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| SEPANews | A communications service of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, ELCA.
© 2013 SEPA Synod.
Send information for publication three to four weeks in advance of desired publicity to:
sepanews@sepa.org.
More information.
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Living Gospel Makes Release Reality
Philadelphia's Living Gospel Ministries is a "church-without-walls" newly started to help former offenders returning to society and families with an incarcerated member with an experience of God's grace and help with life and employment skills.
In December the Synod Council approved Living Gospel as a synodically authorized worshipping community (SAWC) and named seminarian Linda Manson as mission developer.
The need for such a ministry is great - at least 35,000 Philadelphians return from prison each year, and more than one in 34 Americans (and a quarter of African American males) are connected with the criminal justice system as prisoners, parolees or probationers. This is one of the ministries you support through the It Takes All The Saints campaign. Click here to make a secure online donation now.
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 The 26th Synod Assembly will focus on the theme: "Show Me: We Want to See Jesus." The Assembly will be held Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4 at Franconia Mennonite Church in Telford.
Registration is now open, and we are asking that all registrations be completed online.
You may use a credit card to securely pay for your registrations, or register online and mail a check to: Cynta Outterbridge, Assembly Registrar, in care of the Synod office.
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 In response to requests from congregations, we're establishing a network for congregation communicators -- people who edit newsletters, maintain web pages, manage Facebook and other social media for the church, produce e-newsletters, and AV and worship tech teams. Please share this with your congregation's communicators.
Two initial opportunities to network are scheduled:
- Sunday, Feb. 24, 3-4:30 pm, at Trinity, Lansdale (1000 W. Main Street, Lansdale)
- Monday, Feb. 25, 7 to 8:30 pm, at Immanuel, Philadelphia (14100 Worthington Road, Philadelphia).
Our initial gatherings will be for networking and resource sharing. Future gatherings will be targeted to specific communications solutions.
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Bishop Burkat addresses Heeding God's Call's prayer vigil against gun violence at the state Capitol Jan. 23. The Rev. Katie Day, the Rev. Patricia Davenport and the Rev. Lamont Wells are to the left of the "Remember the Children" sign. Photo by John Eskate.
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Fifty years after the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. penned his famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail," the American civil rights story is "turning a chapter and, I hope and pray, writing a new narrative," Bishop Claire Burkat said at the Jan. 20 worship service celebrating King's life and dreams. Bishop Burkat noted that in April, on the 50th anniversary of King's letter, the leaders of Christian Churches Together will gather in Birmingham to release a response that expresses gratitude for the sacrifices of civil rights leaders and calls on Christians to embrace America's interdependence with others around the globe, to work to eliminate the causes of systemic injustice rather than just treat its symptoms, and to strive to create "a community that honors the full equality of all people." Read more
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 A recent report by American Public Media's "Marketplace Money" explored the growth of electronic giving options for churches as more and more people "go cashless" -- especially younger people. One expert who studies church giving trends reports that about 40% of congregations now use some kind of electronic giving. Has your church tried any kind of online or electronic giving? How's it working? Please let us know your experience by responding to this email or leaving a comment at the GodIsDoingSomethingNew.com website.
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Pennsylvania faith-based institutions and non-profits can receive a zero-cost solar installation through the Energy Services Program of GreenFaith, a national interfaith environmental organization. Register now to have your faith-based or non-profit site evaluated for solar via satellite photo.
Act now! Funds for the Pennsylvania Sunshine Solar Rebate Program are likely to be oversubscribed within the next two weeks, if not sooner.
For more information about GreenFaith's programs or the Pennsylvania solar opportunity, contact Fletcher Harper, GreenFaith's Executive Director, at revfharper@greenfaith.org .
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March is SEKOMU month in our Synod, as we work to raise $20,000 for desks, chairs and technology infrastructure for one of the lecture halls in the new Academic Building just completed on campus.
You can help meet the challenge to provide desks and chairs at $50 each (200 needed), work tables at $150 each (20 needed) and audiovisual and computer resources (70 gifts of $100 needed). Consider giving one of the items! You can make a secure online donation at our website, https://community.ministrylink.org/designatedgifts.
The Synod Council has designated March for a special appeal to congregations, and each congregation is asked to raise awareness of this growing Tanzanian university one Sunday before Easter. Use the newsletter and litany below in your congregation.
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The 2013 form to submit your intent for Partnership Support giving in the coming year is now available online. This is a fillable PDF form that can be downloaded, completed in the free Acrobat Reader program, and printed and mailed OR can be saved and emailed to the Synod Office.
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You make mission possible in Southeastern Pennsylvania!
Every day our Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod works to equip our congregations and leaders for the work of ministry by sowing seeds for mission. But our public Lutheran witness is only as strong as the support we receive from congregations and missional leaders -- like you. Visit www.ministrylink.org/give to make a secure, online donation or click here to learn how to send a donation by check.
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