“People are often overwhelmed with thanks, tears in their eyes, and joy in their hearts as we bring an abundance of food to them.”

The Rev. Chantal McKinney, pastor of Christ’s Beloved Community (CBC), Winston-Salem, shares reactions from neighborhood folks who received food from the CBC food pantry. Amid the difficult news and hardships all around us, the NC Synod is excited to share a bit of good news with you this Easter Season! We have eight congregations throughout the synod who applied received $500 ELCA World Hunger Daily Bread Grants.

Read the full Mission Support story!

As ELCA congregations face difficult decisions regarding when and how they will be able to gather again for worship, the ELCA has developed this resource to offer general guidance. While our NC Synod Re-gathering Task Force will soon have more NC-specific recommendations, they won’t differ greatly in principle from these.

Considerations for Returning to In-person Worship

Please consider joining Bishop Kevin Strickland of the Southeastern Synod, ELCA, on Thursday, May 21 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. for a conversation around “Becoming the body of Christ where all bodies are valued: A conversation around the ELCA’s resolution to condemn White Supremacy.” Bishop Strickland will be joined by Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton. Other speakers joining the bishops will be: Pastor Tiffany Chaney, Pastor Ron Bonner, Ms. Roxann Thompson, Ms. Judith Roberts, Pastor Matt Steinhauer, and more.

Get more details; register today!

Are you wondering if and how to speak about generosity and stewardship at a time such as this? Are you wrestling with what to say, or, how to

communicate that we are called to make invitations to recognize and live out of God’s abundance not only in times of certainly but in uncertain times as well? For most of us, the answer is ‘yes.’

Take advantage of this free, synod-sponsored workshop via Zoom on Tuesday, May 26, at 10 a.m. with the Rev. Mike Ward, author of Abundance: Creating a Culture of Generosity and the Rev. CeCee Mills, NC Synod Associate Director for Evangelical Mission. Pastor Mike will provide a stewardship/fundraising forecast while sharing insights and suggestions for bringing the very best of our generosity practices into this new time into which we've been drawn. Stay tuned to the synod's Facebook page for login details.

Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton will provide a video sermon for congregations to use on Sunday, June 7. She's using the texts for the day and will be taping on May 21; it should be ready for release on May 31. There will be Spanish subtitles, a printed text in English and Spanish, and it will be available via You Tube and Vimeo. Watch our Facebook page for more details.

“In our longing to be church together, let us be even more intentional in sharing with each other, easing each other’s burdens, consoling each other in our fear and grief, condemning what is contrary to the gospel and living out our baptismal covenant ‘to strive for justice and peace in all the earth.’” Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton has released a message on COVID-19, racism, and white supremacy.

Read the pastoral message from Bishop Eaton.

In a time of physical distancing due to the coronavirus, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reminds us that we aren’t islands—we are united in baptism. In her May Living Lutheran column, she writes: “We don’t have to go it alone. In fact, we cannot, because, in Christ, we are knit into one body. And just as surely as Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one—this wildly mysterious community of the Trinity—so are we one.”

Read her column in English; read her column in Spanish.

Do you know a youth who has musical gifts? Will they be in high school next year? Please encourage them to consider serving in the NC Synod Youth Band this year! It’s a great opportunity to serve God and God’s church while being in a BAND! The application and other info can be found here. Got questions? Email us.

A thriving church is one so convinced of the resurrection that we’re free to give our lives in service to others. Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton shares how the ELCA continues to thrive in country churches, cityscapes and places with no walls in this message which was to have been shown during 2020 Synod Assemblies.

Watch the video message.

The NC Synod Council gathered via Zoom on March 20-21 and again on March 31 and May 2, 2020. Read a  summary of the minutes from those meetings.  This great group of folks serves on your behalf, giving their time to listen, discern, and make good decisions. Their next meeting will be held will be May 29-30 via Zoom. 

All are invited to the Ordination of Emily Harkins Norris on Friday, May 22, at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom (Meeting ID: 965 5021 0518) or streaming on the NC Synod Facebook page via Facebook Live. Emily has been called to serve as pastor at The Dwelling, Winston-Salem. Your prayers and online presence are requested. All rostered ministers are invited to wear a red stole.

All are invited to the Installation of Pastor Athena Thomasson-Bless as a pastor of Christ the King, Cary, on  Pentecost Sunday, May 31,  at 8:30 a.m. by Pastor Scott Anderson, dean of the Triangle Conference. All are invited to witness the installation on  YouTube during the live stream worship service.

Of mourning

Pastor Harold Gilbert Skinner (retired, Hickory) died on May 8. We mourn with his family.  Read the full obituary.

Of healing

Pastor Lori Hefner (Salisbury), is hospitalized at Moses Cone, Greensboro, with heart valve infection and facing likely valve replacement surgery.

For Times When There Are No Words

Peace, peace, peace,

peace in our hearts,

peace.

Peace in our minds,

peace.

Peace when we wake,

peace when we sleep,

peace shining bright in our lives. — from Prayers for Faithful Families by Traci Smith, p. 74

Janet Jenkins from Bethlehem, Hickory, writes:

"This past Monday (April 13) began our fifth week of quarantine (if I’m counting correctly) and I began my morning, as I have for the past several weeks, by checking my emails. As I was scrolling through and hitting the delete button what seemed to be 100 times, I stopped when I saw the email entitled 'Church...an Opportunity to Serve.'"

Read the entire story from Bethlehem's newsletter.

When Lutheran World Relief launched the 75,000 Face Mask Challenge less than a month ago, they knew the compassionate response would be over-whelming—and that good people like you would meet the challenge. They just had no idea you’d pull it off so quickly. Thank you!

As COVID-19 continues to make its way around the world, the poorest communities stand to bear the heaviest burdens. Cloth masks are a first barrier of defense, and the need is only increasing. To reach even more people in dire need, Lutheran World Relief is collecting 75,000 more masks! How many will you make to help stop the spread? Sign up; get more info.

ELCA Coaching invites you to join this weekly Wednesday afternoon gathering designed to provide encouragement and support for ELCA leaders across the church and throughout society. This week's gathering on Wednesday, May 20, will focus on children and youth. What is it they have been absorbing and what is it they can teach us? How do we as leaders support their care-givers and prepare for re-entry into a world that has changed around them? Four guest speakers (Linda Staats, Cory Newman, Lyle Griner, and Janelle Hooper) will share reflections from their perspectives. Use this Zoom link to join the meeting. [Meeting ID: 180 439 412, Password: 648160]

Your church has a story. Are you telling it well? No other time in history has seen such a rapid expansion of opportunities to communicate and connect. Yet many churches struggle with knowing how to use digital media effectively. On Thursday, May 28, in Telling the Story: A Crash Course in Digital Marketing for Churches, you’ll learn how to fundamentally shift the way you think about digital media and implement your own marketing program—in a way that is responsive to the trends and challenges of communicating in a hyper-connected world. Learn more; register today.

Reminder! Please make sure to flush church building plumbing regularly when building not in use. The coronavirus pandemic might make buildings sick, too , is an article about what happens when our buildings sit unused for extended periods of time. If your church building isn't being used, please make sure to flush toilets, run sinks, etc. to clear out the stale water sitting in the pipes. This should be done regularly until the building is in frequent use again.

The World Council of Churches and other global, ecumenical partners (including Lutheran World Federation) recently hosted a webinar discussing the way churches are adapting online. Learn more, watch the webinar: Isolated physically, engaged digitally.