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Issue #458 March 21, 2016
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Dedication Day at Lutheranch
 March 12, 2016 will long be remembered as the day when Lutheranch took a giant step forward in ministry with the dedication of the Stender Campus, the Lake Stender Worship Area and St. Timothy Outdoor Chapel. Bishop H. Julian Gordy presided at the dedication, along with Bishop Herman Yoos, South Carolina Synod and the Rev. Darrel Peterson, Marietta, GA. Continue reading... |
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Cross and Crown, Chamblee, GA Leaves Legacy at Lutheranch
 On August 9, 2015, Cross and Crown Lutheran Church conducted its final worship service and fellowship meal, and the buildings and property were sold on December 7, 2015. This concluded several years of efforts to "turn around" the ministry of Cross and Crown church, which also operated a preschool. Pastor Gary Christensen was called as pastor in December 2008 following his service as Mission Director for the ELCA in the Southeastern Synod. Continue reading... |
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ELCA's comprehensive campaign finishes second year
with $80 million raised
CHICAGO (ELCA) - The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) first comprehensive campaign, Always Being Made New: The Campaign for the ELCA, is celebrating the completion of its second year with $80 million in cash gifts and gift commitments, representing 40 percent of the five-year, $198 million goal by Jan. 31, 2019. In addition, the ELCA has received another $17 million in planned gifts commitments to the priorities of the campaign. Continue reading...
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April 17, 2016, 10:00 a.m. EDT
The Rev. Dr. Gary C. Christensen will be installed as Pastor, Resurrection Lutheran Church, 1250 Lora Smith Road, Newnan, GA.
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Celebrating 60 Years of Ministry
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Pr. Wilder during the children's sermon (above) and with Bp. Gordy and the congregation (right).
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On Palm Sunday in 1956, Gloria Dei, Knoxville, TN became an organized Lutheran congregation in what was then the Virginia Synod of the United Lutheran Church in America.
This year, on Palm Sunday, Gloria Dei, now an ELCA congregation, celebrated 60 years of ministry. The Rev. H. Julian Gordy, Bishop, ELCA Southeastern Synod. joined the Rev. Jack Wilder, Pastor, Gloria Dei for the special worship service.
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Congregational Treasurers' and Bookkeepers'
Financial and Accounting Guide
The Financial and Accounting Guide may now be accessed from any page of the Southeastern Synod website. Select the "Resource" tab on the bar across the page, and then select the title Congregational Treasurers' and Bookkeepers' Financial and Accounting Guide.
These resources for congregational treasurers and bookkeepers have been developed in response to questions that the Office of the Treasurer is frequently asked. If you have suggestions for additional information, please send an email to OTinfo@elca.org. |
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CONNECT. REFLECT. DISCOVER.
Follow the link above for registration, lodging and Gathering schedules.
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Early Bird Registration Savings Ends March 31
Registration for the 2016 Southeastern Synod is open. Access to Assembly registration, hotel reservations and much more may be found here on the Assembly website. You may also download the Assembly information to your smartphone, iPad or tablet from any page on the Assembly website.
Projectors Needed for Synod Assembly
The Synod Assembly Committee, in an effort to reduce expenses, is seeking seven (7) projectors to support the workshops planned for Assembly. If you are willing to loan your congregation's projector for use on Friday, May 27 and Saturday, May 28, please contact Lorraine Dorough at ledorough@gmail.com.
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Nominations Sought for 2016 Synod Assembly Elections
Bio Forms Due April 1
 The Southeastern Synod Nominating Committee is currently seeking potential nominees for several positions to be elected at the 2016 Synod Assembly. Positions for which nominees are needed are found here.
The Nominating Committee's goal is to nominate two to four persons for each position. The Committee will consider individual skills and qualifications, as well as the Synod's inclusivity goals. These goals address the balance between lay persons and pastors, gender, status as a youth or young adult, and racial/ethnic background. Achieving some geographical diversity of nominees will also be a factor in the Nominating Committee's decisions.
April 1, 2016 is the deadline for submission of biographical forms to be considered by the Nominating Committee. Click here for forms and information.
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A Message from Adrainne Gray
ELCA Southeastern Synod World Hunger Ambassador
 "Christ has no body but mine, no hands but mine, no feet but mine.
Mine are the eyes through which we are to see Christ's compassion for the world.
Mine are the feet with which Christ is to go about doing good.
Mine are the hands with which Christ is to bless now. Amen."
~ St. Teresa of Avila, a prayer offered by Bishop Mark W. Holmerud of the Sierra Pacific Synod as written in the 40 Days of Giving Devotional.
The youth of Messiah Lutheran Church in Madison, Alabama are living out St. Teresa's poetic prayer and finding amazing ways to "go about doing good."
Using the 40 Days of Giving Campaign as a catalyst, the youth of Messiah have responded to the call to end hunger in their community.
Messiah's Director of Outreach Ministries, Claire Strand reports that the congregation is 'giving generously' in an effort to meet the ELCA World Hunger's challenge to raise $2 million by Easter morning. Continue reading...
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 Lutheran Services of Georgia
Prayer Breakfast
March 31, 2016
7:30 a.m - 9:30 a.m.
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
Sims Atrium
731 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA
Please join Lutheran Services of Georgia in welcoming Ms. Linda Hartke, President and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, to the LSG Prayer Breakfast. Ms. Hartke will share heart and faith-filled messages regarding the journeys of our refugees in crisis and how we as people of faith can help. The event will be hosted by the Rev. H. Julian Gordy, Bishop, ELCA Southeastern Synod and the Rev. Gregory S. Walton, President, LCMS Georgia-Florida District. Click here to register. Tickets are $40.00 each and there are opportunities for sponsorship. For more information, contact Allison Purves, apurves@lsga.org, 404-558-5771.
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Southeastern Synod Holy Land Study Program
 For several years Dr. Monte Luker of the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary has offered trips to the Holy Land for members of our synods. In 2017, Dr. Luker is offering a study trip to members of the Southeastern Synod.
Diaconal Minster Allison Ward and her husband Jim will help coordinate our synod's pilgrimage. Seminarians are encouraged to use this experience as a multi-cultural course. Scholarships are available. Congregations and individuals are invited to offer funds to supplement scholarships.
Click here for information found on Dr. Luker's travel site. You may also contact Allison Ward at AllisonWard@comcast.net.
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Volunteer Disaster Response Coordinator Training
Nashville, TN
The Southeastern Synod Disaster Ministry Committee hopes to add new volunteer coordinators to serve in their communities. The volunteer coordinators will help congregations prepare for the event of a disaster, as well as help them be a part of the response in the aftermath. Volunteers are needed throughout our synod. New volunteers will join a team of 21 volunteer coordinators already serving their communities in our synod.
If you are interested in being a part of the Synod's disaster response team please consider coming to this event. We will begin at 2:00 p.m. CDT on Thursday and conclude on Friday after lunch at noon.
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Friends in Hope
Rostered Leaders Detention Visit
Thursday, April 7, 2016
7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Hosted by the Rev. H. Julian Gordy, Bishop, ELCA Southeastern Synod and Chair of the Immigration Ready Bench for the Conference of Bishops; the Rev. Justin Ask, Associate Pastor, Good Shepherd, Woodstock, GA, and Chair of the Immigration Task Force for the Southeastern Synod; and Diaconal Minister Melanie Johnson, LSG Refugee and Immigration Services.
What happens on visit day April 7?
The group will meet at a central location and carpool for the 2.5 hour journey to Lumpkin, engaging in a discussion-based orientation during the trip. The first stop in Lumpkin on visit day is El Refugio, a hospitality house for friends and family of detainees. At El Refugio, our partner in detention ministry, visitors are assigned detainees to visit based on the language(s) spoken by visitors. If you only speak English, that's OK - there are many immigrants in detention who speak English. Typical arrival time back in Atlanta is between 5:00 -7:00 p.m.
For more information on Friends in Hope or to RSVP for the Rostered Leaders Detention Visit on April 7, contact Melanie Johnson at mjohnson@lsga.org.
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 2016 Meaningful Conversations
Thursday, April 14, 2016
St. Luke's Episcopal Church
435 Peachtree Street, NE
Atlanta, GA
Click here for information and tickets. |
 Wheat Ridge Ministries is "Lutherans seeding new ministries of health and hope in the name of the healing Christ."
Below, Mark Schoepp, Director of Congregation Engagement, invites you to follow the links to learn about Wheat Ridge and the resources they provide.
1. Mini Tour. - smartphone friendly, and the quickest way to get a picture of what we are about, and get links to the resources.
2. Granting options. Three kinds of grants ranging from $1,000 to $50,000 up to three years. And don't forget our crowd funding site - WeRaise!
3. And here is our Grants Directory - a listing of all the current grants/projects as a good idea bank.
7. Inspire Project - At least two thirds of what we give away in grants ($13 million since 2000) comes directly from donations from congregations and individuals. Every dollar amount is helpful, large and small. We know the name "Wheat Ridge" does not bring up any specific images of what we do! This project gives people in your congregation a specific example of where our dollars are used and something they can wrap their heads and hearts around if you consider supporting the granting ministry we do with financial support. A new project coming soon is focused on cancer care.
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WE ARE CHURCH FOR THE SAKE OF THE WORLD
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The Lutheran Youth Choir International
The Lutheran Youth Choir International, an ecumenical summer touring choir for high school students founded in 2005, invites singers to be a part of its 2016 Festival of Global Vocal Music. Following three previous choral festivals in
Germany and one in the U.S., the choir's fifth festival will be based in the Chicago and Milwaukee areas. The festival dates are July 10-19, 2016, and will include eight full days of rehearsing and performing sacred choral music from around the world with other young people from throughout the United States and Germany. Click here for information and application materials.
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2016 
March 31, 2016: Lutheran Services of Georgia Prayer Breakfast, Redeemer, Atlanta, GA
May 27 -29, 2016: 2016 Southeastern Synod Assembly, Birmingham, AL
September 11, 2016: "God's work. Our hands." Sunday.
September 16 -17, 2016: Synod Council Meeting, Christ Our Hope, Riverdale, GA
September 16 - 18, 2016: Southeastern Synod Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Convention, Hilton Hotel, Peachtree Corners, GA
2017
May 26 - 28, 2017: 2017 Synod Assembly, Chattanooga, TN
July 13 - 17, 2017: Tenth Triennial for Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Minneapolis, MN
2018
June 1 - 3, 2018: 2018 Synod Assembly, Chattanooga, TN
2019
May 31 - June 2, 2019: 2019 Synod Assembly, Chattanooga, TN
2020
June 5 - 7, 2020: 2020 Synod Assembly, Chattanooga, TN
2021
June 4 - 6, 2021: 2021 Synod Assembly, Chattanooga, TN
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Descriptions and application instructions for the following open positions and others are listed on our website:
Minister of Music for Christ the King, Cumming , GA
Office Manager for First United, Kennesaw, GA
Site Host for Holy Trinity House at Lutherach
Internship - Tyson House
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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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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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