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Issue #421 August 13, 2014
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We are Taking a Break
The ENews will be on hiatus next week. We will return the week of August 25th. Thanks for reading and for your submissions!
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ELCA, LDR Respond to Ebola Outbreak
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LDR at work in South Sudan.
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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will provide $10,000 in humanitarian assistance in response to the Ebola virus outbreak in Liberia. The funds are being disbursed through Lutheran Disaster Response-International to Global Health Ministries at the request of the Lutheran Church in Liberia. Global Health Ministries provides medical supplies and funding for health care programs in Lutheran churches in 20 countries. Read more. Click here to learn more about LDR and how you can give to support their ongoing relief and response work.
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The Southeastern Synod Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (WELCA) will have seven ingathering locations across the synod to collect quilts and kits for Lutheran World Relief (LWR). For families who have lost everything due to a natural disaster or violence, small items of comfort - a quilt, a towel with personal hygiene items, school supplies, baby clothes - lets them know that someone cares. To assist you with participation, following are links to the list of drop-off sites, the reporting form which should accompany your collection and basic information and instructions. Janice Hawkins, SE Synod LWR Quilt & Kit Coordinator, at 770-712-6090 is also available as needed.
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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.
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"God's Love is a Feast --
What the Bible Says about Abundance and Generosity"
 Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (GSLC) invites you, your family, and friends to join their special guest speaker, Dr. Rolf Jacobson, on Saturday, August 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the GSLC Fellowship Hall. Dr. Jacobson is first and foremost a disciple of Jesus Christ and a lifelong student of the Bible. He serves as Associate Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. Click here for details of this free event.
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 Cross of Life Lutheran Church
Roswell, GA
invites you to their
5th Annual International Dinner
Aug. 23, 2014
5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Proceeds will benefit several international ministries.
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 St Mark Lutheran Church
4137 Washington Road
East Point, GA 30344
August 22
Friday Family First Praise & Worship Service at 7:00 p.m.
Youth Camp Out and Lock-In from 9:00 p.m. until morning
August 23 August 24
Youth Evangelism Project at 10:00 a.m. Worship Service at 10:00 a.m.
Youth Relay Concert from with Nativity Lutheran Church,
2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Bethlehem, GA
at Fort Yargo State Park
All are welcome!
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The Lutheran Student Movement at
East Tennessee State University
Christ Centered - Student Lead
Click here to read about this vibrant Evangelical Lutheran Church in America -Southeastern Synod campus ministry and ways to connect your ETSU student. To learn about all of the Southeastern Synod Campus Ministries, click here.
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Community Health Fair at Rock of Ages, Stone Mountain, GA
 Rock of Ages Lutheran Church (ROA), Stone Mountain, GA held its eighth annual "Back to School Community Heath Fair" on Saturday, July 19. Over 200 community members of all ages came to take part in the FREE offerings and fellowship. Brand new backpacks stuffed with school supplies and snacks were distributed to 144 children who also received health screenings for school. "Annette's Clothing Closet" hosted 124 children and adults who were outfitted in new and gently used clothes and shoes. More than 20 adults were monitored for blood pressure and/or blood sugar. There was also an abundance of books and toys for the asking. Many "thanks" go to the ROA members, healthcare providers and volunteers who contributed to the joy and success of this wonderful outreach ministry.
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Funding Requests Now Being Accepted
See the Synod Calendar below for important dates and links.
Contact the Synod Office at 404-589-1977 for help with questions.
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St. Stephen, Decatur, GA Celebrates 58 Years of Ministry
 St. Stephen Evangelical Lutheran Church, Decatur, GA celebrates its 58th anniversary of ministry with a month of activities. They begin with a "God's Work. Our Hands." day of service at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, September 7 and end with an anniversary worship service at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 28. St. Stephen's second annual Motown Night on the lawn, also a part of the celebration, will be held on Saturday, September 12. Details of the events may be found here.
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Lutheran Services of Georgia's Heroes of Hope, Healing, and Strength Gala
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The Rev. Dr. Howard "Rusty " Edwards,
2013 Hero of Hope, poses with Lorraine Dorough
LSG Vice President of Agency Advancement
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Join Lutheran Services of Georgia (LSG) in celebrating community heroes and supporting people in need at the annual Heroes of Hope, Healing, and Strength Gala! On Thursday, September 25, 2014 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., come out to The Defoor Centre for a cocktail reception, silent auction, live music, dinner, and program. LSG will recognize Lutheran leaders Rev. Darrel and Mary Peterson, retired superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools Erroll B. Davis., Jr., and business leader R.N.C. Industries for their heroic service to those in need throughout Georgia. The event will also raise funds to support LSG's various programs in the areas of refugee resettlement, immigration, specialized foster care, adoption, disaster relief, behavioral health, and support for individuals with developmental disabilities. Tickets are $125. For additional information, contact Terri Medina at tmedina@lsga.org or visit http://bit.ly/lsgheroes.
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St. Olaf Choir Reschedules at Emory's Schwartz Center
The St. Olaf Choir was scheduled to perform in Atlanta in February of this year. However, hazardous weather caused the cancellation of their concert. They have rescheduled their visit to Atlanta and tickets are now on sale. Details are provided below. Don't miss this opportunity to hear them in concert!
January 25, 2015 at 3:00 p.m.
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 Mission of the Month: Abby in South Africa
As a Young Adult in Global Mission, Abby Henderson mentored teen girls and encouraged them to stay in school. Inspire your congregation with her story! For a colorful Word document to display on your congregation's bulletin board, or use in your bulletin or PowerPoint presentation, visit www.ELCA.org/resources/globalchurch.
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Today's topic is generosity. Click here to read.
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"God's Work. Our Hands." Sunday
September 7, 2014
 Register your congregation today and join the members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) who are called to put their faith into action and engage in service activities across the country. Click here to read about the event.
Remember to take pictures of your congregation in action and share them with us at cdavis@elca-ses.org.
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Wellness/Sabbatical Grant Applications Now Being Accepted
Applications for the Southeastern Synod Wellness/Sabbatical Grants are now being accepted. 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 at the bottom of the page) and mail, fax, or e-mail it to the synod office. Completed applications are due by September 15, 2014.
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Financial Stewardship
A way of life allowing us to become grateful, generous, loving, hopeful people
 Sadly, for many stewardship means raising money for the church. In the Bible a steward is the manager of another person's property. This definition can make stewardship sound like a job where we are employed by the owner. But it's really a fundamental aspect of Christian discipleship, involving holistically how we live and how we give. Read on.
This article is part of a series in The Lutheran intended to be a public conversation among teaching theologians of the ELCA on various themes of our faith and the challenging issues of our day.
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Resources, Retreats, Learning Opportunities
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 Disaster Preparedness and Response Training Workshop/Refresher
for Volunteer Disaster Response Coordinators
September 15-16, 2014
9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Lutheran Services of Georgia
100 Edgewood Ave, NE
Suite 1800
Atlanta, GA 30303
The ELCA Southeastern Synod Task Force for Disaster Preparedness and Response is offering a workshop for individuals interested in serving as volunteer disaster response coordinators in their communities, as well as coordinators currently serving. For more information and to register for the event, please contact the Rev. P. Morgan Gordy, pastor, Christ Lutheran, Nashville, TN and task force chairperson, at pmgordy@gmail.com.
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 The Center for Emotional Intelligence & Human Relation Skills is hosting a workshop in Waverly, GA, October 20 - 24, 2014. The workshop is designed to equip faith-based leaders with human relations and emotional intelligence competence skills needed to enhance their abilities. Click here for information and registration.
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 You are invited to join church musicians, worship directors, church administrators, and pastors in learning about the great planning and training tools offered by Augsburg Fortress to support your worship and music ministries as you prepare for fall and the coming program year. Webinar topics include: Sundays and Seasons.com, Prelude Music Planner, Preparing Your Lay Worship Leaders, and Worship Matters: An Introduction to Worship. For more details and to register for any upcoming free webinars, please view the full webinar catalog. 
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St. James, Norcross Offers Free Choir Music
 St. James Lutheran Church, Norcross, GA, is disbanding and will close its doors at the end of August. The church has many pieces of choir music which they would like to donate to other choirs. If you are interested, please call the church to make an appointment to look at the music. St. James is located at 4845 Jimmy Carter Boulevard, Norcross, GA 30093. The phone number is 770-448-5370. The office is open Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. To schedule an appointment at another time, please call the Rev. Julie Crosby at 404-933-2115 or Ms. Barbara Litke at 404-285-4346. Please pray for Pr. Crosby and the St. James congregation during this transition. |
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Confirmation Research Project
 Princeton Theological Seminary is the recipient of grant money from Lilly Endowment, Inc. to fund a confirmation research project. There are five denominations involved in the project: African Methodist Episcopal, Episcopal, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Presbyterian (USA) and United Methodist.
Peter Bauck is a Ph.D. student at Luther Seminary and part of the ELCA research team for this project. He says, "Terri Elton, Luther Seminary professor, and I are getting the word out to various parts of the ELCA network (colleges, seminaries, LCM sites, synods, and the churchwide office) to raise awareness of the project and so you can follow the research."
Bauck continues, "The project includes a survey as well as site visits to congregations and camps. I have included the link to the project page (www.theconfirmationproject.com) so you can get updates on the research and other postings. You are a crucial component of the ELCA's work in faith formation."
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Coming Up!
August 22 - 24: Friends and Family Weekend, St. Mark, East Point, GA
August 23: Low Country Boil, Living Grace, Tucker, GA
August 23: International Dinner, Cross of Life, Roswell, GA
September 7: "GOD'S WORK. OUR HANDS." SUNDAY
September 12: Motown Night, St Stephen, Decatur, GA
September 15 - 16: Disaster Preparedness and Response Training Workshop, Atlanta, GA
September 19 - 21: Southeastern Synod WELCA Convention, Chattanooga, TN
September 28: St. Stephen's 58th Anniversary, Decatur, GA
October 5: World Communion Sunday/Global Church Sunday
October 14 - 16: Leadership Convocation, Lutheridge, Arden, NC
October 18 - 19: Glocal Mission Gathering, Atlanta, GA
October 20: DEADLINE for submitting proposals to Synod Budget and Finance for 2016 - 2017 funding or for Committees/Task Forces only fiscal year 2015 - 2016.
October 21: RECAP luncheon, Christ the King Lutheran Church, Peachtree Corners, GA
View the entire synod calendar here.
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Save the Dates
June 5 - 7, 2015: 2015 Southeastern Synod Assembly,
Birmingham, AL
July 15 - 19, 2015: ELCA Youth Gathering, Detroit, MI
July 30 - August 2, 2015: Association of Liberian Lutherans in America (ALLIA) and African Descent Lutheran Association (ADLA) Joint Conference, Baltimore, MD
July 13 - 17, 2017: Tenth Triennial for Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Minneapolis, MN
 Pre-register for the Tenth Triennial now through December 31, 2014, for the reduced price of $280.
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Synod Volunteer Opportunities
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Volunteers are crucial to the mission of the Southeastern Synod. Click here to find ways you can serve. Thank you for your generosity!
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Descriptions and application instructions for the following open positions and others are listed on our website:
Part-Time Organist/Choir Accompanist (New)
Christ Lutheran Church, Fairfield Glade, TN
Full-Time Assistant Director for Advocacy
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), Washington, DC
Part-Time Director of Communications
Christ the King Lutheran Church, Norcross, GA
Part-Time Director of Music Ministry
Community of Grace Lutheran Church, Grayson, GA
Part-Time Faith Formation Director
First United Lutheran Church, Kennesaw, GA
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Please send this email to those you know who would benefit from this information.
ELCA Southeastern Synod
100 Edgewood Ave. NE, Suite 1600
Atlanta, GA 30303
404-589-1977
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