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  Issue #466                                          August 9, 2016
            WE ARE CHURCH                  
Freed and Renewed in Christ
   2016 Churchwide Assembly 
Streaming Live   
 
Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will gather August 8-13 in assembly in New Orleans. Meeting under the theme "Freed and Renewed in Christ: 500 Years of God's Grace in Action," the assembly's business will include preparations for observing the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017. The assembly - the highest legislative body of the ELCA - will be composed of 980 voting members serving on behalf of the 3.7 million members of the ELCA.
 
People not attending the assembly can follow #ELCAcwa on social media for updates and access live video of plenary sessions at ELCA.org/ChurchwideAssemblyFor a summary of the opening plenary, click here.
Southeastern Synod 
2016 Leadership Convocation
Online Registration is Open

Lutheridge Conference Center
Arden, NC
October 11-13, 2016

Lord, listen to your children praying; 
A communal conversation and action on racial reconciliation

Click here for a message from Bishop H. Julian Gordy, detailed information and registration link for the Leadership Convocation.
August 14, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. CDT
The Rev. Richard H. Mueller will be installed as Pastor at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 8271 Whispering Pines Road, Daphne, AL.

August 21, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. EDT
The Rev. Timothy N. Wrenn will be installed as Pastor at Christ Lutheran Church, 176 West Sandtown Road, Marietta, GA.
An Evening Prayer for Peace 
an Interfaith Service 
 Monday, August 29, 2016
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Marist School
3790 Ashford Dunwoody Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30319
 
Roman Catholic Archbishop Wilton Gregory invites our brothers and sisters from the Jewish and Muslim communities, as well as other Christian denominations and faiths, to "An Evening Prayer for Peace" to remember those martyred and persecuted for their faith.

Discussion will focus on how to live our faith in this world more peacefully and effectively.   We will honor those who have given their lives for their faith.
 
Please make plans to join us for this important tribute.  Ms. Paula Gwynn Grant, Director of Communications, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, [email protected]  or 404-920-7344, is available should you have questions.
Free Worship Materials

Copies of the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW) and With One Voice (WOV) are available to congregations, new starts and other ministries, free of charge. If interested, please contact Pr. Michael Jannett, Advent, Murfreesboro, TN at [email protected] (LBW and WOV - approximatley 120 each) or Pr. Dave Smedley, Hope, Ellijay, GA at [email protected] (LBW - approximately 150).
Funding Requests Now Being Accepted
Deadline: October 1
 
The Southeastern Synod's Budget and Finance Committee is now accepting requests for funding in the Synod's 2018-19 Ministry Funding Plan 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 October 1st 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 here to request support for a committee or task force during the next fiscal year (2017-18). The deadline for submitting committee/task force requests is also October 1.
 
Note that links to the funding request forms are also included as one of the "Quick Links" on the synod's web pages (www.elca-ses.org). Questions about the synod budgeting process may be directed to Budget & Finance Committee chairperson, Fred Weinhold ([email protected]) or Synod Treasurer Lee Smith ([email protected]).

Law & Grace
Martin Luther, Lucas Cranach, and 
The Promise of Salvation
October 11, 2016 - January 16, 2017
1531 Dickey Drive, Suite 560 Atlanta, GA 30322
                              WE ARE LUTHERAN                   
Birkholz and Hamilton on Day 1

The Rev. Beth Birkholz, former associate pastor, Holy Trinity, Marietta, GA (pictured left), is the featured preacher August 14 on "Day 1" with host Peter Wallace, the nationally broadcast ecumenical radio program also accessible online at Day1.org. 

"Surrounded by Superheroes," Birkholz's sermon for August 14, is drawn from the passage in Hebrews 11:29-12:2 that recounts the trials of Old Testament heroes and reminds the reader that these are witnesses to faithful living. "We are surrounded, Hebrews says, by a cloud of witnesses who have been through what we will go through, and even worse things." She says, "They surround us with their stories that we tell each other and ourselves for inspiration and hope."

Also on Day 1, the Rev. Dr. Ruth Hamilton, pastor, St. Luke, Atlanta, (pictured right) is the featured preacher for August 21.  

Keeping the Sabbath Holy," Hamilton's sermon for August 21, is drawn from the story in Luke 13:10-17 of Jesus' healing of a crippled woman in a synagogue on the Sabbath. "So how do we keep the Sabbath holy today?" she says. "Few of us would want to return to a world full of blue laws and strict rules about how to observe the Sabbath - even if we could."

Each program includes an interview with the featured pastor conducted by Wallace, who is also executive producer.  

TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE!

Lutheran Services of Georgia's 9th Annual Awards Event
Thursday, August 11, 2016
6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Heritage Sandy Springs
6110 Blue Stone Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30328
Click here for information and tickets.
Church Law Day
Thursday, August 18, 2016
9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. CDT

The ELCA Southwest Minnesota Synod is sponsoring training on employment law and other legal issues that may affect churches and other religious organizations. The training is being presented with the support of Gustavus Adolphus College. 

Who should attend?  Pastors, administrators, and council leaders.

Join in this informative offering via LIVE STREAM! 

Click here for registration information and to register.
 
Readings in the Lutheran Confessions

August 15, 2016 - December 5, 2016
Mondays, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Emmanuel Lutheran Church
3050 Cascade Road SW
Atlanta, GA 30331

A graduate course offered by the Lutheran Theological Center of Atlanta 
in partnership with the Interdenominational Theological Center
Click here for details
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.

Click above for information about starting a Reformation 500 Bookstore.
Click here for News from Augsburg Fortress
 You are Invited to the Happy Trails Gala
 
Saturday August 20, 2016
6:00 p.m.- 9:00 p.m. 
the Inaugural Lutheranch Gala Dinner and Silent Auction 
to benefit Lutheranch NovusWay Ministries
at
The Georgian Club
100 Galleria Parkway SE, Suite 1700
Atlanta, GA  
 
Distinguished Guests
Mr. John Schuerholz and Bishop H. Julian Gordy
 
$125.00 per ticket 
Payments accepted by cash, check,Visa, MasterCard or Discover
Sponsorship opportunities and reserved group seating available
Black Tie Optional
 
RSVP to Margo Rabon
28 Spruce Drive, Arden, NC 28704
 
Free parking. Doors open at 5:30.  
Please plan to arrive early to be seated by 6:00. 
Adult Adventure at Lutherock and Lutheridge
September 2-5, 2016
Click here for details.
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 Minister 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 [email protected]
                         WE ARE CHURCH TOGETHER                  
Wheat Ridge Awards Joshua Grant to 
Lutheran Services in Tennessee  

Wheat Ridge Ministries recently awarded a $5,000 Joshua Grant to Lutheran Services in Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, for its "MyCanvas Mobile Onsite Community Arts Program." Joshua Grants are one year grants of $1,000-$5,000 to Lutheran congregations, organizations and agencies committed to launching new ministries of health and hope in their community. Click here to learn more about MyCanvas and here to learn about Joshua Grants. 
It's a Low Country Boil for Lutheran Campus Ministry Atlanta (LCM)

LCM serves Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Emory and Agnes Scott and we need your support. Please come to our fun event on Saturday, August 27th, at Living Grace Lutheran Church, 1812 Cooledge Rd, Tucker, GA at 4:00 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person and anyone under 21 is admitted free! Tickets are available online at the LCM Atlanta webpage, www.gracepeople.org. Willing to donate an auction item for the silent auction?  If so, please contact Evelyn Cannon, [email protected].  She is also available to answer questions about the event.

                                       Summer Carnival at Messiah 
August 27, 2016
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Lutheran Church of the Messiah
465 Clairemont Avenue
Decatur, GA 30033 

Bouncy houses, food trucks, carnival games with prizes, and more!
     WE ARE CHURCH FOR THE SAKE OF THE WORLD       
2016 Lutheran World Relief (LWR) Quilt and Kit Collection 

The Southeastern Synod Women of the ELCA (WELCA) will be collecting Lutheran World Relief Quilts and Kits at 7 locations throughout the synod on August 26 and 27, 2016.   Trucks will be loaded and the cartons of quilts, fleece-tied blankets, personal care kits, school kits, baby care kits, fabric kits, and soap will be transported to the LWR warehouse in Baltimore, MD. 

This year LWR distributed items to Syrian refugees in Jordan, students and their
Tanzania children receiving personal care kits.
families in Tanzania and Guatemala, and to those affected by disasters in Nepal and Nicaragua, just to name a few. While quilts are always needed, at this time personal care and school kits are needed the most.

Detailed information, times and locations of collection sites, as well as a church reporting form that must accompany your items, may be found here on the WELCA website.  If you have questions please call Janice Hawkins at 770-712-6090.
                                     SYNOD CALENDAR                
               
              2016                   
August 8 - 13, 2016:2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, New Orleans, LA
August 10 - 13, 2016: ELCA Grace Gathering, New Orleans, LA
August 27, 2016: Lutheran Campus Ministry Atlanta Low Country Boil, Living Grace, Tucker, GA
August 27, 2016: Summer Carnival, Messiah, Decatur, GA
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 
October 11-13, 2016:  Southeastern Synod 2016 Leadership Convocation, Lutheridge, Arden, NC
October 18, 2016: Portico Pre-Retirement Seminar, Living Grace, Tucker, 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
October 17 - 19, 2017:  Leadership Convocation 

2018
June 1 - 3, 2018: 2018 Synod Assembly, Chattanooga, TN
June 27 - July 1, 2018:  ELCA Youth Gathering, Houston, TX

                                                          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
                        EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES                    
Descriptions and application instructions for the following open positions and others are listed on our website:  
Director of Youth Ministries, First, Detroit Lakes, MN
Organist, Mt. Zion - St. Luke, Oglethorpe, GA
Music Director, Christ, Fairfield Glade (Crossville), TN
Director of Youth & Family Ministry, Christ Our Shepherd, Peachtree City, GA
Pianist, Celebration of Grace, Canton, GA
Regional Office Director for Society of St. Andrew, Birmingham, AL
                    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!
                                       QUICK LINKS                           
                                                      
         ELCA-Southeastern Synod - explore and see what's new!

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