While the Region 9 Boundaries and Inclusion Education opportunities have passed, here are some options if you still need to complete your training this calendar year (all active rostered folks, including interims and supply preachers).

• United Lutheran Seminary Boundary Training—Thursday, November 30, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. via Zoom; $35. (This is part two of a pair of trainings. No need to attend part one, but there is a 10% discount for also attending the 11/28 Toward Racial & Social Justice Training). Register here.
• Safe Gatherings: Clergy Ethics and Congregational Boundaries—Online, On Demand; $29. A self-paced, two-hour course. Purchase here.

Is there a lay person with gifts for ministry in your congregation? Do you know of someone who has shared a message well for a special occasion? The synod relies on lay preachers—individuals from congregations who have received instruction and formation for preaching—to fill pulpits across the NC Synod so that rostered ministers can take vacation, complete continuing education or, in some cases, provide a Service of the Word worship for congregations who do not have a regularly-called pastor right now. Applications are being accepted now through Friday, December 1, to be considered for the next cohort of lay preachers. Encourage that lay person to apply! Questions? Contact Pastor Pam Northrup, Advanced Lay Ministries Team Chair.

Learn more and apply before December 1.

The Vine Deloria, Jr. Theological Symposium will be held virtually November 13–15. You can find this info and details of each day at Truth & Healing Movement - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. All events will be accessible online, and the theme is tribal sovereignty.

Learn more about the speakers.

Coaches are invited to the next Zoom meeting on Wednesday, November 15, at 1:00 p.m. We will review active status, discuss how to find coaching opportunities, and practice coaching. In an effort to streamline communication, we have a Google group. If you are a trained coach, but are not receiving our emails, please fill out this form with your current information. Email Heidi Kleine, synod coach coordinator with questions.

Use this link to join the Zoom meeting.

You’ve heard about narrative budgets and have perhaps even seen examples or heard how they’re assembled and why they work. If that process is still too confusing or daunting for you, this webinar is for you. On Monday, November 27, at 7:30 p.m., the Rev. Tim Brown, ELCA director of congregational stewardship, will go step by step through creating a narrative budget. Bring your current (2023) budget and pieces of your projected (2024) budget, and get ready to do some work in real time to start the narrative budget process. Pastors, council members, stewardship teams—anyone is welcome to attend.

Click to join the Zoom.

The ELCA's Church Council Executive Committee approved Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton’s request for a 4-to-6-month leave of absence. Her leave starts Nov. 17, 2023. The Church Council appointed former bishop of the Southeastern Iowa Synod, the Rev. Michael Burk, as Presiding Bishop Pro Tem to care for the responsibilities of the presiding bishop during her leave of absence. We give thanks for Bishop Eaton’s tireless dedication and leadership and pray for her during this time of rest and rejuvenation.

Does your congregation have a preschool, day school, kindergarten, or after-school care ministry? The Evangelical Lutheran Education Association (ELEA) is working diligently to update their records, as are the synod staff. We want to know if your congregation is engaged in the ministry of schools or learning centers. Thank you!

Use this form to submit your info.

All are invited to the Ordination of Dawn Schaeffer on Sunday, November 26, at 3:00 p.m., at Amazing Grace, Granite Falls. Bishop Tim Smith ordaining, Catawba Conference Dean, Pastor Christy Lohr Sapp installing, and Pastor Angela Powell preaching. Dawn has been called to serve as pastor at Amazing Grace, Granite Falls.

Of Mourning

Lola Belle Wiseman Webb, mother of Pastor David Webb (interim, Sylva), passed away peacefully on November 5. We mourn with her family. Read the full obituary.

Of Thanksgiving

Malcolm Schaeffer, husband of seminary candidate Dawn Schaeffer (recently called to Amazing Grace, Granite Falls), recently had a risky stent surgery to remedy blockages. They welcome prayers of thanksgiving for the blessing of successful surgery and healing.

Friends and family of Gloria Dei, Salisbury, gathered for the service of Holy Closure on Sunday, November 12, giving thanks for the many years of ministry of God's people there.

Of Celebration

St. James, Concord, installed Pastor Bill Ridenhour on Sunday, November 5.

For Peace in the Holy Land

Merciful God, our help in every trouble, we pray for peace in the Holy Land. Protect those 

traumatized by escalating violence, especially those with no access to safe spaces; release people held hostage; provide food, water, fuel, and supplies for all in need; sustain medical personnel as they work in horrendous conditions; tend to those who are wounded; comfort all who grieve. Direct your people into the way of peace.  In your mercy, receive our prayer. 

(A prayer from worship resources for the crisis in the Holy Land PDF, ELCA Worship)

The weeks before Christmas are often chaotic. Buying and wrapping presents, holiday parties, preparing for family gatherings, and other obligations can make us feel stressed and over-spent. Join ELCA Courageous Leadership on Wednesday, November 15, at 2 p.m. to learn from the Rev. Dr. Becca Ehrlich. Come see how Advent can be different for you this year! Ehrlich is an ELCA pastor, author, and teacher who writes about minimalism from a Christian perspective. She is passionate about helping folks find ways to connect with God and live more simply.

Join the Zoom.

Join the National Council of Churches on Wednesday, November 15, at 7 p.m. as we learn more about the crises in Israel/Palestine, Ukraine, and Nagorno-Karabakh as well as updates on what is being done to confront anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in this country. Following these updates, we will join our prayers together with the guidance from leaders from the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian traditions.

Register today.

Shoulder to Shoulder was established as a place for Christians, Jews, and others to work together to counter anti-Muslim discrimination. In this work, we often discuss how anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim discrimination are connected to each other in the U.S. Yet, we know that for some in the Jewish community, there is a question about whether they have to choose between addressing discrimination and violence that targets Jews or the discrimination and violence that targets Muslims. This conversation was planned back in June in response to those conversations. With recent events it will be as important as ever. While this event is designed by, and for the Jewish community, it is an open space. Tuesday, November 21 from 12-1:30 pm

Register for the virtual conversation here.

The Eighth Annual John W. Hatch FaithHealth Lecture will convene in Eastern North Carolina on Tuesday, November 28, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at The Impact Center, 821 Word Plaza, Rocky Mount, (in-person & online). This year's keynote, “Transforming the Narrative: Amplifying Voices, Addressing Disparities, Promoting Justice” will be offerend by Dr. James H. Johnson, Jr., Distinguished Prof. of Strategy and Entrepreneurship in the Kenan-Flagler Business School and Director of the Urban Investment Strategies Center, UNC Chapel Hill.

Register by Nov. 20 to receive link (online) or lunch (onsite).

Is your leadership so preoccupied with strategies and actions that you’ve lost sight of the ultimate why? In this interview, Elaine Robinson shares why love must be the foundation of all Christian leadership.

Read more now; listen or watch the video.

Most of my congregations—both my clients and the small, rural churches for whom I preach—worry that their beloved church will not survive. But I keep working with them because, even as they age and their numbers dwindle, they surprise me with their capacity to adapt and innovate. In spite of everything, God’s church keeps showing up.

Read the full Sarai Rice article from CCG.

If you have ever wandered into a comment section on the internet you know about internet trolls. Their existence is both troubling and profoundly entertaining. Reality TV has nothing on the drama trolls can stir up nor the blazing hot fires they love to fan. When I started making content on TikTok, I wasn’t shocked in the least when the first troll arrived. What has shocked me is how much trolls have taught me about Jesus. 

Read Pastor Bethany Peterbolt's full Convergence post.

A lot of life feels unsafe right now for many people. Wars, rumors of war, violence in the streets, the climate crisis, economic instability...the list goes on. What we need is lament. And not just individual lament. We need to gather together to tell the truth about the things that haunt us in the middle of the night and hold us in a vise of worry in the middle of the day.

Read Lisa Hancock's full UM Discipleship Ministries reflection.

Science for the Church has produced an Advent devotional resource, Advent Horizons: Exploring the Intersections of Scripture and Science, for use during Advent for personal devotions, Sunday schools, or other faith formation programs. Consider this great resource which explores the intersection of faith and science.

Learn more and order yours today.

The 2023 NC Council of Churches' Advent Guide is now available for download! This Advent season, coinciding with the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the guide aligns secular principles with Christian doctrine in the shared pursuit of ending oppression. Our guide focuses on two marginalized communities, women and the LGBTQ+ community. Through the lens of Scripture, we draw inspiration to prepare for the in-breaking of God’s Kin-dom, envisioning a world where all individuals will flourish to their God-given potential. Use this transformative resource with your faith community, family, friends, and yourself to navigate through a meaningful Advent season.

Learn more and download today.

Luther Seminary's Faith+Lead has just released a comprehensive downloadable ebook, Pivots and Pitfalls for Church Leaders, to help navigate the challenges of serving congregations effectively in the 21st century.

Download now.

In appreciation for all that deacons and pastors do, Brick Books is offering a special discount on the Luther Rose and Mini Ark kits. Use the code happythanksgiving for $10 off for the Luther Rose and Mini Ark building kits. (Discount extended through Thanksgiving!)