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October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
 October's designation as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month has its roots in the October 1981 "Day of Unity," an event conceived by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The "Day of Unity" was intended to connect advocates across the nation who were working to end violence against women and their children. The day soon became a week, and in 1987, the first month-long observance took place and the first national toll-free hotline was opened. In 1989, Congress passed Public Law 101-112 officially designating October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Many of our congregations are already active in supporting local and regional groups and ministries that work to combat domestic violence, and our ELCA continues to explore the broader, "upstream" issues of regarding women and justice. Click here to be redirected to our website for more information, statistics, and links to resources. Consider taking at least one small action this month to empower survivors of domestic violence, to prevent violence, and to ensure that your congregation is a safe and welcoming space.
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Winterfest 2016 to Celebrate 25 Years of Ministry with Teens and Young Adults
Winterfest will be a two-day event in 2016, with an option for a third day, as a result of the New Year's holiday falling on a Friday. This creates a more affordable option for families and congregations who may have traditionally avoided this event due to cost. Scheduled for January  2-3, 2016, at the Lancaster Host Resort, this year Winterfest will follow the theme "Community" and celebrate the oneness we share in Christ! The event officially begins at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 2, but groups can opt to arrive on Friday, January 1, and participate in a service based activity and some fun and fellowship led by our partners from LutheranHANDS.
Senior high youth as well as their young adult counterparts through age 24, are welcome to participate, and this year we welcome Darren Hamric to our team, who is helping to shepherd a new young adult ministry in our synod. Since this is also our Silver Anniversary event, we are welcoming back Agape (David Scherer), to help us celebrate with a mini-concert, following our Saturday evening banquet. In addition our Saturday evening will feature many of the same activities youth have come to enjoy on Friday, including inflatable games, a lip-sync battle, a dance, and more.
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Cultivating Stewards One Dollar at a Time
Worshipers at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Spring Grove were greeted with a surprise on Stewardship Sunday (Oct. 4). Everyone, children included, received a dollar bill. In his sermon,
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Pastor Dan Biles gives a Stewardship Sunday dollar to Dan Gordon and his daughter, Grace.
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Pastor Dan Biles explained the dollar and what congregants were asked to do with it.
"I want to put before you a challenge," he said. "I want you to take your dollar bill and use it in some way this week that reflects your Christian faith or makes Jesus and His way of life known. How can you use this dollar bill in a way that serves God's good purposes?"
Biles encouraged people to have fun with the challenge and to be creative. "You can team up with others," he said. "Families, you all received a dollar, even children. Maybe you'll decide to do something together with the money you've been given."
Pastor Biles encouraged people to share with him what they did with their dollars so that the good news could be shared in the congregation. "Stewardship is not just what you give," he added. "It is how you live."
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 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)
Cultivating a Mindset of Generosity
Is it possible to cultivate a mindset within our congregations and institutions that would reframe the stresses of the budgeting and fundraising season? Could a "sharing" mindset open up more creativity and decrease the feeling of fighting for scarce resources? Such as mindset would be one of generosity - that encourages seeing everyone as people with all kinds of gifts to share. Money is only one part of the equation. Check out this excellent essay from David Odom, executive director, Leadership Education at Duke Divinity School.
Nov. 12 TED Talk: Rekindling Stewardship for Advent
Due to scheduling difficulties, we have had to postpone the TED talk on "Green Preaching" for a later time. Instead, we are pleased to offer "Rekindling Stewardship for Advent."
Advent of Lectionary Year C offers the perfect opportunity to talk about the proper use of God's gifts. Luke's gospel, which takes center stage in Year C, is all about money. Including the Magnificat (with its wonderfully subversive economic underpinnings), Year C's Advent texts provide an excellent backdrop for a giving-response program, or for a follow-up to a stewardship emphasis that concluded earlier this fall. Come to this TED Talk to get some ideas on preaching and teaching stewardship for Advent - as well as for the rest of Lectionary Year C. Leaders will be Pastors Robert and Sharron Blezard, assistants to the bishop.
Our synod's monthly TED (Theology, Evangelism and Discipleship) Talks cover topics of interest to congregational leaders free and open to anyone. They are held every second Thursday of the month from 10 a.m. - Noon 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, cdeitrich@lss-elca.org.
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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 and friends of Wayne Kiser, brother of the Rev. Dr. Brenda Kiser (retired), who died Sunday, October 11. Click here to be redirected to the obituary.
...prayers for healing and hope for Pr. Miriam Nicholson (Messiah, Elliottsburg)
Click here to read Pastor Kate Warn's most recent newsletter from Rwanda, where she serves as an ELCA YAGM (Young Adults in Global Mission) Country Coordinator. Please pray for all who are serving around the world as missionaries.
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 sblezard@lss-elca.org.
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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.
You are Cordially Invited . . .
Sunday, October 25, 3:00 p.m.
Installation of Associate in Ministry Micki Kautz
St. John's Lutheran Church, 151 Clearview Rd., Dillsburg. The color of the day is red.
Sunday, November 8, 4:00 p.m.
Installation of the Rev. Alison Bowlan
Salem Lutheran Church, 26 Owl Hill Rd., Lititz. The color of the day is green.
Saturday, December 5, 10:00 a.m.
Ordination of Anne Confer Martens
St. James Lutheran Church, Pottstown
Anne has been called by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod to serve as associate chaplain at the Hill School.
Celebrations & Congratulations
Michelle Shirk celebrated her 10th anniversary at Trinity Lutheran Church, Mount Joy, where she serves as Director of Youth and Family Ministries. The congregation surprised Michelle on Rally Day with flowers and a check in appreciation for her ministry there.
Trinity Lutheran Church, Camp Hill, honored two staff members for faithful service with a Sunday reception. Office Manager Nancy Martin was recognized for 25 years of service. Pastor Nancy Easton, Ministry Director for Discipleship, was honored for 15 years of ministry.
Kailee Dayett, daughter of Chaplain Dione Klepetka (Luthercare) and Pastor Brad Dayett (St. Paul, Stoverstown), competed in the National Youth Weightlifting Championships in Minneapolis this summer and earned a bronze medal for her age division and weight class. She was in the 44kg weight class and the 11-and-under age group. Kailee successfully completed all six of her lift attempts. Her best snatch was 25 kg (about 55 lbs) and her best clean and jerk was 36 kg (about 79 lbs). Way to go, Kailee!
Wondering about the results of grant applications for our Synod's Hunger Legacy Grants? The World Hunger Committee is finalizing the grant review process after seeking some additional information from some of the applicants. This was the first year that more funds were sought than dollars available. The Committee hopes to announce the successful applicants by next week. Thank you for your patience!
A New Look for Carings & Sharings Coming Soon! Our weekly e-news will soon be getting a digital face lift with a more mobile-friendly template. In order to keep the newsletter more manageable while also being able to share even more good news, we will link readers to additional details housed on our synod website, along with summaries and stories you can use for publication in your congregation newsletters and bulletins. You'll see the beginnings of some of these changes in event listings beginning this week. New events will be highlighted, along with events that are current to the issue. Full event listings, educational offerings, prayers, and job listings will be housed on our website. Feature articles will no longer be run in their entirety but will also contain links to the website.
We have so much good news to share! Watch for the redesigned weekly e-news to begin with the new church year. Please encourage your congregations to sign up to receive the e-news to stay informed.
Looking for 2015 Lutheran World Relief Ingathering information? Click here!
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.
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Opportunities for Education...
CLICK HERE to be redirected to our synod website for detailed information about upcoming events. We add events and update our website weekly.
NEW THIS WEEK
October 19-23
Preaching Days at the Lutheran Seminary Philadelphia
October 29
Preaching Perspectives: "Light into our Darkness: Waiting, Receiving, and Seeing God Made Visible in our World"
Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary
Coming Soon...
October 19
"Mark-ing the Festivals" Led by Pastor Rob Myallis at Wittel Farm
October 23
Healing Communities Training
Red Lion Inn, Harrisburg. Click here for more information.
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/.
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 (Click here to register.)
Friday, November 6
Boundary Training for Rostered Leaders and other Ministry Professionals
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Epiphany Lutheran Church, 1100 Colonial Rd., Harrisburg (Registration closes Monday, Oct. 30).
Be sure to check the Center for Faith Formation webpage for information about upcoming events and links for registration. Click here to be redirected. Don't forget about all the fun and educational events at our area Lutheran Camps! Click here to visit the Lutheran Camping Corporation website and see what's happening at Nawakwa, Kirchenwald, and Wittel Farm.
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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 website page. E-mail event information to sblezard@lss-elca.org.
New Listings this Week:
October 16-17
Annual Yard Sale, Christ Lutheran Church, 105 S. Main St., Shrewsbury
October 23
Trunk-or-Treat, St. Paul Lutheran Church (Wertzville), 6839 Wertzville Rd., Enola
October 25
Reformation Sunday Polka Mass & German-themed Fellowship Meal, Faith United Lutheran Church, 357 Walnut St., Denver
October 27
Best Practices: Church Kitchen Safety & Practice, St. Paul Lutheran Church (Wertzville), 6839 Wertzville Rd., Enola
November 7
Annual Pork & Sauerkraut Dinner, St. Paul Lutheran Church, 201 W. Louther St., Carlisle
November 8
Rejoicing Spirits Worship (a disABILITIES ministry), St. Stephen Lutheran Church, 30 W. Main St., New Kingstown
Coming Soon...
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
Liturgy of Peace and Unity, Mt. Zion Lutheran Church, 2164 Mt. Zion Rd., York
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
October 26
"Preparing for Family Transitions - Event & Gourmet Supper," Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 750 Greenfield Rd., Lancaster
October 28
Syrian Refugee Informational Meeting, Union Lutheran Church, 408 W. Market St., York
To Share:
Need hymnals, tables, Bibles, an organ, or choir robes? 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!
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Em ployment 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 sblezard@lss-elca.org. Positions are posted for 60 days unless extended.
New Listings this Week:
Organist available to supply. Contact Don Deitzel at 717-421-2624.
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| 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, sblezard@lss-elca.org. |
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