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| Winter Blessings | January 21, 2016 |
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The 2016 Plan for Mission Support is now available in a fillable PDF
Please visit our website at www.spselca.org The due date for returning it is January 22.
Click here for a fillable PDF of the 2016 Plan for Mission Support
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2016 Rostered Leader and Congregational Reports
Due February 15, 2016
- Parochial Reports Forms A & C for congregations are also due. Please make every effort to work with your leadership to complete the report and submit it by the date requested. You should have received information, including your congregation's ID number and password, from the Churchwide Offices of the ELCA. If you have not, please contact the Sacramento Office of the Bishop at info@spselca.org for assistance. You and your leadership can complete this report at: https://webapps.elca.org/FormAAndC/Login.aspx
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A message from Nancy Feniuk Nelson, Bishop's Associate
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One of the things for which I am profoundly grateful is the variety of ministries and people with whom I get to work. One such ministry is interim ministry and one such group of people is the Intentional Interim Steering Committee. Congregations don't tend to think about that time "between" settled pastors until it is happening - not always the best time for learning.
So as a team, it was decided that now and then we would offer a reflection on congregational transitions. We hope that with knowledge will come a sense of comfort and hope. Our first offering is from Pr. Lori Eickmann, who has served as a valued Intentional Interim in a number of congregations in our Synod. I am grateful for her wisdom and service. (The other members of the team are Cindy Beck, Chris Berry, Pamela Griffith- Pond, and Bruce Johnson, all of whom I value as partners in this ministry!}
Nancy Feniuk Nelson Bishop's Associate A reflection on congregational transitions from Pr. Lori Eickmann:For the 10 years I've served as an intentional interim pastor, I've walked with congregations as they are just beginning to step into an unknown future. One congregation I served was grieving that their beloved pastor, who had retired after more than 25 years, was no longer with them. Another congregation I served was angry with more than one past pastor, the most recent of whom had left under duress after only three years. Both congregations had the same initial question as they entered their transitional time:
- How quickly can we call the new pastor?
But is getting a new pastor the only work of a congregation in transition? How will the first congregation approach change after more than a quarter century with the same pastor? How will the second congregation consider what is derailing the partnerships they hope for with each new pastor?
Intentional interim ministry was developed because the time in between called pastors is a natural time to take stock of your congregation's ministries and dynamics.
Ministries: The ministries of a congregation continue and evolve even when your pastor leaves, just as they do when a new pastor joins you. You are not in a "holding pattern" during the intentional interim time! What ministries are central in your congregation's context? How do you decide? A congregation that is clear on its identity and call will be clear on what skills and gifts their next pastor will need.
Dynamics: In any human group - a church, family, office, classroom, etc. - each member plays a role in how the group functions. So whenever anyone enters or leaves the group, the dynamics change. Do the dynamics in your congregation - involving everything from worship planning and leadership development to faith formation, friendships and operational infrastructure - support the ministries to which you are called? How do you know?
An intentional interim process can help you revisit, celebrate and assess the ministries, gifts and dynamics of your congregation during the transitional time between called pastors.
The 3 phases of intentional interim ministry are: Identify what needs immediate attention in the congregation and begin to address those issues; engage in short-term visioning and gather the information needed for the call committee to prepare the Ministry Site Profile; interview candidates and call the new pastor.
The 5 "focus areas" of intentional interim ministry are: Heritage (how the congregation has been shaped); leadership (reviewing how leadership is developed in order to address congregational needs); mission (defining or refining purpose and direction); connections (how the congregation builds relationships within and without); and future (developing congregational profile and calling the new pastor).
The length of the intentional interim time varies, but typically takes approximately 18 months. Remember that your ministries are not on hold during the transitional time; you continue to do God's work with your hands and hearts!
--Lori Eickmann, chair, Sierra Pacific Synod Interim Ministry Steering Committee. (pastorlori@me.com)
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Sierra Pacific Synod Youth Committee
February 26-28, 2016
Registration is now open
Don't miss SPSYC's incredible elementary retreat this year with key speaker Pr. Abby
The elementary retreat theme Love is a Verb: Creation, as we dive into the creation story of Genesis. In order to guarantee a spot for the retreat, you MUST register now! Early registration allows aspiring youth to better prepare for activities and events to guarantee a wonderful retreat. Please, register today and come join us at Mt. Cross in February!
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ELCA presiding bishop urges church to have 'difficult conversations' around racism
CHICAGO (ELCA) - The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has called on its 3.7 million members to "be the church that models for the rest of this country what it means to have these difficult conversations" about racial inequality. Eaton made her remarks during a Jan. 14 live webcast, "Confronting Racism: A Holy Yearning."
Eaton and co-host William B. Horne, a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Clearwater, Fla., presented the one-hour webcast, which addressed the complexities and implications of racism in the context of the criminal justice system. This was the ELCA's second webcast focused on racism. Please click here to continue reading...
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Other ELCA News and Events from this week...
(release date 1/19/2016)
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January 2016 Issue of Go and Do News
now available
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January 2016 edition of ELCA Global Links
now available
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January 2016 Issue of Administration Matters now available
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Early bird registration for the 2016 Grace Gathering ends in just two weeks, on Jan. 31, so reserve your spot today!
The Grace Gathering will be held in partnership with the 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in New Orleans Aug. 10-13.
The gathering will bring people together from across the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Participants will see the church in action, worship with Churchwide Assembly voting members, engage in experiential learning, and attend a variety of workshops that will equip congregations and synods with tools to prepare for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017.
Learn more and register visit www.ELCA.org/GraceGathering. Stay up-to-date on gathering news by going to the 2016 Grace Gathering event on Facebook!
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 NEWS FROM AROUND THE SYNODAND BEYOND
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Workshop Proposal Application for the Synod Assembly now available
Please click here if you are interested in submitting a workshop proposal application for our upcoming Synod Assembly June 3-5, 2016 at the Grand Sierra Resort, Reno
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2016 is World Hunger year!
 In 2016, ELCA World Hunger is extending an invitation to our congregations: Lift up the life-changing work of ELCA World Hunger through new levels of giving - spiritually, intellectually and financially - starting with Lent.
Beginning Sunday, Feb. 7, and extending through the season of Lent, congregations across the ELCA will join together to raise $2 million to benefit the ministries of ELCA World Hunger. This support will enable crucial work to get underway and help us kick-start our year-of-emphasis.
We hope your congregation will join us!
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Stewardship Discipling Team Co-sponsor of
New Workshop on
Unleashing the Soul of Money
with Lynne Twist
February 19, 2016
Starts at 9:30 AM
PLTS Berkeley Campus
2770 Marin Ave Berkeley, CA
Congregational leaders, stewardship teams & pastors are invited to a 1-day workshop on how to move from fear to love to unleash the church's potential, on February 19th at PLTS. Click on the link below to register through PLTS. Event is co-sponsored by our Stewardship Discipling Team and includes lunch & a copy of Lynne Twist's book, The Soul of Money, which she can sign at the event!
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RISE UP Together - The Tour
Rachel Kurtz and Agape* (David Scherer) in Concert
Saturday, February 20 at 7:00pm
St. John's Lutheran Church in Sacramento
Tickets are just $10 and ALL proceeds will go to ELCA World Hunger's Walk for Water project
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2016 Retired Clergy/AIMs/Spouses/Widows & Widowers Retreat
San Damiano Retreat Center in Danville, CA
February 22-23, 2016
"Exploring Lutheran Spirituality"
Presenter: Professor Kirsi Stjerna, Professor Lutheran History and Theology
Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary
Berkeley, CA
Click here to register now, or please send a check and copy of registration form, payable to Sierra Pacific Synod, and registration form by February 10 to: Rod/Sandy Seeger, 3 Glen Drive, Mill Valley, CA 94941
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Epiphany greetings from Valparaiso University!
Please plan to attend this year's Institute of Liturgical Studies on Valparaiso University's campus
April 4-6, 2016
1650 Chapel Drive
Valparaiso, IN 46383
Early registration extends to Jan. 31. See valpo.edu/ils
for details and registration.
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Jr. High Spring Weekend
April 29-May 1, 2016
Shalom Camp
July 10-15, 2016
For more information on these programs, please click on the link below or contact the Director of Programs at program@mtcross.org.
2016 Jr. High Winter & Spring Weekends
2016 Shalom Camp
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We Remember in Prayer...
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Family and friends of Pr. Larry J. Morkert, formerly rostered in this Synod, who died January 14, 2016. Pr. Morkert was ordained in 1965, served churches in Illinois and Alabama until 1982 when he accepted a call to St. John's Lutheran Church, San Francisco, where he served until 1989. From 1991 to 2000 he served as Chaplain at Dominican Hospital in San Francisco. In 2000 he returned to Illinois where he served until 2008. He is survived by his wife, Kathleen, and adult children Sarah and Timothy.
Pr. Rebecca Swee, (Good Shepherd, Burlingame) as she mourns the death of her sister.Prayers for Shirley Ericson, spouse of Pr. Jack Ericson (retired), who is recovering from surgery for cancer. Prayers for Pr. Bill Knezovich (Our Saviour's, Fresno), who is hospitalized and undergoing tests. Thanksgivings for Pr. Paul Theiss being declared in remission from multiple myeloma. He'll continue in chemotherapy awhile longer to drive the remission deeper. Praise the Almighty! Pr. Deborah Butler, Hope El Cerrito, in recovery from hip replacement surgery.
Pr John Kuehner, Unity Lutheran Church in South San Francisco, recuperating at home after a brief hospitalization this last week.
Prayers for ongoing concerns regarding runoff and erosion in areas damaged by the Butte and Valley fires.
Those around the world who are fleeing terror and violence; that they find compassion and welcome as they seek refuge.
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Wildfires have affected many who live within the Sierra Pacific Synod territory.
Cash donations are still welcomed and needed.
Click here to give to Lutheran Social Services of Northern California
Click here to give to Lutheran Disaster Response.
Click here to read an update on how NCO cash donations are being used to help the victims of the Valley Fire. Those wishing to volunteer on the Valley fire are asked to register with North Coast Opportunities at www.ncoinc.org. Once registered NCO will contact individuals directly.
If you, or someone you know, have been affected by the fires, please click on the links below for resources that are available to you:
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Second Mile Giving
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January 2016
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Congregations in Transition
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Synod Calendar
Events and Meetings
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January 22-23, 2016Candidacy Committee Meeting PLTS Berkeley, CA
January 29-30, 2016
Synod Council Meeting
Sacramento, CA
February 2-3, 2015
Dean's Retreat
February 4, 2016
Interim Steering Committee
Bay Area Office of the Bishop
Burlingame, CA
February 22-23, 2016 Retired Clergy/AIMs/Spouses/Widows & Widowers Retreat San Damiano Retreat Center Danville, CA
Click here to register now
February 23, 2016
Regional Interim pastor gathering
Bay Area Office of the Bishop
Burlingame, CA
February 25, 2016
Regional Interim pastor gathering
Sacramento Office of the Bishop
Sacramento, CA February 26-28, 2016SPSYC February Elementary Youth Retreat Click here to registerMarch 12, 2016Synod Council Meeting Sacramento, CA June 3-5, 20162016 Synod Assembly Grand Sierra Resort Reno, NV CANDIDACY COMMITTEE MEETINGS:April 8-9, 2016 August 26-27, 2016 Please take note of our office schedule: All Synod offices are open Monday-Thursday and closed every Friday. |
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Check our Classifieds!
Check the Classifieds section of the SPS website for congregational employment opportunities and donated items that your congregation may find useful.
| Click here to view employment opportunities in our Synod |
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We Are a Reconciling in Christ Synod
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| For more information click here
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Committed to being re-formed...
The Sierra Pacific Synod
PO BOX 276648, Sacramento, CA 95827-6628
916-756-1665 · 800-275-3522 · 888-789-6434 (Fax)
Click here to visit our website www.spselca.org
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Office of the Bishop, Sacramento
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Office of the Bishop, Bay Area
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Office of the Bishop, Fresno
Synod Resource Center
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9985 Folsom Blvd.
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500 Airport Blvd. Suite 442
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2311 E. Shaw Avenue
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Sacramento, CA 95827-1405
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Burlingame, CA 94010-1938
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Fresno, CA 93710-8204
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916-756-1665 (Direct)
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650-590-0980 (Direct)
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559-345-2725 (Direct)
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