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Season of Pentecost
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August 6, 2014
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Summer Hours
The New England Synod Office is currently operating under summer hours, closing at 4 p.m. The Synod Office will return to normal hours after Labor Day.
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Forward Leadership Community
At this year's Synod Assembly we resolved to become a synod of Experimentation, Innovation, and Creativity, asking congregation councils and other congregational leadership teams to spend at least 20 percent of their time focused on innovation and experimentation, and encouraging them to share the results of this focus (both successes and failures) with others throughout the synod.
Experimentation and innovation will require a change to the status quo. These changes are often met with some sort of resistance. Even if leaders have a great goal or vision, it can be difficult to implement new ideas and ways of doing ministry. Over the past year, the synod has been developing a pilot program for congregations who are ready to lead change and engage in transformational ministry.
Clergy and lay leaders from five congregations were invited to join the 2014 Forward Leadership Community; a year-long program developed to equip leaders to create goals based on their context and ministry setting and implement changes to attain those goals. We called this a "community" rather than just a program because all of our learning is done in an atmosphere of mutual support and collaboration.
We are accepting applications to join the 2015 Forward Leadership Community through Sept. 1. If your congregation is looking to strengthen its mission and ministry and experiment, innovate, and explore how to "be church" in the 21st century, then Forward Leadership is for you! For more information contact Rev. Sara J. Anderson or Kim Bergstrand
Information and Application:
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Hammonasset and Hammo for Families 2014 - Register before the deadline!
Or, click here to check out Hammonasset for Families, which is geared toward families with younger children. Held in conjuction with the main Hammonasset gathering, Hammonasset for Families will have their own unique program as well as participate in great speakers and music with the rest of the Hammonasset program.
Hurry! The Registration deadline is Aug. 17. "Held" is the theme for this year's Hammonasset gathering, which will feature music from Red Letter Reign and speakers Rev. Mark Huber (Sanctuary - Marshfield, Mass.), Rev. Tiffany Chaney (The Intersection - Dorchester, Mass.) and Bishop Jim Hazelwood. We are pleased that the single-person registration price is discounted to just $35, due to contributions from an endowment established to support the event! To register, and to get more information on this year's gathering, go to www.hammoconnect.com. You can also like Hammo on Facebook, and follow the Twitter feed. You can also download the poster to help spread the word!
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Lutheran World Relief
 Thursday, Sept. 11, 7 p.m.
St. John Lutheran Church
32 Ellsworth Road, Peabody, Mass.
On Sept. 11, St. John Lutheran Church will host Nicole Hark, Lutheran World Relief's Deputy Director for Asia and the Middle East. Nicole has extensive on-ground experience working with refugees in Syria, Egypt, and Palestine, and will make a presentation on the terrible humanitarian crisis in those countries and the work that Luther World Relief is doing to alleviate human suffering. Her presentation will include photographs that she took while working in those countries. This presentation is a unique opportunity to hear from a person who has extensive experience working in war-torn regions of the world.
The formal presentation will begin at 7 p.m. and refreshments at 6 p.m. All are welcome.
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Bishop's Convocation 2014 - save the date!
Nov. 10-12
Holy Family Retreat Center
West Hartford, CT
The annual Bishop's Convocation will be held Nov. 10, 11, & 12 at the Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center in West Hartford, Conn. This year's presenter is Brian McLaren (right). He is the author of many books, including "A New Kind of Christianity" and the recently published "We Make the Road by Walking." You can visit Brian's website by clicking here.
On Monday, Nov. 10, McLaren will also deliver a public lecture at Emanuel Lutheran Church in Hartford. Tickets for the lecture are $25 (included in our leaders' cost for Convocation registration), and all are welcome. Mr. McLaren will also be presenting on Tuesday morning at Holy Family to our Rostered Leaders.
Registration will open in August for this event, and notifications will be emailed shortly.
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Mediation Skills Training Institute
 March 2-6, 2015
Calumet Conference Center
Freedom, NH
The Mediation Skills Training Institute, presented by the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center (LMPC), is designed to equip church leaders with the skills necessary to deal effectively with interpersonal, congregational, and other forms of group conflict. The five-day institute also includes a component on congregational mediation and consultation, placed within the context of family systems theory.
The institute will run March 2-6, 2015, at the Calumet Conference Center in Freedom, N.H.
For more information, click here to go to the Synod's event page, which includes a downloadable brochure and registration information.
The New England Synod's Portico Health Assessment enables the New England Synod to provide a $200 discount to all New England rostered leaders who register before November 15, 2014. In addition, after February 6, 2015, the rate will increase to $1,210, and the Commuter rate to $825.
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Synod Youth Ministry - What is it? How can you help?
 The history of the Synod's youth ministry has been an ebb and flow over the years. The constants that we have had in the synod are Camp Calumet and Hammonasset. But there can be more! A group of rostered leaders and lay people are trying to evaluate where we are, and how we can experiment and try new things.
First, There will be a meeting for all people interested in talking about the future direction of synod youth ministry, to be held on Aug. 30 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 73 Lancaster St., Worcester, Mass., from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. to talk about three things: - Where we are at NOW with Youth Ministry in the Synod?
- Where do we want to go with Youth Ministry in the Synod?
- How are we going to get there?
Lunch will be provided. If you're interested in joining, email Pastor Joe McGarry.
There are also two summits coming up for which we are looking for nominations for Synod representatives: - ELCA Youth Leadership Summit, November 14-15, 2014. 2 youth from each synod, along with the synod advisor, will travel to Detroit for this event. The idea is to bring back ideas to share, so I'm encouraging you to nominate youth in grades 9, 10, or 11 so they'll be around for a couple of years. One youth must be of color or English as a second language. Most costs are covered.
- Region 7 Youth Leadership Summit to take place in the spring of 2015. We are allowed to take "one van load." In other words, Pastor McGarry is inviting 6-8 people to participate in this event, with the goal of coming back to share what we've learned and help encourage others in leadership. Congregations and families will be required to pay some of the costs, which we're keeping as low as possible (Aiming for less than $100.00 for a Friday evening-Sunday afternoon).
If you would like to nominate somebody, please send their name and contact information to Joe McGarry.
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Wanna go for a ride?
Throughout the summer, Bishop James Hazelwood will ride on his motorcycle to locations throughout the region as part of his World Hunger Ride, a tour of New England to advocate for the ELCA's World Hunger Appeal.
If you ride a motorcycle, if you ride a bike, or if you ride anything of the sort, this is a chance to help emphasize the ELCA's World Hunger Appeal, through stops at places in New England that address the goal of ending hunger worldwide. There are locations in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, and the bishop will visit them all to learn more about what those congregations do, and how the World Hunger Appeal plays a role in their ministry.
The ride, which officially kicked off at Synod Assembly, made its first stop at Redeemer in Woburn, Mass., on June 16, and continues on to the locations listed below. All are welcome.
- Aug. 20 -St. Matthew, Avon, CT - 7:30 p.m.
- Aug. 22 - Good Shepherd, Rutland, VT - 11:30 a.m.
- Aug. 22 - Ascension Lutheran, Burlington, VT - 7 p.m.
- Aug. 24 - Community Lutheran, Enfield, NH - 9:30 a.m.
- Aug. 24 -Trinity Lutheran, Chelmsford, MA - 5:30 p.m.
Download the poster here to see the full schedule of this summer's ride. You can learn more at the Bishop on a Bike Blog.
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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.
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Minister to Family & Youth
Holy Trinity, Newington, N.H.
Forward looking and active New Hampshire Seacoast Lutheran congregation seeks a creative, energetic, and committed Christian with excellent intergenerational relationship building skills to be its Minister to Family and Youth. The ideal candidate for this full-time position will have a college degree and demonstrated leadership and interpersonal skills. 2-5 years experience in family and youth ministry and some musical ability are preferred. Click here for more information and a job description. Please submit a resume and a short letter of introduction describing why you are a good candidate for this position to Pastor Richard Rhoades at hr@htelc.com.
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ELCA Director for Budget Planning
The ELCA seeks an experienced leader and budget manager to serve as its next Director for Budget Planning. Located at the ELCA churchwide organization in Chicago, IL, the Director for Budget Planning is responsible for assisting the Treasurer and Executive for Administration in the development and management of the churchwide organization budgets. A copy of the Position Profile can be found by clicking here. Resumes, cover letters and questions can be emailed to Gaye Lindfors, the consultant assisting with the search. Gaye can also be reached at 651-490-9550.
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Director of Music
Directs children and adult choirs; plays organ and keyboard for Sunday services. Professional experience and training required. 18-20 hours/mo. Please send resume and cover letter to Pr. Nancy Wright, Ascension Lutheran Church, S. Burlington, VT church.office@alcvt.org. (802)-862-8866
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The cost for Hammonasset for Families is $35 each for 1-2 persons, or $90 per family for families of 3 or more. 
