The Upstate Update for Wednesday, September 23, 2015

 
LTSP Emblem
Bishop's Appeal

Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia


37-38 "Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults-unless,  of course you want the same treatment. Don't condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you'll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back-given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity." Luke 6:37-38 The Message
 
Fred Risser
Mr. Fred Risser
The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia is a valuable resource to the UNYS.  Many seminary graduates currently serve congregations in our synod and occupy numerous positions of church leadership across our territory.  LTSP enjoys strong presidential direction, a world class faculty, diverse urban living, and a strong and dedicated sense of community. The seminary celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2014 and the institution enjoys an outstanding reputation for Lutheran theological education across the United States. As a member of the board of trustees, I am proud to support the seminary in its mission of preparing public leaders for a public church.
 
Tuition, fees, synodical and churchwide support covers approximately 50% on the seminary's operating budget.  The remaining annual gap needs to be filled by unrestricted giving from individuals, churches, various organizations and other sources.  The seminary also tries to maximize its student aid to minimize the debt students must repay upon graduation.  The financial needs are great and the seminary has balanced its budget in many recent years by heavy withdrawals from its endowment.  Unfortunately, the UNYS has not always been a faithful steward of the LTSP because of our own financial difficulties.  The 2015 Bishop's Appeal offers individuals and congregations an opportunity to make a significant contribution to support theological education for the very resource that provides much of our ordained leadership.  Please consider a generous and meaningful gift to this most important appeal.  Online donations are possible on the synod website.  Many thanks for your consideration and understanding.
 
Faithfully yours,
 
Fred E. Risser
Treasurer UNYS
Board of Trustees LTSP 

Great Day Had at Bishop's Golf Tournament
by Bishop John S. Macholz
On a day that started out sunny and warm and ended as overcast, cold and wet 48 golfers and approximately 23 volunteers gathered at Shadow Pines Golf Course in Penfield, New York for the Inaugural Bishop's Golf Tournament in the Upstate New York Synod. Two different times the tournament was stopped for lightning in the area as the skies opened and rain inundated the course. Yet, in spite of that the spirit of those golfing was not dampened even in the face of play being called after 11 holes, by the course staff due to weather.  The top Tournament places went to Kevin Hoffman's team in 1st place; 2nd place to Keith Nickoloff's team; and 3rd place was Don Nickels team from Central Crossroads.
 
Thanks to Keith Nickoloff and a wonderful staff of volunteers as well as much work and lots of energy, the tournament was deemed a success and grand start! A total of $3,954.28 was raised to support the Bishop's Discretionary Fund, a good time was had by all and new relationships were forged as old ones were renewed.  All in all it was a great day filled with fun, despite the rain, and hope for the next time we will gather to chase that silly little ball around creation hoping against hope to beat the odds.
 
Thanks to all who participated in any way, shape or form. Your presence and gifts were a blessing. 

IT HAPPENS CLOSE TO HOME

This September 2015 article in The Lutheran speaks of a national epidemic of child sexual exploitation. But even closer to our homes the silence can be deafening. Children and young adults are threatened into silence by their assailants. To break the silence many of us in the Upstate New York Synod are praying for children daily, connecting with advocacy centers, educating our congregations and communities, taking action by signing petitions, writing letters, collecting clothing and food for children at schools and other social service agencies.

Liz Macris, St. Timothy's, No. Greenbush says "It takes a village..." That is exactly how 25 or so congregations spearheaded by the Women of the ELCA in Upstate New York, are acting right now. They have installed the Cherish All Children Ministry into the workings of their congregations and are using the four components: pray + connect + educate + action. Each congregation is working as a village to help stop the sexual exploitation for all children. The village then expands across the synod and ultimately to our nation. If you feel it on your heart to involve your congregation in this ministry contact Dianne Klafehn at 315.944.3225 or [email protected]. As our village grows we can accomplish amazing things.

Dianne Klafehn
Cherish All Children Synod Leader
Upstate New York Synod Women of the ELCA
 
God's Work. Our Hands and A Whale of a Tale! 
Atonement Lutheran Church, Rochester

 
It was indeed " A Whale of a Tale!" on the afternoon of September 13 as 34 members of our congregation took Vacation Bible School "on the road" - to serve our neighbors "down the road" from us! With high enthusiasm, we joined with the residents at St. John's Meadows Senior Living Community for an afternoon of Multigenerational Vacation Bible School centered on the theme "A Whale of a Tale! The Story of God and Jonah".  Children, youth and adults ages 4 months to 95 years gathered together to hear a Bible story...watch a skit...make a craft...eat a snack (featuring goldfish crackers)...sing songs...pray together...and give thanks - knowing that God's love for us is bigger than the biggest fish!  New friendships were formed among us, and a new verse was added to a familiar Sunday School song: 
"He's got Jonah and the whale in his hands, he's
 got the whole world in his hands."

 Perhaps most importantly, a new door was opened to a future partnership in ministry between our congregation and the people of St. John's Meadows. We are already planning our next event together: a Halloween costume parade involving our congregation's youngest children - who, instead of trick or treating in hopes of receiving treats themselves,  will instead be giving treats to the new friends they made at Vacation Bible School. Indeed, we our grateful for this whale of a tale!

Jeff Human
Congratulations to Jeffrey Human, St. John's, Williamsville, who was selected to receive a Valparaiso University Alumni Association Award at this fall's Homecoming and Reunion Weekend! These awards recognize alumni who have made notable contributions to society and the University.
 
Jeff received the Alumni Community Service Award, which honors alumni who have enhanced the prestige of the University by virtue of their character and integrity through outstanding service in their community, including religious, civic, or charitable organizations or programs, either local or national in scope and structure. Jeff was recognized especially for his many years of service on behalf of the Upstate New York Synod and his recent designation as Synod Attorney. Jeff's volunteer legal work has helped numerous congregations, affiliated ministries and agencies, the Synod Council, and the Office of the Bishop. Jeff serves with a generosity of spirit, sensitivity, positive disposition and a commitment to his church and his Lord, and sets a wonderful example of faithfulness in serving. Congratulations, Jeff!

 Reflections on an International Visitor and Friend
by Beth Walker, Global Mission
Rev. Gracious Moyo and Beth Walker
Every Lutheran synod in the U.S. has at least one international companion.  The Upstate NY Synod has two: the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zambia (ELCZa) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe (ELCZ).  Both of these are in southern Africa.  The Upstate NY Synod was fortunate to have Pastor Grecious Moyo from Zimbabwe in residence this summer.

Pastor Grecious Moyo (ELCZ) is a recipient of a two year ELCA Leadership Scholarship to study congregational care at the master's level at Luther Seminary, MN.  Scholarships, such as this one, are part of your mission dollars at work when you send benevolence to the Upstate NY Synod, which in turn sends a portion to the ELCA to support the development of international leaders.   As part of his Curriculum Practical Training, Pastor Moyo was able to join congregations in Utica and Syracuse during July, and congregations in Buffalo during August.  In addition, he attended confirmation camps at Vanderkamp and LCLC, and deacon trainings at Hartwick Summer Institute in Oneonta and the Western New York Summer Institute of Theology in East Aurora.

While not an official exchange of personnel, Pastor Grecious' visit gave Upstate NY an idea of what an international exchange might entail.  Planning teams began working in January 2015 to set up housing, funding, preaching engagements, access to congregational ministries, and shadowing opportunities.  There were pot lucks (a term that needed to be defined!), nights of Zimbabwean music, rides on the Erie Canal, trips to NYC and the Adirondacks, and lots of good fellowship.

Objectives of the visit included comparing interpretations of Bible stories, examining methods for training lay-leaders, and implementation of outreach and urban ministries. For many individuals, so much more was accomplished.  Zimbabwe is no longer just a country far away in southern Africa but home to someone we now call friend, include in our prayers, and think about when those Zimbabwe rhythms keep running around in our heads (Njalo, Njalo..)!

Pictures from the summer can be seen on the World Hunger & Global Mission - ELCA Upstate NY Synod Mission and Hunger Facebook site and 'Like' this Facebook page to receive global mission and world hunger updates!

If you encountered Pastor Grecious in Upstate New York during July or August and would like to leave feedback, please visit the links below by October 15, 2015.


If your congregation would like more information about our companion synods, twinning with a congregation in Zimbabwe, fair trade, Young Adults in Global Mission or information on other global mission topics please contact the Global Mission Chair, Beth Walker at [email protected]
 
Getting Serious About Staying Alive:   Mission Dei
November 7th,9am-1pm
Grace/Holy Spirit, 13 Court Street, Cortland,NY  
What is it all about? It is about the challenging work of thinking deeply and developing practical skills for leading churches into a healthier and more sustainable future while taking seriously the purpose of the church to share the Gospel of Christ to our neighborhoods and the world. Four Workshops will be offered with a chance for participants to pick the two workshops that will be the most helpful. We encourage teams of folks from your congregation to attend as each workshop will allow time for your team to consider practical implications for your congregation. Lunch will be provided. The Workshops include: 1. Developing Congregational Identity. 2. Implementing a Mission or Action Plan. 3. Learning about how to develop Ecumenical Partnerships. 4. Hearing Stories from Congregations that have begun the process of turning from decline to increased health and stability. 
Questions? Please contact Pastor Krista at 607-734-8669 or email: 
 
500 Years of God's Grace in Action

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

October 31, 2017,will mark the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther posting his 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany - an act that sparked the Lutheran Reformation. A little more than a year before the anniversary, on August 10-13, 2016, we will be hosting the Grace Gathering in conjunction with the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in New Orleans. Please save these dates now and make plans to attend the Grace Gathering.

This special event will give Grace Gathering attendees and Churchwide Assembly voting members an opportunity to come together in kicking off the 500th anniversary! There will be fruitful workshops and keynotes to inspire planning for local observances, time to worship and participate in experiential learning activities, as well as opportunities to gather with voting members of the ELCA throughout the Churchwide Assembly.

I also invite and encourage you to become involved even now in the ELCA's observance of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation by visiting and bookmarking ELCA500.org, a growing hub of resources, events and news surrounding preparation for the observance. You also can follow current developments on Facebook at ELCA Reformation 500.

Please look for more information on the Grace Gathering in the coming months! Early bird registration will open on October 31, 2015I look forward to seeing you in New Orleans in August 2016!
Grace and peace to you,

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop
                      Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
 

IN OUR PRAYERS

of Healing for Gabe Genovese (husband of Jennifer Genovese

of Healing for Barb (Macholz) Grimaldi

of Healing for Denis Fiore

of Thanksgiving for the 100th anniversary of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Rochester as they celebrated on September 13th

of Comfort for the family and friends at the death of Rev. Bob Wennerstrom

TIDBITS
"Boundary Awareness Training, 
Tuesday, October 6, 2015, 10am - 4pm.  
Rev. Serena Mollenkopf-Grill will offer this training held at Lutheran, 715 Falconer Street, Jamestown, NY. All are welcome. Cost - $10. Please register in advance with the Rev. Daniel Rumfelt, Dean, SW Conference, 

Visit Administration Matters for information about serving on your Congregation Council, preparing for Portico's 2016 annual enrollment and much more...

God's Work. Our Hands. Day of Service, September 13, 2015 
Three congregations of the Albany Lutheran Cluster (Upstate NY Synod 7D) painted classroom space for the Refugee and Immigrant Support Services of Emmaus (RISSE) in Albany, NY. Serving over 100 adults and more than 80 children with ESL classes, an after school program including dinner for families, and so much more; RISSE equips refugees and recent immigrants to build sustainable and independent lives as they integrate into the culture and community of the United States. First Lutheran, Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit, and St. John's Lutheran Church - all of Albany, NY.

"4 Hands Equals 6,000 Meals"
Pastor Jame Brum, Greenbush Reformed Church, Pastor Greg Tennermann, St. Timothy Lutheran Church Troy, NY, Pastor Dawn Alpaugh, 1st Reformed Church, Of Wynantskill, NY andJane Marie of Outreach Inc.  A four way ecumenical effort to dry pack 6,000 meals  on 9/12/15.  These three churches combined finances  and volunteers to dry pack the 6,000 meals. There were over 50 volunteers from the three churches.  A first  ecumenical event, for feeding the hungry.  All meals were Donated to food pantries right in our home county of Rensselaer, NY 

Stay informed. Be inspired. Get involved.


Lutheran Disaster Response Train the Trainer
Saturday, October 24th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Visit Train the Trainer Brochure to learn more.

2015 Faith for a Fair New York Retreat - A Denominational Conference

You are invited to join the New York State Council of Churches for the 2015 Faith for a Fair NY retreat, held Oct. 11-13 in Niskayuna, NY. This year's event will explore how the shift to a low-wage, high-inequality economy is impacting communities across the state and what people of faith can do about it.  Come be inspired and get connected to great work happening across New York! To register visit: Registration

For more information contact Rev. Brooke Newell, New York State Council of Churches Director of Social Witness at [email protected]

A Better Deal on Health Care?
Rev. Blair Lundborg
Assistant to the Bishop, Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod
One of the congregations in our synod tried to find a better deal for health care coverage in the open market. A member of the council and the call committee were tasked with cutting the cost. One was the owner of a medium-sized business; the other worked in human resources. They tried hard to beat Portico's rates but couldn't do it. Read More

Get a handle on what's happening with the cost of health care nationally. Don't assume rates are rising and there's nothing we can do about it. TIP: Watch the video of this recent Portico webinar to learn what's driving 2016 ELCA health contribution rates, such as national trends and our community's use of care.



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 
Phone: 315-299-4955 Fax: 315-299-4981 
 
 Resurrection people who pray first, walk together and change lives.