New England Synod
NES News 
Season of Pentecost

Oct. 24, 2013 

In This Issue
The Mark Hanson Fund for Leaders
Child Safety Webinar
Listen to our Stewardship Webinar!
Looking for green LBW hymnals?
CommFest - Save the Date!
News & Notes
Announcing The Mark Hanson Fund for Leaders

 

During the recent Conference of Bishops meeting in Chicago, ELCA's Bishops established a new scholarship fund in honor of retiring Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson, The Mark Hanson Fund for Leaders.

Presiding Bishop Hanson has dedicated the past 12 years to service in our church, devoting his life to the ELCA during some very tumultuous times in the life of the Church. He also served as the President of the Lutheran World Federation. He has been a devoted and faithful Presiding Bishop and has served the ELCA well during his tenure. Members of the Synod council along with Bishop Jim Hazelwood are making gifts to this fund.

This serves is an invitation for you to donate to the Mark Hanson Fund for Leaders. The purpose of this fund is to support students who are studying in our ELCA seminaries as part of their preparation for ministry in our church. Recent recipients in New England include Brett Betkoski of the Naugatuck Lutheran Churches. He is a second-year student at Philadelphia Seminary.

If you wish to contribute, please send your check payable to "New England Synod" and note in memo section "Mark Hanson Fund for Leaders". Please mail the check to:

New England Synod ELCA
P.O. Box 13
Worcester MA 01614-0013
Child Safety Webinar
Nov. 2, 10 a.m.
Trinity (Worcester, Mass.)
 
On Saturday, November 2, at 10 a.m., the New England Synod will offer training on child safety. It will be offered at Trinity in Worcester, and online. This training will cover all of the child safety recommendations required by most church insurance companies, but more importantly, it is part of our ongoing efforts to ensure that all children in our synod are safe in their churches, church schools, and other church-related activities. The training will be offered by Dr. Bill Barter (left), a licensed psychologist specializing in the study and treatment of child abuse. Bill is also an ELCA pastor who understands the special needs of congregations. Medical and mental health professionals will receive 2 hours of continuing education hours for attending.

 

Listen to our stewardship webinar!

The Oct. 9 stewardship webinar co-hosted by Bishop James Hazelwood and Pastor Dan Wilfrid (Immanuel - Holden, Mass.) is now available as a podcast! Due to technical issues, we were unable to capture video from the webinar, but by clicking the link below, you can play the audio recording through YouTube. 

Stewardship Webinar
Stewardship Webinar
Portico Pre-Retirement Seminars

In 2013, Portico introduced a new Pre-Retirement Seminar in collaboration with Ernst & Young Employee Financial Services. The seminars are hosted by a certified Ernst & Young planner, who answers your questions about retirement planning, such as:

  • How much money will I really need in retirement?
  • How can I avoid common retirement traps?
  • How can I protect my assets to ensure the money is there when I need it?
  • How can I create lifetime income?
  • What steps can I take to ensure a smooth transition into retirement?

The seminar is most relevant to people age 50-plus or who are within 15 years of retirement. It's designed to show retirement in a whole new light. All seminars are day-long events that run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Cost: $35 per person, which includes breakfast, lunch, and snacks.

 

For more information and to register, click here. 

In search of green LBW hymnals?

St. Paul's (Terryville, Conn.) has an inventory of about 75 green LBW hymnals in good condition that are available to anyone in the Synod who needs them. If you're interested, send an email to Andy Merritt at amerritt@nesynod.org.

Upcoming Events
Register now for Honduras Mission Trips!

 

The New England Synod is planning two mission trips to Honduras next year - February 12-19 and April 22-29. Below are brief descriptions of the projects. 

 

For more in-depth information, and to begin the registration process, click here.

 

February 12 - 19, 2014 Omoa, Honduras

Leaders: Ed & Nancy Martin

Estimated Costs: $995 plus airfare (approx $850.00) from Boston to San Pedro Sula

This weeklong trip includes service projects in the communities of Omoa and Chachagualla, which are about 1½ hours from the airport along the North coast of Honduras. Accommodations are in a motel with shared rooms with private baths - similar to a Motel 6 in the US. (Hotel costs are the reason for the higher charge) Breakfast is served at the hotel and typically lunch and dinner are served at the host church. You will be working alongside Hondurans to improve their Health infrastructure.

 

For more information, contact Ed and Nancy Martin at EMartin@FifieldFabrics.com

 

April 22 - 29, 2014 Yuscaran, Honduras

Leader: Pastor Dave Rinas

Estimated Costs: $795 plus airfare (approx. $850.00) from Boston to Tegucigalpa 

After flying in to the Capital we will take a one-hour bus ride to our living quarters which are located on the mountains overlooking the town of Yuscaran. The work in Yuscaran has centered on three projects, and each person finds their own place in one or more of these projects:

1) Construction on the church building through cement and rebar work. We have nearly completed this project.  Other projects will be presented

2) Spontaneous after school children's VBS - crafts, games & singing in the town square.

3) Women's sewing clinic. We have brought sewing machines and provided an opportunity for women (though a few men come) to sew. We leave the machines and they are used in a nearby church as a resource to the community.

 

For more information, contact Pastor David Rinas at prdrinas@yahoo.com.

CommFest - Save the Date!

Jan. 25, 2014

After a successful communications seminar earlier this year, the Synod once again invites you to join us for a day spent discussing strategies and tips to help congregations better communicate - with their members and with the outside world. Speakers at CommFest 2014 include Pastor Keith Anderson (Upper Dublin Lutheran Church, Ambler, Pa.) and Elizabeth Drescher, co-authors of Click 2 Save: The Digital Ministry Bible. 
 
The 2014 CommFest will again be held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Worcester, Mass. We will have a satellite site in New Hampshire for people from the northern part of the region, and we are seeking a site in Southern Connecticut. If your church is equipped with a high-speed Internet connection and is willing to host, please get in touch with Communications Director Andrew Merritt.
Employment Opportunities

Update on job listings policy

Due to the (welcomed) increase in employment opportunities sent in for synod-wide communication, we have updated our policy for NES News listings. Job postings will run for two weeks in the synod's weekly NES News and/or Bishop's E-News, and then will be removed to make space for new listings. The listings will also be edited, so we urge you to submit them as 2-3 sentence listings with a contact if job seekers seek further information. Readers are encouraged to retain weekly emails if they wish to reference the job listings past their two-week publication period.