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A Homily for a Service of Prayer and Remembrance
f or those who died, those who grieve, those who remain in need of healing,
and our communities in the aftermath of the massacre in Orlando, Florida
Christ Lutheran Church, Nashville,TN
June 15, 2016
Romans 8:31-39; John13:31-35
The Rev. H. Julian Gordy, Bishop
ELCA Southeastern Synod
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In her letter in the aftermath of the massacre in Orlando, our Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton wrote, "We are killing ourselves. We believe that all people are created in God's image. All of humanity bears a family resemblance. Those murdered in Orlando were not abstract 'others,' they are us. But somehow, in the mind of a deeply disturbed gunman,the LGBTQ community was severed from our common humanity." Continue.
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A Message from Presiding Bishop Eaton on June 17, 2016
Dear ELCA Rostered Leaders,
Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ. Today we join sisters and brothers the world over in observance of the anniversary of the martyrdom of the Emanuel Nine. We continue to mourn the loss of those nine precious lives, and we pray that their families may find comfort in God's love.
Over the past year we have wrestled as a nation, and as a church, with the challenges of confronting racism. Together through our various ministries, the ELCA has participated in prayerful lament, and pursued acts of racial justice and reconciliation. These have also been times of deepening engagement with our ecumenical partners, including the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME).
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Assembly Actions and Highlights may be found here at the Southeastern Synod website.
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Seeking a New Home
Christ the King, Tupelo, MS will be vacating their building June 30, 2016. They are seeking a new home for items pictured: cross, altar, pulpit, font and paraments. Interested parties would need to contact Michelle Hester 662-488-7108 to arrange for pick-up by the end of the month.
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Pre-retirement Seminar
Living Grace Lutheran Church
1812 Cooledge Road
Tucker, GA
Thursday, October 18, 2016
Thinking about retiring soon? Join Bishop H. Julian Gordy, Assistant to the Bishop Rev. Ben Moravitz, and Southeastern Synod Portico Representative Rev. Paul Aebischer to begin planning now.
This pre-retirement seminar is for anyone over age 50 and considering retiring within the next 15 years. It will be held on Thursday, October 18, 2016 at Living Grace Lutheran Church in Tucker, GA. You must register to attend.
To learn more and to register, click here.
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McCoy Elected to the Trinity Lutheran Seminary Board of Directors
By action of the ELCA Church Council, James A. McCoy, M.D., FACS has been elected to the Trinity Lutheran Seminary Board of Directors for a three year term, beginning July 1, 2016. A member of Emmanuel, Atlanta, GA, Dr. McCoy practices General Surgery with Morehouse Surgical Associates and is affliliated with Atlanta Medical Center and Grady Hospital. He also serves as a Professor of Medical Education at Morehouse School of Medicine. Congratulations, Dr. McCoy!
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Southeastern Synod Holy Land Study Program
 For several years Dr. Monte Luker, 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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Free Youth Ministry Training at Lutheranch
October 7 - 8, 2016 
Join Rachel Alley, Assistant to the Bishop for Young Adults and Youth Ministry for an overnight retreat of networking and workshops on youth ministry that you will be able to use right away at your congregation. Space is limited. Click here to register.
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The Passion Collective
- Are you a high school graduate or young adult?
 - Are you trying to figure out just where God is calling you to use your gifts and talents?
- Do you need a place to live and serve while you figure it all out?
Then consider the Passion Collective, a gap-year program of service and spiritual direction in intentional Christian community! The Passion Collective is a part of Grace House and Lutheran Campus Ministries, Atlanta. Passion Collective missioners live at Grace House rent-free, in exchange for part-time service in campus ministry.
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 Three identical events:October 7-8, 2016: Bethany Lutheran Church, Englewood, Colorado
October 14-15, 2016: Zumbro Lutheran Church, Rochester Minnesota
November 4-5, 2016: Trinity Lutheran Church, Lansdale, Pennsylvania
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Nights Alive in Middle Tennessee
Middle-schoolers are joined by leaders, pictured in the second row from left to right, the Rev. Katherine Museus (purple shirt and hat), St. Andrew, Franklin, the Rev. Esther Ngoumo, Christ Kiswahili, Nashville, and Ms. Sandy Vollmer, St. Andrew; and, third row, the Rev. Michael Jannett (orange shirt and hat), Advent, Murfreesboro. The Rev. Dr. Morgan Gordy, Christ, Nashville (not pictured) and the Rev. Ann Bassett, Peace, Spring Hill (photographer) rounded out the leadership team.
Nights Alive is a mini camp designed specifically for middle-schoolers. Participants explore the wonders of the night, study bible stories that happen at night and discuss finding God in the dark times of our lives. Kids stay up late, sleep in late, engage in service work, play flashlight games, make s'mores, enjoy starlight swimming and worship in a glow-in-the-dark setting.
Joined by Dr. Billy Hix, a professor of information systems at Motlow College in Tullahoma, TN and a former researcher in NASA's Summer Faculty fellowship Program, the Middle Tennessee Cluster hosted Nights Alive at a farm just outside of Franklin, TN from June 13-15. Dr. Hix brought an incredible telescope to help participants discover God's creation of special places on the moon, find planets and look at Messier 13 - a globular cluster. He also brought a blow up planetarium in which the wonders of the night sky were explored.
Noted by one participant, "Nights are not so scary when you have God."
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Building an Inclusive Church Workshop
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church
4887 Valleydale Road
Birmingham, AL
July 22-23, 2016
Are you interested in helping to build Reconciling in Christ (RIC) congregations? If so, the Building an Inclusive Church workshop is for you. Building an Inclusive Church focuses on ways to create dialogue, building relationships rather than sparking debate and division, while discussing sexual orientation and gender identification. For more information or to register click here.
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Trinity Lutheran Church, Tullahoma,TN Receives ELCA Grant
Trinity Lutheran Church, Tullahoma, TN received an ELCA grant for $7,680 to support the Mentoring Ministry program at the Tullahoma Day Care Center. Click here to learn more. |
Click here for information and registration. |
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WE ARE CHURCH FOR THE SAKE OF THE WORLD
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Young Adults in Global Mission
The ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission program invites ELCA young adults ages
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Tillman
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21-29 into a transformative, year-long journey in international service. As they offer themselves in service, ELCA young adults are shaped by the witness of our global neighbors. They share in the journeys of companion
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Marx
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churches and organizations in one of nine countries around the world.
The Southeastern Synod has several young adults who have been selected to participate in the program. This week we feature Ms. Jeniffer Tillman. She is a ministry candidate who is approved for ordination and currently serves Nativity, Bethlehem, GA. Also featured is Mr. Justin Marx, member, Cross of Life, Roswell, GA. Please remember these young adults in your prayers as they begin their journey.
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Summer Seminarian Program
The Summer Seminarian Program is a student immersion program where Central and Eastern European seminarians will come to the United States and experience life in a congregation. This not only helps the seminarian, but it also helps congregations understand the ministry of missions. To learn how you and your congregation may become involved, click here or contact Dr. Thomas Drobena at the Slovak Zion Synod, drobena@optonline.net or 855-797-3522.
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The June edition is available here. |
The Christian Calling to Love and Serve our Refugee Neighbors
A resolution about the Christian Calling to Love and Service our Refugee Neighbors was passed at the 2016 Southeastern Synod Assembly. The resolution calls for each congregation in our synod to do the following:
LEARN about the experience and needs of refugees
ACT by being an advocate and justice seeker for refugees
WELCOME refugees through local ministries
HOST a REFUGEE SUNDAY annually
Click here for resources to help your congregation, including refugee resettlement organization contacts in each state of our synod.
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2016 
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
August 7 - 10, 2017: 2017 Rostered Leaders Gathering, Atlanta, GA
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:
Pianist, Celebration of Grace, Canton, GA
Regional Office Director for Society of St. Andrew, Birmingham, AL
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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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ELCA Southeastern Synod
100 Edgewood Ave. NE, Suite 1600
Atlanta, GA 30303
404-589-1977
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