At the beginning of 2021, facing a pandemic and a bishop election, our synod staff shared with Synod Council that there would be a “bishop transition” no matter who was elected. The four-year strategic plan begun in 2017 would be expiring either way. The staff has been working—based on our core values of Jesus, Generosity, Relationship, and Reconciliation—on a new four-year strategic plan for the synod, and last month the Synod Council excitedly approved it.

PLEASE NOTE: If you have emailed anyone at the synod office in the last two weeks (since approximately September 21), please do not assume that it was received. Conversely, we may have replied but our reply was not appropriately delivered. Our email servers endured disastrous casualties and we are just coming out of that situation.

This past Thursday, September 30, our synod marked a significant day, Orange Shirt Day—or, as it was named in Canada, "National Day for Truth and Reconciliation"—to honor all the Indigenous children who survived residential schools and remember those who did not return. To learn more about this day, the 225 days following it, and the way your congregation can join this effort which the NC Synod Council has approved, please see our Act of Holy Remembrance Special e-News. Also, watch the video of our September 30 worship service at the synod office, available from our Facebook page.

Due to COVID, Fall Convo has been reimagined so we can safely gather. On Monday & Tuesday, October 11 & 12, we will have a Zoom Happy Half-Hour, hosted by Pastor Daniel Pugh, beginning each night at 6:30 p.m.—bring your favorite drink and visit with colleagues around the synod. Monday at 7 p.m., we will get to know keynoter Shane Claiborne. Tuesday at 7 p.m., Shane will speak about preaching to the polarized followed by time for a Q & A.

This FREE event is for NC Synod Rostered Ministers and other NC Synod congregational ministry staff.

Would you like to be part of the process that guides the social statement of this church regarding Church-State Relations and Civic Engagement? Plan to participate in one of the upcoming listening posts happening in our synod. Dr. Mindy Makant, Deacon and Professor at Lenoir-Rhyne, and Pastor Rhodes Woolly, St. John's, Salisbury, will be facilitating the conversation.

Dates and times are:

Dear Friends of Agapé † Kure Beach Ministries, the Agapé † Kure Beach Ministries (A†KBM) Board of Directors has reluctantly accepted the resignation of Randy Youngquist-Thurow. Randy has faithfully served the ministry for 25 years; his last day will be December 31, 2021. Randy’s recognition of a new call will initiate reflection and change. The Board has adopted a transition plan and a search has begun for the new Executive Director.

A few weeks ago, Presiding Bishop Eaton and Presiding Bishop Curry of The Episcopal Church were at the White House advocating for children and families through a series of bills before Congress right now. Watch this video to learn more.

Early-bird registration is now open for the 2022 ELCA Youth Gathering, the Multicultural Youth Leadership Event (MYLE) and the tAble! Congregations that register during Early-bird will be entered to win a variety of prizes (such as their choice of seating at Mass Gathering). Early-bird registration closes on Nov. 21; during regular registration, prices go up $40 per participant. Register now!

You’re invited to celebrate World Food Day with “A People of Hope: Until All Are Fed,” featuring

Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton and guidebook author and travel TV host Rick Steves. This online benefit for ELCA World Hunger will take place on Thursday, October 14, at 8:30 p.m. There will also be performances by Rachel Kurtz, Peter Mayer, and the St. Olaf Choir.

All are invited to the installation of Pastor Todd Cutter as University Pastor on Wednesday, October 6 at 10:00 a.m. in Grace Chapel on the Hickory campus of Lenoir-Rhyne University.

All are invited to a Service of Holy Communion with the Ordination of Kirsten Elizabeth Wee to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament on Saturday, October 23 at 3:00 p.m. at Grace, New Orleans, LA. The service will be live-streamed on Grace's YouTube Channel. Kirsten has been called to serve as the associate pastor at Holy Trinity, Raleigh.

Connie Price, sister of Pastor Carolyn Remaklus (retired, Raleigh), died on September 17. We mourn with her family. Read the full obituary.

Eugene (Gene) Thomas VanCura, father of Pastor Tony VanCura (Christ, Greensboro), died on September 26. We mourn with his family. Read the full obituary.

Noel Kent Weisner, father-in-law of Bishop Tim (Wendy) Smith and grandfather of Pastor Matthew (Keri) Smith (St. Mark's, Asheville), died on October 1. We mourn with his family. Read the full obituary.

Beverly Mullen, wife of Pastor Al Mullen (retired, Lincolnton), had a partial hip replacement on September 24 followed by rehab which is complicated by her Parkinson's.

Gary Mitchell, husband of Pastor David Eck (Abiding Savior, Fairview), was hit by a car while walking across a street on September 22. He sustained multiple injuries and fractures, had surgery, and has been moved to a rehab facility with the hope of coming home later this week.

Almighty God, we remember before you all of the children—our dear relatives—who did not return home from the Residential Schools. May you remember their suffering and pain. May you grant them rest in the Land of Peace. May you surround them with beautiful and sacred love and joy. We pray to you also for ourselves and our children. At a time like this, we remember we need your Spirit so very much. We pray to you, your Spirit prays through us, in the Name of Jesus, who suffered with us but raised us and will raise us with our departed loved ones. Amen.

Congregations across the synod—and beyond!—gathered safely and creatively to serve on "God's work. Our Hands." Sunday. Read the stories in this e-news below, or check them out on our website.

Selena Wilkes is an entrepreneur with several businesses, CEO of Elmwood Farm Hospitality Group and Port 44, retired Ladies Professional Golf Association Futures Tour golfer, motivational speaker, former council president of Zion, Williamsport, MD, board member on several community nonprofits including the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and she's a Lutheran.

Read her interview with Living Lutheran.

Every year, for the past 32 years, Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Visiting Writers Series (VWS) has provided outstanding literary arts programming that is free and open to the public. The VWS invites authors to tell the stories behind their own works in a relaxed environment before university and community audiences. We believe the beauty and power of words help us make sense of the world.

The National Council of Churches' annual Christian Unity Gathering (CUG) will be held virtually on October 11-12, 2021 with the theme, "In New Wineskins: From Pandemics to Possibilities to Promises," based on the Scripture of Luke 5:37-39. The event is free for all to attend. This year’s CUG will explore how church life has changed and what our hope is for the church as the global community struggles to emerge from its pandemics and economic crises while at the same time continuing to grapple with the racial reckoning that is happening in our nation and the world.

The Rev. Sarah Phelps has offered a “Blessing of the Halloween Costumes” at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Wake Forest, NC for the last three years. Sarah explains that many people in more religiously conservative areas are told that dressing up for Halloween is wrong, that celebrating Halloween pays tribute to Satan.

With growing concern ​over the devastation from all forms of addiction, including the ever-increasing opioid crisis, and now the added challenge of a worldwide pandemic, the Center of Addiction & Faith presents the gathering, Awakening Faith Communities to Address Addiction, to raise awareness about the terrible addiction problem we face and how the church and people of faith can help to address it. Pay what you can and attend virtually from October 7-9.

Do you want to better understand and welcome LGBTQIA+ identifying folks in your community? Do you struggle knowing how to navigate pronouns and name changes? Have you seen the growing number of pride flags only to wonder what they mean? Or maybe, you just want to make sure you're up to date and being as inclusive as you possibly can be. This workshop on Saturday, October 16, at 11 a.m., will help answer those questions and so many more.

God’s Work Our Hands at Advent, Charlotte reached from local neighborhoods to the UNC-Charlotte Greenway to area first responders, to the mountains of Peru. This year we were especially sensitive to COVID-19 concerns—the service events offered were either outside or ones we could do in our own bubbles. Also, we are excited to share the work done by sister ministries in Peru led by Advent council member, Jim Hintz!

As a surprise, Advent Charlotte's Peru Mission conducted several GWOH projects during the September 10-12, 2021, GWOH weekend. The Association Serving Alto Cayma (ASAC), as the executive arm of the Peru Mission, reported activities by three groups of volunteers over three days which included planting trees, deep-cleaning a service center, and a Big Brothers and Sisters mentoring meeting. Says association president Jim Hinz, "We are both happy and proud to be able to make this small contribution from south of the Equator!"

Jesus instructed his disciples to cast a wide net in order to do the work of God on Earth. At Morning Star Lutheran Church in Matthews, NC, we used God’s Work, Our Hands as an opportunity to cast a wide net with a variety of ways in which members could work together to embody Christ’s love within and for our community. This wide net included picking up, cleaning, sorting, assembling, donating, praying, giving, and more.

Ascension, Shelby partnered with our full communion partner, the United Methodist Church, to fill flood buckets that are being distributed in areas recovering from floods through the UMC's Committee on Relief (UMCOR). With the help of a Thrivent Action grant, we purchased 5-gallon buckets and members filled the buckets with the requested supplies or make financial donations to Lutheran Disaster Response or the TX-LA Gulf Coast Synod Disaster Fund.—Shared by Pastor Christina Auch

Friedens, Gibsonville, enjoyed joining the many Lutheran congregations across this church in celebrating God's Work, Our Hands Sunday. After a reminder about why we gather to serve and a sub sandwich lunch, 17 participants put together 150 personal care kits that will be given for distribution in homeless shelters and food pantries in Greensboro and Gibsonville.—Shared by Pastor Bill Zima

It was a great God's Work, Our Hands Sunday! Partnering with Thrivent, St. Luke’s, Charlotte, created “Welcome Home” kits for Roof Above, Inc. to aid transitioning persons experiencing homelessness into secure housing. What a blessed day to enact God’s work using our hands, indeed!—Shared by Pastor Jeff Ingold

When God’s Work Our Hands Sunday landed on Homecoming Sunday for Wittenberg, Granite Quarry, what did they do? Gathered on Tuesday, of course. For a Red Cross Blood Drive. Thanks for giving, Wittenberg!—Shared by Deacon GeoRene Jones

For God's Work, Our Hands Day of Service, Lord of Life, Garner, made Zoom Bags to pass out to anyone asking for money at our intersections. The bags had a t-shirt, nabs, granola bar, and bottle of water. —Shared by Alecia Harrison

Learn more about residential schools from this Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative memo. Or read one of these 48 books by Indigenous authors.