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News & Updates for the Virginia Synod | |  |
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Do you have an announcement, upcoming event, or news story
idea to share in the Virginia Synod's Weekly Update?
NEW: Please send your submissions to Pastor Sarah Hess!
Beginning this week, Pastor Sarah Hess is the new contact person for Weekly Update submissions. Please send announcements, event information, and news story ideas to to hess@vasynod.org and be sure to follow our Submission Guidelines.
| | A Prayer for the Season of Creation | | |
September 1 marks the beginning of the Season of Creation, a time to celebrate God’s good creation and renew our call to care for the earth and all its creatures. As we enter this season, we offer this prayer for all who are celebrating and caring for creation.
Let us pray:
Creator God, open our eyes to the beauty of your creation and our hearts to its needs. Give us grateful hearts and courageous spirits to care for the earth and all your creatures. Bless the celebrations and all who mark this Season of Creation, that our wonder may lead us to lives of care and renewal. Amen.
| | Synod Office Closed for Labor Day | | | |
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Please note that the Virginia Synod Offices of the Bishop will be closed on Monday, September 7 for Labor Day.
Normal office hours will resume on Tuesday, September 8.
| | Lost & Found Registration is Open | | |
Registration is now open for Lost & Found, our annual middle school faith formation event for 7th & 8th graders at Eagle Eyrie.
This year, Lost & Found will be November 20-22. We are so excited to welcome a new group of youth into this event and to continue the legacy of discovering where God is finding us in our journeys.
If you and any of your youth are planning to attend, please fill out the 2026 Lost & Found Online Registration Form below, as well as the 2026 Lost and Found Permissions and Medical Form. If you have any questions, please contact Tina Toburen, toburen@vasynod.org.
New this year! We’re excited to offer a new online registration process for synod youth and young adult events. Please read these instructions to walk you through the new online registration process. Please note that registration closes on November 4, 2026.
| | | Putting Your Pasta to a Purpose | | |
Together, congregations across the Virginia Synod have been helping stock local food pantries during the summer months—a time when donations often decline while the need for food assistance remains high. We plan for our Pasta With a Purpose collective impact endeavor to culminate on September 13 – God’s Work Our Hands Day.
If you have been keeping tally of the number of items or pounds of food collected, please report it to the link below no later than Friday, September 18th. We plan on announcing the total amount collected and the top three contributors just a few weeks later.
In the meantime, your congregation’s collection is something worth celebrating in your
community. Sharing the story with your local newspaper, community website, radio
station, or other news outlet is a great way to highlight the work your congregation is
doing, raise awareness about hunger close to home, and encourage others to get
involved.
Below is a simple news release you can customize. Just fill in the blanks with your
congregation’s information and send it to your local news outlets. A photo of your
collection, volunteers, or the delivery to your local food pantry would make a wonderful
addition!
Thank you for joining other ELCA congregations across Virginia in putting faith into
action and helping our neighbors facing hunger.
—Virginia Synod World Hunger Team
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The Virginia Synod’s EPIC workshop series is moving online for 2026-2027. Starting on Monday, September 21, the Virginia Synod will offer a series of monthly Zoom workshops designed to support the ministry of local congregations. Each workshop runs from 7 PM to 8:15 PM and is free.
Here’s the schedule for the 2026 online EPIC workshops:
Use the links above to register for the events. Please note that each workshop requires you to complete a separate registration to receive the correct Zoom link.
| | Celebrating "God's work. Our hands." across the Virginia Synod | On Sunday, Sept. 13, congregations of the ELCA will gather for our annual day of service,“God’s work. Our hands.” This day offers an opportunity to celebrate who we are as the ELCA — one church, freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor. | |
Virginia synod congregations are invited to share stories or photos from your "God's work. Our hands." service activities. Selected photos may be featured in synod communications, including social media, newsletters, and publications.
Photos can be submitted through this form, by emailing them to hess@vasynod.org or by tagging @virginiasynod or @Virginia Synod - ELCA in your social media posts so we receive a notification and can share your photos with the synod. Please submit your stories and photos by Tuesday, September 22.
Even if your congregation cannot participate on Sept. 13, we encourage you to share stories and photos from other service activities on other days.
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Hear from Presiding Bishop Curry about the upcoming
"God's work. Our hands." day of service!
| | Lay Ministry Academy Applications Open | | |
The applications for the next Lay Ministry Academy Cohort are now open. Applications and all supporting materials, including the $50 application fee, are due on September 20. Questions can be sent to Pastor Colleen Hetrick at hetrick@vasynod.org.
| | LWR Fall Quilt Ingathering | | |
Epiphany Lutheran Church in Richmond will host a Lutheran World Relief ingathering of quilts and kits on Saturday, September 19, from 10 am to 2 pm. Delivery can also be made earlier that week by appointment.
We have an abundance of finished tops and sheets for backs and would be very happy to share.
Quilts and kits should be boxed and labeled. The label should contain the church's name, address, and number of units per box. Please only pack one kind of component per box. LWR has a new tracking system that you can use, if you wish.
We would appreciate hearing from you the week before with an estimate of the number of boxes you will have, so that we can plan resources to load the truck. Information about the Ingathering is posted on LWR.org/quilts.
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Are you new to our synod or getting ready to send a youth to a Virginia Synod youth event for the first time? If you would like to get the lay of the land before you do, consider visiting the Eagle Eyrie Conference Center with our staff on Saturday, October 3, from 10-3. Register below before September 16. The cost to attend is $25.00.
This event is for 5th, 6th, and 7th graders and their family members to visit Eagle Eyrie Conference Center in Lynchburg and get to know the facility. You will also get to know the synod’s youth leaders and get answers to any questions you may have on upcoming youth events: Lost and Found (for 7th and 8th graders, Friday evening through Sunday noon, Nov. 20-22) and Seventh Day (for 5th and 6th graders, Saturday noon to Sunday noon, March 6-7).
| Lutheran Visit Day at Roanoke College | | |
If you are a prospective Lutheran student or know one, invite them to come learn more about Roanoke College. In 1842, Roanoke College was founded by Lutherans for Lutherans right here in Virginia. On September 26, you can learn about this historic connection, hear from current students and staff, and take a tour.
This opportunity will take place on September 26 from 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM. Click the link below to register. There is no cost to participate.
| | | Weaving our Stories: LGBTQIA+ Inclusion | | |
The Tapestry Team invites you to the next Weaving Our Stories Zoom series, hosted by the LGBTQIA+ Inclusion thread.
Join us for meaningful storytelling and dialogue as we listen deeply and learn from one another’s experiences. This is a space for honest conversation, shared wisdom, and growing understanding together.
Tuesdays: October 13, October 21, and November 10
7:00–8:15pm (Zoom)
You’re welcome to attend one, two, or all three sessions. Individuals and congregational groups are invited to participate. Sessions will not be recorded, but discussion guides will be shared as a resource.
| | Do You Know a College Student | | |
Did you know that we have many campus ministries and congregational partners across Virginia that offer college students opportunities to continue exploring their faith?
Through partnerships with Virginia Synod and Metro DC Synod congregations, Pastor Bryan Katz coordinates the Virginia Lutheran Campus Ministry Network, a group that connects current and incoming students with campus ministry staff. Our campus ministries provide faith formation, service, and leadership opportunities for college students throughout Virginia.
If you are interested in connecting with them or know someone who is, please let us know by completing the form below. If you want to learn more or have questions, please feel free to contact Pastor Bryan at pastorbryan@vt.edu.
| | All Lutheran Women's Retreat | | |
Women from across Virginia are invited to gather for the All Lutheran Women’s Retreat, November 5–7, 2026, at the Drury Hotel in Glen Allen, VA. This biennial retreat is an opportunity to step away from the busyness of daily life, connect with other Lutheran women, and grow together in faith and fellowship.
We are especially excited that Bishop Milton will serve as the Retreat Pastor this year! Come for a time of renewal, conversation, worship, and connection with women from across the Lutheran church.
Learn more and register at alwretreat.org. The deadline for registration is October 9, 2026.
Questions? Contact Kathy Thompson, Muhlenberg, Harrisonburg, Co-Chair of the All Lutheran Women’s Retreat.
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Stories from enCircle
EnCircle shares a story that celebrates possibility, connection, and the unique gifts of every person. Read this story about Jonny and his journey to the waves, and the joy of surfing the dream.
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New Free Sheet Music from Lutheran Summer Music
Download Kingsfold, a new set of theme-and-variations for solo instrument and keyboard by Anne Krentz Organ. The third offering in the LSM Hymn Tune Project, Kingsfold is based on the beloved English folk tune associated with a wide range of hymn texts. Available for a variety of solo instruments and keyboard, the work may be performed in its entirety or as individual movements.
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Invitation to Join Spiritual Direction
Life has a way of pulling us in too many directions at once. If you've been feeling scattered or ungrounded lately, this may be just what you need. As one participant in the first gathering of Group Spiritual Direction noted: "I've tried individual spiritual direction before...and it didn't click for me, but this was just what I needed." As we begin again, anyone who feels the call to stop, be still, and know that God is Being is invited to join us by following the link below via Google Meet or call 573-568-8329 PIN 521 832 077#. Each gathering will occur on Friday morning at 10:30 am.
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New Job Opportunities were posted this week.
Job Opportunities can now be found on the Virginia Synod website at
vasynod.org/job-opportunities. If you have a position opening you would like posted;
please email Pastor John Wertz at wertz@vasynod.org.
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Stay Connected with the Virginia Synod:
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