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  Issue #477                                         January 6, 2017
            WE ARE CHURCH                  
   95 Theses for Care Creation

This month Lutherans begin our celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.  The Green Team, as part of the celebration, will be lifting up the commitment of Luther to creation.  He taught us to care for creation through his writings and the explanation of the First Article to the Apostle's Creed.  To assist all of us in this awareness, the Green Team has developed the "95 Theses of Creation Care."  Eight (8) of these theses will be published each month in the Southeastern Synod Newsletter.  Here are the first eight:

1.    When the Creator said to us in Genesis that we should "keep" the earth, 
       God gave all of us the responsibility to hold this gift of creation 
       in reverence.
2.    The word "keep" cannot be understood as referring to just using it for 
       our own benefit, as if it belongs to us.
3.     Keeping does not mean just reverence; such reverence is 
        meaningless unless we take care of the earth.
4.     To "keep" the earth is to love it and work it for God's benefit.
5.     Keeping the earth gives glory to God.
6.     Keeping the earth demonstrates thankfulness to God.
7.     The Creator also gave us dominion over the earth.
8.     Dominion of the earth is to be stewards of it for the benefit of all people.

Happy New Year!

Pastor Ed Wolff
The Green Team
Chair
Happy New Year!
By ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton
 
Ah, a new year! It opens up before us with infinite possibilities like brand new notebooks at the beginning of the school year or the beginning of football season in Cleveland-everyone has a 4.0, everyone is undefeated!

At the turn of the new year it seems possible to slough off the failures and disappointments of the past, leave one's old self behind and start a new life. In this glow we begin to make all kinds of resolutions, not just for the amendment of our lives but for the perfection of our future. It's a wonderful space of hope and potential. It's also ephemeral-morning dawns on Jan. 2. Continue.

Originally published in Living Lutheran's January 2017 issue, this column is reprinted with permission. 
Service of Commemoration
The 2017 Southeastern Synod Service of Commemoration for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be held on Sunday, January 15, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. The service will be hosted by St. John's Lutheran Church, 1410 Ponce de Leon Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA. The Rev. H. Julian Gordy, bishop, Southeastern Synod will serve as the preacher of the day.  

Choir Rehearsal - Postponed
Due the anticipated inclement weather, the choir rehearsal scheduled for Friday, January 6 has been postponed until Tuesday, January 10 at 6:30 p.m. at St. John's.

Mass Liturgical Dance Group Rehearsal - Postponed
The Liturgical Dance Group has postponed their Saturday, January 7 rehearsal until Sunday, January 8 at 2:30 p.m.

Day of Service - Online Registration is Open
The Lutheran MLK Day of Service will be held on Monday, January 16, 2017 at Rock of Ages Lutheran Church, 5135 Memorial Drive, Stone Mountain GA. Registration will be from 8:30 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. the Day of Service, Learning and Seeking Justice will be held from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Click here to register online.

Justice goes hand-in-hand with mercy in following God's call to care for our neighbors.
Disaster Response and Recovery
What You Can Do Now!  

The Southeastern Synod has been impacted by multiple disasters in 2016. These affected communities are in various stages of the disaster recovery process from initial relief efforts in Gatlinburg, TN to long-term recovery reconstruction from the floods in Clarksdale and Hattiesburg, MS. 

The Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) holiday is a time for remembering our call to care for one another in community with acts of service. Let's use the MLK weekend in January to change our synod's reputation from being the "disaster synod" to being the "disaster response synod". The MLK weekend provides two full days of work with travel on Friday and Monday

The Disaster Response Committee is working on plans for a trip to Hattiesburg and to Clarksdale and tentatively to the Savannah/Brunswick area in Georgia and possibly something in Tennessee as well. Contact Southeastern Synod Disaster Volunteer Management Coordinator, Ellen Koester ([email protected] or 
615-838-5550) to register or to learn more information. 

As always in times of disaster, financial contributions are greatly needed. Click here to donate.

 Let's plan to bring hope and recovery to our neighbors across the synod.
January 14, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. CST
Ms. Anna Gordy Montgomery will be ordained to the office of Word and Sacrament at St. Andrew Lutheran Church, 908 Murfreesboro Road, Franklin, TN.  She has accepted a call to serve as Associate Pastor of Abiding Presence Lutheran Church, San Antonio, TX, ELCA Southwestern Texas Synod.

February 18, 2017 at 2:30 p.m. CST
The Rev. Carla Hope Knobler will be installed as Pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, 23rd Avenue & 4th Street, Gulf Shores, AL.

February 26, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. CST
The Rev. L. Cuttino Alexander will be installed as Pastor of Christus Victor Lutheran Church, 2755 Bienville Boulevard, Ocean Springs, MS.
Great Commission and Linn Fund Grant Deadlines    

The Outreach Committee meets four times a year to review Great Commission and Linn Fund grant applications.  The deadlines to submit an application for 2017 are: January 10, April 18, July 11 and October 17.  Details and forms may be found here.
Church Financial Management for Clergy

When: Mondays, January 9 - May 3, 2017, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 
(15 class sessions in total)
Where: Candler School of Theology, Atlanta, GA
Who: Seminary students and active clergy may register for this course. Registration is limited to 10 continuing education students who will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. This course may qualify for continuing education credits, depending on your denomination.
Cost: $930
 Click here for course description and registration link.
spring_flowers_field.jpg 3rd Annual Islands Women's Day
Embracing Life's Challenges
Saturday, February 4, 2017
8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
51 Wilmington Island Road
   Click here for details.
Tis the Season for Reports  

The Annual Rostered Ministers Reports are due by February 15, 2017. Anyone serving in a call or on leave from call is expected to fill out one of these and send it to the bishop. Retired rostered ministers are welcome and encouraged to fill one out, but must do so if they are to have a vote at Assembly.  Detailed instructions for preparing and submitting the reports, as well as a link to the slightly revised forms may be found here on the Southeastern Synod website.

Information and instructions for the Annual Parochial Report were released to congregations in mid-December.  It is anticipated that online filing for 2016 will open on January 10, 2017.
Learn Liturgical Spanish at LSPS

�Feliz A�o Nuevo!  Come learn some liturgical Spanish y mucho m�s (and much more) in intensives hosted by Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest (LSPS). Click the links following for the May Intensive and the June intensive.
                              WE ARE LUTHERAN                   
ELCA Southeastern Synod Youth and Young Adult News

Are you current with the upcoming activities of the Youth and Young Adult Ministry?  Click here for the latest news.
What Would Luther Do Today?

Join Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton in a FREE "Big Class" offered by ChurchNext from January 16 through January 30.  Click here for information and registration
A New Lenten Devotional for Your Congregation, 
Featuring Luther's Small Catechism

This beautiful, full-color devotional takes you through Lent with daily readings from Martin Luther's Small Catechism. Each reading is accompanied by a photo, a quote to ponder, reflection, and prayer. Free Indeed invites you to reflect on Martin Luther's guide to the basics of Christian faith during the Lenten season, and within the observance of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Available in pocket, large print, and eBook editions. Click here to view a sample.
Affirm and Lutheranch Partnership
June 18 - 23, 2017

While your middle and high schoolers are at AFFIRM, send grade school youth to Lutheranch for summer camp!  Click here for details.
Wild Women Weekends at Lutheridge
February 3-5, February 10-12, March 10-12, March 17-19, March 24-26, 2017 
(All Friday-Sunday)
 
Adult women of all ages will gain fresh vision and strength for the new year. Bring a group to deepen fellowship with women you know, or come alone to find kindred spirits among women from across the southeast. Through the stories of Katie Luther and other Reformation women, we'll be inspired to meet today's challenges with a reforming spirit. Songs, stories, crafts, games, bible study, and creative worship - as well as free time to enjoy the beauty of the mountains - make for a wonderful weekend retreat. Let God call you to new adventures; become a Wild Woman at Lutheridge!

Leader: Pastor Mary Canniff-Kuhn, Lutheridge Program Director & Storyteller
Download the Program Packet here!
$215 per person
                         WE ARE CHURCH TOGETHER                  
Liberation Theology Study and Praxis Group

Join the Rev. Ronald Bonner and the Lutheran Church of the Atonement, Atlanta, GA as they launch a Liberation Theology Study and Praxis Group.
 
"Beginning Saturday, January 28, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. we will explore the works of Collins, Cone, Grant, Gonzalez, Thurman, and others to help us understand the place of Liberation Theology in today's Multicultural Church.  But, more than a book club we will invite speakers, many of whom were involved in the Civil Rights Movement or today's Black Lives Matter movement or both.  Also, on some Saturdays we will engage in film study to analyze how film impacts the struggle for freedom and equality.  I hope that you will be able to join us each 4th Saturday of the year.  We are located at 1875 Joseph E. Boone Atlanta, GA. This is group is open to all.  The first book is The Cross and the Lynching Tree written by Janes Cone. I can be reached at 404-7189711 or at [email protected].  I look forward to seeing you there." Pastor Ronald Bonner.

 "Why Give? The Christian Practice of Almsgiving"  

Stewardship Symposium   
January 27, 2017, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.  
Stavros Lecture Hall, Virginia Casey Building  
Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary of Lenoir-Rhyne University  
4201 North Main Street, Columbia, SC


At this year's Stewardship Symposium, keynote speaker David Downs, pictured above, will lead a conversation about how early Christian views and practices of giving might shape the formation of Christian communities today.  What is the relationship between giving and reward in the biblical tradition?  What practices and theologies of gift-giving emerged through early Christian engagement with Scripture?  

Click here for mnore information and registration form.
     WE ARE CHURCH FOR THE SAKE OF THE WORLD       
2nd Annual Advocacy Gathering
St. John's, Atlanta, GA
Saturday, February 11, 2017
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Registration is open.

The theme this year, "How To ...", will include such topics as how to write an effective op-ed; how to successfully build a network; and how to educate your congregation (without offending anyone).  Lunch will be provided.  Click here to register.  For additional information, contact Committee Chair Hilton Austin, Jr. at [email protected].
The GrayTones

Christmas in the Holy Land  

Click here for the latest news from Adrainne and Ben Gray, members of St. John's Atlanta, GA, who are serving as missionaries in Palestine. Please remember Adrainne, Ben and their children in your prayers.
                                     SYNOD CALENDAR                
                                      
               2017
January 15, 2017:  Service of Commemoration for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., St. John's, Atlanta, GA
January 16, 2017:  Lutheran MLK Day of Service, Rock of Ages, Stone Mountain, GA
January 20-21, 2017:  Synod Council Meeting, Montgomery, AL
February 11, 2017:  2nd Annual Advocacy Gathering, St. John's, Atlanta, GA
February 24 - 26, 2017: All-Georgia Youth Gathering, FFA-FCCLA Camp, Covington, GA
March 3 - 5, 2017: SESLYO Assembly, Clyde York 4-H Center, Crossville, TN
May 24 - 25, 2017:  Synod Council Meeting, Chattanooga, TN
May 26 - 28, 2017:  2017 Synod Assembly, Chattanooga, TN
June 18 - 23, 2017: AFFIRM, University of West Alabama, Livingston, AL
July 25 - 29, 2017:  Bishop's School, Camp Kinard, Batesburg-Leesburg, SC
August 7 - 10, 2017:  2017 Rostered Ministers Gathering, Atlanta, GA
September 15 - 17, 2017:  Women of the ELCA Convention, Nashville, TN
September 22 - 23, 2017:  Synod Council Meeting, TBD
October 17 - 19, 2017:  Leadership Convocation, Lutheridge, Arden, NC 

 2018
May 30 - 31, 2018:  Synod Council Meeting, Chattanooga, TN
June 1 - 3, 2018:  2018 Synod Assembly, Chattanooga, TN
June 27 - July 1, 2018:  ELCA Youth Gathering, Houston, TX

                                                          2019
May 29 - 30, 2019:  Synod Council Meeting, Chattanooga, TN
May 31 - June 2, 2019:  2019 Synod Assembly, Chattanooga, TN

                                                          2020
June 3 - 4, 2020:  Synod Council Meeting, Chattanooga, TN 
June 5 - 7, 2020:  2020 Synod Assembly, Chattanooga, TN

                                                          2021
June 2 - 3, 2021:  Synod Council Meeting, Chattanooga, TN
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:  
Sales Associate, NovusWay, Inc, Arden, NC
Business Administrator, Trinity, Lilburn, GA
Director of Music Ministry and Pianist, Community of Grace, Grayson, GA
                    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