immediate family during times of need (health or medical concerns, deaths, etc.)  Recently, several folks have asked if anyone can subscribe to it. The answer is: Yes!
 
If you are an "ENews" subscriber and would like to recieve "Prayers, Please", use the link found here or the "Join Us" link found at the top of this page as well as on our website.  Enter your email address on the first page, then continue on to page two where you will have an option to select the publication(s) you would like to receive.  

Should you have questions, please send an email to Carolyn Davis

2014 Leadership Convocation

   
The 2014 Leadership Convocation will be held from October 14 -16, 2014, at the Lutheridge Conference Center in Arden, NC. The Convocation, a yearly gathering for the rostered leaders and church professionals of the Southeastern Synod, offers stimulating presentations, inspiring worship, sabbath and fellowship. This year's keynote speaker is Dr. Anna Madsen, an ordained Lutheran pastor with a Ph.D. in systematic theology from the University of Regensburg, Germany.  She serves as the director of OMG: Center for Theological Conversation. To learn more about Dr. Madsen, click here.  To register, click here. 
Advocacy                                                                         
EPA Hearing Scheduled in Atlanta, GA

There will be a hearing in Atlanta on July 29, 2014 about the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed rule to limit carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants.  If you are interested in speaking to this issue, contact Pr. Ed Wolff for more information. 

 

Want to learn more about ELCA's commitment to advocating for public policy that supports the care for creation?  
Stewardship                                                                              

God's Work. Our Hands. Sunday.    

 


September 7, 2014 is "God's Work. Our Hands." Sunday. Visit the ELCA website to order personalized T-shirts, bulletin inserts, and other resources to help promote the day.  Remember to take pictures of your congregation in action and share them with us at [email protected].

 


What does engagement have to do with stewardship? Click here to find the answer while you explore "stewardNet", a new stewardship resource. 
We have been reading submissions from pastors who responded to the topic of what we should be doing now as we prepare for the fall stewardship programs in many of our congregations.  The suggestion today is not to wait until the "stewardship sermon" on Commitment Sunday to talk about our relationship to money and possessions. Continue.
Resources, Retreats, Learning Opportunities                              

RU's New Center for Graduate Studies of Columbia Holds 

Virtual Open Houses

 

Lenoir-Rhyne University's new Center for Graduate Studies of Columbia will present two virtual open houses in July, beginning this Friday, July 11 between noon and 1 p.m. The final session in this series of virtual open houses will be offered Wednesday, July 23, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

 

Open house sessions will highlight the center's Counseling program and online Human Services program. Those seeking a professional degree and an opportunity to accelerate their career should attend.

 

Each virtual open house session will introduce enrollment counselors, the Dean of the Graduate School, and highlight various opportunities available to you at the Center for Graduate Studies of Columbia. Information about financial aid opportunities, degree programs, and campus housing will also be provided. Sessions are expected to last approximately one hour.

 

Go to Columbia.lr.edu to register. Contact Kohl Friery or Bria Rearden at 803-461-3296 for more information.


Synod Calendar                                                                              
Coming Up!


July 18 - 20:  Lutheran Men in Mission, "Guys, Guts and God's Glory", Nashville, TN

July 21 - 28:  Young Adults Go to Guatemala

July 21 - 23:  WELCA Ninth Triennial Convention

July 24 - 27:  WELCA Ninth Triennial Gathering 2014

August 3:  Low Country Boil, Living Grace, Tucker, GA

September 19 - 21: Southeastern Synod WELCA Convention, Chattanooga, TN

October 5: World Communion Sunday/Global Church Sunday

October 14 - 16: Leadership Convocation, Lutheridge, Arden, NC

October 18 - 19: Glocal Mission Gathering, Atlanta, GA

 

View the entire synod calendar here.
Save the Dates

 

 

June 5 - 7, 2015:  2015 Southeastern Synod Assembly, 

Birmingham, AL

July 15 - 19, 2015: ELCA Youth Gathering, Detroit, MI

Synod Volunteer Opportunities                                                             
Volunteers are crucial to the mission of the Southeastern Synod. Click here to find ways you can serve.  Thank you for your generosity!
Employment Opportunities                                                             
Descriptions and application instructions for the following open positions and others are listed on our website:  
 
Part-Time Director of Communications (New)
Christ the King Lutheran Church, Norcross, GA
 
Part-Time Director of Music Ministry (New)
Community of Grace Lutheran Church, Grayson, GA
 
Part-Time Faith Formation Director
First United Lutheran Church, Kennesaw, GA
 
Full-Time Luther Scholar for a Tenure Track Position - Open Rank
Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary of California Lutheran University, Berkeley, CA

Full-Time Director of Lay Ministry 
Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, Marietta, GA
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ELCA Southeastern Synod
100 Edgewood Ave. NE, Suite 1600
Atlanta, GA 30303
404-589-1977