|
|
|
| Spring Blessings |
June 1, 2016
|
| |
Monday, June 6, the day after Synod Assembly, all offices will be closed.
|
|
Our PO Box is no longer active.
Please send all correspondence to the Sacramento Office of the Bishop at:
Sierra Pacific Synod 9985 Folsom Blvd. Sacramento, CA 95827
|
|
A message from Mark Carlson, Lutheran Office of Public Policy
|
|
Dear ,
Faithful Public Witness - a Season of Budgets, Bills, and Ballots
Just as we are Church Together gathering in the name of Christ in our congregations and as the Sierra Pacific Synod Assembly in Reno, each day in Sacramento's Capitol building - California Together - there are new opportunities to be Church Together for the Sake of the World. The Lutheran Office of Public Policy - California (LOPP-CA) bears witness to God's love for all (and all means ALL) in this public space, where choices are made to order our lives, and care for each other, together. As one example of our work together with other faith and anti-poverty advocates, we invite you to take a few moments and view this short video of faith leaders asking the Legislature and the Governor to eliminate the Maximum Family Grant rule that contributes to our state's high child poverty rate. As the state budget process is in the final month, please communicate your views to your legislators and Gov. Brown, www.gov.ca.gov.
We are delighted to announce that Ben Hogue, a PLTS seminarian and Cal Lutheran University alum, will be working with LOPP-CA part-time over the summer to help with ELCAvotes efforts in California, and with education and advocacy on ballot measures, through the lens of ELCA social statements and commitments to reduce poverty, foster racial justice, and care for creation. Do "direct democracy" and the longest list of ballot propositions in ten years - with death and taxes and a host of other proposals that will affect our life together - sound daunting? We invite your Second Mile gifts specifically to support this opportunity to sustain our commitment to exercise the vocation of Christian citizen, and witness to God's love, in a critical election year.
Second Mile gifts are a blessing, and make a difference. As always, and especially this year as the Campaign for the ELCA focus is on World Hunger, we remind you that your generous gifts to ELCA World Hunger support most of the work of LOPP-CA. Please follow the Lutheran Office of Public Policy - California, the Sierra Pacific Synod Justice and Advocacy Team, and the Sierra Pacific Synod Hunger Network on Facebook. Sign up for e-advocacy at www.elca.org/advocacy. Ballot proposition information will be available at www.loppca.org. Thank you!
Pentecost power and peace,
-Mark E. Carlson, Director
|
|
|
SYNOD ASSEMBLY
"We Are Church Together"
Friday, June 3 - Sunday, June 5, 2016
Grand Sierra Resort, Reno
2016 Synod Assembly Handbook
Please download all sections
|
|
The Sierra Pacific Synod Assembly has gone mobile!
We're excited to announce our brand new app for 2016 ELCA Sierra Pacific Synod Assembly, powered by Guidebook! Download the app to access the most up-to-date information about our event, including schedules, maps, and much more.
ELCA Organizations and Events app in the App Store or on Google Play.
Once you download and open the app, you'll have the most up-to-date information about our event right in your pocket.
|
|
Final Reminder: Cookies for Hospitality Area
Assembly participants are invited to bring a dozen (or two) cookies for the Hospitality area during the assembly. Thank you for your help in creating an atmosphere of hospitality and welcome to Assembly Voting Members and Visitors this year!
|
|
Friendly Reminder
There is a 48 hour cancellation policy at the Grand Sierra Hotel!
|
|
of all business sessions and Friday and Sunday worship.
(Pray for the technology to work!)
and our event hashtag for social media: #sps16
|
|
Synod Assembly Registration
Online registration is closed. Onsite registration will be available starting on Friday, June 3 at 9:00 am.
Registration will close briefly on June 3rd -- from Noon - 1:15 -- so that the Credentials Committee may do its work, and then reopen immediately following receipt of the Credentials Report by the Assembly.
|
|
|
Advocacy Breakfast
Sponsored by Lutheran Episcopal Advocacy in Nevada and The Lutheran Office of Public Policy-California
What are the Public Policy issues facing California & Nevada?
Join us Saturday June 4th at 7:00 AM $24.00
Click here for the registration form and payment information
|
|
|
 |
|
|
From persecution to witness
By Elizabeth A. Eaton
For many months now people have been asking for some kind of statement about the persecution of Christians around the world. It seems to be a straight-forward issue. Christians are suffering in Iraq and Syria, in Nigeria and Egypt. Palestinian Christians encounter intense pressure. Christians in some parts of India are threatened. Some would even claim that U.S. Christians are under siege. Atrocities committed against Christians by the Islamic State, Boko Haram, al-Shabab and others are regularly in the news. We hear that more Christians have been martyred in recent years than in the first three centuries of the Christian movement.
Each circumstance of violence against Christians is deeply painful. There are brothers and sisters around the world whose lives are part of the passion of Christ. People are targeted in some countries because they are Christians. But this is a complex issue. Are Christians suffering and dying as witnesses to the faith? Yes. But in many places interreligious conflict has been used as a calculated pretext for political gain. A narrative of religion vs. religion, or religion vs. society, is an effective way of generating support for one's cause. And, regrettably, suspicion and fear of the "other" leads to intolerance and discrimination. The persecution of Christians is not new. Martyrs have existed since the beginning of the church. Stephen was martyred with the consent of Paul, who was martyred by the Roman Empire. Paul quoted the psalms, writing: "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered" (Romans 8:36). Outrage is a natural reaction to beheadings and crucifixions. The instinct to strike back is understandable. Many Lutherans accept that in a broken world deadly force might be needed. Revenge, however, is not an option for a Christian. I pray that none of you ever suffers violence for the faith, but every generation has faced hostility. German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote: "To endure the cross is not a tragedy; it is the suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive allegiance to Jesus Christ." "Martyr" is a Greek word that means "witness," "to give testimony." A witness can also be a symbol that testifies a promised action has been accomplished. When we speak about the persecution of Christians, the real question is: "What will be our witness?" Here is a story about how some Lutherans in Ethiopia answered that question. It happened in one of our companion synods. Some Muslims burned down a church, thinking they were attacking Roman Catholics. Instead, they burned down a Lutheran church by mistake. They were arrested and sent to jail. In that region it's the responsibility of families to take care of prisoners' hygiene and food. Instead, members of the Lutheran church asked authorities if they could dig the prisoners' latrines and feed them. That was their witness in the face of persecution. Christians aren't the only ones being targeted and persecuted. More Muslims have reportedly been killed by the Islamic State than any other group. Our witness must be as peacemakers and as defenders of religious minorities in our country and around the world. We must be the ones who speak out when entire religions are falsely characterized by the actions of extremists. We would not accept Christianity being defined by the Ku Klux Klan or the Christian Identity movement. We should not define entire communities by the distortion of
their religion. The cross is God's visual symbol that a promised action has been accomplished. It is God's stake in the sand. It is God's witness to the truth that "in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:37-39). A monthly message from the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Her email address: bishop@elca.org. This article first appeared in Living Lutheran's June issue. Reprinted with permission.
|
|
|
2016
The 500th anniversary of the Reformation is an opportunity to rejoice in the life-giving, liberating power of the gospel. As part of the observance, we invite you to attend the Grace Gathering, in partnership with the 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. This will be an opportunity to experience the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) when gathered as the ELCA Churchwide Assembly, prepare for further observances of the 500th anniversary and reflect on how the Reformation can continue to guide us today.
Click here to view a video invitation from Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton.
|
|
The ELCA Task Force on Women and Justice: One in Christ is preparing a comprehensive study for use in congregations and across the church. The task force invites individuals, adult forums and other study groups to join a churchwide conversation about issues related to women and justice in church and society and then to share responses.
Each session in the study will include scripture reflection, activities, discussion points, devotions and additional resources. The study will be available in early July, both in print and for download. All participant responses will be reviewed by the task force as it works toward bringing out a first draft of a social statement in late 2017. Study response forms will be available in the printed version and online.
The response period runs through August 2017.
|
|
 NEWS FROM AROUND THE SYNODAND BEYOND
|
California's Primary Election is June 7 - please vote!
Looking to November, please sign up for ELCAvotes! for resources to support the vocation of citizenship, as we strive to be faithful stewards of the gifts of voice and vote.
|
|
|
Dismantling Racism Workshop
Sponsored by the Racial and Ethnic Mission Strategies Discipling Team
Saturday, June 25, 2016
9:30 am - 3:00 pm
Christ Lutheran Church
780 Ashbury Ave, El Cerrito, CA 94530
Registration Fee: $20
|
|
|
Update from Madagascar
Greets from Antananarivo! We are coming into winter and its gotten a little chilly. I've been in turtlenecks and wool socks, not what you might think for a Tropical Island but living in the highlands keeps the temperatures a little cooler all year round.
I am attaching my official newsletter, Mada Matters. Feel free to share it widely and if you print it, it is actually only 2 pages of information, the third page (that I couldn't get rid of) is blank.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support! There is much happening in Madagascar and in the lives of the YAGM volunteers who come to live and work here. Your support helps to make this all positive and productive work!
Many Blessings!
Pastor Kirsten LADERACH
Country Coordinator - Madagascar
ELCA - Young Adults in Global Mission
|
|
|
Sierra Pacific Synod Resource Center
|
|
New Overtime Laws Could Affect Church Employees
The US Department of Labor announced that they have finalized a new law that has extended overtime benefits to nearly 4.2 million working Americans.
|
|
SAVE THE DATE!
2016 Professional Leaders Conference
October 18 - 20, 2016
The Village at Squaw Valley, Olympic Village
|
|
News from Mt. Cross Ministries
Summer camp registration is now open! Check out all of the life-changing summer camp programs we have to offer this year!
Do you know a young adult who is looking for summer employment? Mt. Cross Ministries is looking for enthusiastic young adults with a passion for working with youth of all ages, families and church congregations in outdoor settings.
|
|
LEVN, the Lutheran Episcopal Volunteer Network, is looking for young adults (age 21-30) with Bachelor's degrees for an 11-month program of non-profit work and learning about social justice. From the end of August 2016 to the end of July 2017, our corps members will be provided housing, utilities, health insurance, transportation, spiritual direction, and a $400/month food stipend. There's also a $1000 re-entry grant at the end of the program for moving expenses.
The work placement sites for the upcoming program year include faith-based non-profits, secular non-profits, congregations, the Sierra Pacific Synod office, and our campus ministry at UC Davis. We meet each week for worship, dinner, and discussion. The corps members live in intentional community in a 4-bedroom apartment in Davis, CA. We're an ecumenical program, and applicants needn't be either Lutheran or Episcopal to apply-interest in Christian spirituality is the only expectation.
|
|
|
|
We Remember in Prayer...
|
Please hold the following Bishops and Synods in your prayers as they gather for their synod assemblies on the following dates:
Bishop Brian Maas, Nebraska Synod, 06/02/16 - 06/04/16
Bishop Roger Gustafson, Central States Synod, 06/02/16 - 06/04/16
Bishop S. John Roth, Central/Southern Illinois Synod, 06/02/16 - 06/04/16
Bishop Jeffrey Barrow, Greater Milwaukee Synod, 06/02/16 - 06/04/16
Bishop Michael Rhyne, Allegheny Synod, 06/02/16 - 06/04/16
Bishop Wolfgang Herz-Lane, Delaware-Maryland Synod, 06/02/16 - 06/04/16
Bishop Jessica Crist, Montana Synod, 06/03/16 - 06/05/16
Bishop Mark Holmerud, Sierra Pacific Synod, 06/03/16 - 06/05/16
Bishop R. Guy Erwin, Southwest California Synod, 06/03/16 - 06/04/16
Bishop David Zellmer, South Dakota Synod, 06/03/16 - 06/04/16
Bishop Suzanne Dillahunt, Southern Ohio Synod, 06/03/16 - 06/04/16
Bishop James Dunlop, Lower Susquehanna Synod, 06/03/16 - 06/05/15
Bishop Matthew Riegel, West Virginia-Western MD Synod, 06/03/16 - 06/04/16
Bishop Timothy Smith, North Carolina Synod, 06/03/16 - 06/04/16
Bishop Terry Brandt, Eastern North Dakota Synod, 06/04/16 - 06/05/15
Bishop John Macholz, Upstate New York Synod, 06/05/16 - 06/07/16
Please pray for the Greater Milwaukee Synod and the Delaware-Maryland Synod as they hold bishop elections.
Ruth Niemi (spouse of Pr. Jack Niemi, Hope, Rossmoor) hospitalized.
Pr. David Peters (RT) for recovery following knee replacement surgery.
Pr. Dani Fey for ongoing illness.
Those around the world who are fleeing terror and violence; that they find compassion and welcome as they seek refuge.
|
|
|
Second Mile Giving
|
June 2016
|
Congregations in Transition
| |
|
|
"God's Work. Our Hands. Sunday"
Mark your calendars for Sunday, Sept. 11, for "God's work. Our hands." Sunday.
The deadline for ordering personalized t-shirts is Aug. 19
|
|
Friday, June 17, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.
CLU
November 4 - 5, 2016
Good Shepherd, Salinas
December 5-7, 2016
March 13-15, 2017
May 22-24, 2017
Hope United Methodist Church
San Diego, CA
|
|
REFORMATION 500
These are not official Synod events, we hope you'll find this information useful as you plan for the 500th anniversary.
|
May 17-24, 2017
May 20 - 21, 2016
St. Matthew's, San Francisco
|
|
|
Synod Calendar
Events and Meetings
|
June 3-5, 2016
2016 Synod Assembly
Grand Sierra Resort
Reno, NV
October 14 - 16, 2106
SPSYC Elementary School Retreat
Mt. Cross
October 17, 2016
Rostered Women's Retreat
Dean's Gathering
October 18 - 20
Professional Leaders Conference
The Village at Squaw Valley
November 11 - 13, 2016
SPSYC Middle School Retreat
Mt. Cross
February 24 - 26, 2107
SPSYC High School Retreat
Mt. Cross
CANDIDACY COMMITTEE MEETINGS:
PLTS, Berkeley
August 26-27, 2016
October 14-15, 2016
January 20-21, 2017
Please take note of our office schedule:All Synod offices are open Monday-Thursday and closed every Friday.
|
Newsletter Submissions
| | |
Please submit any newsletter requests to kathye@spselca.org
by Thursday at 5:00 pm
Thank You!
| |
| Was this newsletter forwarded to you? | | |
Sign up now!
| |
|
|
Committed to being re-formed...
The Sierra Pacific Synod
9985 Folsom Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95827-6628
916-756-1665 · 800-275-3522 · 888-789-6434 (Fax)
Click here to visit our website www.spselca.org
|
|
Office of the Bishop, Sacramento
|
Office of the Bishop, Bay Area
|
Office of the Bishop, Fresno
Synod Resource Center
| |
9985 Folsom Blvd.
|
500 Airport Blvd. Suite 442
|
2311 E. Shaw Avenue
| |
Sacramento, CA 95827-1405
|
Burlingame, CA 94010-1938
|
Fresno, CA 93710-8204
| |
916-756-1665 (Direct)
|
650-590-0980 (Direct)
|
559-345-2725 (Direct)
|
|
|
|
|
