The Weekly Five

Five Things to Know This Week in the Southwestern Texas Synod

Calling all volunteers!

Our neighbors in Kerr County need our help.


Calling all volunteers! Our neighbors in Kerr County need our help.


The Southwestern Texas Synod is hosting a Volunteer Work Day for Kerr County Flood Recovery. Join us as we help our community recover and rebuild. All skill levels are welcome—just bring a willing heart and a desire to make a difference!


Event Details:

  • Dates: Friday, August 21 & Saturday, August 22
  • Time: 8:00 AM (Volunteers will meet here first, then disperse to job sites)
  • Meeting Spot: 98 Coronado Dr. N, Kerville, TX 78028
  • Job Sites: Exact locations in Kerr County will be provided to registered volunteers.


What We'll Be Doing:

  • Debris Pick Up: Helping remove debris from yards, driveways, and roads.
  • Muck & Gut Homes: Helping homeowners by mucking out and gutting flood-damaged homes.


How to Join the Team:

https://tinyurl.com/Volunteer-SWT


Have questions?

Reach out to Bryce Kennedy:

281-450-7654

disaster@swtsynod.org


Please SHARE this post to help us spread the word! Let’s show up for Kerr County.

Becoming…

A Five-Week Pastoral Reflection Series


(see below for Spanish version)


Over the years, I've come to believe that one of the greatest gifts we can cultivate as the church is the practice of discernment — not simply making decisions, but learning to notice where God is already at work, and joining in.


These reflections grew out of my own journey as a pastor and bishop, and years of walking alongside congregations through seasons of joy, uncertainty, grief, and renewal. They aren't a method or a strategic plan. They're an invitation into a way of seeing — and paying attention together.


Across these five weeks, that practice unfolds in stages: learning to ask better questions, noticing the stories we tell, seeing as Jesus sees, discerning together, and — through it all — becoming.


Click here to keep reading.


*****

En proceso…

Una serie de reflexiones pastorales de cinco semanas


Con los años, he llegado a creer que uno de los mayores dones que podemos cultivar como iglesia es la práctica del discernimiento: no simplemente tomar decisiones, sino aprender a notar dónde Dios ya está obrando, y unirnos a esa obra.


Estas reflexiones nacieron de mi propio camino como pastora y obispa, y de años de acompañar a congregaciones en temporadas de alegría, incertidumbre, duelo y renovación. No son un método ni un plan estratégico. Son una invitación a una manera de ver, y de prestar atención juntos.


A lo largo de estas cinco semanas, esa práctica se despliega en etapas: aprender a hacer mejores preguntas, notar las historias que contamos, ver como Jesús ve, discernir juntos y, en medio de todo esto, seguir en proceso.


Haz clic aquí para seguir leyendo.

Joy of Stewardship Webinar


Monday, August 31, at 6 pm


Come learn more about "The Joy of Generosity,” a new stewardship resource. You'll learn how you can use it and how it can be adapted for your congregation to help fuel God’s mission being lived out through your community of faith. No need to register — just show up!


Join the webinar here


Meeting chat link


Meeting ID: 985 2649 5741

Passcode: 113931

Climate Resolution


Loving our creation neighbor is a way we as church can love, and learn how to better love, our human neighbor. In May, our synod assembly passed a resolution to invite and empower us all to live more fully into our calling as disciples and students…as children of the creator…as earthlings. Yet, where does a congregation start? Where does a pastor start?


Click here for a resource put together by Lutherans Restoring Creation to help spark ideas and imagination on where to start or where to saunter next in your walk with God to bring healing and life to all creation. I would love to visit with you or your congregation if you have questions or are just curious about where to start in making a creation care action plan. My contact info is in on the handout. 


Peace,

Harold Vanicek

Save the Date: ELCA Youth Gathering 


June 26-28, 2027

Minneapolis, MN


The 2027 ELCA Youth Gathering is more than an event — it’s a movement where young people and leaders come alive in faith, grow in hope and move with purpose. This is where the church comes to life.


Learn more here.

Church Property Resource Hub Webinar


“Mission Anchors and Outposts — Rural and Small Town Property”


Thursday, August 27, 6 pm


Just as ministry looks different in rural and small-town churches than in other settings, so does property stewardship. Join Partners for Sacred Places for a conversation that highlights successful strategies for rural and small-town congregations looking to use and manage their property in new and sustainable ways.


Click here to register.

UPCOMING EVENTS


August 28-30

Lay Preaching Retreat

Camp Chrysalis

Register by Aug. 21 at 5pm

September 14

Webinar: Interrupting Harmful Patterns, Part 1

September 21

Webinar: Interrupting Harmful Patterns, Part 2

November 12

Gender Justice Training

April 30-May 1, 2027

Synod Assembly

Triumphant, Garden Ridge

Ministry Partners