CHICAGO (ELCA) - In response to a statement and call to action from the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has pledged the 3.8 million-member ELCA to participate Sept. 6 in "Confession, Repentance and Commitment to End Racism Sunday."
The AME Church, together with the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, are calling "every church, temple, mosque and faith communion" to "confess and repent from the sin of racism" Sept. 6 during their respective worship. Faith leaders worldwide are being asked to preach about racism and engage as "people of faith to end racism." Continue.
From the desk of Pr. Bahlinger
Written by the Rev. Cliff Bahlinger, pastor, St. Luke, Cordova, this article first appeared in St. Luke's August Newsletter and is reprinted with permission.
Long before Europeans arrived in the mid-south, the land was already populated by the Choctaw, Chickasaw and Natchez tribes. All three people groups had separate communities and often lived in conflict with one another.
When the Spanish arrived, then the French, and later the English, conflicts just increased as each new group tried to turn the other groups against one another. Alliances were created and dissolved in an effort to keep the other groups weak and vulnerable. In an effort to gain power and control.
In the book of Ephesians, the young church faced a similar problem. Christian Jews and Christian Gentiles were in conflict. So Paul wrote Ephesians to address this division of people in his time and place, and to appeal to them to see their oneness in Christ Jesus. Today I ask you to consider what this same letter has to say to us, in our time and place, in 2015, in Memphis TN. Continue.
Community Conversation
"Race: The Power of an Allusion"
St. John's Lutheran Church
Saturday, September 25, 2015
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Facilitated by:
Ms. Cathi Crimi, Chair
ELCA Southeastern Synod Anti-Racism Task Force
Lunch will be provided by the Lutheran Theological Center in Atlanta.
ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton and William B. Horne II, an ELCA member from Clearwater, FL, discuss the complexity and implications of racism in a webcast originally broadcast on August 6, 2015. The webcast is provided in its entirety for those who were unable to watch.
August 30, 2015 at 10:30 a.m. CDT
The Rev Gary R. Soop will be installed as pastor of St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 200 Longwood Drive SE, Huntsville, Alabama.
August 30, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. EDT
The Rev. Jack A. Wilder will be installed as pastor of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 6632 Chapman Highway, Knoxville, Tennessee.
September 27, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. CDT
The Rev. Lynda Ernst will be installed as pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 525 Sneed Road, Nashville, Tennessee.
October 4, 2015 at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. CDT
Sister Sylvia Countess will be installed as an interim minister at Faith Lutheran Church, 6704 Deerfoot Parkway, Clay, Alabama.
October 4, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. EDT
The Rev. Stephen Friedrich will be installed as a pastor at Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, 4814 Paper Mill Road SE, Marietta, Georgia.
October 24, 2015 1:00 p.m. EDT
Ms. Melanie Johnson will be consecrated as a diaconal minister. The service will be held at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, 731 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, Georgia.
Southeastern Synod Leadership Convocation
Lutheridge Conference Center
Arden, NC
September 15 - 17, 2015
Click here to read about the 2015 Leadership Convocation and to learn about our keynote speaker, Mr. Robert Benson, pictured above. To register visit the NovusWay website at www.novusway.com . Click on "Our Programs" and "Registration Information." If you already have a NovusWay username and password, you will need to have it available when you register.
First Call Theological Education will also be offered for first call candidates beginning on Monday, September 14 and the Interim Pastor's Gathering will begin on Thursday afternoon and conclude on Friday. You can register for both of these events by following the instructions for registering on the NovusWay website above.
Church Business Administration
The Leadership Institute of Union Presbyterian Seminary is offering seminars in Church Business Administration through the Charlotte NC campus beginning in September. The seminars fulfill the core course requirements for certification as a Church Administrator through The Church Network (www.nacba.net). They count for elective and retention continuing education units. Information and registration can be found here.
WE ARE LUTHERAN
Why Are Our Health Care Benefits Going Up?
Friday, August 28, 2015 10:30 CDT
Join Portico Benefit Services for a look at what drives ELCA health contribution rates, such as market trends and our faith community's use of care. This live, 30-minute webinar will include an opportunity to ask questions. Organizational decision-makers are invited to attend, such as congregation presidents, treasurers, senior pastors, or others who help shape their ministry's budget.
The Grace Gathering will be held in conjunction with 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in New Orleans, Louisiana. This gathering will create an opportunity for ELCA members to gather from all synods and regions to experience personal renewal in faith, to become more deeply engaged and involved in the ELCA's life and ministry, and to be equipped for local and regional observances of the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation.
Stay tuned for more information! Early bird registration will start October 31, 2015!
See Grace Gathering for up-to-date information on the schedule of events, workshops, keynote speakers, registration and more!
Lutheran Services of Georgia Receives COA Accreditation
Lutheran Services of Georgia (LSG) is pleased to announce the successful completion of the agency's peer review process with the Council on Accreditation (COA). LSG's accreditation by COA results from a detailed assessment of all service programs and administrative departments. Click here to read about LSG's accreditation.
Free Youth Ministry Training at Lutheranch
Are you a paid staff or volunteer with youth? Please join us at Lutheranch on October 11-12 for the 4th Annual FREE Youthworkers Retreat sponsored by NovusWay and the Southeastern Synod. On Friday night, we will spend the evening networking, sharing ideas, and catching up with each other. On Saturday morning we will begin with breakfast then immediately go into 6 different workshops with a focus on basic, good youth ministry practices and faith formation ideas. Lunch and a tour of Lutheranch will also be included. We will conclude our retreat by 5:00 p.m. so you can get back for Sunday morning responsibilities. Please register online at www.sesyouth.org
WE ARE CHURCH TOGETHER
Ecumenism Blossoms in Georgia
Scott Benhase (left) and H. Julian Gordy, bishops of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia and the ELCA Southeastern Synod, respectively, consecrated the new building shared by St. Patrick's Episcopal and the Luthran Church of Our Saviour in Albany, GA.
Full fellowship between Lutherans in the ELCA and Episcopalians was declared in 1999 and has resulted in many cooperative ministries and the sharing of pastors. In the last few years, that cooperation in the Southeastern Synod has blossomed like magnolias in May. Continue.
Written by Charles M. Austin, this article is featured in the August edition of The Lutheran magazine. Please note the following corrections: the Rev. John Pearce, an ELCA pastor rostered in the New Jersey Synod, serves St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Woodbine, GA as Lutheran Pastor in Charge. The Rev. Harry Carlsen, retired, Southeastern Synod, serves St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church in Columbus, GA as vicar.
Tennessee Congregations Gathered to Dunk the Bishop?
Click here to read about the Come to the Water event held in Blount County, Tennessee, Saturday, August 22.
In September the ELCA Southeastern Synod will kick off the Together We Can! Synodical Appeal. Through Together We Can!, we seek to grow mission support giving to enable us to do more of the work God has called us to in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee.
Click hereto learn more about the appeal and how you can participate.
Also, check out the new Bulletin Inserts that have been added to the toolkit!
Deadline: September 15
Southeastern Synod Wellness/Sabbatical Grant Applications
Thanks to our synod's participation in the Portico Health Assessment the last two years, we have been able to award grants to rostered leaders for sabbaticals and wellness initiatives. The next deadline for grant applications is September 15. Learn more and find an application here.
Stewardship of Life Institute (SOLI) Grants Available
The Stewardship of Life Institute (SOLI) seeks to promote stewardship education in the ELCA, especially with seminarians and rostered leaders. Thus, SOLI Is accepting grant proposals from ELCA seminaries, synods, congregations, and other ministries for projects, workshops, or events that encourage stewardship education.
In keeping with SOLI's mission, proposals of primary interest will be those that assist in seminarian education or first call theological education. Of secondary interest will be proposals that assist in stewardship leadership education among laity and clergy. SOLI is especially interested in proposals that that are repeatable and scalable across multiple constituencies and/or that involve collaboration within the ELCA. SOLI anticipates that its grant funding is part of a budget that includes "skin in the game" by the sponsoring organization and/or participants.
Grants will normally be a one-time award. Funding may be extended for an ongoing project, but applicants must submit a new application after the first year's award. Reports are expected upon completion of all projects, and must be received before funding is extended.
Grants will be awarded twice each year. Application deadlines are March 15 and September 15. Notification of grant awards will be made by May 15 and November 15. Grants will normally range from $1,000 to $8,000; in exceptional cases, a grant of more than $8,000 may be granted, up to a maximum of $12,000. Grant proposals must include the application and a detailed budget. If you have any questions, please contact SOLI's executive director, the Rev. Dr. Marty Stevens, mstevens@ltsg.edu.
GRANT APPLICATION:
Go to www.stewardshipoflife.org/grant/ for details and to download the grant application form, which is in Rich Text Format. Save the form onto your computer, fill it out, rename the file and send it by email to SOLI's executive director, the Rev. Dr. Marty Stevens, mstevens@ltsg.edu.
The Stewardship of Life Institute (SOLI), founded in 1994, promotes stewardship in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Headquartered at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, SOLI carries on the vision and work of its founder and benefactor, the late Arthur Larson.
Lutheran Services of Georgia is thrilled to announce our 2015 Heroes of Hope. Please join us for a special evening to include a buffet dinner, drinks, silent auction, and a time to honor our Heroes.
The Southeastern Synod's Budget and Finance Committee is now accepting requests for funding in the Synod's 2017-18 Ministry Funding Proposal, which will be presented for action at next year's synod assembly. Agencies, institutions and other groups are invited to submit their requests between now and the September 25th 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 hereto request support for a committee or task force during the next fiscal year (2016-17). The deadline for submitting committee/task force requests is September 25.
Note that links to the funding request forms are also included as one of the "Quick Links" on the synod website homepage - www.elca-ses.org.
Lutheran Church of the Messiah Carnival
This Saturday, August 29
465 Clairemont Avenue
Decatur, GA
Come one! Come all! This year's Carnival is bigger and better than last year! Mark your calendar, cancel your appointments, bring your neighbors, and invite your distant cousins! Food Trucks! Games! Prizes! Performers! Bouncy Houses! Call (404) 373-1682 for more information.
Cross Of Life Lutheran Church of Roswell
Hosts Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University
Cross of Life Lutheran Church, 1000 Hembree Road, Roswell, Georgia will host weekly sessions beginning Sunday, September 13th and also on Wednesday, September 16th for 9 weeks. Attend this special educational series focused on financial studies based on God's word and Spiritual principles.
For information and registration, click here. You may also visit the Cross of Life webpage here or call 770-475-9159.
From Consumption to Collaboration. Click here to read.
WE ARE CHURCH FOR THE SAKE OF THE WORLD
The August edition of ELCA Global links is available here.
SYNOD CALENDAR
2015
August 29, 2015: Carnival, Lutheran Church of the Messiah, Decatur, GA
September 11, 2015: Synod Council Meeting, Living Grace, Tucker, GA.
Written by the Rev. Cliff Bahlinger, pastor, St. Luke, Cordova, this article first appeared in St. Luke's August Newsletter and is reprinted with permission.
The Leadership Institute of Union Presbyterian Seminary is offering seminars in Church Business Administration through the Charlotte NC campus beginning in September. The seminars fulfill the core course requirements for certification as a Church Administrator through The Church Network (
Are you a paid staff or volunteer with youth? Please join us at Lutheranch on October 11-12 for the 4th Annual FREE Youthworkers Retreat sponsored by NovusWay and the Southeastern Synod. On Friday night, we will spend the evening networking, sharing ideas, and catching up with each other. On Saturday morning we will begin with breakfast then immediately go into 6 different workshops with a focus on basic, good youth ministry practices and faith formation ideas. Lunch and a tour of Lutheranch will also be included. We will conclude our retreat by 5:00 p.m. so you can get back for Sunday morning responsibilities. Please register online at 
