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Carlson, Hjelmstad to be ordained
Jan. 17, 3 p.m.
Faith Lutheran Church
Cambridge, Mass.
 It is with joy and hope that The New England Synod announces the upcoming ordinations of Britta Meiers Carlson and Douglas K. Hjelmstad.
Britta Marie Meiers Carlson is a native of Rochester, Minn., who is called to be a pastor developer serving the two ministry sites of Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in East Boston, Mass., and First Lutheran Church in Lynn, Mass. She is a graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., and received her Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn.
Doug Hjelmstad graduated from The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia on May 20, 2014, with the degree of Master of Divinity and has been called to serve Zion Lutheran Church in Benkelman, Neb. Born and raised in Colorado Springs, Colo., Rev. Hjelmstad moved to Conway, N.H., following his graduation from Western State College of Colorado in 1982. A charter member of The Lutheran Church of the Nativity in North Conway, N.H., he also earned a Master of Arts in Religion from the Bangor Theological Seminary.
Carlson and Hjelmstad will be ordained together at 3 p.m. on Jan. 17 at Faith Lutheran Church in Cambridge. All are welcome, and the color of the day for those choosing to vest is red.
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Are you experimenting?
In July 2014, we created a Facebook group with the goal of giving our congregations and leaders a hub to discuss experimentation. Following up on a challenge by Bishop Hazelwood at the 2014 Synod Assembly to try new things in ministry, the group has grown rapidly in both numbers and participation, and is a near-daily hive of activity where great stories of experimentation can be found.
Here's just a sample:
"For the last couple of years, one of our folks has brought her entire neighborhood to our early Christmas Eve service (before/after a neighborhood open house)," writes Pastor Jeff Stalley (First Lutheran - Ellington, Conn.). "It's about 40 people. So we decided to have an "all ages, impromptu" choir for that service. The choir's rehearsal was 1/2 hour before the service so they all could join in. Approximately, 20 or so did. Caveat: our choir had rehearsed their part previously, and the part our guests sang was relatively easy....but that was a smart way to do it. Link."
"Just a small idea," writes Pastor Sandra Demmler D'Amico (Immanuel Lutheran - Attleboro, Mass.). "Started walking the local nature trails with some people in pastoral care, rather than sitting indoors. Conversation flows more freely in motion, and the sights and sounds of creation can be comforting. Also gives me more visibility in a new area of the community."
So, are you trying new things? Are you looking for new things to try? Come and join the group, and share with us your story of experimentation!
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The Call Process
The Synod website hosts a page titled "The Call Process," which outlines the five major steps involved in a congregation making the transition from one pastor to another, as well as key resources for congregations and leaders in the midst of that transition.
Additionally, Bishop Jim Hazelwood has recently added a video presentation that walks through the call process in further detail. You can visit the page here, or click below to watch the video:
The office of the bishop is available to assist throughout the entire process, and we invite you to contact us.
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Calumet's new digs
In a quiet corner deep in the woods of a place called Freedom, there is something very new, and very different, and it redefines the idea of "summer camp."
Camp Calumet is not new. It's been around for 112 years, in fact, having begun as a humble campground on the shore of Lake Ossipee. That campground was not the original site of Camp Calumet - the first camp, founded in 1925, was situated in nearby Canaan, and moved to its current home in 1939. Some 20 years later it became a part of the Lutheran Church of America, and since then has been a summer haven for young Lutherans throughout New England.
But Calumet wasn't an exclusively summer camp for very long. And it wasn't going to stay small for long, either. Less than a decade after it became the property of the New England Synod, it needed to expand. And in some ways, it has never stopped.
Click here to read more, or download a copy of the new edition of Ekklesia!
The Fall/Winter 2014 edition of Ekklesia, the Synod's quarterly magazine, is now available! We have mailed a copy to every congregation in New England, but you can download your own copy to keep for free!
Additionally, we can always use some fresh voices and photographers for Ekklesia! If you're interested in writing or taking photos for the magazine - or if you have something you would like to submit - contact Communications Director Andy Merritt at amerritt@nesynod.org.
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2015 New England Synod Honduras Mission Trips
NEW: Special Trip to Lutherans in Honduras: Jan. 27 - Feb. 3, 2015
For at least the past 10 years, the New England Synod has been working with the Episcopal Church in Honduras. Now we are ready to send a mission trip to Lutherans in Honduras. This first trip will be to Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Santa Cruz de Yojoa, a town in Central Honduras. Part of our task will be to begin building a security wall around the church to help keep children safe from the streets. We will also be teaching children Bible stories, meeting with local lay and pastoral leaders, and perhaps bringing Holy Communion to the sick.
Because this unique trip is the first of its kind, it is limited to only seven participants. There are only four positions left open, so please decide soon. The cost of the trip is $895 per person, plus cost of the airfare to and from Tegucigalpa, currently less than $500. For more information, contact Pastor Dave Rinas at prdrinas@yahoo.com or 978 256-6300. Register at www.sdumas.net.
February 16 - 23, 2015 Omoa, Honduras
Leaders: Ed & Nancy Martin
Estimated Costs: $995 plus airfare (approx. $850) from Boston to San Pedro Sula
This weeklong trip includes education and 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 with Hondurans to improve their health infrastructure. Projects may include construction of cement sinks or energy efficient cooking stoves. In addition, projects may include repair and construction on a local church in Omoa damaged by an earthquake. There is also time spent with local children after school with craft projects and music. Contact Ed Martin for more details or visit www.sdumas.net.
April 20 - 28, 2015 Yuscaran, Honduras
Leader: Pastor Dave Rinas
Estimated Costs: $795 plus airfare (approx. $850) 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. Accommodations are more rustic; we sleep in cabins in bunk beds. While pillows, sheets and blankets are provided, we suggest you bring lightweight sleeping bags and your own pillow. Solar showers provide warm showers at the end of each day. Gravity flush toilets are located outside of the sleeping areas. The work in Yuscaran has centered on three projects, and each person finds their own place in one or more of these projects:
- Construction and dedication of the church building through cement and rebar work. We have nearly completed this project.
- Spontaneous after school children's VBS - crafts, games & singing in the town square.
- 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.
Contact Pr. Dave Rinas for more details or visit www.sdumas.net.
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Job listings policy
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.
Additionally, job listings are now hosted on the Synod website's new job board.
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Summer Day Camp Director
First Lutheran Church, Portland, Maine
First Lutheran Day Camp, a Ministry of First Lutheran Church in Portland, Maine is seeking a Summer Day Camp Director. The Director will oversee the management of the summer staff and program, further camper recruitment and maintain the vitality of our community. Prior day camp experience is preferred. This is a full time position from June-August 2015. This position also requires 50-100 hours of work during February through May to prepare for camp. For more information or to apply, send letter of interest and resume to Jackie Nelson at jnelson@firstlutheranportland.org or call (207) 797-2260.
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