The Upstate Update for Wednesday, December 16, 2015
MERRY CHRISTMAS
HAPPY NEW YEAR
from your synod staff
John, Karen, Mitch, Patsy, Norma
Kathy, Dave, Greg, Mary


Patsy Glista   


Dave Preisinger Greg Tennermann Mary Johnson

With th' angelic host proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem." 
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"

 
TAKE THE 'GO' CHALLENGE!

As we anticipate the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation, Portico's president and CEO, the Rev. Jeff Thiemann, calls the ELCA to a wellness reformation. Rev. Thiemann notes that we've walked toward greater wellness for years, and some of us have experienced transformation. But as a community, our health care costs continue to rise, and overall health hasn't improved. It's time for the next step. 
 
Tammy Devine, ELCA Wellness Manager writes, "As you launch into 2016, stop and 
reflect. Imagine your best self. Most of us aren't in perfect health; many of us have 
issues we can't control. But all of us are called to live well. Through this year's GO! 
Challenge, we have the opportunity to listen to our deep longing, remove the mask 
that hides our vulnerability, and honestly consider how to create better physical and 
emotional health."
 
Take the Mayo Clinic Health Assessment Starting January 1 as your first reformation 
step.  Healthy plan members and spouses or eligible same gender partners must be 
registered on myPortico to access Health Living, take the health assessment and use 
wellness resources.  Read more at Portico Health Assessment.

ELCA observes 2015 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
January 18-25, 2015

Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will join millions of Christians around the world Jan. 18-25 to observe the 2015 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
"Each year, Christians throughout the world observe The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity," said the Rev. Donald McCoid, ELCA director for ecumenical and inter-religious relations. "In keeping with Jesus' prayer for His disciples in John 17:21 'that they may be one so that the world may believe,' Christians pray for this unity among followers of Jesus today."
The theme of the 2015 observance is "Jesus said to her, 'Give me a drink,'" taken from the story of the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:1-42.
McCoid shared thoughts about the 2015 theme taken from an article written by the Rev. Gerald O'Collins S.J. in the October 2014 issue of Ecumenical Trends. O'Collins is a retired theology professor of the Gregorian University in Rome.
"Those who give themselves in a special way to the cause of Christian unity should find a shining model in the Samaritan woman," said O'Collins in the article. "In speaking to her and asking her for a drink, Jesus crosses the boundaries of Orthodox Judaism. But as a person very much on the margins of her society, she too crosses the boundaries of her culture and time. As a most unlikely religious leader, she witnesses courageously to Jesus and brings people of Sychar (in Samaria) to faith in him. More than ever, the cause of unity among Christians needs her kind of courageous witness."
Traditionally the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is observed during the week between the feasts of St. Peter and St. Paul. In the Southern Hemisphere, the observance is held later in the church year, often during Pentecost.
More information about the 2015 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is available at   www.elca.org/Faith/Ecumenical-and-Inter-Religious-Relations.
 
SYNOD HOLIDAY SCHEDULE

The synod office will be closed on Thursday, December 24, 2015 for Christmas and on Friday, January 1, 2015 for New Year's Day. E-mails and phone messages will be responded to as quickly as possible upon our return to the office on Monday, January 2nd. Below is the holiday list for 2016.
 

New Year's Day                                      Friday, January 1

Martin Luther King's Birthday        Monday, January 18

President's Day                                      Monday, February 15

Good Friday                                             Friday, March 25

Memorial Day                                         Monday, May 30

Independence Day                               Monday, July 4

Labor Day                                                 Monday, September 5

Columbus Day                                        Monday, October 10

Veterans Day                                          Friday, November 11

Thanksgiving                                          Thursday/Friday, November 24 & 25

Christmas                                                 Friday, December 23/

                                                                      Monday, December 26 

 

 
NOTES FOR TREASURERS
By:  Karen Brundige, Synod Bookkeeper
As we come to the end of the year, I would like to remind you to review your Mission Support Commitment for fiscal year 2015/16. Mission Support payments for calendar year 2015 should be received no later than January 31, 2016.  If you anticipate that you might have trouble meeting this deadline, please contact me directly at kbrundige@upstatenysynod.org or by phone at (315) 299-4955. 

I have the ability to book a "promise" to pay at year's end that I can include in your 2015/16 commitment. Please do not book a promise unless you are sure you will be able to fulfill it. In addition to adding this to our year end income, I will send our Mission Support to the ELCA based on this number.
IN OUR PRAYERS

Prayers of Healing 
  • Ed Stein (husband of Pr. Deb Stein, St. Stephen, Syracuse)
  • Barry Murdock (husband of Pr Ernie Varga, St. Luke's, Sidney
  • Michael Boyd (son-in-law of Pr. Elaine Berg)
Prayers of Comfort
  • for Pr. Joyce Fiore and Family at the death of her husband, Denis
  • for Pr. Jim Shaud and Family at the death of his wife, Polly
We Hold in Prayer
  • Rostered leaders On Leave From Call, disability and those awaiting a call (assigned but not yet called)
  • ELCA Region 3 and Region 4 Synods and Bishops
  • Hudson Mohawk Conference congregations and leaders
  • Region 7 Coordinator, Rev. Peggy Wuertele
 
TIDBITS
2016 Synod Assembly Resolutions and Memorials Reminder 
The deadline for submission of Resolutions and Memorials to the Synod Council for consideration at the 2016 Synod Assembly, which will be held June 5-7, 2016 in Rochester, 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.  
 
Per the synod constitution "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."    

Submissions may be sent to the attention of Synod Council Vice President, Thomas Madden at the synod office, in care of Kathy Neugent, kneugent@upstatenysynod.org

Solidarity, Love and Hope
In a Dec. 11 letter to the Muslim-American community, the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), said, "I am writing on behalf of many Christians in this country who wish to share a word of solidarity, love and hope with you in these difficult days." Read more - ELCA News and Events.
 
Live webcast January 14, 2016 at 8 p.m. (CDT)
Bishop Eaton
 "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 at www.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.

LCLC LCLC Senior High Winter Retreat
January 8-10, 2016
Fun in the snow at LCLC. Get re-acquainted with your camp friends from summer and make new friends for next year. Come and see what LCLC is all about. Visit LCLC Events 
 
Welcome in the New Year at Vanderkamp!
YES... It is that time of year again... when we gather together at Vanderkamp to rejoice in the Lord and party in celebration of the year gone by and in anticipation of great things to come in the New Year!   Youth ages 7 - 18 (who have not yet graduated high school) are invited to join us.ember 31, 2015 - January 2, 2016. Register

Attention High School Youth
Great News!! There is still space available for High School Students to attend the 2016 trip to the United Nations in February. 
The deadline has been extended until December 22!
The New York State Council of Churches is sponsoring a leadership forum for high school youth! For more information visit Trip UN Flyer and UN Trip Application.

Congregational Reports 
Forms A and C http://www.elca.org/About/Congregations are used to compile data on membership, Christian education, and financial information, among other things. The resulting trend reports can be a useful tool for congregations, synods and the whole ELCA. Congregations are all asked to fill out these important forms as soon as possible. Please also send a copy of these reports to the synod office by mail or by e-mail to kbrundige@upstatenysynod.org.

2016 Bishop's Convocation  
The second annual Bishop's Convocation will be held, Saturday, March 12, 2016 at St. Michael's Lutheran Church in Camillus. It will bring together rostered and lay leaders from across the synod to focus together on a topic pertinent to the church.  We will welcome the Rev. Kevin Strickland, executive for worship and assistant to the ELCA presiding bishop. Strickland will lead us through conversations focusing on the "Means of Grace": how do we offer it, care for it and receive it? How do these gifts of grace help shape our liturgy and lives of study and prayer? What are the biggest challenges facing worship today? In an ever-changing world, how do we as church leaders continue to offer these "Means of Grace," inviting all into these as gifts and not legalistic prescriptions to our faith?
 
Congregation members and rostered leaders are all invited to join us.  The exact times are being finalized as is the cost, which will be minimal.  We have kept the location centralized in the synod to encourage the greatest participation.  Mark your calendar now!

ELCA Campaign News
As of Oct. 31, 2015, The Campaign for the ELCA has received nearly $62 million in cash gifts and an additional $4 million in gift commitments. This represents 33 percent of the campaign's total $198 million goal.

Rostered Leader ID cards were mailed before Thanksgiving.  If you have not received your card, please contact Kathy Neugent, kneugent@upstatenysynod.org or by phone at 315.299.4955.

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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