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Issue #433                                             
December 18, 2014
            We are church.                  
ELCA offers prayers for victims of Pennsylvania shooting

Chicago (ELCA) - The Rev. Claire Burkat, bishop of the ELCA Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, offered a pastoral message in response to the Dec. 15 shootings that left six people dead and one person severely injured. The suspected gunman was found dead Dec. 16.  

 

"Like you, I was shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic series of murders that transpired across Montgomery County yesterday. A family has suffered unspeakable loss, and that loss ripples through the relatives, friends and neighbors who are grieving," said Burkat in her statement. Continue.

Gordy Awarded Honorary Doctorate of Divinity

Bp. Gordy, left with Bp. Herman Yoos, 
ELCA - South Carolina Synod
Bp. Gordy addressing the assembly














The Rev. H. Julian Gordy, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) - Southeastern Synod was awarded an honorary doctorate of divinity degree for service to the church.  The degree was awarded by Newberry College, Columbia, SC during their winter commencement on December 13.  His wife, the Rev. Dr. P. Morgan Gordy, Christ Lutheran, Nashville, TN was in attendance. Congratulations to the Rev. Dr. H. Julian Gordy!
Ordinations & Installations

January 11, 2015, 2:00 p.m. EST      
The Rev. Scott Seeke will be installed as Pastor of Lutheran Church of the Incarnation,1200 Indian Hills Parkway, Marietta, GA 30068. Rostered leaders are invited to vest and process.  The color of the day is white.  A reception will immediately follow. 
 

Ms. Paula Smith, Associate in Ministry, pictured with the Rev. Dr. Ben Moravitz at her December 14 installation as a Synodically Authorized Minister at St. James, Greenville, TN.

Ms. Paula Smith received a master's degree in church music from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in 2001. She served as Minister of Music at Faith Lutheran Church, Farragut, TN until 2003.  In 2003, she moved to Grace Lutheran, Oak Ridge, TN serving as their Youth Leader.  She later served Grace as Minister of Music. 

 

On October 31, 2005 Ms. Smith was commissioned as an Associate in Ministry and continued serving in that capacity until November 3, 2014.  She was then installed as a Synodically Authorized Minister at St. James Lutheran Church in Greeneville, TN on Sunday, December 14.

 

Ms. Smith has two adult children.  "I'm proud of them and what they do is important to me," Smith says. Her daughter, Eliza Wertenberger, is currently working on a chaplaincy residency at Riverside Hospital in Columbus, OH.  Eliza will be ordained in the Mennonite church when she graduates from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, IN. Ryan Wertenberger, her son, is an attorney living in the Knoxville, TN area.   

 

Words of welcome may be extended at [email protected].

 

8th Annual Bethlehem Prayer Service

 

Saturday, December 20, 2014 

at 10:00 a.m.

Washington National Cathedral in D.C.

and

Live Streaming Nationwide

 

Episcopal and Lutheran bishops and other clergy and laity will participate in this 
joint simulcast Christmas service with the people of Bethlehem. Prayers, readings and hymns alternate between the two far-removed locations via the Internet, bringing together people of different lands, languages and ethnic backgrounds in celebration of the birth of the Prince of Peace. Click here for more information and live streaming.

 

Trumpet player available for holiday services

 

purple-trumpet-bg.jpg The synod office received a call from Michael Weslosky, a senior Music Education student at Georgia State University.  Michael is on Christmas break until January 5 and available for services in the metro Atlanta area.  He has an evening service this Sunday, December 14, but is otherwise open.  His preference for Christmas Eve would be daytime or an early evening service (e.g. 5:00 p.m.) since he has family commitments. Michael may be reached at 678-360-4222 or [email protected]

Resources for 2015

Preview and order new music for Lent, Easter, Spring 2015  AugsburgMusic.org

A Series for Lent, with discounts, from Sparkhouse

 

Free Choir Robes     

FREE: About 18 white choir robes, with white, red, gold and purple stoles, in multiple sizes, are looking for a good home.  Contact the Rev. Ann Bassett at 931-486-0762 or [email protected] if interested.

 

                              We are Lutheran.                       
   Extraordinary Time: Expanding Our Imagination for Worship

January 8, 2015

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary

Registration  open until January 4.  Click here to reserve your seat today

 

Stewardship Symposium: "No Gimmicks: Back to the Bible on Money and Stewardship"

Featured Speaker: Mark Allan Powell

January 30, 3015

10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Registration is open until January 23.  Click here to view registration options.  

    Contact Emily Silvola with questions at 803-461-3217 or                                     [email protected] 
                          We are church together.                   
Southeastern Synod
We Are Church Together Appeal
clasped-hands-sky.jpg  
Thank you to those who have generously given to date, and to those congregations and individuals who plan to make a gift by January 31, 2015, the end of the synod's fiscal year.

Peace, Spring Hill, TN Partners with Unchained   


 

Pr. Bassett, center, with members of Unchained.
Since August, Peace Lutheran Church, Spring Hill, TN has been partnering with Unchained.  Unchained is a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating human sex trafficking through awareness, advocacy and resource provision to victims. Beginning January 1, 2015 our partnership with Unchained will be ramped up in a significant way.  Unchained will have exclusive use of almost a third of Peace's building. 

 

On December 21, 2014, we will dedicate the designated ministry space at the beginning of the 9:30 a.m. worship service.   Bishop H. Julian Gordy will be an integral part of the dedication and the preacher for the day.  You are invited to be a part of this momentous We Are Church Together event.  There will be a "brunch-ish" reception immediately following the worship service. 

 

In conjunction with the dedication service, the members of Peace are hosting a Gift Card Shower for Unchained.  Many of the young women who come to Unchained will come with nothing but the clothes on their back.  These gifts cards will give women the chance to purchase personal items.  Continue.

 

The Rev. Dr. Ann Bassett serves as pastor of Peace Lutheran, Spring Hill, TN. 

                 We are church for the sake of the world.   


Click above.
       Sacred Paths: Modern Explorations in the World of Religions    

An adult education course on World Religions, the series will begin January 9-10, 2015 with a retreat on the campus of Millsaps College, Jackson, MS.  Thereafter, weekly meetings will be held on Thursdays, from January 15 - April 30.  Each session begins at 10 a.m. and concludes at 1 p.m.  Coffee and snacks will be available during each class. Click here for information and registration.
 ELCA Advocacy Update  

The ELCA Advocacy Update is a publication designed to highlight Lutheran advocacy actions occurring throughout the country.  The December 2014 edition can be found on the Southeastern Synod website.    
  
In this month's edition:

+     Seeking justice and reconciliation

+     The ABLE Act

+     Immigration executive action

+     The new Congress

+     A message of thanks to Uruguay

+     Advocacy initiatives from across the country

                                       Synod Calendar                 
                                 
January 16 & 17, 2015: The ELCA Southeastern Synod Council meets at Cross of Life, Roswell, GA
January 18, 2015: The ELCA - Southeastern Synod service of commemoration for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, John's Creek, GA
January 25, 2015:  St. Olaf Choir, Emory University, Schwarz Concert Hall, Atlanta, GA
February 7, 2015St. Olaf Orchestra, Marietta, GA  
March 14, 2015:  Lutheranch Round-Up, Tallapoosa, GA                             
March 15, 2015:  2015 Hunger Walk/Run, Atlanta, GA
June 5 - 7, 2015:  2015 Southeastern Synod Assembly, Birmingham, AL
June 14 - 19, 2015:  AFFIRM, Berry College, Mt. Berry, GA 
July 15 - 19, 2015:  ELCA Youth Gathering, Detroit, MI
July 19 - 23, 2015: Called to be a Living Voice, Worship Jubilee of the ELCA & the Biennial Conference of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, Atlanta, GA

July 30 - August 2, 2015: Association of Liberian Lutherans in America (ALLIA) and African Descent Lutheran Association (ADLA) Joint Conference, Baltimore, MD

September 15 - 17, 2015:  Southeastern Synod Leadership Convocation, Lutheridge, Arden, NC

September 18 - 20, 2015: Southeastern Synod Women of the ELCA annual convention, St. Simons Island, GA

July 13 - 17, 2017:  Tenth Triennial for Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Minneapolis, MN

 

Pre-register for the Triennial now through December 31, 2014, for the reduced  price of $280.

 

                             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 Music Director/Accompanist
Nativity Lutheran Church, Bethlehem, GA

Part-Time Social Media/Publications Specialist
NovusWay Ministries, Arden, NC

Part-Time Music Director/Organist  
Epiphany Lutheran Church, Conyers, GA 

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ELCA Southeastern Synod
100 Edgewood Ave. NE, Suite 1600
Atlanta, GA 30303
404-589-1977