SEPANews Update / August 5, 2015
Communicating

God's work. Our stories.

 

The national ELCA Day of Service - "God's work. Our hands." Sunday on Sept. 13, 2015 - is an excellent opportunity to let your congregation know about the ministries your congregation provides to your community all year long. Bob Fisher, assistant to the bishop for communication and mission interpretation, offers a number of tips and resources for telling your congregation's story: invite the media, document your event, use social media, and capture your members' stories.
Don't forget "Confronting Racism"
Webcast Banner

 

Join ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton and William B. Horne II, an ELCA Church Council member from Clearwater, Fla., for a live webcast conversation on the complexity and implications of racism Aug. 6 at 9 pm at www.elca.org/webcast. A recording will be available after the live event. Why not use this opportunity to watch with your congregation and members of the wider community, and have a conversation afterward about what you have heard?

Does your ministry offer equipping events open to our Synod? Send details of upcoming events for 2015-2016 to us at sepanews@sepa.org no later than Aug. 20 to be included in our calendar of equipping events.

Equipping

Looking for a Stewardship Response This Fall?

 

Get some new ideas to improve congregational giving. The Rev. Charles "Chick" Lane, ELCA stewardship friend and author of the great book Ask, Thank, Tell, has just released a new stewardship method entitled Because of God's Great Mercy. Recommended by the SEPA Stewardship Team.

 

Breaking the Chains of Mass Incarceration

 

Our Synod is focusing this year on addressing the systemic problem of mass incarceration in the U.S. Learn about why so many are imprisoned, the treatment of incarcerated persons, barriers for returning citizens and what faith communities can do at a PA Council of Churches conference on Oct. 23-26 in Harrisburg.

 

Resources for Reformation 500

 

AugsburgFortress is providing resources - old, new, revised - to help congregations plan and prepare for 2017. They have created a booklet called, "Anniversary Resources for Congregations - Reformation 500". There is a multi-page version that can be ordered online and a 'sampler' version that can be downloaded. The sampler gives a quick overview of what resources are planned. It includes a helpful 'Checklist' for congregations to begin preparing and planning. Here are the links:

Innovating

Holding the Church Loosely

  

From an interview with the Rev. Amy Butler, pastor of New York's famed Riverside Church, in Faith and Leadership, a resource from Duke University:

 

I don't need to perpetuate this institution, the church, anymore. If we hold it loosely, and we have the courage to live into what the gospel is calling us to do and be, who knows what could happen?

 

This is God's work. God's up to something, and the choice that the church has is, "Do you want to be part of it?"

 

Networking for Service

#RiseUpELCA: Taking Action on Water and Blight

 

How do you follow up on the #RiseUpELCA Youth Gathering in Detroit? Bring your #ProclaimJustice Day activities home! Our partners at Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania have developed resources for Pennsylvania youth leaders to bring home the Detroit service and advocacy themes to act on water and to fight blight.

 

Oktoberfest Benefits Local Lutheran Disaster Response

 

Thanks to your gifts and volunteer efforts, Lutheran Disaster Response in Eastern PA provided valuable assistance for people affected by natural and man-made disasters each year. It's another way we network together to make our communities better. You can help support LDR-EPA by attending the annual Oktoberfest on Saturday, Sept. 19, noon to 6 pm, at St. Paul's Lutheran in Glenside.
Zion, Flourtown To Hold Final Worship Aug. 30

Prayers are requested for the congregation of Zion Lutheran Church, Flourtown, which will hold its final service on Sunday, Aug. 30 at 4 pm. You are invited to attend the worship service as we gather to thank God for and remember the congregation's 197 years of faithful witness. A number of hymnals, books and worship furnishings are available for donation to local churches. Visit
for details.
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 "Join Our Mailing List" link below and encourage them to sign up to receive MinistryLink directly.

 

Bob Fisher

Assistant to the Bishop, Mission Interpretation and Communication

267.323.3743

sepanews@sepa.org