Midwinter Power in the Spirit is a three-day online event for all. We will gather to hear from Bible study leaders, participate in workshops, and worship together. 

This year's event will take place on Zoom from February 3 to 5, 2025, from 5:45 to 7:15pm. There is no cost to participate, but you do need to register to receive the Zoom link. Registration will close on January 29.

The Virginia Synod Office of the Bishop gives thanks for the ministry that took place during 2024. Thank you for the ways that you have connected to God, to your communities, to one another, and to the wider church. May God's blessings go with you in the year ahead.

Congregation Treasurers Workshop Offered by Region 9 Stewardship Council

The LTSS/Region 9 Stewardship Council is offering a workshop for congregation treasurers to consider best practice, share resources, and make connections. The workshop is free and will be approximately 90 minutes long. Topics include: Keys for Health Church Finances, Mission Support Remittance Practices; and Resources for Best Practices.

The workshop will be offered on Sunday, February 23 at 7 PM and on Monday, March 3 at 7 PM. The workshops are the same, so use the link below to register for the workshop that works best for you.

The Virginia Synod is hosting regular conversations about evangelism on Zoom to encourage and support leaders and congregations as they share the story of God's love in Jesus.

The next conversation will take place on Tuesday, January 28 at 7 PM. The topic of the conversation will be: Looking for Bridge - Making Connections in your Community.

If you'd like to be added to the email list for the Evangelism Conversations, please email Pastor John Wertz, Jr. at wertz@vasynod.org.

Greetings in the Name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

I thank you most for our relationship since we began. Thank for our new establishment with a new look that we can walk the faith to carry our duties for one purpose and goal. I really thank you [Pastors Kelly, Derek, Wanda, and Michael] for your coming which brings us a new perspective.  

God is a source of all we want to prosper, and God guides and moves us by the Holy Spirit. 

Merry Christmas to you all. To all congregations and to the ELCA pastors, deacons, and leaders, bishop, and assistant and to the partnership committee.

I pray God guides you all in this Christmas season. Have a prosperous 2025 with God's blessing and we do more good things comes 2025.

I pray for you and your family and all congregations.

Greetings,

Mr. Roland Hati

(ELC-NGI District Interim Partnership Chairman)

Living Lutheran: A Reigniting of Relationships

The winter edition of Living Lutheran included an article about the recent trip to PNG. The recent consultation in Papua New Guinea involving ELCA synod representatives was filled with unexpected experiences, including helicopter mishaps and lengthy sea travels. Despite challenges like washed-away bridges, the gathering successfully reignited relationships after a four-year hiatus due to the COVID pandemic, focusing on accompaniment, leadership, and justice themes. Participants engaged deeply with local communities, discussing issues such as the palm oil industry and fostering a renewed commitment to collaboration in their ministry. Through shared experiences and cultural exchanges, the visit emphasized the importance of walking together in faith and service.

The Virginia Synod Council (ELCA) annually recognizes and honors those who serve as tireless volunteers and lay leaders across the Commonwealth of Virginia both within their local congregations and within the larger community of the church without walls. It is with great pleasure that the Virginia Synod Council (ELCA) issues a call for nominations for the fifth Serving Boldly Lay Leadership Award to recognize the outstanding contributions of lay leaders. One award may be presented within each of the five partnerships in June 2025. The partnerships are:

• Coastal Partnership (Tidewater and Peninsula Conferences – including Gloucester and Kilmarnock)
• Piedmont Partnership (Richmond and Germanna Conferences)
• Valley Partnership (Northern Valley, Central Valley, and Page Conferences)
• Blue Ridge Partnership (Southern Valley and Southern Conferences)
• Appalachia Partnership (New River and Highlands Conferences)

Nominations will close on March 1, 2025. If you have any questions, you can email Pastor John Wertz at (wertz@vasynod.org). The awards will be announced in May and presented during the Synod Assembly.

Register for Winter Celebration Today!

Winter Celebration is a gathering of several hundred of our Virginia Synod 9th through 12th graders and their adult advisors for Large Group and Small Group experiences with lots of worship, singing, and faith sharing. There is also a big chunk of free time on Saturday when we have our “Open Mic / Talent Show” and time late in the evening to relax and talk with the other youth and adults from your congregation. 

Register for 7th Day Today!

Our overnight retreat for 5th and 6th graders and the adults who attend with them starts on Saturday, March 1, with noon check-in at Eagle Eyrie Conference Center in Lynchburg and ends in the early afternoon on Sunday, March 2. Participants will experience lots of large group singing and friend-making, then explore one of the great stories of the Bible with a "Shepherd Group" of 5-6 other youth and adult leaders. Participants stay with their congregation (and usually other congregational groups!) at night in the Eagle Eyrie cottages. The early registration discount deadline is Feb. 3, 2025.

On Sunday, February 2nd, from 4-6 pm, First Baptist Church of Richmond (2709 Monument Ave., Richmond) will host a gathering of Anabaptist-interested persons and denominations from around Virginia for a celebration and exploration of the impact of Anabaptism and how its spiritual commitments are relevant for today’s church. 

Greg Boyd, pastor, theologian, and leading voice for the Neo-Anabaptism movement, will be the keynote speaker (via Zoom). Music and a panel of speakers from other denominations will also be featured, including Dr. Jim Sommerville, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, and The Rev. Dr. Phyllis Blair Milton, bishop of the Virginia Synod of the ELCA. Mark your calendars now to attend! Sponsored by First Baptist Church of Richmond and the Eastern District of the Virginia Mennonite Conference. The event is free and open to the public.

The first gathering of The Seminar on Lutheran Liturgy will occur in Minneapolis August 13-15; early-bird registration is now open. Under the theme “Let It Be With Me According To Your Word: From Praying to Knowing to Doing,” the Seminar will host Pastors, Deacons, Musicians, and Seminarians to discuss liturgical formation in the ELCA in the evangelical catholic tradition. Plenary speakers include Max Johnson (University of Notre Dame), Ed Foley (Catholic Theological Union, Chicago), Audrey West (Lutheran School of Theology/Yale), and Lizette Larson-Miller (Diocese of Huron), as well as Daniel Schwandt, Kevin Vaughn, Andrew Schaeffer, and the Minnesota Boychoir as musicians. Much more information and registration can be found at www.seminarliturgy.org.

The Virginia Synod’s candidacy committee invites anyone looking for a space to actively discern their call or feeling called to ministry to join the Winter Discernment Cohort. We are excited to offer this space for holy listening, discernment, and pondering in partnership with the Metro DC Synod.

The cohort will meet on Zoom from 5:00 PM–6:00 PM on the first Thursday of the month beginning February 6, and running through July 3. If you want to join this confidential discernment group, please click the button below to register.

Living Lutheran in Print is Back

We heard you—and listened. We have found a way to bring Living Lutheran back to print quarterly. Each issue (spring, summer, winter and fall) will feature the stories you know and love and updates on the church and your ELCA community.

The cost for one year will be $19.95 for an individual subscription and $17 per year/per subscriber for a congregation group subscription (minimum 10 copies). Individuals and congregations can sign up at livinglutheran.org/subscribe to receive the print magazine. For congregation plans, enter the name of your church at this site, along with the email of the person overseeing the subscription plan.

Thank you for being so supportive in the past—and in the future. We look forward to again sharing in print our church’s stories of God’s people living their faith.

Check out the exclusive winter 2024 Living Lutheran.

National Day of Racial Healing

The 2025 National Day of Racial Healing is an annual observance that follows Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This year, the ELCA will join the movement of racial healing for our church and the nation. On Jan. 21, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., join a free online educational event that centers the voices of ELCA leaders of color. This event is open to all ELCA rostered ministers, lay leaders and members, as well as the church’s affiliate organizations and ecumenical and interreligious partners. Learn more, browse speaker bios and register today.

Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust Revisions

The 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly called for two reconsiderations of the social statement Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust. The ELCA invites you to read the draft edits and reply with your feedback through a survey by Friday, January 31. Drafts are available in Spanish and English.

Young Adults in Global Mission Applications are Open

The ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) invites young adults (21-35) into a transformative, year-long journey in intentional service with our partners in countries around the world. As they offer themselves in service, young adults are shaped by the witness of our global neighbors. They share the journeys of companion churches and organizations in one of nine country programs on three continents. The Virginia Synod currently has two young adults, Carolina Bowen (College, Salem) and Tim Hoffstaetter (Faith, Suffolk), serving in Cambodia. The priority application deadline is January 15, and the final deadline is February 1.

Are you interested in global service? Want to learn more about our global partner churches? Are you interested in intentional community, mutuality, and sustainability? YAGM might be the path for you!

"Called to radically affirm and connect young adults while equipping all young voices for strategic disruption and divine justice."

For more information, click the link: Young Adults in Global Mission, ELCA

For direct access to the application, click here.

LDR Responding to the Fires in California

Multiple wildfires have broken out across Los Angeles County in California, with over 100,000 people under evacuation orders. Sparked by dry conditions, strong winds and a limited water supply, these fires have destroyed homes and businesses and have led to injuries and loss of life.



This disaster is just one of many — including hurricanes, war and famine — to which Lutheran Disaster Response is still responding. Your gifts to Lutheran Disaster Response equip us to respond quickly and generously, wherever and whenever disaster may strike.

Firefighting efforts continue in Southern California, and we won’t know the full impact until the fires are extinguished. Even as these fires still burn, Lutheran Disaster Response is here to support the families and communities that will be rebuilding their lives. Click here to learn more about the response.

Lutheran Disaster Response Training Courses Available

Lutheran Disaster Response offers a series of trainings for individuals and congregations. Use the button below to access information on the 20 opportunities to engage in peer-to-peer connections, trainings, and facilitated conversations.

Uniting Voices: Cultivating Understanding in a Divided World Potential Border Immersion Experience

In today’s polarized society – surrounding almost every issue – it is increasingly important to come together, get to know one another, learn about realities, think critically, and proactively engage with renewed understanding. Thomas, a disciple of Jesus, taught us that when we are confused or in doubt, asking to see for ourselves can help us understand. 

BSC’s border immersion is intentionally designed to provide a comprehensive spectrum of views about immigration and the borderlands. Folks from the Virginia Synod are considering organizing a trip to our southern border to see for ourselves just what is taking place there and how we can best serve as God’s hands in this world.

The trip would be with the Border Servant Corps in Las Cruces, New Mexico. (borderservantcorps.org). Programming would include presentations from Government agencies, humanitarian aid groups, and immigrants. We plan to spend 5-7 days at the border. The cost is approximately $150/day plus transportation.

If a trip like this interests you, please contact Pete Liljeberg (Apostles, Gloucester) p.liljeberg58@gmail.com.

Celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

All are invited to join a special gathering celebrating the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity on Wednesday, January 22, at 7:30 PM. Hosted by the Virginia LARCUM Committee, this event brings together bishops, ecumenical officers, and faith leaders from across Virginia to pray for unity among Christians. The celebration will be held at Saint Bernadette Catholic Church in Springfield, VA. This is an opportunity to strengthen bonds across denominations in a meaningful evening of worship and reflection.

Mildred McDaniel Concert Series at Reformation Lutheran, Newport News

The Mildred McDaniel Concert Series (MMCS) and Reformation Lutheran Church in Newport News will present a concert by the Norfolk State University Choir on Sunday, January 26, at 4 PM at Reformation. The NSU Choir has been an audience favorite over many years, so please arrive early to get a seat.

MMCS provides nine to ten exceptional programs annually, free and open to the public. Each performance is followed by a reception with light refreshments for the audience and performers, enabling informal exchanges among attendees, the conductors, musicians, and actors. Our February performance on Feb. 16 will be pianist Francesca Hurst.

MMCS is a 501(c)(3) organization. For more information and to view our 2025 concert schedule, check www.mmcsonline.org.

Hebron Lutheran Organ Concert

On February 9, at 2:30 PM, a performance by Daniel Grotz playing the 1802 Tannenberg organ will take place. This concert will support the restoration and preservation of Hebron Lutheran Church. Come and enjoy the opportunity to listen to the beautiful organ sounds in the charming historic setting of the church's building from 1740. If you would like more information, you can go to Hebron's website or Facebook page.

The Faith Community's Call to Caregiving

With recent emphasis on aging in place, the faith community is in a key position

to answer the call to be or assist caregivers. Faith community nurses are uniquely equipped to meet this call by developing programs, educational initiatives, research, and policymaking. Information, tools, and resources about integrating an age-friendly vision of caregiving with the faith community will be provided.

This event will be held on January 23 from 7-9 PM. Dr. Elizabeth Long will be the presenter.

Nominate Young Musicians for Lutheran Summer Music



Enrollment is filling fast for the LSM 2025! Students come together in an immersive musical community that connects the pursuit of musical growth with the joy of Lutheran church music traditions. LSM welcomes musicians of all kinds: brass, woodwinds, strings, percussion, piano, organ, voice, harp, guitar, handbells, and more. Know a young person (grades 8-12) who would benefit from this life-giving and joyful musical community? Nominate them for LSM today at LSMacademy.org/nominate. LSM 2025 takes place at Valparaiso University from June 22-July 20 (Half Session through July 6). Standard Enrollment is open now through March 1.