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SEPANews Update / May 1, 2014

Follow Synod Assembly Online

Synod Assembly meets tomorrow and Saturday at Franconia Mennonite Church. You can follow along:

 

Follow the live video stream and social media feeds on our website at http://ministrylink.org/live starting Friday morning. We'll be posting on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #weareSEPA.

 

News from the Assembly will be posted on our website at http://ministrylink.org and archived at http://ministrylink.org/2014. 

 

http://facebook.com/sepasynod

http://twitter.com/sepasynod  Follow @sepasynod

http://instagram.com/sepacomm

 
Be Alert for Flood Damage

 

Parts of our area are experiencing significant flooding, of a kind not seen since Irene in 2011. Some creeks and rivers are still cresting, and flood watches remain in effect.

 

From Lutheran Disaster Response: 

  • Please check on members of your congregation who are elderly or who have special needs who live in flood prone areas. 
  • Do not drive into flooded areas. If floodwaters rise around your car, abandon the car and move to higher ground if you can do so safely. If your car stalls in rapidly rising waters, get out immediately and climb to higher ground.
  • Congregations or communities that have flood buckets, please make them available to those who may have experienced water damage.
  • Visit your county department of public safety or department of emergency management website or facebook page for information specific to your area.
  • Visit http://www.ready.gov/floods for information about what to do before, during and after a flood. 

If you become aware of recovery needs contact Julia Menzo at jmenzo@libertylutheran.org or 267-464-7740.

 

Communicating Effectively in a 

Digital Age


Attention communicators: Our next SEPAComm Network gathering will be Saturday, May 17 at the Brossman Center at LTSP. We will have plenary sessions on Copyright Does and Don'ts and Best Practices for E-mail Marketing, plus breakout sessions on Facebook and How Congregations Use Email. There will also be time for networking and asking your communications questions. Share this with people responsible for newsletters, email, websites and social media, and visit http://ministrylink.org/comm for all the details and registration information.

 
Engaging with "Nones"

Hazelwood
Bishop Hazelwood
Recently the Philadelphia Seminary's "Exploring Series" hosted a program with New England Synod Bishop Jim Hazelwood conversing with four "Nones" with no church affiliation. Some quick observations about what "Nones" had to say: 
  • Welcoming people as they are and where they are on their faith journey is important. 
  • "Nones" can "smell" insincerity when they walk in the door. 
  • Being dogmatic about doctrine or becoming defensive when someone raises questions drives "Nones" away. 
  • Some "Nones" seek an exploring spirituality that connects us with all living things, the planet, and other faiths. Conversation with "Nones" happens best outside church, in non-judgmental spaces. 
See more at: http://ministrylink.org/article/engaging-nones/  
Still Time for Lutheran Phillies Tickets

phillies

Why not enjoy a night at The Park while helping to support our Synod's youth programs? Lutheran Night at The Phillies is on for Friday, May 30, when the Phils' take on New York's Mets at 7:05. Tickets are available until April 30, or until supplies run out. Seating is available from $20 to $38 per ticket, and net proceeds will be donated to support Synod youth programs. Order online at http://phillies.com/lutheran or for groups of 25 or more call Michael Reintjes in the Group Sales Office at 215.463.5000, ext. 5105.
Lutheran Day at the Capitol

The annual Lutheran Day at the Capitol and a special celebration of Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania's 35th Anniversary will be held Tuesday, May 6. The theme of the celebration is "Undivided Hearts: Sustaining Hope in a Broken World."

That evening the Rev. Dr. Timothy Wengert will keynote the anniversary celebration in the Capitol Rotunda with a talk entitled "God's Two Hands and the Christian's Undivided Heart." Get all the details at  
In Brief...

 

Preview Stewardship Workshops at Assembly

Our Synod's Stewardship Resource Team is working on several workshops to help your congregation grow mission-minded stewards. Among the topics the team can present on are "Healthy Congregations/Healthy Families: Being Good Stewards of God's Gifts" and "Five Smooth Stones: Asset-based Stewards." You can get a taste of these workshops during the Friday afternoon forums at Synod Assembly May 2. For more information about engaging with these workshops for clergy and lay leaders contact the team leader, Rev. Larry Smoose, at lvsfish1@aol.com.   

 
Job Listings
Upcoming Events
Featured Resources
In This Issue
Getting Your Info in MinistryLink

If you have information you would like published in MinistryLink, please send it to sepanews@sepa.org at least 4 weeks in advance of when you would like it to appear.

Annual Fund 12
It Takes All the Saints...
...to ensure vital Lutheran witness in Southeastern Pennsylvania. 

Each year hundreds of individuals and congregations give extra mile gifts through our annual "It Takes All the Saints" campaign. 

These gifts help us continue and expand our ministries to equip leaders (lay and rostered) and congregations for ministry in the 21st Century.

Quick Links

THANK YOU 
for taking the time to read this edition of MinistryLink. We hope you find this electronic newsletter a valuable resource in our shared ministry. If you know of anyone who could benefit from the information in this newsletter, please forward it to them using the link below and encourage them to sign up to receive MinistryLink directly.
 
Bob Fisher 
Assistant to the Bishop,
Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod ELCA
rfisher@sepa.org
267.323.3743 
 
Cynta Outterbridge 
Communications Assistant
coutterbridge@sepa.org
267.323.3742
 
 
"Activated by the Holy Spirit, we equip the saints and congregations for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ."
- Synod Purpose Statement


Keep In Touch With SEPA
 
Help your congregation's leaders keep up with the latest news, equipping resources and youth information from the Synod. 
Please encourage all of your council members and key leaders to sign up to receive emails from the Synod in one of these ways:

Scan the QR code at right to subscribe.

Text SEPANEWS to 22828

Sign-up online at http://bit.ly/SEPAmail

Download a bulletin insert to share MinistryLink mail with your congregation at http://ministrylink.org/equipping/resources/keep-in-touch-with-sepa-bulletin-insert/ 
              

© 2014 Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, ELCA | 7241 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19119 | 267.323.3737