The deadline to register for this year's Assembly is May 30, but if you register by April 30, you can save as much as $50 on your registration fee, so we urge Assembly attendees to register soon! Registrations received after April 30 will be charged $155, and any registrants who pay at the door (including those who have registered electronically ahead of the assembly but did not pay) will be charged $180.

PLEASE NOTE: The Synod must receive full payment of your registration fee by April 30 for the $50 discount to apply.

ASSEMBLY REGISTRATION

Each registrant must have their own unique email address. An email address cannot be used more than once for this event. There will be a separate field on the registration form for those who are volunteers assisting with exhibits, workshops, or registration and for guests attending anniversary recognitions, School of Lay Ministry graduation or worship. All voting members, non-voting visitors, guests and volunteers must submit a registration form. Online registration will close on May 30, 2015, so please plan accordingly.

HOW TO REGISTER

All active and retired rostered leaders must register as voting members. Rostered leaders on leave from call may register as non-voters. Please complete all required fields on the registration form (marked with an *). If you do not know the name of your conference, please check with your pastor or congregational secretary. IF PAYING BY CHECK: After submitting your registration form, you will receive an email confirmation. Please print a copy and mail it to New England Synod, P.O. Box 13, Worcester, MA 01614-0013. Please include the number of the check accompanying your registration, or ask your congregational treasurer to include that number on each form if multiple forms are mailed together.

VOTING MEMBERS selected by your congregation or rostered leaders, register below: 
Click here to register as a voting member

NON-VOTING VISITOR attending by your own volition or assisting with the event, register below:
Click here to register as a non-voting visitor

BRING A BACKPACK FOR ASCENTRIA'S DONATION APPEAL

The Spring 2015 edition of Ekklesia is now available! A copy is being sent to each of our congregations, as well as our mission support donors, but you can also read it right here as a free, downloadable PDF. 

In this edition:

• Our Saviour's in East Boston has become a hub of activity for its neighborhood, but newly ordained pastor developer Britta Meiers Carlson is hoping to make it a hub of spirituality, too, through a focus on the many cultures that surround it.
• The Synod offers several grants for ministries that need a little help achieving their goals. We take a look at a few ministries that have benefited from grant money, and how they've put it to good use.
• When the Episcopal congregation nearby was forced move its worship out of its old, drafty sanctuary, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Augusta, Maine, offered itself as a new home, and now the Lutherans and Episcopalians are learning and worshipping together, with a blend of both traditions.
• Give Bishop Hazelwood 103 minutes, and he'll give you a plan to make your congregation's stewardship better, faster and stronger. That's the pitch for the bishop's "Crazy Stewardship Consult," which has been a big hit throughout the region. 

This spring, Bishop Jim Hazelwood is coming to a conference or church near you. The purpose of this tour is to engage you, your synod assembly voting members, and church council leaders around the broad theme of what the Next Church will look like. Specifically, Bishop Hazelwood's presentation will focus on the following:

• How can the church engage people in contemporary New England culture?
• How can I as bishop provide support in the area of stewardship & generosity?
• How can we as a synod make the best use of congregational and individual mission support?
• How can we move more deeply into true mission partnership rather than isolated ministry sites?

Please invite your Synod Assembly voting members to your local conference meeting, as Bishop Hazelwood will be presenting information about several items that will come before the Assembly in June. However, this is also an event for anyone, and we are encouraging you to bring church council leaders as well.

Click here to visit the Synod's 2020 page for information, including download links for the above flyer as well as conference-specific flyers to help promote your conference's meeting.

Friday, April 24, 6-10 p.m.

Oberon, 2 Arrow St., Cambridge, Mass.

Y2Y Harvard Square: Young Adults Uniting to End Homelessness is a new and unique pathway for young people ages 18-24 experiencing homelessness in their lives. The program was recently featured in a Boston Globe article. On Friday, April 24, Y2Y will host a gala evening of food, fun, music, personal stories and more. You can party with a purpose! Even better, you will help found something totally new - a unique pathway out of homelessness for 18-24-year-olds.

Y2Y's goal is to reach 200 people and/or $20,000 in ticket sales, and there are still plenty of tickets available!

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets. You can also send a donation made out to Y2Y Harvard Square, UniLu, 66 Winthrop Street, Cambridge, MA 02138.

Are you or someone you know interested in the New England Synod's School of Lay Ministry? The school has a team of ambassadors who are available to visit congregations. The team will share stories and knowledge about the SLM, biblical enrichment, spiritual growth and lifelong learning experienced by the graduates, including its first class of Spanish-speaking students, who will graduate at this year's Synod Assembly.

Please contact Ade Monareh at ade234@msn.com to schedule a visit. The school is also accepting applications for the upcoming session, which will start with a Fall Retreat on Sept. 18-20 at Camp Calumet.

Click here to go to the SLM website and learn more!

St. Mark Lutheran Church - Norwich, Conn.

St. Mark Lutheran Church of Norwich, Conn. is currently seeking a new part-time Music Minister. The position begins June 1, 2015. There is one Sunday worship service at 9:30 a.m. year-round. An adult choir sings from early September to early June. We are seeking to create a worship environment that is rooted in liturgical tradition but welcoming to a 21st century assembly of God's people.

Applicants are expected to:

• have both piano and organ playing skills (guitar or other supplemental instrumental skills would be welcome),
• have an understanding of liturgical worship and an interest in diverse hymnody,
• be accomplished at leading congregational song,
• be capable of leading and encouraging a small choir as well as instrumentalists,
• work collegially with the staff and Worship Team in worship planning and education,
• select and play prelude, postlude, and choral anthems appropriate for the liturgical day, festival or season.

Application letters and resumes can be sent to the Church by mail at the address below, or by email by May 1, 2015. Inquiries and questions can be directed to the Rev. Les Swenson, Transitional Pastor, by calling the church at (860) 887-6826.

St. Mark Lutheran Church

248 Broadway, Norwich, CT 06037

Duties have included playing the organ (and piano) for services, directing the choirs, and working with the pastor and the worship and music committee to plan liturgies.

Concordia has a two-manual Austin pipe organ that is in good repair, a two-manual harpsichord, and a Kawai grand piano. Any interested candidates should inquire by sending a resumé and cover letter to the attention of Carol Stoneman, President of the Concordia Church Council, by emailing office@concordiamanchester.org, or calling (860) 649-5311. The position is open on June 22, 2015.