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Ideas Fill the Menu at "Spirit Cafe"
 Once a month ministry leaders from across our synod gather for "Spirit Cafe," a time to vision, converse, share ideas, and let creativity flow. What may look like chaos involving animated conversation, crayons or markers, large sheets of newsprint, and a lot of movement from table to table is actually a process called "The Art of Hosting" that Pastor Abby Leese (Zion, Etters) and Vicar Jennifer Crist (Communities of Hope, Harrisburg) are trained to facilitate. You are invited to join the process on Tuesday, November 3! Click here to read the entire article on the website, access a registration link, and watch a short information video. (Photo: World Cafe, Creative Commons License)
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"Buy a Net - Save a Life - $10" on Christ the King Sunday
 On Christ the King Sunday, November 22, you are invited to make a real difference in the lives of our sisters and brothers in Africa AND help our synod meet its Always Being Made New Malaria Campaign Goal. For a gift of only $10 you can save a life--or the life of an entire family--through the purchase of a mosquito net.
Here's the good news of what we've already accomplished together:
- Since the campaign began (2011), more than 2 MILLION community members have learned about malaria prevention and treatment
- Nearly 50,000 treated bed nets have been distributed
- More than 32,000 expectant mothers have received preventive malaria treatment during pregnancy
- Since 2000, malaria mortality among children under the age of 5 has been REDUCED BY 58 PERCENT!!
- The ELCA Malaria Campaign has met its overall goal of $15 million, which has made much of this good news possible.
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Mosquito Nets at Good Shepherd-Liverpool
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Here's the challenge and OPPORTUNITY for Christ the King Sunday:
--Our Lower Susquehanna Synod has not yet reach our ABMN goal of raising $500,000 to help eliminate this completely treatable disease. --Together, on this final day of the church year, we can make a strong push to finish this part of our commitment to fund this critical global ministry. --Congregations that have not yet participated can push us closer to our goal of 100% congregation participation. --Congregations that have participated can give a much needed and appreciated second-mile
gift. Every gift to our Lower Susquehanna Synod Malaria Campaign counts toward Always Being Made New Campaign goals.
Best of all, you can celebrate this special Sunday by extending the gift of life to others. Resources for "Buy a Net - Save a Life - $10", including a bulletin insert, a video, and ideas, will be available November 1 on our synod website. Together we are saving lives and sharing Christ's love. Thank you for your help in making a real difference!
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2016 LSS Leaders Wellness Retreat: Keeping the Sabbath Wholly
 "The rhythm of six days of work and one day of ceasing work is written into the very core of our being. To observe that order week by week creates in us wholeness that is possible only when we live in accordance with this pattern of being graciously commanded by God."
- Dr. Marva Dawn
Explore practical ways to honor the Sabbath through ceasing, resting, embracing and feasting at the 2016 Ministry Leaders Wellness Retreat at the Hotel Hershey, February 1-2, 2016. The registration deadline is December 15, 2015. Click here to register and for more information.
About Guest Speaker Dr. Marva Dawn
Internationally renowned theologian, author, and educator Dr. Marva J. Dawn served as Teaching Fellow in Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, BC, Canada. A scholar with four masters degrees and a Ph.D. in Christian Ethics and the Scriptures from the University of Notre Dame and author of numerous articles and over 20 books (several of which have won awards and/or been translated into Chinese).
Thanks to our Portico wellness grant, this event is available at the subsidized cost to all full-time, active rostered leaders (and spouses). In addition, this retreat is available at the subsidized cost to ministry employees under contract or call (and spouses) who receive Portico health insurance benefits. Please contact Deacon Marsha Roscoe at 717-652-1852, ext. 103 or mroscoe@lss-elca.org with questions.
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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)
Hospitality is a Key to Congregational Growth
As church attendance shrinks and budgets become tighter, wise congregations are reexamining how they welcome and integrate newcomers into community life. Church leaders know that people in our busy culture have lots of choices and opportunities, and hospitality is one key element that will encourage visitors to return, and return visitors to become a part of a community. The congregations doing the best job at hospitality are the ones growing, says this article from Insights into Religion. Talk this over with your team and see what you can do to become more welcoming.
Nov. 12 TED Talk: 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 the Rev. Dr. Alfred Roger Gobbel, who died Saturday, October 17, at the age of 89. A Celebration of the Resurrection will be held on Saturday, October 24, 2015, at 2:00 p.m., at the Church of Abiding Presence, The Lutheran Theological Seminary, 61 Seminary Ridge, Gettysburg. Visitation will be held at the church beginning at 1:00 p.m. Interment will immediately follow the service. Click here to be redirected to the obituary.
...prayers for the United Republic of Tanzania as they prepare for national elections this Sunday, October 25. Voters will elect the President, Members of Parliament and local government councilors. Tanzania has been one of Africa's most peaceful countries since its independence and has been regarded over the past two decades as one of the continent's strongest democracies. The election is important to our sisters and brothers in the Konde Diocese.
Let us pray...
Lord God, guide the people of Tanzania in the election of trustworthy leaders, that they would participate in wise decisions for their country and serve their neighbors in local communities. Bless Tanzania, that they may be at peace among themselves and a blessing to other nations of the earth; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
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.
Digital E-News Face Lift 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 the coming weeks. 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 our synod's 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.
COMING SOON...
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.
October 29
Preaching Perspectives: "Light into our Darkness: Waiting, Receiving, and Seeing God Made Visible in our World"
Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary
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 24
Oktoberfest, St. Peter Lutheran Church, 130 Nittany Dr., Mechanicsburg
November 6
St. Petersburg Men's Ensemble in Concert, Trindle Spring Lutheran Church, 14 State Rd., Mechanicsburg
November 7
SERRV Fair Trade Fair, St. Luke Lutheran Church, 1432 Heidelberg Ave., Schaefferstown, PA
November 9 & 16
Messiah Life Ways Community Support Services Program, St. Peter Lutheran Church, 130 Nittany Dr., Mechanicsburg
November 22
Cornucopia of Sound: A Benefit Concert for Family Promise of the Harrisburg Capital Region,
Zion Lutheran Church, 265 North Enola Dr., Enola
Coming Soon...
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
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 27
Best Practices: Church Kitchen Safety & Practice, St. Paul Lutheran Church (Wertzville), 6839 Wertzville Rd., Enola
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.
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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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