September 23, 2015

The Syrian Refugee Crisis: How You Can Help
 
You've seen the pictures on television, on social media, and in print: homeless, hungry, and frightened refugees fleeing war, famine, and political unrest. These images remind us that our Lord Jesus, whose family fled to Egypt to escape Herod, was also a refugee. Now with four million Syrian refugees seeking safety (two million of whom are children), tragic deaths at sea, Europe having its doors forced open, and President Obama announcing plans for the United States to accept thousands of Syrians, refugees are front and center in our hearts and minds, and people across our synod are asking "What can I do to help?"  

Here are some ways congregations and individuals can help:
  • Plan to Celebrate LIRS Refugee Sunday. Click here for a kit.
  • Invite a speaker to your congregation to talk about refugees or the Syrian crisis.
  • Use social media to get the word out.
  • Invite youth ministry and young adult leaders to organize around the LIRS petition and create their own activities for Refugee Sunday.
  • Print a copy of the petition from the LIRS website and sign it at church or whenever groups gather in your building.
  • Include an article in your newsletter, blog, or website.
  • Place a LIRS banner and link on your church website's homepage to "Help Syrian Refugees."
  • Download or order your Refugee Sunday resource kit from Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), containing sermon notes, a litany, bulletin inserts, videos, volunteer information, and prayers. To receive a hard copy of the kit in the mail, please email [email protected]. LIRS is also available to support local events in other ways. If you would like to request an LIRS speaker for your Refugee Sunday event, or need help planning your event please email [email protected] or call LIRS toll free at: 844-230-2736.
  • Organize a special offering for ELCA Disaster Response, LIRS, or the Lutheran Church in Hungary (companion to the Northeastern Iowa Synod). Send your offering through our LSS Treasurer's Office to ensure timely and accurate distribution and credit.
  • Click here for bulletin inserts and more information from ELCA Disaster Response.
  • Click here for information about what the Lutheran Church in Hungary is doing in response to the refugee crisis. Click here for a letter from ELCH Bishop Tam�s Fabiny.
  • Remember refugees, aid workers, and churches like the ELCH in your personal and community prayers.
     

Register now
Register Now for Boundary Training

If you missed the Boundary Training for rostered leaders and ministry professionals, you have two remaining opportunities in 2015.  is essential that all rostered leaders complete an approved boundary training course once every three years. Other ministry professionals (youth workers, choir directors, music directors, and others in related ministry fields) are encouraged to attend.
You will receive six hours of continuing education credit for attendance. Lunch is provided at a suggested free-will offering of $7.  (NOTE: The initial trainings in 2015 were offered free of charge to ensure all ministry leaders had opportunity to bring their files up to date. Beginning in 2016, future boundary training events will carry a nominal registration charge of $25.)
Call Cathy Deitrich at 717-652-1852, ext. 104, or email her at [email protected] to register.
Monday, October 5, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
St. Paul Lutheran Church, 201 W. Louther St., Carlisle, (Registration closes Tuesday, Sept. 29)
Friday, November 6, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Epiphany Lutheran Church, 1100 Colonial Rd., Harrisburg (Registration closes Monday, Oct. 30).


You are Cordially Invited . . .

Sunday, September 27
4:00 p.m.
Installation of the Rev. Martha Sue Boyd as pastor of St. John Lutheran Church, 158 S. Hoernerstown Rd., Hummelstown. The color of the day is green.

Sunday, October 25
3:00 p.m.
Installation of Associate in Ministry Micki Kautz, who has been called to serve on the staff of Faith United Parish, primarily working with St. John's and St. Michael (Rossville).
St. John's Lutheran Church, 151 Clearview Rd., Dillsburg. The color of the day is red.

An Opportunity to Serve and Learn about the
Impact of Poverty in Our Communities
 
The Office for Children, Youth & Family Ministry begins a new ministry project this month called "Rise Up Together." This series of service learning events, focused within our synod, is designed to help youth and adults broaden their understanding of the growing challenge of poverty right in our midst. The pilot event will be held in York on October 9-11 but is NOT exclusively for congregations from York. Instead this opportunity is available to every congregation so that all who may want to experience a service event at an affordable cost, or who have a passion for learning about poverty but who cannot give a week to serve domestically or internationally may attend.
 
We invite congregations to send a youth or young adult or two, and perhaps an adult advisor to experience this weekend together, and then share their experience with their home congregation, in turn inviting others to serve and learn together either as a youth group or multi-generational group. To facilitate this, we will give congregational leaders the curriculum and connect them with our local contacts. Participants will serve in a local youth center, serve meals at a local feeding ministry, and meet and interact with peers at a local rescue mission and children's shelter, along with learning how to accompany and advocate for those living with poverty. We are quickly approaching our deadline and would like to have 16-20 participants for this first event, so please consider registering today!  Event details and registration materials are available at: http://www.lss-elca.org/youth-family/events/rise-up-together-events/.

Leadership Link of the Week

Our synod grows stronger because its dedicated leaders continue to learn new ways of approaching ministry and serving God's people. Check here each week for a link to a video, article, podcast, powerpoint presentation or other media that will help our leaders embrace new ideas and learn new insights into ministry. (Photo: Chris Carter, Creative Commons)

 Celebrate a Blessing of the Pets
St. Francis loved animals, and that's why his feast day, Oct. 4, has been a traditional time for blessing of the animals. Many churches have found that an annual "Blessing of the Pets" sometime in October is a great way to involve families and youth fun in a fun, friendly fall service. This resource from Textweek will give you everything you need (and more) to either establish a ceremony or improve on what you've done in the past.

Oct. 8 TED Talk:
Maximizing Facebook, Twitter, and Your Website as Ministry Tools
Get ready for "Social Ministry Sunday" on Oct. 25 by learning how a congregational website, Twitter presence, and Facebook page can serve as powerful ministry tools to help God's people deepen their church involvement and grow in discipleship.

The Oct. 8 TED Talk (Theology, Evangelism and Discipleship) will cover the basics of how to set up and use a congregational website and Facebook page, how to set up a Twitter account, and also delve more deeply into more creative and sophisticated applications. See what a good website can do. The talk would be most helpful for those whose congregations have a basic website or Facebook page and would like to take them to the next level. The leader is the Rev. Rob Blezard, assistant to the bishop.

The TED Talk takes place from 10 a.m. - Noon on Oct. 8 in the lunchroom of the United Church Center (where our synod office is located), 900 S. Arlington Ave., Harrisburg. Bring a lunch and we can share a fellowship meal and talk afterwards.

In order that we have enough resources to go around, please RSVP to Cathy Deitrich at the synod offices, [email protected].

prayers
Prayers and Updates 
  
Our synod prayer list is updated frequently and posted on the website. To be redirected to the complete prayer list click here.

...prayers for the family of the Rev. Erasto Mwaipopo, a pastor and friend to many both in our synod and in the Konde Diocese where he served. The funeral service was held at Busoka on September 21. Pastor Mwaipopo was a camp counselor at Kirchenwald and received his Master's of Sacred Theology from Gettysburg Seminary in 2005.
...prayers for those affected by the earthquake in Chile.
...prayers for those who have suffered loss of homes and property in the California fires. At least four ELCA congregations have been directly affected.
You may wish to include this prayer petition in worship:
Gracious God,
We pray for those whose lives, homes and property have been endangered by fires in northern California.  We thank you for the many firefighters and first responders who are putting their lives in danger to bring relief and comfort.  We pray for favorable weather and rain that will help end this devastation, and bring healing and hope to lives and lands that have been scarred by these fires.  And in all things, we trust in the power of the resurrection to remind us that there is no disaster that is beyond your capacity to bring life from death and hope from despair.  We pray this in the name of Christ, Amen.
...prayers for all who are facing persecution and death at the hands of ISIS in Syria and Iraq and for missionaries and aid workers who are still in-country working to offer support and hope.
...prayers for the refugees from Syria and other countries who are hoping for a better life and freedom from persecution. We pray for the work of the Lutheran Church in Hungary and for the work of Lutheran Immigration and Relief Services.

Note: Last week when we announced the birth of Brooks Jamesohn Williams, son of Michael and Sarah Williams, and grandson of Pastor Jim Person (St. Mark, Harrisburg), we omitted in error proud grandmother Marion Person, Pastor Person's wife. We're sorry, Mrs. Person!

Check out ELCA Prayer Ventures by clicking here and download daily prayer petitions each month.
Have a prayer request to share with others in our synod? Please contact Pr. Sharron Blezard at [email protected]. 

Give + Receive + Share = News to Use from our Synod Office

CLICK TO GIVE: It's Easier Than Ever to Make a Difference with your Mission Support!
It's easier than ever to make a gift to support the mission of our Lower Susquehanna Synod. All you have to do is visit our website (www.lss-elca.org) and click the "Donate Now" button on the bottom right side. It will take you to our secure donation site (the same one that hosts Thrivent's Simply Giving) so that you can easily support our work together. Make a one-time gift or set up a regular giving schedule.

LWR Ingathering 2015
It's time once again for the annual Lutheran World Relief Ingathering. You can access a congregational packet by clicking here. You can also visit the Lower Susquehanna Synod Website Ingathering page by clicking hereHave any questions? Contact Norma R. Good, Lower Susquehanna Synod Volunteer Coordinator for Relief Projects at [email protected] or 717-399-7697.

Check the Synod Calendar on our website for a complete listing of meetings and gatherings. Inclement weather closings of our office are announced on the answering machine (ext. 100) and our Facebook page.

books
Opportunities for Education... 
Visit our synod website for specific details and registration information about each event!
to be redirected to our website for detailed information about upcoming events.

 

September 25-27
The Weekend
Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary. Click here for more information.

September 26

Seminary for a Day

Union Theological Seminary, Richmond, VA

September 30

Ministry Payroll and Payroll Tax Webinar, sponsored by Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Co., 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Click here to reserve a spot.

October 5-7

Celebration of Biblical Preaching: The Courage to Preach

Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN

October 13-14

Parish Secretaries' Seminar: "Checks & Balances"

Bird-in-Hand Family Inn, Bird-in-Hand, PA

October 23-26

"Lord, Let Our Eyes Be Opened: Breaking the Chains of Mass Incarceration," sponsored by the Pennsylvania Council of Churches, Red Lion Hotel, Harrisburg. Visit http://pachurches.org/ for more information.

October 24

Congregational Treasurer Seminar, LSS Resource Center, 900 S. Arlington Ave., Harrisburg
October 26-29
Fall Academy and Luther Colloquy: !Reforming with the Holy Spirit!, Gettysburg Seminary, 61 Seminary Ridge, Gettysburg. Visit www.ltsg.edu for more information.

November 1

Luther Rose Lecture "Martin Luther: Then & Now" with the Rev. Dr. Richard Carlson

Palm Lutheran Church, 11 W. Cherry St., Palmyra

November 2

The Mission of God in an Intercultural and Interreligious World: Lutheran-Anglican-Roman-Catholic (LARC) Day of Dialogue with the Rev. Dr. Robert S. Heaney

Cardinal Keeler Center, 4800 Union Deposit Rd., Harrisburg

January 11-15

Executive Skills for Pastors, Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center, Carefree, AZ, Visit http://spiritinthedesert.org for more information.

January 31 - February 2

LSS Rostered Leaders' Wellness Retreat

Hotel Hershey, 100 Hotel Rd., Hershey, PA (Save the date!)

April 14-17

"White Privilege Conference: Understanding, Respecting, & Connecting"

 Philadelphia, PA (Hold the date and click here for information)

April 15-17

The Weekend

Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary. Click here for more information.


 
"Psalms: A Journey of Prayer" 

 Join Pastor Rob Myallis, the congregation of Zion's Lutheran Church, Jonestown, and others across the digital world in a six month reading, sharing, and study of the Psalms. Click here to join the Facebook group, and click here to visit the congregation's website where you'll find a host of useful resources to help you with this study, including an introductory video. (Note: The program began July 1, but feel free to join in at any time.)

 

"Mark-ing" Scripture Together at the Wittel Farm in Elizabethtown, PA
This fall, Bishop Dunlop and Pastor Rob Myallis invite rostered leaders, worship planners, and faith formation leaders to gain insights, share ideas as we explore Mark's gospel together. All three sessions will be offered at the Wittel Farm from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
October 19 - "Mark-ing the Festivals" Led by Pastor Rob Myallis
November 16 - "Mark-ing Advent" Led by Pastor Rob Myallis.
Click here to register.

Be sure to check the Center for Faith Formation webpage for information about upcoming events and links for registration.  Click here to be redirected.


Visit the Congregation Connections page on our synod's website to keep up with the specific details (including event times, contact information, publications, and registration information) of the many good things happening in the worshiping communities of our synod. (Click the blue hotlink at the beginning of this paragraph to be redirected.)

Please keep us posted about what's happening in your congregation and community. We are able to post photos, pdf documents and flyers, and contact information on our Congregation Connections page. E-mail event information to [email protected].
 
September 24
Community Blood Drive, Luther Memorial Church 1907 Hollywood Dr., York
September 26
"To the Cross," Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church, 9 N. Main St., Dover
September 27
"Feeding the 15,000" Worship and Food-Packing EventMannsville Lutheran Church, 2944 Mannsville Rd., Elliottsburg
5th Annual Pet Sunday and Blessing, Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church, 1398 Moulstown Rd., N, Hanover
Gettysburg 1863, in Song and Story, First Lutheran Church, 21 S. Bedford St., Carlisle
September 28
LSS Konde Diocese 2016 Trip Information Forum, Holy Spirit Lutheran Church, 3131 Columbia Ave., Lancaster
September 29
Bus Trip to NYC and 9/11 Memorial Museum with St. Mark's Lutheran Men in Mission
October 1-3
Annual Yard Sale, Centerville Lutheran Church, 1874 Walnut Bottom Rd., Newville
October 2
Tree4Hope Golf Scramble, (fundraiser for Hope Academy, Girls' School in Guatemala), Colonial Golf and Tennis Club, Harrisburg
October 3
2nd Annual Golf Scramble and Dinner (to support LSS LT Camp), Deer Valley Golf Course
October 4
Walk 4 Water, Trindle Spring Lutheran Church, 14 State Rd., Mechanicsburg
Rise Up Together: The Tour (featuring Rachel Kurtz, Agape, and Joe Davis), St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 839 W. Market St., York
Rejoicing Spirits Worship (a disABILITIES ministry), St. Luke Lutheran Church, 2695 Luther Dr., Chambersburg 
Tromba Mundi in Concert, Trinity Lutheran Church, 2000 Chestnut St., Camp Hill
Lost and Found: The Farewell TourTrinity Lutheran Church, 108 South Robeson St., Robesonia 
Rise Up Together: The Tour (featuring Rachel Kurtz, Agape, and Joe Davis), Evangelical Lutheran Church, Frederick, MD
October 6-8
Book Study Retreat at Camp Nawakwa. Click here for more information.
October 10
64th Annual Apple Butter Boil (Rain or Shine!), Barner's Church Grove, 5 Barner Rd., Liverpool
Pet Blessing, St. Mark Lutheran Church, 129 Charles St., Hanover
A Musical Evening
(to benefit the Dillsburg Library), Christ Lutheran Church, Filey's, 15 S. Filey's Rd., Dillsburg
October 11
Rejoicing Spirits Worship (a disABILITIES ministry), St. Stephen Lutheran Church, 30 W. Main St., New Kingstown
"Music at Grace" with organist, Dr. Robert Horton, in Concert, Grace Lutheran Church, 517 N. Queen St., Lancaster
CROP Hunger Walk, St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Ott & Walnut Sts., Allentown, PA
October 15
Lifesaver Concert, Tree of Life Lutheran Church, 1492 Linglestown Rd., Harrisburg
October 17
45th Annual Apple Festival, St. Stephen Lutheran Church, 30 W. Main St., New Kingstown
October18
Fall Foliage Day at Camp Nawakwa and Camp Kirchenwald
October 25
250th Anniversary Concert: Jesus Christ our Cornerstone, First Lutheran Church, 21 South Bedford St., Carlisle
November 7
Sorensen in Concert at the Grove Community Coffee House, Salem Lutheran Church, 99 York Rd., Jacobus
November 14
"War Trauma: Impact and New Life," Windy Hill Building, 1472 Roth's Church Rd., Spring Grove
December 19
Star Wars Episode VII Private Showing (benefits the Hammer family's year in the Konde Diocese/tickets must be preordered), Penn Cinema, Lititz 

To Share: 
Need hymnals, tables, a video camera, piano, or light bulbs? Check the Congregation Connections page of our Synod's website for a list of offerings by congregations who are willing to share what they no longer need. Have something to share with others? Let us know!
New this week:
Discounted Spark Story BiblesChrist Lutheran Church in Manchester, PA has 11 brand-new Spark Story Bibles that they are not using and cannot return as they were ordered over a year ago. They are willing to sell them at half cost for anyone who wants them.   They are $19.99 new and they will sell them for $10.00 each.  If interested please contact Christ Lutheran Church at 717-266-1316 or email at [email protected].

 
Employment listings are provided to synod congregations and related agencies free of charge. This service is made possible by your Mission Support of Lower Susquehanna Synod and ELCA.  Please provide a brief position description, contact information, and a link to a complete position description on your web site (if desired).  Send information to Sharron Blezard at [email protected]. Positions are posted for 60 days unless extended.
  
Visit the Employment Opportunities page on our website for a complete list of current job openings with more details (including jobs that have been extended).

Congregation: St. Peter Lutheran Church, York
Position: Part-time Music Director (Posted 9/16/15)
Organization: Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL)
Position: Communication Coordinator (Posted 8/26/15)
Congregation: Our Saviour Lutheran Church, Harrisburg
Position: Part-time Administrative Assistant (Posted 8/26/15)
Congregation: Zion Lutheran Church, Marietta
Position: Part-time Organist (Posted 8/26/15)
Organization: Cumberland County Prison (Carlisle Area Religious Council)
Position: Full-time Chaplain and Director of Pastoral Care (Posted 8/12/15)
Congregation: St. Stephen Lutheran Church, New Kingstown and St. Mark, Mechanicsburg
Position: Youth and Family Ministry Director (Posted 7/28/15)

Carings and Sharings is the e-newsletter of the Lower Susquehanna Synod. Its purpose is the sharing of news and events which raise up the mission and ministry of the synod and ELCA in our congregations, our synod, and the broader church. It is not intended to be an endorsement of every activity. Comments about this newsletter may be sent to Sharron Blezard, editor,  [email protected].

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