Upstate Update: Wednesday, July 1, 2015

The Upstate Update for Wednesday, July 1, 2015

BISHOP MACHOLZ OFFERS THANKS AND PRAISE

Where does one begin to say Thank You to all who were involved in the tremendous amount of work leading up to, during and following the recent Synod Assembly? So many people, so many details, so many steps made along the way. To begin naming everyone would guarantee I will miss someone so I will only name a few.

Thanks to Patsy Glista, Kathy Neugent and Karen Brundige as well as the Synod Assembly Planning Team for all of the effort and energy given to make certain the event went so smoothly and well. Unless one is involved from the 'inside' on this event one never sees the great numbers of people involved. Drivers to and from the airport, workshop planners and workshop presenters, registration folks, worship leaders, puppeteers, musicians, guests, Reference and Counsel, staff, pages and technical folks, child care provides just to name a few. Working together they made it happen and happen well.

Evaluations were overwhelmingly positive thanks to the good work of those named above as well as those who worked behind the scenes making sure what needed attention was getting attention. We are the church together, the assembly is proof positive of that reality.

Thank you, one and all for all the ways you made this happen and happen so well. Were there some glitches? A few, but we are already working on those for next year.

Should be even better!

FOSTERING HOPE

By Rev. Gregory Tennermann, Assistant to the Bishop

Fostering Hope is a new program being rolled out on a limited basis in NY State with the goals of :

reducing Foster parent burnout and helping them sustain their ministry to children
helping foster families enrich the lives of their foster children
connecting foster youth with a broad community of support

St. Timothy Lutheran Church in North Greenbush heard about the program and thought that this sounded like a ministry that fit well with our mission to support children in our community. As a result, St. Timothy's has become the first congregation in NY to recruit and train a team of volunteers who have begun serving as "extended family" for a foster family in our community.

While this is still a new ministry for us, it has already been an exciting one. The week after first meeting our family, the foster mom had hip surgery. The fostering hope team was ready with meals, grocery shopping, and laundry assistance for the family. Some of us also spent some game time and homework time with the younger kids.

We have been able to see that even in the routine tasks of daily family life, God can bring people together to share his love with one another. We are looking forward to fishing trips with some of the kids, working together on some home improvement projects and time together sharing meals, cooking lessons, and fellowship time.

Our foster family has already touched the lives of scores of children over the years. They had begun to wonder how long they could keep on doing this important work in our community. It is our hope that with God's blessing and the congregation's partnership they will be able to continue to share God's love with children in need of a home

Building off our 2015 Synod Assembly theme this is a new feature that will appear regularly in the Upstate Update. It will share God stories from congregations around our synod. We invite your congregation to consider how they are serving as voices of God's story in the world and to share that with us in 2 - 3 paragraphs (350 words or less). Submissions may be sent to Kathy Neugent,kneugent@upstatenysynod.org and we will use them as received and space allows. You may also share 1 or 2 pictures to accompany your story.

PRAY FIRST

PRAYERS of HEALING

for Rev. Charles Lindholm
for Mark Betley

PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING

for all those who volunteered their time and service to the 2015 Synod Assembly

PRAYERS OF COMFORT

for Pr. Nelson Gaetz and Family at the death of Peggy Gaetz

Synod Quadrennial Review

By Bishop John Macholz

The weekend of August 21-23 will offer us an opportunity to be involved in a review that the ELCA Churchwide Office of Research and Evaluation offers every four years. It's an opportunity to build on what we've learned so far from the Appreciative Inquiry Process as well as address questions around healthy pastors and healthy congregations. Locations and times will be finalized and announced in the next Upstate Update. Regional meetings will take place in the eastern part of the Niagara Frontier, Syracuse and Albany. Watch this space for further details.

Appreciative Inquiry

By Bishop John Macholz

Early this year a letter was sent out to all Congregation Councils in the synod inviting them into a conversation around three questions: 1. What are we doing well as a synod? 2. Where are we missing the mark and 3. What is the one big question we need answered? Approximately fifty congregations responded to the request and information was tabulated by Michelle Wilcox. The following is her general overview of the information received.

"Overall, the responses were positive. Many of the questions related to the future of the church and how to gain more members and grow the church family. There were two initial reoccurring trends within the responses. The first one was in relation to the Call process for clergy. Concerns about access to resources about the Call process and assistance through the process. The second trend apparent within the responses is of a want for the church to be more proactive than reactive. For example, becoming more involved in conflict and changing social issues. However, additionally throughout there has been consistency in encouragement that there has been increased interaction between the Synod and the churches in regards to face to face visits. Which has had a positive impact within the churches and it is reflected in the comments within the e-mails from the congregations."

One of the trends was around communication. Some felt it was great, others thought it was failing. This is an area we are working on as we look to find a new Director for Communication and discern what needs to be communicated, how that is communicated and when it is shared.

Regarding the Call Process, the Pastoral Staff of the synod is in conversation around this issue. We are looking at a single and a multiple candidate process, outlining the implications of both. We will continue this discussion at our September meeting.

A small group will be taking the document as a whole and refining results. As you might imagine there were many similar comments offered which can be reduced to a few. Once we have a finalized document it will be shared widely within the synod. Thanks to all for your input and involvement. We are the church together and together we will work to improve the ministry to which we've been called.

Healthy Congregations/Healthy Pastors

By Bishop John Macholz

The Pastoral Staff (Deans, Assistants and Office Staff) discussed these two topics at great length during our recent retreat in June. After about an hour and a half conversation it was decided that Greg Tennermann and Bishop Macholz would take the input and narrow it down into workable form, returning to the group in mid-September with a document to react to. It is the understanding of the group that this will help clarify expectations of pastors and congregations, put in place some boundaries and understanding and assist us in moving forward in a more healthy and helpful fashion.

Central Crossroads and Niagara Frontier Conferences Host Pastor Grecious Moyo of Zimbabwe

Pastor Grecious (pronounced Gracious) will be visiting Central Crossroad conference during the month of July and Niagara Frontier conference in August. Below is a link to the list of opportunities available to welcome him, hear him preach or teach, and learn about his life and ministry as a Pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe (ELCZ.) The ELCZ is a companion synod of the Upstate NY Synod. We hope you will take advantage of his short time with us. Items in bold are open to clergy. All other venues are open to the public.

See Pr. Grecious' schedule

2015 Region 7 Gathering

October 23 - 24, 2015 Koinonia Camp: Highland Lake, NY. Are you passionate about the mission and the ministry of ELCA Global Mission and/or ELCA World Hunger? Are you looking for ways to deepen your engagement in these ministries?

You are invited to join others from your synod and region for worship and devotional time, network specific conversation, synod specific planning, idea sharing and informal fellowship. This year we will also explore practical tools to engage new people to grow your ministry.

Please join us if you are interested or already involved in these ministries and areas of work:

ELCA Global Mission/Companion Synod ministry
ELCA World Hunger and local congregationally based hunger and poverty ministries
ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) alumni and any interested young adults.
To register for the event, contact Peggy Wuertele, the Region 7 Coordinator. at peggy.wuertele@elca.org.

Niagara Frontier Conference Summer Institute of Theology

Aug 9 - 14, 2015 - for anyone and everyone interested in learning and growing in faith an exciting educational opportunity for laypersons and pastors alike! The resident theologian will be Pr. Dan Hoffman, "What are they saying About Jesus?" Other full-week course offerings are:

"The Prophet Ezekiel" with Pr. Werner Weinreich and Worship from the Middle Ages to. . .? led by Pr. Tim Madsen. The Institute will also welcome Pastor Grecious Moyo from our companion synod, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe. For information or to register, call (716) 835-0407 or email stpauls1827@juno.com.

Visit Niagara Frontier Institute of Theology brochure or registration. For further information call (716) 835-0407 or email stpauls1827@juno.com.

TIDBITS

Synod Golf Outing

Mark your calendars now for the Inaugural Synod Golf Outing on

September 19, 2015 at Shadow Pines in Penfield, NY, just east of Rochester.

Start time is 1:00 p.m. with dinner and auction (silent and live) to follow at the course. Women and men are welcome. Foursomes preferred but we will also embrace singles and match them with others. Time to establish and re-kindle relationships with a round of golf, food and fun. See Bishop Macholz for further details. Beneficiary of event to be determined.

2015 Synod Ministerium

The Upstate New York Synod, ELCA welcomes Presiding Bishop

Elizabeth Eaton for a time of mutual reflection on the life of the

Church at this year's Synod Ministerium, September 21 - 23, 2015 at

Notre Dame Retreat House in Canandaigua, NY. We will join in

conversation with Bishop Easton around the theme:

What does it mean for the ELCA to say:

o We are church * We are Lutheran

o We are church together

o We are church for the sake of the world

For registration and information -http://upstatenysynod.org/download/ministerium/2015%20Ministerium%20Brochure%20Final.pdf or register online.

Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton:

"Come to Detroit expecting to be changed"

"I want you to come to Detroit expecting to be changed, expecting to have an encounter with the Holy Spirit, expecting to be changed by the people of Detroit."

Click here to hear more from Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton in these final weeks as we prepare to go to Detroit to

Rise Up Together!

Attention Congregation Treasurers, Council Presidents and Pastors

Portico and 2016 Health Care - Barbara Debski, Region 7 Portico Representative will be in the Upstate New York Synod August 3-5, 2015 and present 3 forums on our synod territory. Mark your calendars now and plan to join us! Please register ahead of time by sending an email to pglista@upstatenysynod.org.

Hartwick Seminary Summer Institute of Theology

celebrates its 25^th anniversary, July 27 - 31, 2015. The Institute is an inexpensive offering of learning opportunities offering high quality continuing education for clergy and lay folks. Choose a whole week of courses, or come for just a day and take two seminars (afternoon and evening). For further information contact Pr. Paul Messner at prpaul_theoinst@hotmail.com or visit Hartwick Seminary Brochure and register at Hartwick Registration

God's Work, Our Hands Sunday

is an opportunity to celebrate who we are as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - one church, freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor. The date for the 2015 dedicated day of service is Sunday, September 13, 2015. Mark your congregation's calendar today! In speaking about his congregation's 2014 experience, a 10-year-old member from St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Whittier, Calif., puts it best: "It feels good to give." Congregations can learn more and find resources at http://www.elca.org/dayofservice/.

Four Steps to Becoming a Women of the ELCA Unit

Are you interested in starting or reorganizing an active congregational unit or know a group that is? Let us help you with that.

The Synod Office will be closed on Friday, July 3 for the 4th of July holiday.

Please visit our website upstatenysynod.org

Thank you for spending some time reading this edition of the Upstate Update. We hope, and pray, that you found it useful. If you know someone who could benefit from the Upstate Update, please forward it to them and ask them to sign up directly.

Kathy Neugent

Executive Assistant to the Bishop

Upstate New York Synod of the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

kneugent@upstatenysynod.org

Phone: 315-299-4955 Fax: 315-299-4981

Resurrection people who pray first, walk together and change lives.