New England Synod
NES News 
Easter

April 3, 2013 

In This Issue
Synod Assembly 2013 registration
Ordination of Matthew James - Trinity, Worcester
Bishop Hanson's Easter Message
"Welcome One Another" Fellowship Retreat
"Five Centuries of Organ Music" concert
How's Your Easter?
Around the Synod
2013 Assembly Logo

June 7-9, 2013

Mass Mutual Center, Springfield, Mass.

Registration is now open for the 2013 New England Synod Assembly. You can register by clicking here to go to the event page on the Synod website, and scrolling down to the "How to Register" section.

 

Also on that page is a link to a list of workshops scheduled for this year's assembly. Be sure to take a look at the workshops and their descriptions BEFORE you go to register, as you'll be asked to select which workshops you'd like to attend during the registration process.

 

New this year, the Synod invites you to pay for your assembly registration in advance, using our Google Checkout credit card system. Note that the registration fee increases after April 30, and again after June 5, so be sure to get your registration in soon! 

 
Resolutions and Memorials
Resolutions and memorials for the 2013 New England Synod Assembly must be sent to the synod office for review by the Synod Reference and Counsel team by April 21, so they can be prepared for assembly. Instructions for writing and submitting resolutions and memorials are available by going to the Assembly page on the Synod website, or by clicking here to download the PDF. 

Ordination of Matthew James - Trinity, Worcester

Trinity Associate Pastor Matthew James
Photo courtesy Mike Stone

Friday, April 26, 7 p.m.

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church

73 Lancaster St., Worcester, Mass.

 

Join the New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in celebrating the Holy Eucharist with the Rite of Ordination of Matthew James to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament. A gala reception will follow.

 
James will become Trinity's full-time associate pastor, concerned with children, youth and family ministry, worship planning and leadership, communications, pastoral care and more. A native of Denver, Colo., he earned his BA in speech communication/journalism from the University of Northern Colorado, then moved on to earn a master's in media studies at Penn State, before earning his MDiv at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. He has also worked with the Lutheran Volunteer Corps: Partners for Peace in Washington, D.C., was an intern at St. John's in Summit, N.J., and was a team leader for operations at the ELCA's 2012 Youth Gathering.
ELCA Presiding Bishop's 2013 Easter message

Bishop Hanson's Easter Message

"Easter. It's about more than an open tomb. It is the good news of the risen Christ who opens lives," says ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson in his Easter Message. 

 

Bishop Hanson's message is available for viewing by clicking on the video at left, and you can read the full message by clicking here.

"Welcome One Another" Fellowship Retreat

God's Work.  Our Hands.  4th Annual Welcome One Another Retreat When: Friday, May 3 at 7 p.m. to Sunday, May 5, 2013 at Noon.

Where: The Walker Center - Auburndale, Massachusetts.

Registration: Fee is $220. All registrations must be made online. Checks made payable to "New England Synod."

Register by clicking here

Host: New England Synod Team for LGBT Inclusion

 

The Synod Team for LGBT Inclusion extends an open invitation to the 6th Annual "Welcome One Another" Fellowship Retreat for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and heterosexual persons of the New England Synod and their families and friends. The retreat is offered as an opportunity for LGBT and heterosexual persons to be in fellowship through worship, large and small group sessions, and meals. The retreat begins on Friday evening with Evening Prayer, introductions, and fellowship. Large group plenary and small group discussion sessions on Saturday during the day will explore LGBT inclusion from a heterosexual perspective led by Pastor Cliff Gerber. Participants travel into Boston for dinner and fellowship at Club Cafe Restaurant on Saturday evening. The retreat concludes on Sunday morning with Eucharist. Registration fee covers all meals on Saturday (including dinner in Boston), breakfast on Sunday, and two nights lodging at the Walker Center.

 

To register for this event, click here. NOTE: The deadline for registration has been extended to April 12.

 

The Rev. Cliff Gerber will be this year's featured speaker. Pastor Gerber has long been an outspoken heterosexual advocate for the full inclusion of LGBT persons and their families in the life of the New England Synod and the ELCA. Pastor Gerber currently serves as the Transitional Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Worcester, Mass. He has previously served as the Chair of the New England Synod Task Force for Gay and Lesbian Understanding and as the pastor of Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church, Shrewsbury, Mass., one of the first Reconciling-in-Christ (RIC) congregations in the New England Synod. He lives with his wife, Merrie, in Shrewsbury.

 

For more information, contact the Rev. Nathan Pipho, PastorPipho@aol.com; 617-328-8348.

Organist Dennis Schmidt - Grace, Needham, MA "Five Centuries of Organ Music"

Grace, 543 Greendale Ave., Needham, Mass.

Sunday, April 7, 4 p.m.

 

Organist Dennis Schmidt will celebrate Grace Lutheran Church's newly repaired organ with a recital featuring works by 15 different composers, spanning 500 years of music. The concert, titled "Five Centuries of Organ Music," will include works by John Bull, Giuseppe Verdi, Richard Wagner, and many others. The concert will run from 4 p.m. until about 5:15, and is open and free to the public.

Synod Facebook Page How's Your Easter?

Holy Week and Easter are times of renewal and revival for many of our churches and members. Have you had a particularly special Easter or Holy Week experience? We'd love to hear about it! Head over to this post on the Synod's Facebook page and tell us all about what has moved you in this most holiest of seasons.

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