Join Team 2017!   The Virginia Synod Malaria Task Group hopes that the people of Virginia will respond generously in the year 2013 to provide sustainable support for God's children in need of relief from malarial disease, hunger, and disaster.

 Check out our website to get the latest status and learn about the good works we Lutherans are doing around the world. Virginians are giving over $5,000 each month to help fight malaria.  Our ELCA Malaria Campaign goal for Virginia Synod is $230,000.  Once we reach that, funds given through Team 2017 will be directed for long-term sustainment through ELCA World Hunger and ELCA Disaster Response.

We've already raised nearly $60,000!

Go ahead. Make a commitment of just $20.17 per month and provide education, medicine, and mosquito nets this year to turn the tide of malaria in Africa.  It's easy!  Either give through your congregation or do it on-line at www.Team2017.org Join our team!

Lutherans in the news

Pastor Chip Gunsten in a familiar stance at a baptismal font.

            Close to 200 Virginia Synod pastors and a total of 800 Lutherans celebrated the remarkable life of Pastor Paul "Chip" Gunsten at a service at St. Andrew's Catholic Church in Roanoke on Dec. 15. He died on Dec. 11 at Duke University Hospital, Durham, N.C., after a struggle with lymphoma for over three years.

            Friends from across the Synod to South Carolina to Washington came for the standing-room-only service, many recalling pleasant experiences with Gunsten during his more than 12 years as assistant to the bishop and 15 years as a pastor at Grace, Winchester, and St. Phillip, Roanoke. His passion for mission and ministry was evident.

            Bishop Jim Mauney said, "Chip died in the hands of Christ...He was engaged in the rescue mission of the Lord...The spirit enlightened Chip." Later, the bishop wrote, "We are grieving very deeply over the loss of our beloved fellow worker and friend...We have sought to share our love and honor this servant of the Lord." They worked as a team for over 12 years.

            At the service, Gunsten's sister, Pam Gunsten, recalled that his nickname started almost 58 years ago when his grandmother was giving him a bath. "She said he was a chip off the old block and that stuck."

            Roanoke College Chaplain Paul Henrickson recalled his work with Chip Gunsten on the staff of Camp Caroline Furnace in 1972. "Chip handled kids nobody else wanted," he said.

            Bishop Mauney read a letter from the Rev. Tobby A. Eleasar, district president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Papua New Guinea, Virginia's companion synod, expressing sorrow at Gunsten's death. Eleasar said he has been corresponding with Gunsten about his planned visit to Virginia Synod this summer. "I have lost a brother and a very good friend who has always been encouraging to me in many ways," Eleasar said.

            Pastor Philip Martin of Epiphany, Richmond, wrote a hymn in honor of Gunsten (See below).

In a printed message for the funeral, Kris Gunsten, wife of Chip Gunsten, said, "He loved his job because it meant that he could work with all of you, get to know you, sharing congregational struggles and joys because it meant sharing God's love for all of you. Please keep his love for mission and ministry going!"

            His Roanoke Times obituary said, "What distinguished Chip was not his impressive height but his great passion for ministry, his unwavering faith in others, his endless capacity for forgiveness and his unique and infectious sense of humor. Christ was the center and hope of his life. He recruited and developed young ministers to serve in Virginia and served congregations without clergy across the state. He had a great love of sports and the relationships they fostered."

            When he was chosen to be an assistant to the bishop in 1999, Mauney recognized him as a leader in youth ministry, a frequent retreat and discussion leader and one who served with expertise in stewardship, evangelism and outdoor ministry. In recent years, Gunsten was a leader in many synodical ministries, including the Candidacy Committee, Camp Caroline Furnace board, ELCA Region 9, Missions task force, planning for Synod Assembly, Youth Leadership Roundtable and working with the bishop on conference gatherings. He led many retreats and worked with many congregations in the pastoral call process.

            Born in Harrisonburg in 1954, he was a graduate of Virginia Tech and Luther Northwestern Seminary and he earned a doctor of ministry degree from Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

            Also surviving are his daughters, Anna Gunsten and Sarah Krell, a granddaughter, Meredith; two sisters, Pam Gunsten and Claujia Ritchie, and his stepmother, Martha Gunsten.

            A Paul G. Gunsten Fund for Mission and Ministry has been established at the Synod, P.O. Box 70, Salem, VA 24153. 

Silent Morn, Holy Morn

(sung to the tune of "Silent Night, Holy Night")

in loving memory of the Rev. Chip Gunsten

© Phillip Martin

Silent morn, holy morn.

All is bleak, hope forlorn.

Earth cries out for a Savior to reign.

Sinners echo familiar refrain:

God, your ki-ingdom come!

God, your kingdom to come!

Silent day, holy day.

Angel speaks God's new way:

Lowly virgin receives the Word,

Humble souls with God's mercy are stirred.

Christ, your advent is near

Christ, your advent is near.

Silent eve, holy eve

Spirit moves; we believe!

Filled with grace by your holy call,

We proclaim your goodness to all.                             

Lord, your servant is here!

Lord, your servant is here!

Workers cleaned streets of sand near Breezy Point where houses burned.

Debbie Mintiens of Woodstock has returned from a two-week deployment with the Red Cross, assisting some of the many people whose lives were changed by Hurricane Sandy. She was managing a shelter in Shenandoah County when the hurricane passed through. She served in New York as a disaster volunteer, working as a client caseworker.  Here is her report:

            Over the past two weeks I have worked with many folks whose rental and owned homes were destroyed. After several weeks of living in shelters, through FEMA and the City of New York these folks are now living in local motels. There are so many, but my heart identified with two-Ruth and Phoebe (names changed).

            Ruth, 88, (my dad's age), had to take over after her husband died. She had no idea how to handle finances. Though family and friends were all gone, Ruth was doing well by herself. She is now living in a motel because the townhouse she owns is not habitable. She is not sure what insurance she got. The city is overwhelmed.

            Ruth has been going back to her home, trying to do something, risking her health due to the mold. Some "volunteers" came in to clean up. They cleaned up all right, just not the storm damage. It was very hard for me to stay within the resources of the Red Cross. I could not stop myself from researching. I did register Ruth with Lutheran Disaster Response of Greater New York. Of course, there is a big gap between now and rebuild.

            Phoebe is from Jamica and has been in the U.S., taking care of herself for over 30 years. (Phoebe and I are the same age and have a child the same age.) As Phoebe told me her story, she said when they were told to evacuate, she had no place to go and was afraid to go to a shelter. She told me that about 8 p.m., her landlord came wildly knocking at her door, saying something about her car and that she needed to come upstairs. She said she grabbed car key and when she went to the door, her car was floating and there was no land in sight.

Five bishops who met at Lamb's Basket, a Richmond food pantry, were (from left) Bishop Jim Mauney, Virginia Synod; Assistant Bishop Edwin F. Gulick, Jr., and Rt. Rev. Shannon Johnson, both of Episcopal Diocese of Virginia; Most Rev. Paul S. Loverde, Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington; and, Bishop Jin Cho, Virginia Conference, United Methodist Church.

The LARCUM Conference held in Richmond on Nov. 30-Dec. 1 reflected a continuing desire among its bishops of the Lutheran, Anglican, Roman Catholic and United Methodist communions to intentionally plan and set goals together at a pre-conference working session on Nov. 29-30 at the Church of the Epiphany, Episcopal and Christ Lutheran Church in the Lakeside area.

 Under this year's conference title, "Living Out the LARCUM Covenant: Vatican II at 50," the bishops reaffirmed their commitment made in 2011 to pray for each other, gather for a retreat and work toward the ending of childhood hunger and trafficking. Their plan is to speak on childhood hunger and trafficking on an occasion during Holy Week and also on St. Nicholas Day, Dec. 6, inviting other denomination to join them. The ecumenical officers and State LARCUM Committee, meeting at the same time, committed themselves to strengthening existing and forming new LARCUM groups across our commonwealth.

            A highlight of the pre-conference gathering of the bishops and ecumenical officers was a visit to the new location of the LAMB's Basket, a large food pantry formed and supported by the Lakeside community churches and a number of other Henrico County congregations.

            From Friday evening through Saturday afternoon, the conference of over 150 participants was held at Lakeside United Methodist Church and Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church. The speaker for the conference, John Borelli, of Georgetown University and former associate director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, began a brief background and narrative of Vatican II by saying, "With Vatican II, the world is no longer divided between Catholics and non-Catholics."

During the conference, he called upon each participant to make the commitment to the unity of the church, that it is now "irreversible," now "not an appendage to the church's mission but central to it." Taking the thoughts of Raymond Brown, the noted biblical scholar, Borelli described the church today as the "Apostolic Church left behind." It is a church made up of congregations called by our Lord to prayer, study, listen and work for social justice together, "that each be determined to hold onto the unity of the whole church." 

            As a part of the conference, Bishop Mauney spoke of his own ecumenical journey by talking of his ever-expanding "circle," first as a Virginia Lutheran, then as a seminarian studying Luther who "exploded the faith" for him, then his travels beyond Virginia as bishop. Concluding his "testimony," Bishop Mauney said that "the history of ecumenism seems to be the history of individuals who show up" and that "as I sign the LARCUM Covenant, I am saying that I will be a sign of the unity of the church."

            The 2013 LARCUM Conference in Winchester, December 6-7, will continue the conversation around Vatican II.

Pastor Gary Schroeder holds a retirement gift from the congregation.

            At a retirement luncheon for Pastor Gary Schroeder at Luther Memorial, Blacksburg, he was recognized for his leadership in improving the church facilities, expansion of ministry, courage in leadership to become a Reconciling in Christ congregation and his gentle ability to help the congregation move smoothly into unfamiliar but necessary places. He retired at the end of December after 25 years at Luther Memorial.

            Features of the program were a song by children, speeches by Pastors Joanna Stallings and Bill King and Diane Catley, congregation president, and presentation of a book of cards and letters, a custom-designed quilt with an outline of the church signed by members, a certificate for a weekend at a resort and a humorous song by the senior choir. During Schroeder's last service, a liturgy was adapted from installation of a pastor, with a response, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

            Pastor Jesse S. Hangen Jr., 87, who served four Virginia Synod congregations from 1953 until his retirement in 1987, died at Village at Rockville, Md. (formerly National Lutheran Home). A graduate of Gettysburg College and Gettysburg Seminary, he served as an assistant at Resurrection, Arlington, and as pastor at Luther Memorial, Blacksburg; Reformation, Newport News, and Messiah, Virginia Beach.

            His wife, Shirley Ann Brockman Hagen, died Oct. 31. Surviving are a son, Peter J. Hangen, and a grandson, Jesse W. Hangen. A memorial service will be held at Emmanuel Lutheran, Bethesda, Md., on Jan. 4, at 10:30 a.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Emmanuel Lutheran, 7730 Bradley Blvd., Bethesda, MD. 2087, or to Village at Rockville, 9701 Veirs Drive, Rockville MD 20850. 

Standing in front of the White House were (from left) Bishop Jim Mauney; Rev. Andrew Genszler, ELCA director for Advocacy; Bishop Robert Driesen, Upper Susquehanna Synod; Bishop David Zellmer, South Dakota Synod; Bishop Michael Burk, Southeastern Iowa Synod; Bishop Jon Anderson, Southwestern Minnesota Synod; and, Rev. Daniel Rift, director of ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal.

            Bishop Jim Mauney joined other bishops from the ELCA Conference of Bishops in advocating congressional and government leaders to retain funding for hunger and poverty programs during a December 17-18 meeting in Washington. Mauney's group, one of three, represent the U.S. Hunger and Poverty "Ready Bench," an advocacy caucus group of ELCA bishops.

They talked about the pending Farm Bill and its SNAP (food stamps) provisions, soon to be voted on in Congress, the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit, programs providing critical aid to low-income households and helping families cycle out of poverty.

            An undersecretary of agriculture told them only 1 percent fraud and 3-4 percent errors have been found in these programs "and that seems pretty efficient to me," Mauney said, yet some members of Congress complain of inefficiency. The bishops met with government policy writers, including staff from the Domestic Policy Council, Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Public Engagement.

            "If the Senate cuts these programs, who makes up the difference? Whatever we lose for funding for the poor will be very hard to restore again in the future" Mauney said after the meeting.  "Since all non-government spending and action for hunger through faith-based, non-profits and Feeding America is but 5-8 percent of the $80 billion in government funding spent for hunger in this country, holding every dollar for the hungry in federal funding is critical for those in emergency times in our people's lives."

            The bishops reminded government officials that they and the larger church are part of the Circle of Protection, a coalition representing Bread for the World, Conference of Catholic Bishops and National Association of Evangelicals that seeks to protect programs helping poor and vulnerable people in the ongoing federal budget debate. 

Meditation garden in Williamsburg.

            Members of St. Stephen, Williamsburg, blessed their new Meditation Garden. The City of Williamsburg had required the congregation to construct a water drainage retention system as part of a building project to construct expanded gathering space along Jamestown Road and that led to a plan to turn the area into a garden, accessed through a side door from the new gathering space.

            The garden features a wrought iron wall cross, fashioned by Ben Henry, a local craftsman. Two benches and a cloister walk of slate paving stones were removed from the front of the church building before the expansion. A contractor in the congregation donated the labor to install the "hardscape" and members bought the plantings.

            Two training courses on "Understanding the Impact of Addiction and Supporting Recovery: Strategies and Tools for Faith Communities" will be offered at the New River Valley Business Center, 6580 Valley Center Drive, Radford, on Tuesday, Jan. 29, and Tuesday, Feb. 26, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., both days. The training will be free of charge but participants must register by Jan. 18 at the website http//www.signupgenius.com/go/30EOF4FA4A62DA02-understanding. For more information, contact Lee Spiegel, coordinator of Pulaski Community Partners Coalition at 540-980-3228 or PCPC1@verizon.net or Pastor Terrie Sternberg at Trinity, Pulaski, 540-230-3139 or trinitypulaski@gmail.com. 

            A Seminar for Key Leaders will be offered by Dr. Kennon Callahan at Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, Ga.on Feb. 18-22. Callahan will talk abut his latest book, Living in Grace, and tell of 12 decisive events of grace. Registration may be completed online at www.missionleadersnetwork.com. For information, call Pastor John Wertz Jr., seminar coordinator, at 540-951-8951.