logo

News

Events

Find a Church

Called forward together
As Bishop Eaton said in her invitation to become involved in the Future Directions process, "we know our mission-we are people of God together preaching Christ and Christ crucified because the world deserves to hear the gospel." The question she and many others pose is, "How can we be clearer, better focused and more effective in the way we tell the good news and embody God's love for the world?" Called Forward Together in Christ for the sake of the world, a paper on future directions of the ELCA, was recently approved by the ELCA church council and serves as a framework for the priorities of our church.
            In our own synod, staff, Synod Council members, deans, and strategic area chairs have all been looking at this document to spur our own discussions about the Lutheran church in New York and how it can inform a refreshing of our own 2013-2023 Strategic Plan. Learn more about the entire Future Directions process here


Supporting our common mission
Over the past four years of our strategic plan's development and implementation we have heard that one area where local congregations need help is in training for congregational councils. Councils are at the heart of a congregation and work to make sure we stay mission minded in all we do. We've invited past and present secretaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to speak and have secured geographically diverse locations as host sites. These free events will look specifically at what congregational councils are tasked with doing, including governance best practices, and offer time to network with other leaders. Download the flyer and learn more here. RSVP early to reserve your spot!
In the News...


Learn about St. Andrew's, Yorktown Heights participating in an Interfaith service celebrating Thanksgiving in TapInfo.
 
Out and About


Warm welcomes
Bishop Rimbo and the synod staff appreciate the welcome hospitality provided by our local congregations and partner organizations as we visit and help proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and share the mission of our ministries each week. In the past week, our staff was warmly received by the following communities: Wagner College, Staten Island; Staten Island Ministerium; Saint Peter's, Manhattan; Holy Trinity, Manhattan; Sion, Manhattan; Holy Redeemer, Brooklyn; St. Paul's, Bronx; Transfiguration, Bronx; New Jersey Synod; and St Peter's, Springfield Gardens. Thank you! 
Business Matters


ELCA call process webpages
Many community.elca.org pages will be down between December 15 and January 17. Candidates, rostered leaders, congregations and synod staff wanting to access the Candidacy Portal and/or Mobility pages will not be able to complete any new forms while the ELCA Churchwide Organization is in the process of updating their system. This includes forms such as candidacy applications, decision forms, rostered leader profiles, ministry site profiles, and reference forms. Forms submitted prior to December 15 will be accessible as read-only. 
Events


Preaching the Lectionary
All pastors and preachers are invited to join Garwood P. Anderson, Ph.D. of Nashota House Theological Seminary in exploring the upcoming Lent, Holy Week, and Easter readings. Participants will spend time in reflection and conversation, giving birth to engaging ways of incarnating the Word into the world. This is a joint event of our synod and the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island to be held on January 31. Learn more and register here


Invitation to Messiah'final worship
With thanksgiving to God for 92 years of ministry, the congregation of Messiah, Flushing announces that it will be closing. You are invited to the closing worship, held on Saturday, January 7 at 2pm at Messiah Lutheran Church, Flushing.


Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
The year 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation, a year particularly significant to Lutherans, as the focus for this beginning was Martin Luther's posting of the 95 Theses. The theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 2017 - "Reconciliation: The Love of Christ Compels Us" - intends to acknowledge this Reformation commemoration, even as it also invites all Christians to work for greater reconciliation within the body of Christ for the sake of a shared, courageous witness to God's love and justice in our troubled world. Our synod is hosting an ecumenical prayer service on January 18 at Holy Trinity, Manhattan. Learn more here and download a bulletin insert to share.


"The Weekend"
Do you have a passion for service and a love for the gospel? Are you interested in meeting others who are exploring their call? Are you wondering if the Philadelphia or Gettysburg campus of the new United Lutheran Seminary is the place for you to study? Then plan to attend "The Weekend" (February 3-5 at Philadelphia and April 7-9 at Gettysburg) where you'll have the chance to explore God's call on your life, meet current students, staff and faculty, explore the wide range of possibilities seminary has to offer and experience community life. For more details, visit here or contact Rev. Nate Preisinger.
Blogs


For such a time as this
During a recent meeting of all strategic plan committees, Pr. Jonathan Linman challenged us to think about what time we are living in and how we might proclaim the gospel in word and deed. Read his entire message here.
            At the same gathering, Bishop Rimbo emphasized how our church as an interconnected network continues to inform how and when opinions are shared. Read the Bishop's Message here


Together in hope
"We are people waiting in darkness during this Advent. So this Gospel Reading points to our profound dependence on God and on one another. This Gospel is the most quoted passage of the Bible in Lutheran confessional writings. The bottom line is Jesus teaching us that 'apart from him' we can do nothing." Read Bishop Rimbo's full sermon from a recent Advent prayer service here
Calendar
We're Praying
  • For the friends and family of Deacon Barbara Goetz, who died in Christ on December 11
  • For the friends and family of Candy Eng, who died in Christ
  • For the friends and family of Pastor Paul Alberti, who died in Christ on November 29
  • For the friends and family of Allen Drege, father of Pastor Marsh Drege, who died in Christ
  • For health and healing for Pastor Winston Bone
  • For those affected by violence in their schools, workplaces, and homes
  • For refugees and those who come to their aid
  • For our partners in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land as they live amidst the continued Israeli-Palestinian conflict  
  • For health and healing for Ira Nebrasky, husband of Pastor ElizaBeth Nebrasky, who is undergoing treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma 
  • For ELCA Young Adult in Global Mission Nate McNab, serving in Argentina
  • For ELCA missionaries Rev. Stephen and Kirsten Kienberger, serving in Germany
  • For Bishop Jessica Crist, the staff and people of the Montana Synod
  • For the care of God's creation 
  • For the unity of this church and its mission


This e-letter is intended to convey information from synod staff, committees or auxiliaries, and we reserve the right to edit all submissions. All items must be received by the Friday before publication. Items normally run for two weeks. Send submissions to Rebekah Thornhill.  


Metropolitan New York Synod | 475 Riverside Drive | Suite 1620 | New York | NY | 10115