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Season of Pentecost
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May 22, 2013
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Responding to the Oklahoma tornado - how you can help
 Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).
On Monday, a two-mile-wide tornado ripped through Moore, Okla., claiming many lives and leaving behind a devastating trail of destruction. Plaza Towers Elementary School stood right in the path of the storm's 166-200 mph winds.
Many Oklahoma residents already were recovering from storms even before Monday's tornado hit - hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed this weekend as 28 tornadoes touched down throughout Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Illinois and Iowa. As strong winds and warm fronts continue to move across the nation, the threat for future tornado outbreaks is looming.
Your help is needed to bring hope to our sisters and brothers in need. Lutheran Disaster Response affiliates are already on the ground, assessing the immediate and long-term needs of those affected by the tornadoes. We already know it will be a long road to recovery, and your gifts are needed now to begin coordinating volunteers, rebuilding homes and offering spiritual and emotional care to those in need.
Please give now. Your gifts designated to "U.S. Tornadoes" through Lutheran Disaster Response will be used entirely -- 100 percent -- to help survivors of tornadoes rebuild their lives and livelihoods.
Thank you for your gifts, your prayers and your partnership.
In service to Christ,
The Rev. Daniel Rift
Director, ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal
P.S. Please give generously and continue to pray for those whose lives have been uprooted by this disaster. Use this bulletin insert to share this information with your congregation. Find more resources and information at www.ELCA.org/disaster.
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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.
For those registrants who have chosen to pay by check and have not yet sent in their fee, please send in your check as soon as possible to the address below. If you are unable to mail it before May 31, you can bring the check to Assembly, however no cash or credit card payments will be accepted at Assembly.
New England Synod
P.O. Box 13
Worcester, MA 01614-0013
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. Visitors may also attend workshops. NOTE: Sign-up has closed for work projects during assembly, but attendees can still sign up for workshops.
New this year, the Synod invites you to pay for your assembly registration in advance, using our Google Checkout credit card system. The registration fee increases after June 5.
LSS BACKPACKS FOR CHILDREN
This year, Lutheran Social Services is assembling backpacks full of important supplies for area children in need. Each conference cluster is being asked to bring specific items to Synod Assembly for packaging as part of LSS' workshop, to take place on Saturday, June 8. For more information on the children's backpack effort, click here for the LSS flyer, and to find out what your conference cluster is being asked to bring, click here.
Pre-Assembly Materials
Links have been added to the Synod Assembly page to download materials related to this year's Assembly, including a full agenda, resolutions and proposed 2014 budget. Please note, the synod will not be providing printed copies of these materials - it is suggested that attendees either print them out ahead of the assembly, or download them to a laptop, tablet or e-reader. To download, click the link above and scroll down to the "PRE-ASSEMBLY MATERIALS" section. Click on the links to the documents, and you will be asked if you want to download the materials - they are safe to download.
Synod Council Nominations
The following Synod Council Positions will be filled at this year's Synod Assembly. They begin Sept. 1, 2013.
Elections will be held for four Synod Council positions. Terms begin Sept. 1, 2013:
1. Lay Female, Person of color/primary language other than English, one-year term.
2. Lay Female, Young Adult (give the ages, 19-30), one-year term.
3. Lay Female from Massachusetts, three-year term.
4. Lay Female at Large, three-year term.
The Synod Council is the legislative body that acts for the Synod between Assemblies. The Council meets four or five times yearly (usually all day on Saturdays with at least one Friday/Saturday over-night meeting) and Council members also serve on various task forces and sub-committees as necessary. The responsibilities of a Council member are spelled out in the New England Synod Constitution and Bylaws Chapter 10.
The Constitution can be viewed and downloaded here.
Please consider who you might nominate and use the forms below. To nominate, fill the form out and email it to office@nesynod.org.
Nomination Form in English
Nomination Form in Spanish
Call for Volunteers
Are you interested in volunteering at this year's assembly? Volunteers are needed for many tasks. If you think you can help, email Rev. Alice Kerr Laird at aklaird@nesynod.org, or call her at 508-791-1530, ext. 104.
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Electronics Recycling
Lutheran Church of Framingham (Mass.)
June 1, 2013
9 a.m.-2 p.m.
The Lutheran Church of Framingham will host an electronics recycling day on Saturday, June 1, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The church will accept a variety of electronics with a disposal fee (cash only), and will provide a charitable donation receipt.
Items that will be accepted:
- Fill a Shoebox ($5/box): iPods, keyboards/mouse, chargers, cell phones, remote controls, cords/cables
- Medium Electronics ($5/item): vacuums, VCRs, DVD players, stereos
- Large Electronics ($10/item): laptops, printers, microwaves, computer towers, copiers/fax machines, monitors
- Appliances ($20/item): washer/dryer, air conditioners, fridge/freezers (doors removed), hot water heaters, lawnmowers
- Small TVs ($15/item): 27" and under
- Large TVs ($25/item): Console/Projection TVs, Plastic TVs 27" and over
The church cannot accept household or car batteries, or any items containing PCBs or mercury, including any lightbulbs or fluorescent lights.
The church is located at 720 Edgell Road in Framingham. For more information, visit the church's recycling page, or contact Bonnie Gouveia at 508-877-7243 or bonniegouveia@yahoo.com.
Pick-up and advance drop-off may be available for a nominal fee.
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Singing for a Cause: Mozart's "Requiem"
Bethesda, New Haven, Conn.
June 2, 2013 - 4 p.m.
The Bethesda Music Series invites the Greater New Haven
community to a performance of Mozart's sublime "Requiem" (completed by R. Levin) and
other choral and instrumental music. The hour-long program will take place at Bethesda Lutheran Church, 450 Whitney Avenue, New Haven.
The Bethesda Choir will be joined by the choir of First Presbyterian Church, New Haven, as well as by soloists and orchestra, under the direction of Lars Gjerde and Patrick McCreless. We promise an afternoon of inspiring and beautiful music making! Mozart died before completing his Requiem. Mozart scholar and performer Robert Levin recently made a rarely heard completion of the work. Join us for a special treat! The event is free and open to the public. A free-will offering will be collected to support the next season of the Bethesda Music Series, recently featured in a national church magazine for its efforts to raise funds for New Haven charities through five annual concerts (see "Singing for a Cause" in The Lutheran Magazine, December 2012). A reception will follow the concert.
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Jazz Vespers
Amherst Town Common
June 9, 2013 - 5 p.m.
Grace Episcopal Church will host a unique Jazz Vespers on the Amherst Town Common, with music by the Ike Sturm Jazz Ensemble. The event is a fundraiser for Not Bread Alone.
The Ike Sturm Jazz Ensemble plays regularly at Lincoln Center and has toured throughout the United States, Europe and Scandinavia. The group's "Jazz Mass" received rave reviews and was named one of the "Best of 2010" by DownBeat magazine.
The Jazz Vespers is a unique event combining music, scripture and prayer. It is free and open to the public - all are welcome regardless of religious affiliation. A voluntary offering will raise funds to support Not Bread Alone, the community meal program that offers free homemade hot meals and groceries to anyone in need, three days a week. Seating will be "Tanglewood-style" - bring a chair or a blanket to sit on.
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Pastors go from praying to pounding the pavement
Each Tuesday, pastors in the Greater Hartford Conference meet for pericope - a chance to connect through shared study of the Bible, a chance to talk about concerns and joys, a chance to find communion among their fellow clergy.
And then, they run.
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Hammonasset 2013
September 6th - 8th
Registration is now open!
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Organ Lesson Scholarships
If you are a pianist of intermediate or advanced level, and you would enjoy trying the organ, this is the year to do it. The Richard Donohue Studio of Music in Cromwell, Conn., is offering a year of organ lessons through the Elaine Ruth Hoog Memorial Scholarship, for the school year beginning September 2013. The studio is located at 14 Prospect Hill Road, Cromwell.
The Hoog family (Rev. Winton Hoog, former pastor of Bethany Lutheran in Cromwell) established the scholarship in 1972 to honor Elaine, who died in a traffic accident. At the time she was a student at the Donohue studio.
This year, the scholarship is offered to a keyboard player for one year of organ lessons at the studio. Auditions will be held in June at the studio for anyone interested in applying for the scholarship. Please contact Linda Hilliard at lbh2892@gmail.com
for an application.
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Choir Director - Immanuel, Amherst, Mass.
Immanuel (Amherst, Mass.) is seeking a part-time choir director. Position available beginning Aug. 15, 2013. The adult choir numbers about 16-20 and sings for Sunday morning services September through mid-June and some special services. Rehearsals are on Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings.
The choir director directs the adult choir, participates on the Worship Committee, plans the service in cooperation with the pastor and organist, suggests music appropriate for the Sunday or occasion, recruits choir members and other musicians, maintains the music library, and supports other musical activities of the congregation. The adult choir serves the congregation; it typically sings two anthems a week and provides special music for Christmas, Holy Week and Easter, in addition to preparing larger works. There may be opportunities for developing a children's choir or other groups.
Immanuel has a strong tradition of incorporating the music and arts in worship. The organist is highly accomplished with a PhD in musicology; local musicians often contribute their talents. Salary is negotiable depending on experience. For more information about the church and the music program, see the church website.
Please send resumes to Choir Director Search Committee, Immanuel Lutheran Church, 867 North Pleasant St., Amherst, MA 01002, or email immanuelamherststaff@gmail.com. For full consideration, applications must be received by June 21.
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Director of Music Ministry - First, West Barnstable, Mass.
First Lutheran Church West Barnstable (Cape Cod) is prayerfully seeking a creative, energetic and capable director of music ministry, a part-time position.
The successful candidate will be a person of faith who possesses strong keyboard skills (organ and piano), experience in conducting adult & children's choirs and is open to developing new music ministries that engage our congregation.
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