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Dear Sunday School Teacher:
We are excited to announce that the Metropolitan New York Synod is developing a Children’s App as a playful and faith-driven resource for our youngest members.

But, we cannot launch this without your help and expertise!

On Friday, March 8 at 6 pm, we will have an ideation meeting to discuss ideas for children’s games, music, and the overall look-and-feel of the app, so that it is aligned with our Lutheran radically-welcoming, community-driven identity.

If you would like to be part of the initial brainstorming process, by phone or in-person, please send an email to Roberto Lara, Director for Communications, at rlara@mnys.org. 

We look forward to and appreciate your attendance. 

May we continue to be Church Together!
Young Adult Network Coordinator
The Metropolitan New York Synod is seeking a part-time Young Adult Network Coordinator. Thanks to a generous grant from the ELCA, MNYS plans to launch a Young Adult Ministry Network in 2019 that will connect young adults with existing ministries and help incubate new, young adult ministries across our territory. For more information, click here.
From a Lay Leader 's Desk
" The one, holy, catholic and apostolic church is founded in resurrection . Even if we agree on little else, we must agree on that. So it follows: If tomorrow, all our rostered members walked out the doors and our buildings fell to dust, we would not disappear. No, we would not. The remnant would get to work on a resurrection, and we would rise again."

From a Pastor 's Desk
" We, as a church, should not have to debate our need to celebrate the various cultures of the One People on this One Planet . We are all in the family of God called together through one faith and one baptism, based on our gratitude for the salvation made possible once and for all by the sacrifice of God's Son, Jesus." 

H olden Evening Prayer
Gloria Dei Evangelical Lutheran Church, Huntington
Sunday, March 31 | 4:00 pm
Bishop Donald McCoid, preaching

A Lenten Service of Prayer and Fellowship for the MNYS Western Suffolk Conference.

This service will be followed by a potluck and raffle to support ELCA World Hunger. 

Vanco Offers New Online-Giving Option for ELCA Congregations
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has formed a preferred vendor agreement with Vanco, an eGiving software developer and payment processor serving more than 20,000 churches across the country. The agreement offers Vanco’s GivePlus suite of eGiving solutions to ELCA congregations.

2019 Synod Assembly:
Bulletin of Reports Deadline
MNYS Committees & Partner Organizations are invited to share their work with the synod in our annual Bulletin of Reports.

All reports are due March 6, 2019.

Calling our Next Bishop:
Pre-Identification Process
ELCA Rostered Ministers of Word and Sacrament  (Pastors) to be considered may be pre-identified by conferences, congregations, or individuals (especially voting members to the assembly).

The pre-identification process is now open until March 1* .

Click  here  to learn more about the process for the election of the bishop.

Click  here  to pre-identify a Rostered Minister of Word and Sacrament

*A previous version of this module incorrectly stated that the deadline for the pre-identification process was March 15. The correct deadline for the pre-identification process is March 1st.
FROM OUR CONGREGATIONS & PARTNERS
SOCIAL JUSTICE SPEAKER SERIES
St. John's Lutheran Church, Greenpoint
Monday, February 25
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Please join us for a conversation among Ravi Ragbir, The Rev. Marie Tatro, and The Rev. Dr Katrina Foster on immigration and reform. This Conversation With Talk is part three of our six-part speaker series, intersecting the viewpoints between communities of faith and secular activism. For more information, click here.
LEADING THE CHURCH'S SONG: DOING COMMON THINGS UNCOMMONLY WELL 
Association of Lutheran Church Musicians 
Portland, OR
June 24 – 27

Participants in this summer conference will consider the core nature of Lutheran worship, the ways in which shared song and musical accompaniment can reveal or obscure these central understandings, and the many musical practices that support simplicity and beauty. For more information, click   here.
ADVENT LUTHERAN CHURCH 2019 MISSION FUND APPLICATION
The Mission Fund seeks to provide long-term support for church and community ministries. This fund enables the support of amazing, impactful work that other organizations are envisioning and hoping to grow. Past grant recipients include the West Side Campaign Against Hunger, the Collateral Repair Project serving Syrian refugees in Jordan, the Mwangaza Partnership for Education in Tanzania, and many others. For more information, click here.
CONSPIRATORS  TUESDAYS DISCUSSION-STYLE NIGHT SERVICE
St. John's Lutheran Church, Greenpoint
Every Tuesday
8:00 pm

This is a coffeehouse-style, casual service, centered around a theme. Participants will discuss, sing about, wonder aloud, study, and pray about different topics. You do not need to be a Christian to attend. For more information, click here.
SPANISH LANGUAGE AND HISPANIC MINISTRY INTENSIVE LEVEL I
The Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest (LSPS), Campus
Sunday, May 26, 2019 - 5:00 pm
Friday, May 31, 2019 - 12:00 pm

A resource for Lutherans and other denominations that recognize the growing need for competency in the Spanish language and an understanding of Hispanic culture, in light of the increasing Hispanic population in this country and the church. To find more, click here.
BUILDING CONGREGATIONAL CAPACITY FOR HISPANIC MINISTRY INTENSIVE LEVEL II
The Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest (LSPS), Campus
Sunday, June 9 - 5:00 pm
Thursday, June 13 - 12:00 pm

This new Level II Intensive is designed for congregational leaders in those congregations where consideration is being given to starting a Hispanic Ministry in their community. Teams from congregations are encouraged to attend. To find more, click here.
––– JOB OPPORTUNITIES –––
PASTORAL COUNSELOR: Chelsea Community Church—more information here
YOUNG ADULT NETWORK COORDINATOR: Metropolitan New York Synod—more information here
OPERATIONS & OUTREACH COORDINATOR: Saint Lydia's, Brooklyn—more information here
PART-TIME ORGANIST AND MUSIC DIRECTOR: Grace Lutheran Church, Uniondale—more information here
LEAVE-REPLACEMENT, FULL-TIME: LUHI - Long Island Lutheran Middle & High School, Brookville—more information here

––––– CALENDAR –––––
FEBRUARY 26: Synod Council Meeting—more information here
MARCH 1: 2019 Growing in Faith: NY Diakonia Retreat—more information here

 View the complete synod calendar here   ▶︎
WE'RE PRAYING FOR...
• Our brothers and sisters from Venezuela
• The asylum seekers who are waiting to be processed at our southern border
• Refugees and immigrants, and those who come to their aid
• Our work toward shaping a more inclusive church that welcomes and affirms all of God's people, specifically our  LGBTQIA+  brothers, sisters, and siblings 
• Those affected by violence in their schools, workplaces, and homes 
• The unity of this church and its mission
• Peace in our world
• Peace in our nation
• The care of God's Creation 
• ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission, Henry Elling and Abbigail Hull, serving in Cambodia
• ELCA missionaries Patrick and Jacqueline Bencke, ESL teacher and music teacher respectively, and Jennifer Jarvie, ESL teacher, serving in Japan
• MNYS missionary Melanie Nelson, and her husband David Kingery, serving in Bukoba, Tanzania
•  Bishop Paul D. Erickson, the staff, and the people of the  Greater Milwaukee Synod