The Upstate Update for Wednesday, November 18, 2015

A Thanksgiving Message from Bishop Macholz

Bishop Madholz
Most nights as I crawl into bed I utter the following as a prayer: "Thank you for this bed, the roof over my head." I may sometimes add to that but most nights it suffices as a prayer of thanksgiving for the simple things that I so take for granted on a daily basis in my life.
 
Recently because of realities in our family life and what's taken place in the world I've become even more focused on what's truly important in life and what is necessary to make it happen and enjoyable. That's not always easy to do.
 
We are entering into that season where our senses will be assaulted with what others think we need to purchase to make us happy. And at some points in time we will actually move toward purchasing what's offered, hoping that it might bring us the satisfaction and joy it promises. Yet more often than not we will discover that those 'things' leave us empty.
 
In this season of Thanksgiving that precedes Christmas I invite you to join me in giving thanks for those little things in life that make all the difference; family, work, hope, laughter, daily bread and friends, among many others. Take time to pause and reflect on what's truly important for you in these days. My guess is that these will be realities that don't have a price tag or payment plan, rather they will be blessings and gifts that come from above.
 
And speaking about that which comes from above, let us give thanks for the One who feeds us with food that is eternal and forgiving and renewing and hopeful and life. In Christ we find all that we need and everything that we desire. For that and for such much more, we give great thanks and praise!
                                                                                                                               In Christ,

CHERISH ALL CHILDREN GOES ON THE ROAD!    

Amy Hartman
Dianne Klafehn
Bishop John Macholz
Amy Hartman, National Director and Dianne Klafehn, Synod leader of our Cherish All Children Ministry traveled over 1,000 miles around Upstate New York October 28-November 2 , 2015. 

Cherish All Children is an ELCA ministry that equips congregations to help stop the sexual exploitation of our children and youth using the four components: pray, connect, educate and act. For the most part the weather was good, the leaves still on the trees were magnificent and Amy was surprised how mountainous our beautiful state of New York is.  Our travels took us from Albany to Wellsville to three stops in Syracuse, including a meeting with Bishop Macholz. We also went to Jamestown and East Aurora. 

While our groups were fairly small the conversations were amazing!  Congregations are ready for next steps and some are big leaps; others are ready to begin and they are beginning by connecting and collaborating with community organizations.  Congregations want to share the Prayers for Cherishing Children with other churches in the area.  Amy and I are excited about the possibility of new congregations participating in Cherish All Children.  There are pics of our trip on the FaceBook page. 

The 5th National Gathering will be at Christ the King Seminary, East Aurora, NY on October 20-23 2016. Amy will lead best practices and round table discussions with an emphasis how we can use community organizing skills to spread this ministry throughout the United States.  The keynote speaker and cost information will be coming soon.  The Gathering is very economical, informative and fun. You will come away energized!   Check out the website: www.cherishchildren.org  and like us on FB.

Preparing for the 2016 Upstate NY Synod Assembly - submitting Resolutions and Memorials
by Patsy Glista AIM, Assistant to the Bishop

Synod Assembly may seem so far away (June 5 - 7, 2016), yet much planning 
has to be done, and some early deadlines exist.  One early deadline is submitting 
Resolutions and Memorials for consideration by the Synod Council.  The 
deadline is January 15, 2016. Resolutions and Memorials are formal ways we 
can get an assembly of people to consider new ideas or make changes.  Most of 
us are familiar with motions/resolutions that are made at annual congregation 
meetings, local government meetings, service clubs, etc.  However, what is a 
Memorial, and how does it differ from a Resolution?  A memo from Rev. Chris 
Boerger, ELCA Office of the Secretary, provides these definitions: 


 Memorials address broad policy issues and are passed by Synod Assemblies

for consideration by the Churchwide Assembly. Synod Councils are not

authorized to adopt memorials for submission to the Churchwide Assembly. One 

of the responsibilities of the Churchwide Assembly, in accordance 

with provision 12.21.c, in the Constitution, Bylaws, andContinuing 

Resolutions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is to "receive 

and consider proposals from synod assemblies." Once received by the 

churchwide organization, they are referred to the Memorials Committee, 

which is appointed by the Church Council to review and make 

recommendations to the Churchwide Assembly, in accordance with 

bylaw 12.51.21. The Memorials Committee meets approximately six to 

eight weeks before the Churchwide Assembly.


Resolutions are requests from synods to the Church Council or units or 

offices of the churchwide organization. Either Synod Assemblies or Synod 

Councils may originate resolutions. Frequently, Synod Councils pass 

resolutions between meetings of the Synod Assemblies and forward them 

directly to the Church Council for consideration or to the Church Council 

Executive Committee if the desired action involves referral to a unit or office 

of the churchwide organization.  As a practical matter, resolutions have a 

more narrow focus than memorials because they are requests for consideration

or action by individual units or offices or the Church Council. Thus, for 

example, a request for the Church Council to recommend a parliamentary 

rule or action by a unit would be the subject of a resolution, but a request to 

change an ELCA policy should be a memorial.


 

At the synod level, conferences may originate resolutions and submit them 
to the Synod Council for consideration by the Synod Assembly.  SB/L7.32. of 
the synod constitution passed at the 2015 Synod Assembly states, "All resolutions 
to be proposed to the Assembly shall be directed to the Synod Council.  The 
deadline for submitting such resolutions to the Synod Council is two weeks 
before its January meeting preceding the Synod Assembly. The Synod Council shall present such resolutions together with its recommendations to the Synod 
Assembly. All such resolutions shall be distributed to the voting members of the 
Synod Assembly a minimum of 15 days prior to the opening of the Assembly.

Resolutions received by Synod Council after the January deadline, may be 
addressed by the Synod Council and/or be directly referred to the Reference 
and Counsel Committee at Synod Assembly." 

It also is important to note that resolutions and memorials are proposals requesting the specified action - they cannot direct the action to be taken. Chris Boerger's complete memo is posted in the Resources section of the synod website. 

If you would like to review the Upstate New York Synod Constitution, it can be found on the Synod website under Resources (here).
 
Stewarding Hope
by Rev. Norma Malfatti, DEM

Pr. Norma Malfatti
This Sunday congregations following the Narrative Lectionary (learn more about it here: narrative lectionary) we will hear from the prophet Isaiah instead of Daniel.  In Isaiah's time there was much to despair over.  The people were in exile, their home destroyed, their understanding of who they were demolished.  Yet Isaiah proclaimed a word of hope - God comforts God's people and God's word stands forever, no matter what may happen in this world and no matter how fickle human beings are.
 
The same is true for us today.  There is much to despair over.  Racial tensions in the United States are ever higher as police, communities and people struggle with one another.  The economy, though showing signs at times of health, is still fragile.  Refugees are fleeing homes that have been destroyed and governments that are corrupt.  ISIS and other terror groups are sharing their message of hate freely and openly murdering people they feel represent who they hate - the Western Judeo-Christian capitalist world.  That's not even to mention the fact that almost every week someone new is diagnosed with cancer is lifted up in prayer during worship services across the country and the very real pain, anxiety, grief, anger and hopelessness that we each may feel from time to time.  Times seem dark. 
 
And yet we know from the Gospel of John that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it.  We hear from Paul in Romans that we can never be separated from God's love through Jesus.  Isaiah proclaims, again and again, that our God does not abandon his people, even when it seems like all is lost.  God shows up in the most unlikely of places - in dark caves while prophets hide (see the story of Elijah), in little boys who become great kings (see the story of David), in virgins who become pregnant (Christmas is coming!) and on a cross, with nails, blood and tears. 
 
This is the story of hope that we have - that the dark times that we experience are not the end of the story and the dark places will never be too dark for the light of Christ.  This is the story of Advent, of the waiting and longing for God's promises to be fulfilled.  Just as much as the people of Israel were longing to be saved and restored, so we too are longing to be made whole and set free from worry.  This hope in God's promises is ours to carry, hold and share with each other and with all people that live and walk in darkness.  
 
 
Mission Interpreters Hard at Work
by Mr. Keith Mundy, ELCA Program Director for Stewardship 

 
Since January this year, we have started 53 new congregations in 29 synods.  And, we are preparing to approve more in the next two weeks.  Working through the Director for Evangelical Mission and their respective synod, these new starts are in a variety of contexts and typically take three forms - Exploratory Community, Synodically Authorized Worshipping Community, Congregation Under Development.  There are 26 ethnic specific new starts including Aromo, Chinese, Ethiopian, Indonesian, Korean, Latino, Thai and West African.  There are five new starts focusing on millenials and young adults.  There are two new ministries involving ecumenical partners (Episcopal, Presbyterian).  In an effort to reach the breadth of context today, settings range from cafes, to bars, to two new starts in prisons.  We believe new starts is one way to grow the church.  Since formation in 1988, the ELCA has received 512 new congregations. 

An Invitation from the Central New York Episcopal Diocese

You're invited to attend Trinity Institute, an annual conference that takes place at Trinity Episcopal Church in New York City-but you can attend right here via webcast at two partner sites in Central New York. 

Trinity Institute 2016, Listen For A Change: Sacred Conversations for Racial Justice, will explore the most pressing issues of our time, including structural racism and mass incarceration. Speakers include Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, Pulitzer-Prize winning New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof, Dr. Emilie Townes, Dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School, and many more. Come with open ears; leave with a greater capacity to go back into your community and create change. 

Partner sites at St. Margaret's House in New Hartford and Atonement Lutheran Church in Syracuse will be sponsored in part by the Anti-Racism Committee of the Diocese of Central New York. Please stay tuned for more details about joining the conference at one of these partner sites, or email the Rev. Jacqueline Schmitt. 
 
 


St. Luke's Lutheran Church, Valatie
What could be more fun than yummy desserts paired with fellowship and amazing items to bid on at a Time and Talent Auction!  Dozens of folks gathered Saturday, November 14 at St. Luke's Lutheran Church, Valatie to not only have a good time but to raise money for Lutheran Disaster Response.  This event, which began following Hurricane Katrina, has continued every other year with each event supporting the ministry of some program or organization in need of financial support to carry out God's mission in the community and beyond.   This year's event supported Lutheran Disaster Response.

The evening's three auctioneers, including Pastor Jim Slater, kept the bidding going to raise the most funds and thoroughly entertained the audience as well.  Living out God's Story through their actions, the members of St. Luke's raised a total of $3,424 for Lutheran Disaster Response's work throughout the country.   LDR is a ministry of the ELCA that brings God's hope, healing and renewal to people whose lives have been disrupted by disasters in the United States and around the world. When the dust settles and the headlines change, LDR stays to provide ongoing assistance to those in need.  We give thanks for the wonderful folks at St. Luke's!
IN OUR PRAYERS

Prayers of Healing 
of Healing for Steve Cordes 

Prayers of Thanksgiving
as Bishop Macholz celebrates 35 years of ministry on November 23rd

as Ernie Varga and Barry Murdock celebrate the birth of granddaughter Jacquelyn Grace Varga on November 9th

as Karen Brundige and Kathy Neugent celebrate their 8th anniversary on synod staff on December 3rd

Prayers of Comfort
of Comfort for Barb and Fred Risser at the death of Barb's  mom, Jane

Prayers of Healing and Comfort 
for all those affected by the terrorist attacks in France
 
TIDBITS
Save the Date
In 2016 "God's work. Our Hands" Sunday "will be on Sept. 11". 

"In baptism we have been marked with the cross. We are the ones who go into the broken places of the world. We are the ones who, by showing up on 'God's work. Our hands.' Sunday, shine the light of the cross in our communities.";

Since 2013, thousands of ELCA congregations have dedicated a day to serve communities in ways that share the love of God with all people. Congregations are encouraged to select another day if September 11th,is not feasible. Resources designed to help congregations prepare for their day in 2016 will be available soon at www.ELCA.org/dayofservice. A video highlighting the 2015 dedicated day of service is available herehttps://vimeo.com/elca/review/145542901/25f0d2a585.

Save the Date
Live webcast January 14, 2016 at 8 p.m. (CDT)
As racism remains an enduring crisis in the United States, the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), is continuing her call to the 3.7 million member church to address the complexity and implications of the issue in "Confronting Racism: A Holy Yearning" - a live webcast January 14 at 8:00 p.m. (CDT). Information about the webcast is available at www.ELCA.org/webcast, where a link to the live webcast will be embedded. A live stream also will be available atwww.Facebook.com/Lutherans. Twitter handle is #ELCAConfrontRacism. ELCA members are invited to submit a question to be considered during the live webcast at livinglutheran@elca.org.

Week of Renewal - "Worship: Beyond Style" - 
January 11-14, 2016
Join us after Christmas at PLTS for a time of learning and renewal. This year's theme is "Worship: Beyond Style." Susan Briehl will lead a workshop on stewarding the words we use for worship, and the three aspects of this stewardship: Cherishing (receiving, recovering, and sometimes reforming the words that are our heritage, including knowing what words do), Curating (how to choose wisely from among the multiple resources available to us and where and when and how to use such texts), and Crafting (writing new texts or adapting other texts). For more information and to register visit PLTS Programs.

Amazon Smile
Karen Brundige
The holidays are approaching - Let the on-line shopping begin!!  Just a reminder that The Upstate New York Synod is currently enrolled in the Amazon Smile Foundation program.  This program donates 0.5% of your purchase price to our organization.  Details on this program and how to apply your purchases can be found at http://smile.amazon.com/ch/16-1308144  When you do your shopping on Amazon, they automatically donate.  It's that easy!!  This is a donation from Amazon, and costs the purchaser nothing.  All grants received from Amazon will help fund communications projects within our Synod.

Refugee crisis
As a church, we are called to respond to the ongoing refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe. A record number of refugees are fleeing war and poverty to make life-threatening journeys in hopes for a brighter future in Europe. Because of this, the number of people seeking safety and basic necessities is on the rise. Read More

Thanks to the enthusiasm of our youth and the generous support of many, ELCA World Hunger's Walk for Water fundraising challenge of $500,000 was met - and now it will be doubled! To date, more than $500,000 has been received in support of this effort, and thanks to a generous family in the ELCA, $500,000 will be matched - totaling more than $1 million in gifts for ELCA World Hunger-supported water projects. 

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.   
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