Welcome to Quips, a newsletter about ministry happening in our Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod and beyond.

Quips comes from the mission statement of our synod

"to equip the saints for the work of ministry."

The stories you will read here are just that, saints doing ministry

that shares the love of Christ with our neighbors because we are Lutherans together: Loving God and loving neighbor.

Cars, Coffee and Christ makes its debut

Cars, Coffee and Christ, an outreach ministry of Immanuel, Norwood and St. Matthew, Woodlyn kicked off on Saturday, August 1 after two previous rain outs. More than 40 cars came to share in the fellowship along with at least 60 people.



“Cars and Coffee” is a popular activity for car enthusiasts. Karl McClellan, one of the organizers said, "There are many car enthusiasts in Delaware County who also believe in the Lord and enjoy coffee, but to our knowledge we have nothing like this around here which combines the three."

This first event was held in St. Matthew’s parking lot located at 160 Fairview Road, Woodlyn The free event was open to all makes, models and denominations. The aim of the gathering is to foster fellowship, provide a chance to chat about cars and share experiences. The event collected prayer requests from participants and will be adding them to congregational prayer lists.

This first event was a big success and another event is planned for Fall.

Trinity, Lansdale member Mark Staples publishes book

Mark says, "My latest early reader book, “Pedro’s Delivery,” (Pink Umbrella Books, 2026) tells of a fictional Filipino seafarer who escorts cocoa beans from West Africa to Philadelphia. Based on my 10 years as a shipboard visitor, the story aims to share the human side of the sometimes perilous journeys so many of our commodities take to reach our store shelves. Philadelphia’s Port was the largest importer of cocoa beans in the U.S. in 2025, 5 million bags! I met many seafarers like Pedro volunteering for the venerable Seamen’s Church Institute of Philadelphia and South Jersey.

Mark spoke at the annual conference of the North American Maritime Ministry Association on August 4 about his journey bringing to life, “Pedro’s Delivery.” The fictitious story based on fact, describes how a seafarer escorts cocoa beans from the Ivory Coast to the Port of Philadelphia. Jeff Wheeler, who has 46 years of experience in the cocoa industry in the Port, says the story does “a wonderful job capturing the spirit of how supply chains connect us to the world and the lives of the amazing seafarers taking the journey. It’s not something young children would normally get to learn about.”

Pedo's Delivery is available at most major booksellers.

Three Congregations Share Confirmation Ministry

Submitted by Janet Hilsmier

New Hanover, Gilbertsville, St. James, Limerick and St. Luke, Gilbertsville have met the challenge of fewer students in confirmation class by becoming partners in this important ministry.

We are all familiar with post-pandemic attendance slumps in both worship and other ministry classes and events. Three congregations in Upper Montgomery Conference (New Hanover, St. James and St. Luke) all were facing a new educational year with very few students enrolled in confirmation classes. After some prayerful discussion, they decided to try a conformation cohort and share the ministry. This would allow some flexibility and increase the class size for the students.

The cohort travels from congregation to congregation in an agreed upon schedule. The hosting congregation leads the class. Leaders from the other congregations had the option to attend and participate as small group leaders or not attend. In this format, student attendance would be higher, students would learn from a variety of leaders/leadership styles, leaders have the option to rest on their off week or engage.

Janet Hilsmier from St. James, Limerick, said, "We as leaders also have the opportunity to learn from each other, honing our teaching styles. Our proximity to each other meant that it was possible some students would know each other from school and sports even if they didn't worship in the same location."

In the first year (2023-24), students from St. James, Pottstown, St. James, Limerick, New Hanover, Gilbertsville, St. Luke's, Obelisk and St. Luke, Gilbertsville comprised the first cohort. Each year, the cohort has changed based on attending churches. Last year, students from St. Peter's, Stowe and Emmanuel Lutheran, Pottstown (without their congregation leaders) were welcomed into the cohort. The combined student count was 29 students. 

If you think congregations in your conference could benefit from this type of partnership, contact Janet Hilsmier or Pastor Chris McKinstry for more information.

St. John, Mayfair Music Lesson Ministry

Submitted by Rev. Daniel Eisenberg

In speaking with the guidance counselors at Mayfair Elementary School, located just a couple blocks from Saint John, Mayfair, we found that the students in our neighborhood face a number of challenges.

One challenge is that there are very few after school activities available for younger students. Saint John's has been a congregation with a deep love of music and the good God can do through the blessings of music. The music in our worship service is a strange thing to behold but it works. We play songs mostly straight out of our hymn books (All Creation Sings and Evangelical Lutheran Worship), but with a jazz or sometimes folk twist with accompaniment of piano, guitar, bass, and drums. Those were the musical talents God provided for us in our people, so we let the music style follow after the gifts with which God has blessed us.

During COVID we restarted our bell choir and have continued on ever since. We host an annual Coffee House where our vocal choir, bell choir, praise team, and a bunch of friends and family from other churches share their musical talents. 

When we heard about the need for after school programming at Mayfair Elementary and then thought about our musical passion and gifts that God has given us, it just made sense to put that need and our gifts together. In conversation with our Music Director, Patrick D'Amato we decided to connect with Mayfair Elementary to provide "dirt cheap" individual music lessons for students. Normally, a 30 minute lesson runs about $30 each, but we wanted to make lessons available for $5 per lesson. We made the commitment to make it happen for the Spring season.

The only problem was that we didn't have any money to subsidize the lessons, we didn't have any instruments to loan out to students, and we didn't have any instructors lined up other than our own Music Director. Other than that, we were ready to go!

At this point, I have to share that this is highly unusual for me. I am a pretty "Type A" person and I like to have a clear plan for anything I do. So it is super odd that Patrick, the people of St. John's, and I made this commitment before having all the necessary components fully in place. But we were going to trust that God was going to make it happen if it was supposed to happen. 

About two weeks after we decided to build this program, I was in a meeting and chatting with Rev. Gregory Edwards, the Executive Director of POWER Interfaith. He asked me, "What's new at St. John's?" I told him about the music program we were trying to get off the ground and how we are in need of money, instructors, and instruments. He paused for a second and said, "You may not know this about me, but I was a semi-professional musician before I was clergy. A guy I played with opened a music shop and retired a couple years ago. He gave all of his instrument stock to me and I've had it in a storage locker ever since. Would you want those instruments for your program?" And that is how we ended up with 56 instruments donated to the music program!

Our musician, Patrick, called around to some of his colleagues and former students to see who would be interested in leading lessons and within a few weeks we had committed instructors who taught piano, voice, trumpet, guitar, violin, and more!

We applied for a Deaconess Community Grant and was awarded $5,000. We connected with Grace Lutheran Church in Royersford and received a generous donation of $5,000. We received a grant from SEPA Synod. We received a whole bunch of individual donations totaling over $3,000. 

Our spring run ended up with only 6 students, but those students and their families were overjoyed to partake in this ministry. We held a recital in June in which the students performed in front of their friends, family, and a whole bunch of enthusiastic supporters from St. John's.

We opened up registration for our summer music lesson program, and now we have 26 students receiving lessons! We are planning on keeping the program going as long as we have the funding to subsidize the lessons. If all goes well, we will continue to offer lessons for the rest of the 2026-2027 school year.

 

God has blessed Saint John's and the students of Mayfair Elementary School through the gift of music. We are so grateful for God's faithfulness and the generous support of the many folks who have prayed for us, donated instruments, donated money, and supported us throughout this journey. If you are interested in supporting this ministry, please pray for us, consider making a financial donation (https://www.stjohnsmayfair.org/give/pages/musicfund), or donate an instrument. For more information or questions, please reach out to Pastor Daniel Eisenberg (pastor@stjohnsmayfair.org).

ELCA Mission Support Memo Features NEPA Ministry InsideOut

Written by Stacey Burke, NEPA Synod director of communications 

“God is a creative God. Don’t be afraid to tap into the gifts God’s given to you.” Those words from the Rev. Rashon “Woody” Santiago capture the heart of InsideOut, a community-centered ministry based at Advent Lutheran Church in West Lawn, PA, where she currently serves as transitional pastor.

Rooted in relationships, creativity and collaboration, InsideOut is reimagining what it means to gather, connect and serve. For Pastor Woody, ministry is about creating spaces where people can be known, heard and valued. Whether around a game table, a shared meal or a Bible study, InsideOut invites people into conversation, encouraging them not only to hear God’s word but also to share their own experiences, perspectives and faith with one another. 

Every Wednesday evening at the church, people gather for a shared meal, followed by an InsideOut Bible study. Rather than simply hear a lesson, participants are invited into conversation, sharing their own experiences and perspectives while learning from one another. Pastor Woody believes these conversations create opportunities to experience God’s love through community while reminding participants that everyone has something to contribute.

That same spirit extends beyond Wednesday evenings. Through community meals, video game nights, partnerships with local nonprofits and creative gatherings, InsideOut creates welcoming spaces where people of all ages can build relationships, learn from one another and experience God’s love in community. Pastor Woody describes it as a place where people are welcomed for who they are before anything else.

Whether someone is a lifelong church member, new to faith or simply looking for connection, everyone has a place at the table. Community video game nights are another way InsideOut creates spaces where people feel welcome. While children and youth gather around the games, parents, caregivers and neighbors build relationships, creating connections that extend well beyond the evening’s activities. That welcoming spirit extends beyond the walls of the church through partnerships with organizations such as Café Esperanza and other community groups. 

Pastor Woody believes ministry is strongest when congregations and organizations work together, sharing their gifts to meet both spiritual and physical needs. One example of that community-centered approach is a growing suitcase ministry that provides suitcases, duffel bags and backpacks for children entering foster care. After witnessing a child packing their belongings into a trash bag, Pastor Woody felt called to respond by collecting luggage that offers dignity and hope during an already difficult transition. What began as a simple response to one child’s experience has grown into a ministry that has collected more than 1,300 suitcases through partnerships with congregations from multiple mission districts. 

The suitcase ministry is only one expression of InsideOut’s broader vision. Looking ahead, Pastor Woody dreams of expanding InsideOut into a community gathering space where people can celebrate birthdays, learn together, play basketball, create media, partner with nonprofits and simply spend time with one another. At the heart of every dream is the same goal: creating places where everyone belongs. Pastor Woody sees InsideOut not simply as a program but as a calling. “God put this on my heart to do,” she said. She believes some of the most meaningful moments happen when people have the opportunity not only to hear God’s word but also to share how God is at work in their own lives.

From Lutheran Partners in Global Ministry:

News from Tanzania: Creating Peace Within Ourselves

Submitted by Lutheran Partners for Global Ministry

Last October, a group from Mwangaza flew from Arusha, Tanzania to Ruhpolding, Germany. There, on the blue Bavarian waters of Lake Chiemsee, they stayed on the island of Fraueninsel.

For nine days they studied nonviolent communication (NVC) in the oldest nunnery in Germany, founded in 722 AD. The Mwangaza representatives were joined by 40 others from around the world, including the Philippines, Ghana, India, Kenya, Uganda, and Germany.



The training was hosted by Dr. Gitta Zimmermann, a certified NVC trainer by the Center for Nonviolent Communication. For years now, Dr. Gitta has been a vital support to Mwangaza and the Safe School program. The program uses NVC as an important tool to create safe learning environments. Dr. Gitta mentors the Mwangaza staff, helping them learn NVC as they teach it to parents, teachers, and students. She has also hosted trainings in Arusha for Peace Club Coordinators and students.

For Johnson Laizer, communications specialist, the training was life changing. “Before this trip, I used to focus on the rules and grammar of NVC,” he says. “I was just ‘doing’ it. Now, I am living it.” 

All 43 people invited to the training work with children. During their nine days together, participants shared presentations about NVC unique to their own settings and cultural contexts. For both Johnson and Salome Lally, senior program coordinator, this was their favorite part of the training.

“Usually, I am just a listener, but this time was different,” Johnson says. “Every person had to stand in front of the group and present a topic. I loved seeing the teamwork and courage of my colleagues. We worked as hard as if we were taking a big exam! The best part was the feedback. I used to think of feedback as criticism, but now I see it as a safe place to learn and become better.”

For Salome, sharing in groups was the perfect way to learn from one another. “I learned how to connect empathetically with myself and others to have more satisfying relationships,” she shares. “I will use the skills to empower teachers in our Safe Schools program to make connections and share power with students rather than using power over others.”

Phillip Wilder, advisor to Mwangaza, is also looking forward to using what he learned in his work in Tanzania. He reflects: “As we partner with teachers and parents and students to decrease physical and emotional violence in schools, these nine days offered deep learning about how to create peace within ourselves and within these Tanzania secondary schools.”

After coming back from Germany, Mwangaza staff put their learnings from the training into action by creating a virtual practice group for teachers. They meet three or four times per month and have teachers lead sessions. Like in Germany, it allows participants to share their own unique scenarios, help each other solve challenges, and learn from one another.

By deepening their knowledge of NVC, Mwangaza staff and teachers alike can truly embody what they teach Peace Club students: “Peace begins with me.”