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A Message from Bishop Mark W. Holmerud

Greetings!

In the past few days as our nation celebrated the 4 ^th  of July, three themes emerged for me about Independence Day:

COVID-19 Concerns:

I heard many news reporters offer the phrase “This is a July 4 ^th  like no other.” They were referring to how the COVID-19 pandemic limited the ability of people to gather for picnics and fireworks and parades. Some people being interviewed were complaining that government restrictions on gatherings were infringing on their First Amendment rights, that they shouldn’t be forced to wear masks in public, and that this is all a hoax meant to unseat the current occupant of The White House in the November elections.  

I have little patience with those who believe this pandemic is not real and do not understand that the transmission of COVID-19 is dramatically reduced where masks and personal distancing are used. People’s lives are being endangered because of such choices. Sadly, it is now being demonstrated that rates of infection are rising dramatically in several states, especially in states where such restrictions were relaxed, or not enforced at all. Please, for the sake of ending this pandemic as soon as possible and protecting those most vulnerable among us –  wear a mask!   If you haven’t already done so, please read the special message  “ Updated Guidelines for In Person Gatherings ”  that was emailed to our synod on Friday. 

The 4th of July and the Black Lives Matter Movement:

This was also a “July 4 ^th  like no other” for another reason: I do not recall hearing as many references before to a speech given by Frederick Douglass in 1852 that was entitled, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” In many places around the country, this speech was read to remember the power of his words, which called the people of this country to understand the bitter irony of a celebration of freedom in a country that condoned slavery. Excerpts from his speech are below:

Fellow Citizens, I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. They were great men too — great enough to give fame to a great age. It does not often happen to a nation to raise, at one time, such a number of truly great men. The point from which I am compelled to view them is not, certainly, the most favorable; and yet I cannot contemplate their great deeds with less than admiration. They were statesmen, patriots and heroes, and for the good they did, and the principles they contended for, I will unite with you to honor their memory …

Fellow-citizens; above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions! whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are, to-day, rendered more intolerable by the jubilee shouts that reach them. If I do forget, if I do not faithfully remember those bleeding children of sorrow this day, “may my right hand forget her cunning, and may my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth!” To forget them, to pass lightly over their wrongs, and to chime in with the popular theme, would be treason most scandalous and shocking, and would make me a reproach before God and the world. My subject, then fellow-citizens, is AMERICAN SLAVERY. I shall see, this day, and its popular characteristics, from the slave’s point of view. Standing, there, identified with the American bondman, making his wrongs mine, I do not hesitate to declare, with all my soul, that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this 4th of July!

The entire speech can be found  here.

Can it be that this year’s 4 ^th  of July was different because of the national outcry for justice following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many others? Calls for an end to violence by police officers against people who are Black must continue. Changes in how police and sheriff’s departments operate and screen, train and monitor their officers are taking place because millions of people have gathered across our country to call for everyone to be able to fully realize the safety, freedom and justice that was the hope of this country’s founding. To cry out, “Black Lives Matter!” and “Remember their names” until these changes finally take place. Thank you for the ways you have added your voice to such calls for justice. Thank you for speaking out and to educate those who do not know or believe the reality of the great peril and fear many people of color experience at the hands of those who are called “to serve and protect” – the police.

Our prophetic calling:

Clearly, not everyone feels passionately that this is a time for change. I am especially grateful to the pastors and leaders of our congregations who are preaching and teaching about these justice issues as a biblical calling to stand with and for those who are oppressed. I also understand there are some who do not believe such conversations should happen in our churches (or in these times, in online worship and bible study). To those who are challenging their pastor for speaking out, I would remind all of us of the language of the Constitution and Bylaws of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:  

7.31.12.  Consistent with the faith and practice of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,

a. Every ordained minister shall:

1) preach the Word;

2) administer the sacraments;

3) conduct public worship;

4) provide pastoral care;

5) seek out and encourage qualified persons to prepare for the ministry of the

Gospel;

6) witness to the Kingdom of God in the community, in the nation, and abroad; and

7) speak publicly to the world in solidarity with the poor and oppressed, calling for

justice and proclaiming God’s love for the world.

I pray our congregations will be places where disagreements can be discussed in a way that is different from the divisive discourse that is happening in this country. Our congregations and ministries can lead by example as we pray, listen, and trust that our differences will not ultimately divide us. No, we are not all in agreement, but can we enter into disagreements first by seeing Christ in the person with whom we are speaking? As we move closer to the elections of the fall, can we listen in a way that isn’t preparing to counter what we are hearing, but truly hearing what the other person is saying out of their experience? And then, and only then, to offer from our hearts our understandings and experiences. And then to pray together. I leave you with this reminder that was part of an online devotional I read each morning: 

“The church is political, but not partisan. We pray fervently for God's will to be done regardless of which political party is in power. Our prayers for those we disagree with, as well as for those we support, change our hearts to see our leaders and political rivals as fellow members of God's family. Our prayers help us humbly acknowledge that we are not better or more right than others, but that we are all God's beloved and can show the gospel together through our loving, prophetic actions in the political realm.” 

Amen. May it be so.

Peace,

Bp. Mark

Updated:

A Word From Our Synod Staff About Congregational Visits

Dear Rostered and Congregational Leaders in our Sierra Pacific Synod,

Members of our synod staff have recently received requests for being present with congregations as they begin worshiping in person. As previously shared with you, we are encouraging congregations not to begin in-person worship before September 30th . That counsel stands given the latest reports of the rising number of cases of COVID-19 being diagnosed in both California and Nevada and concerns being expressed by health officials for limiting public gatherings. For the time being, synod staff members will only be available for online greetings or sermons. Should you wish to arrange for such a visit, please contact the synod office.

Peace,

Bp. Mark, Pr. Katy, Pr. Tita

ELCA COVID-19 Response Fund

Weeks may have passed since you last walked in the doors of your congregation and worshiped, face-to-face, with your community of faith. To be sure, being the body of Christ looks and feels differently than it ever has before. 

With congregations and ministries across the country, and a network of companion churches and partners in over 70 countries around the world, we anticipate this crisis will affect us all. Your gifts to the ELCA’s  COVID-19 Response Fund   will provide funds to the ministries of the ELCA most in need and best positioned to help. This includes our congregations as well as local and churchwide ministries capable of reaching and assisting those in need. If you are able, please help with a gift today.

Donate Now

Here to Serve: Being Church in the Time of COVID-19

Weekly Online Gathering for ELCA Leaders

Wednesdays, 11:00 AM Pacific

You are invited to join weekly meetings designed to provide encouragement and support for ELCA leaders in all realms. Participants will hear topical presentations related to how we are called to be Church in the time of COVID-19, as well as an opportunity to be in small group discussions with an ELCA group coach facilitating the conversation. All of this is designed to help us process our feelings in this strange and fearful time and to create a space where we can each name our next most faithful step forward in our unique context.

You are welcome to share this invitation with any other ELCA leader, rostered or lay. #ELCAChurchTogether #HereToServe

The Zoom link each week will be posted on the home page of ELCA Coaching .

Recordings from each week are posted here:   https://www.elcacoaching.org/covid19 .

Sierra Pacific Synod COVID-19 Information Page

Our information page includes a list of congregations offering digital option for worship, general resources and Financial/Administrative resources.

Sierra Pacific Synod Bishop Election Page

This page lists the synod profile, possible nominees and will contain any updates on the election process.

Mini Prayer Shawl Update

We are all more than ready to gather with family and friends in homes and in our church buildings! And we also look forward to gathering as the Sierra Pacific Synod in assembly on our rescheduled dates, whenever they are. We will do our usual business there but a major part as you well know is the election of a new bishop.

The Bishop Election Committee (BEC) is working on various aspects of the overall process and prays for it to be one that is unified and Spirit led. To guide the voting members in prayer and discernment, we plan to provide mini-prayer shawls for each person. These mini-shawls will be made by folks around the synod who pray during their creation that each member is blessed and fully open to the Spirit’s guidance. The shawls would also be a unifier as we gather to pray prior to each ballot. And they will go home with members in their brief cases, pockets, or purses as a reminder of the prayers of unknown sisters and brothers in Christ, and can be used during their own times for prayer and devotions.

And so, we are asking all knitters and crochet-ers to wash their hands, grab their needles and hooks, gather up their yarn, and create mini prayer shawls roughly 6” by 3”. We will need about 600 total!  As your fingers are at work, please pray for God’s blessings upon the recipient of your creation and that they receive the gift of spiritual discernment.

Please send your mini-shawls to All Saints Lutheran Church, 

2 San Marin Dr., Novato CA 94945 by July 15. 

They will then be distributed from there to the various Assembly meeting sites. 

Thank you for your dedicated work on this project.

Make sure to see the ENTIRE newsletter. 

If needed, click "View Entire Message" at the bottom of your email!

Second Mile Giving

July 2020

San Francisco Night Ministry

Bulletin Insert

Bulletin Insert 2

Rejoicing in the risen life of Christ, let us pray for the church, the world, and all who are in need.

All Synod offices remain closed to visitors.

Staff are working remotely and are receiving emails and voicemail messages.

Resource Sharing

A Google Drive has been established for resource sharing . There is a document for sharing of web site links – add to the document or upload and share files and resources that you have found helpful. 

2020 Census

Our communities are significantly shaped by census data, and Census 2020 will update these numbers for the first time in 10 years. The ELCA is an official partner of the 2020 Census to encourage the most accurate count possible.

Updated Census Deadlines 

Faith Leaders Spread the Word

Faith Communities Action Guide

Click here for more information

From California Lutheran University

Join us and our ecumenical partners for a special training, Advocacy Tools for Loving Your Neighbor, on Thurs, July 9 from 9:30-11 a.m. PDT .

Hosted by The Episcopal Church and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Present will be both Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, plus advocacy leaders from both denominations. 

Rostered ministers, Lutherans, Episcopalians and friends are welcome to the free webinar and will leave with tools and inspiration to make a difference. 

Register Here!

A Message from the Sierra Pacific Synod Youth Committee (SPSYC)

Amalie Sorenson, Andrew McCaskill, Anika Smuts, Ariel Le, Charlie Thoma, David Lessard, Dorothy Lam, Emma Lucke, Grace Ekdale Hoch, Halle Bohlig, Jesha Valadez, Journey Bost,

Kai Sorensen, Lauren Mercer, Lucy Lindgren, Lydia DeMund, Maddie Sciortino, Margaux Mauldin, Mia Albright, Navya Lam, Noah Jansen, Tavi Oehmke, Remy Furst, Rory Marco, Rylie Phillips-Stock, Sabina Atwood, Sara Atwood, Sophia Hofmann, Tayte Sall and Teaghan Brostrom

A New Being Academy course on Promoting Diversity, Creating Inclusion

Interested in creating a community of equity and justice? Whether you’re looking to understand your own blind spots, foster conversation in your congregation, or build a culture where all can belong, a new Being Academy course Promoting Diversity, Creating Inclusion, featuring educator Aparna Rae, offers practical exercises and thought-provoking questions that can help. Though some of the course is directed at developing a diverse workplace, Portico believes the tools and topics are of value for church leaders in this important time. 

Portico members with ELCA-Primary health coverage can  access the course here  or via myPortico. If you waive health coverage or have ELCA Medicare-Primary coverage, The Big Know (Portico’s partner and Being content developer) has made the course available at no charge to everyone for a limited time to support learning and promote equity. Click  here   and scroll to the bottom of the page – you will be asked to sign up before you can begin the courses.

SYNOD RESOURCE CENTER RE-OPENING!

We are very excited to announce, Synod Resource Center has now officially moved to the campus of Hope Lutheran Church at 364 E. Barstow in Fresno, CA. With an updated website available soon.

 As the new RC Director, I am ready to assist you in your search for ministry resources, and am eager to get acquainted. While we wait for the new website, and our official grand re-opening, please feel free to contact me  by email .

Please watch for more information about our reopening!

Kindest regards from your new Director, Vicki Pontius

Mediation Skills, Conflict Transformation, and More

Please join the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center for one of the many events that they have planned from July through December of this year, including traditional events that haven't been presented for a while, as well as brand new webinars on timely topics. A sampling of a few imminent events is listed below (some events will be repeated in future months):

Leadership and Anxiety in the Church (LAC)  on August 19, 2020 via Zoom video conferencing. This webinar is comprised of a series of PowerPoint presentations that look at the challenges posed by rising levels of anxiety in churches and in society as a whole. Works of art from the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Modern eras are integrated to help facilitate theological reflections on the themes being presented. Like the two workshops listed below,  LAC  is particularly effective when members of the same church attend as a group.

Meditation Skills Training Institute for Church Leaders  (August 3-7, 2020):  This intensive 5-day event helps clergy and other church leaders deal more effectively with interpersonal, congregational, and other forms of group conflict.

Conflict Transformation Skills for Churches   (July 18):  Sessions include "Finding Renewal in Conflict" and "How to be Effective when People are Angry," among others. Groups are especially encouraged to register for this event!

Healthy Congregations (July 21) : Participants will learn how to keep anxiety within their congregations from becoming infectious, put limits on invasive behavior, manage reactivity, focus on strengths, and more! This workshop is also especially well suited for groups who are members of the same congregation.

Breaking Free: Finding Resilience in an Era of Collective Trauma  (July 16 and July 30):  Grounded in Family Systems Theory, and offered in the context of COVID-19 and the aftermath of George Floyd's tragic death,  Breaking Free  will help participants identify the impact of trauma on themselves and others, discuss strategies to break free from trauma, and find resilience. 

Further details and registration information for these events and others will be made available on  BrownPaperTickets  (some events still pending). We also encourage you to visit  https://lmpeacecenter.org/  from time to time for the latest updates, call the  Lombard Mennonite Peace Center  at  630-627-0507 , or email us at  [email protected] .

Mt Cross Ministries Updates

Mt. Cross is asking all congregations to have a Camp Sunday this July!

Since we can’t all come together at Mt. Cross this summer, we’re coming to you! We suggest Sunday, July 19, but you can pick any Sunday that works best for you. By June 29, a webpage will be available that has all the pieces of a Service of the Word done camp-style. We’ll have an invocation, prayers, songs, a sermon, and a sending all available piecemeal, so you can either incorporate just the pieces you want or you can use them all for a full service. We’ll also have a promo video you can play if you’re interested, and all material will be based on our summer camp theme “From Generation to Generation” (Psalm 100:5). If you’re able, we’re also encouraging you to take a special offering for Mt. Cross, especially as we’re relying solely on donations these days. Watch your email or contact Adam & Sarah Erickson for more information.  [email protected]    [email protected]

 

Campfire Worship with Mt. Cross Every Sunday Night at 7:30PM

June 14-July 31 was supposed to be our summer camp season this year. So during that time, we’ll host an Omega Worship Watch Party on our Facebook page every Sunday night at 7:30PM. We’ll have songs and stories and prayers around a campfire and give you a way to do camp at home that week. Join us at  www.mtcross.org/mtcrossministries  every Sunday night at 7:30PM!

Your gift to ELCA World Hunger can go twice as far

Thanks to generous friends of ELCA World Hunger, right now  a ll gifts to ELCA World Hunger will be matched — dollar for dollar — until we reach $101,000 .

 

Your support is urgently needed. As coronavirus disease 2019 continues to tear around the world, people who were already living on the brink of hunger are now vulnerable to starvation. ELCA World Hunger is uniquely positioned to respond. In more than 60 countries, including the United States, we’re walking alongside companions and partners as they work to provide food, health care, agricultural training, safe water, livelihoods support and more.

 

If you can, please support ELCA World Hunger. Even during great tragedy, we have an opportunity to reflect Christ’s light to the world in hope and love.

 

Click here to give today.  Act now, and your gift will go twice as far.

We Invite You to Join the ELCA Anti-Racism Pledge

 

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:17).

 

In 2019, at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly, voting members  adopted a resolution   designating June 17 as a commemoration of the martyrdom of the Emanuel 9—the nine people shot and killed on June 17, 2015, during a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. Congregations of the ELCA are encouraged to mark this day of penitence with study and prayer.

As church we are called to confess the sin of racism, condemn the ideology of white supremacy, and strive for racial justice and peace. Beyond statements and prayers, we are called to also act and respond to injustices. We invite you to commit to one or more of the actions here.

ELCA World Hunger Go and Do News

On Sunday, Sept. 13, congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will come together for “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday. 

This year our church — and our world — are living through the COVID-19 pandemic. Physical distancing has changed the way we worship and serve. We miss gathering with family and friends to share God’s love in person. But the need is great, and God’s church is at work. 

While we’re not sure what the impact of this crisis will look like in September, we continue to be church together. We are witnessing the outpouring of love and concern that God’s people have for one another. Our congregations continue to maintain feeding ministries, serve communities that are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 infection and assist those who are financially burdened by the economic downturn. 

As church, we are guided by our life in Christ to share the love of Jesus and serve our neighbors — even if these acts of service take place from our homes or from a safe distance. 

As you explore opportunities to participate in our dedicated day of service, please visit  ELCA.org/DayOfService  for helpful planning resources:

If your congregation cannot participate on Sept. 13, please consider another day for your service activities. 

Don’t forget to share your congregation’s participation with us! Send your stories and photos to  [email protected]  so that together we can celebrate what God accomplishes through you. Participate on social media using #GodsWorkOurHands. 

Old Lutheran  will once again have T-shirts and other items available for purchase. The bright-yellow theme provides a wonderful visual impact across the ELCA. The deadline for ordering your congregation’s personalized T-shirts from Old Lutheran is August 18, 2020. 

Sharing the love of Christ through service to our neighbors is work you do every day. We look forward to “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday and doing this work together again this year.