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Resources for effective church leaders + May 24, 2023 |
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Click images to watch video. |
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Trinity, Lansdale: Loving the Community You're Part Of
Trinity’s Christian Care Hub reached out to the North Penn School District and learned that food-insecure children would go nine days without free breakfast and lunch over Easter. The team dreamed up the Bunny Box project: packages with staple foods and some fun stuff, too. 48 boxes were promised, and 111 were delivered to five schools.
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Meet Our Approved and First Call Candidates
Get to know our newly approved and assigned first call candidates. Tom Natalini (St. Andrew, Audubon) and the Rev. Amy Smith (Trinity, Lansdale) were accompanied through our synods candidacy process. Kayla Hopgood and Vicar Roger Randolph III have been assigned for first calls on our territory.
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Have A Story To Tell?
Send stories, pictures and videos to comms@sepa.org with “Transformed” and the name of your congregation in the subject. |
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The Synod Executive Committee has approved new compensation guidelines for rostered ministers serving in congregations. The guidelines for 2023 document may be found on the synod website. The guidelines were last updated in 2019
The guidelines also increase the recommended payment for supply pastors and deacons to $225 for one service, and $50 for each additional service. Preparation for classes or learning hours is $100.
The Executive Committee, Deans, and Bishop are aware many of the congregations of our synod will not immediately be able to achieve this new standard. This will help facilitate an open and honest conversation that many of our congregations currently are not providing sufficient resources to cover the costs of a full-time Rostered Leader.
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A Vision for Urban Ministry |
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The Urban Ministry Task Force, created by last year's Assembly, shared its work to-date on how urban rostered ministry leaders are faring and detailing disparities between congregations whose members are mostly people of color and majority white congregations.
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Vitality Team Open Forum June 17 |
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Get ideas, ask questions, and learn about ways to make your congregation more vital.
A Love rEvolution: Join us as we learn ways we can help congregations more deeply Love God and love others.
Saturday June 17 @ 10:30 a.m. on Zoom
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LDR Grant for Ongoing Hurricane Recovery |
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Lutheran Disaster Response has awarded a two-year grant to Lutheran Congregational Services to support their continuing Hurricane Ida recovery work in eastern Pennsylvania. LCS requested funds primarily to support additional staffing related to volunteer and construction coordination, disaster case management, and overall coordination. They also requested funding to assist with client unmet needs, including rental assistance, temporary housing, contracted labor where required, and rebuilding supplies. The total grant award is $227,000 (over two years).
"We at LDR are grateful for the leadership and service of Julia Menzo and her colleagues at LCS, and their commitment to accompanying families and communities through the recovery process after disaster," said Marilyn Olson, director of LDR.
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This year’s Pride Event will be June 1, 2023 at Grace Lutheran Church 2191 West Chester Pike Broomall, PA 19008.
- 6:30p Main Speaker: The Rev. Carla Christopher Wilson (she/her)
- 7:30p Worship with The Rev. Joey Klinger (he/him) preaching
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Rostered ministers are invited to wear a green or rainbow stole, no alb needed, for the worship service.
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SEPA WELCA Gathering June 3 |
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Join us as we celebrate our Lutheran heritage and history. Our annual gathering will be held Saturday, June 3, 2023. Registration starts at 9:00 a.m. Gathering from 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at Augustus Lutheran Church, 717 West Main Street, Trappe, PA 19426, , the oldest unaltered Lutheran Church in America, and we will have an opportunity to learn more as we visit ‘the Old Church’. We will also hear from Amanda Bryant with Gemma Services/Martin Luther School, which was the first Lutheran Orphanage in the Delaware Valley, originally founded as the Lutheran Home in Germantown.
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The Now Normal: ‘Christianity Has a Branding Problem’
In a thought-provoking article, the New York Times’ Jessica Grose says that many academics who study religion report that the entanglement of Christianity with conservative politics is causing some people to leave organized religion, even if they believe in God and miss church services. Join us to talk about this and other questions.
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Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion will be hosting a performance of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” by St. Stephen’s Jubilation Choir on June 10, 2023 at 7:00 p.m.
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Have stories, events, or resources to share?
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Thank you
The Rev. Bob Fisher, assistant to the bishop for mission interpretation/communications
Ms. Cynta Outterbridge, communications assistant
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