The Southeastern and Northeastern Pennsylvania synods are sponsoring a hybrid Generosity event on Saturday, January 22, 2022, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lansdale. Keynote speakers for “Stewardship and Vitality in the NOW Normal” are Louise Johnson and Soong-Chan Rah, with workshops featuring Dave Daubert, Ryan Burge, Doug Powe Jr., and others.

The cost is $40 in-person or virtual. Visit ministrylink.org for more information. 

As of October 14, Bucks County was reported as Very High risk by covidactnow.org, with a critical number of new cases (26.1 per 100,000 population). The remainder of our synod was reported as High risk with new cases between 16 and 23 per 100,000.

ICU capacity used was listed as Critical in Delaware County with 87 percent of beds full, and as High in Philadelphia with 83 percent of beds full.

In the Philadelphia metro area, 64.3% of eligible individuals have been vaccinated. Getting more people vaccinated is a key way of reducing the risk of spreading infections, as are wearing masks in public spaces, maintaining distance with people not in your household bubble, and increasing fresh air ventilation in indoor spaces, such as church sanctuaries.

If you are following ecumenical guidance for worship (see page 8 of this document), you will note that no county in our Synod meets the benchmarks for in-person gatherings.

If you missed our conversation last week with Rev. David Hansen, here is your opportunity to watch the presentation and/or share it with the people who practice digital ministry in your congregation. Hansen, who teaches as "the Digital Pastor," shares strategies and tactics for engaging every church's third audience -- the community that watches and gathers digitally.

Deacon Weit, ELCA Churchwide Executive for Worship, joined SEPA leaders yesterday to share about what we have learned to adapt in worship and how Advent and Christmas are opportunities to again exercise creativity in shaping hybrid worship. He also shares a number of resources for congregational worship leaders.

ALCM Worship Conference 

Registration is now open for “From Generation to Generation,” a four-day conference at Valparaiso University in July 2022 that invites participants to strengthen leadership skills and explore new ideas and techniques through worshipping together, workshops, discussions, and hands-on learning opportunities. Sponsored by ALCM Region 1, the conference is open to everyone. Learn more. 

Click for more information ⬆

Lutheran World Relief has created FREE, easy-to-use resources based on the RCL Advent texts from the Gospel of Luke, all available at lwr.org/advent:  

Invite your congregation to experience A Season of Hope this Advent.

The service will be live-streamed here: Good Shepherd, King of Prussia YouTube Page

 

Some people may hope for a return to normal after the world-changing events of the last 18 months, but sociologists tell us our future will revolve around living into a “new normal.” Presented by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the 2021 Hein-Fry Book of Faith Challenge will probe this new normal. Under the theme “Imagining Scriptural Encounters in the New Normal,” four online presentations by ELCA seminary students will help participants deepen their encounters with Scripture and strengthen their relationships with God in a time of extreme and continuous change.

 

The public is invited to attend these free online events, but registration is required for each of them. Registration information is available here.

As the United States paused on October 11 to honor and celebrate the Indigenous people who first settled on the land thousands of years ago, the Evangelical Church in America (ELCA) has released “A Declaration of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to American Indian and Alaska Native People.” In the declaration, the ELCA acknowledges the theological and Christian foundation of the Doctrine of Discovery, which has codified colonialism and religious intolerance as societal norms for more than 500 years. 

To learn more about PAR and what items are able to be recycled, please visit: https://home.par-recycleworks.org/ 

If you enjoy a good conversation or showing you care in concrete ways, consider joining with us on Saturday, November 6th at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Olney! We will be hosting a day training for serving others by bringing Communion and Care to people unable to be in church.  

stpauls19120@gmail.com or kathkerin@gmail.com

Did you miss our October 5 issue? Find many more news briefs, learning opportunities and resources here.

Browse our archive of recent newsletters and announcements.

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rfisher@sepa.org / 267.323.3743

Ms. Cynta Outterbridge, communications assistant

ministrylink@sepa.org / 267.323.3742