OCTOBER 2006
The South-Central Newsletter
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OCTOBER 2006 |
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The South-Central Newsletter
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IN THIS EDITION PROCESS FOR THE ELECTION OF THE BISHOP STEWARDSHIP CONSULTATIONS THIS MONTH INTRODUCING THE NEW WORSHIP BOOK: ELW RESOURCE FOR DEATH PENALTY FORUM NATURAL CHURCH DEVELOPMENT TRAINING HOPE LUTHERAN CHURCH WOMEN HOST EVENT PRAYER PETITIONS FOR WALKING PARTNER, NELC Inserts ALL SAINTS SUNDAY CHORAL EVENING PRAYER |
From Pastor George Carlson, Bishop
I hear that question often in our hectic, at times over-scheduled lives. I say it when I look back six months or a year, amazed that so much time has passed. Where does all my money go? I say that when the checkbook balance bottoms out before the end of the pay period! Where does all our money go? Couples ask that of one another. I hear that question from members of congregations who want their offerings to get the most “bang for the buck,” the most ministry for the money. Congregation councils have an ongoing opportunity to explain and interpret how members’ offerings make ministry happen locally and globally. Informed members become informing members, able to share the good news of how ministries impact lives and bring newness in Christ’s name. Congregations have begun to prepare spending plans for 2007. As one expression of the ELCA, member congregations know that a portion of what members give supports ELCA ministries in the synod and churchwide. Each congregation decides how much of its members’ gifts will go to the synod, which passes gifts on to churchwide and other partnerships. Some congregations give a set dollar amount; some give a percentage. I encourage a minimum of 10 percent of local offerings go to the synod. I encourage growth beyond a tithe as giving grows in the congregation. That provides a great model for members to grow in generous giving. Where does all our money go when we send it to the synod? Right off the top, 59.6 percent goes to churchwide, which supports global ministries, new congregations, seminaries and colleges, congregational life, and a host of other vital ministries. Check out http://www.elca.org/treasurer/findfast/offering.pdf for more details. Another 12.7 percent goes to other ministry partnerships, nearly all to Lutheran campus ministries in our synod and seminaries. The remaining 27.7 percent supports ministry in our synod, attending to congregations with pastor vacancies, providing leadership development opportunities for clergy and laity, encouraging and guiding persons through the process of becoming pastors or rostered lay leaders, helping strengthen congregations’ outreach and stewardship efforts, bolstering youth and family ministry, and caring for congregations and leaders in conflict or trauma. All of us serve as managers, as stewards, of the time and money we receive. God gives generously. We receive and manage those gifts. The time and money go as we decide as managers, as stewards, of the gifts God gives. In 2 Corinthians 8-9, St. Paul shares special insights into God’s generous gifts and our response. “And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8) We dare to be bold in giving when we trust God’s generosity! |
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At the 2001 Synod Assembly, Resolution SA01.06.21 “Procedure to elect a bishop” was adopted. This mandates the creation of a process that allows more time for thoughtful reflection and information sharing of nominees preceding the Synod Assembly at which a bishop’s election takes place. A Bishop’s Election Process Task Force was created and charged with bringing a report to the 2002 Synod Assembly outlining a process. This synod will elect a bishop to serve a six-year term beginning July 1, 2007, at the 2007 Synod Assembly, May 3-5, at the Marriott Hotel in Madison. Current Bishop George Carlson accepted the office in 2001 with the understanding that he would serve one term. To carry out the process that was outlined in response to the 2001 resolution, the Synod Council has established a Task Force for the Bishop’s Election Process 2007. The task force has developed a timeline for the process and will continue to provide ongoing information through forums, letters, e-mails and a web site created for this purpose. Please continue to look for details. Direct any questions you may have to Pastor Karen Locken, Chair of the Task Force for the Bishop’s Election Process 2007, at pastorkaren@tds.net or (608) 849-7322. |
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The synod’s fall Lutheran Youth Organization (LYO) gathering will be held at the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Nov. 10-12. Under the theme “Image of God,” the weekend will include large and small group sessions with the band and speaker, workshops, pool parties, a climbing wall, sundae bar and hanging out and worshiping with old and new friends. Bishop Carlson will join the group on Sunday morning. The gathering begins at 7:00 p.m. on Friday and ends at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. A new LYO Board will be elected during this gathering—nomination forms have been sent to congregations. Registration materials were sent to youth advisors in all congregations in the synod and the deadline for registrations is Oct. 10. Cost for the entire weekend is $125 and includes entrance to the water park and a t-shirt. Call the Synod Office with questions. |
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Any ELCA congregation that has been doing ministry with individuals who have disabilities can enter the 2006 Accessibility Award contest. Winning congregations will receive a monetary award, a plaque and will be highlighted on the Accessibility Web site. Entries will be considered in three categories: building accessibility; outreach to people in the community who have a disability; and inclusion of people with a disability in the life and ministry of the congregation. Entry forms are available at www.elca.org/disability/award or by calling (800) 638-3522, ext. 2692. Entry deadline is Oct. 20. |
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Michael Rehak Last month I reviewed Service and Accomplishment value structures. In this third and final article of the series, Mutuality and Structuring values will be reviewed. Mutuality values are primarily relational in nature. They are oriented toward a meaning found in who we are together. Harmony is an essential quality for maintaining a sense of healthy balance. The orientation of this value structure is toward acceptance, inclusivity and openness. Diversity is celebrated. New members are held in equal esteem to founding members. These values guide the congregation’s spirituality, which affirms the importance of life together. Spiritual pursuits are more circular than linear, emphasizing the interconnectedness of all. These qualities find their spiritual expression in worship, which is relationally-oriented, symbolic and open to creative expression. The Mutuality values are not as concerned with the completion of the building project or the providing of the annual dinner, or the doing of worship the right way. Rather, these values focus on the relational importance of being together for work, worship or enjoyment; “who we are together.” Structuring values display the need to organize. This value structure is energized by the power of ideas. Ideas and concepts are organized for the purpose of controlling a situation, organization or individual. These values place lesser importance on past or present and a greater focus on understanding, and even creating, the future. Such an understanding is vital in order to be prepared and able to control it. These values focus on foundational pursuits of logic, knowledge and truth. Competency is the most essential characteristic. In order to function, a structure needs to have integrity. The structure of the congregation must have integrity; a unifying reality of spirituality. Worship, education, service and mission need to be integrated parts of one structure. The spirituality of this structure seeks to understand the divine truth, logic and knowledge. Structuring values lead to a constant evaluation of functions and structures in order that they might be improved. Education with intellectual challenge is key. Change is valued and necessary. The personality of the congregation will be implicit in the development and maintenance of these values. The four value structures will, to a greater or lesser degree, be present in each congregation. The personality of the congregation will guide a prioritizing of the value structures; which one will give the most guidance and framework to the congregation’s purpose and mission. The value structure, which is held as priority, will embody the core values. Honoring these values is essential for the development of a sense of meaning. The congregation will move from simply practicing religion to spiritual enrichment and growth as its core value system is respected. Such respect means that the core values, more than simply the preferences of the clergy, choir director or organist, be allowed to shape and guide the decisions made in worship planning. In addition to worship, for the health of the congregation to be promoted, communication, education, and activities all must take shape, reflecting the core value structure. Not honoring the personality of the congregation with its guiding value structure will have its consequences. Ignoring or denying the power of the congregation’s personality can lead to program failures, apathy, burnout, inactivity and conflict. Honoring the personality allows the congregation to hold its strengths and weaknesses in balance. This allows the congregation to develop and own a vision, be energized by its passion for ministry and become a healthier member of the Body of Christ. I am available to work with congregations. Feel free to contact me for more information concerning a workshop for your leadership team. I welcome this as a cluster activity with the added benefit of increasing understanding of strengths of neighboring congregations.
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By Lori Richardson
Mission Support: August 2006 $132,997 In looking at the numbers for this year, we are down from last year by a bit. With fall coming into full swing, we would hope that things turn around. I’m sure every congregation, as well as the majority of households, are going through the same thing. We all need to work together to keep our families, our congregations, our synod and our churchwide organization moving forward. Please look at the article from Rolfe Nervig on the following page regarding the upcoming stewardship consultation meetings and plan to send a group from your congregation. |
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Luther Memorial Church, Madison, is celebrating the centenary year of the birth of Dietrich Bonhoeffer—German theologian, pastor, pacifist and martyr—by hosting a two-day conference, “Bonhoeffer’s Witness: Challenge for Today.” The conference takes place Friday and Saturday, Nov. 10 and 11, at Luther Memorial and features speakers Larry L. Rasmussen, Reinhold Neibuhr Professor Emeritus of Social Ethics, Union Theological Seminary, New York City; and Dirk G. Lange, Assistant Professor of Christian Assembly, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. The event also allows time for reflection groups and worship. For more information on the conference, visit www.BonhoefferMadison.org or call (608) 258-3160. |
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Beginning Process and/or in interims: Trinity, Arkdale—Interim Jim Steinbrecher; Rockdale, Cambridge—Interim Melissa Markquart; Peace, Cobb/Bethlehem, Edmund—Interim Kathy Jacobson; Grace, Darlington—Interim Steve Hanson; Spring Prairie, DeForest—Interim Craig Jan-McMahon; First, Janesville (Associate); Grace, Monroe; United in Christ, Morrisonville—Interim Twink Jan-McMahon; Bonnet Prairie, Rio—Interim Dean Phillips; Redeemer, Rio—Interim Ken Schaub; First English, Whitewater—Interim Rich Collier Study Process: Primrose, Belleville—Interim Ted Kalkwarf; Brooklyn, Brooklyn--Interim Rebecca Ninke; Trinity, Lake Mills—Interim John Tabaka; Lake Edge, Madison (Associate) Awaiting Name/Interviewing candidates: Bethlehem, Brodhead—Interim Richard Thickpenny; Faith, Columbus (Associate); Norway Grove, DeForest—Interim Brad Pohlman; Bethel, Madison (Associate); St. Luke, Middleton (Associate); Trinity, Pell Lake (Associate); St. John’s, Reedsburg (Associate); Covenant, Stoughton (Associate); Immanuel, Watertown
In Transition: |
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By Rolfe Nervig The South-Central Synod of Wisconsin and ELCA Churchwide organizations are partners with and expressions of congregations; as such, we depend on each other. But oftentimes gaps develop between different parts of this church body called the ELCA that result in poor communication and a lack of mutual accountability and shared sense of mission. And too often we neglect to say “thanks” for the support provided by congregations to the mission of the wider church. In order to build bridges with congregations and leaders, five Stewardship Consultations have been scheduled for the latter part of October. The objectives of these consultations are to: · Provide thanks and appreciation to congregations for mission support (benevolence) · Lift up synod/partnership/churchwide ministries accomplished together · Receive feedback from congregational leaders regarding priorities for support of missions and ministries · Communicate the synodical trends in mission support · Listen to leaders’ ideas about direction and concerns about the synod · Distribute congregational Statements of Intent Bishop George Carlson and Synod Council representatives will participate in each of these consultations. The following congregational representatives are encouraged to attend: Council presidents, treasurers, clergy and stewardship chairpeople. The consultation schedule is as follows: Tuesday, Oct. 17, 7 p.m. at Faith Lutheran, Columbus: Sauk/Columbia, Dodge/Columbia and North-N.E. Dane clusters Thursday, Oct. 19, 7 p.m. at Deerfield Lutheran, Deerfield: SE Dane, Jefferson, E. Madison clusters Monday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m. at West Middleton Lutheran, Verona: NW Dane, SW Dane, Central Madison clusters Thursday, Oct. 26, 7 p.m. at Grace Lutheran, Dodgeville: Green/Lafayette, Grant/Lafayette, Iowa/Richland/Grant clusters Monday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m. at First Lutheran, Janesville: So. Rock, No. Rock, Walworth clusters Please make every effort to attend the consultation for your cluster. If you have a conflict, please attend one of the other consultations. We look forward to being with you to share our appreciation of abundance! |
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A multiple staff seminar geared towards small and mid-size congregations will be held at Green Lake Conference Center, Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 17 and 18. This workshop is geared to developing your ministry team, which may include clergy, lay professionals, parish administrator, education director, music director and other staff. Rev. Alice Mann, senior consultant for the Alban Institute, is the featured presenter. Her emphases with multiple staff teams include building positive relationships, creating behavioral covenants, clarifying roles and aligning staff patterns with size. This event is sponsored by the Samaritan Counseling Center of Southern Wisconsin. Registration forms were mailed to clergy and congregations. If you need a copy, please contact the Synod Office, or the Samaritan Counseling Center at (608) 663-0763. The cost is $85 person. |
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Evangelical Lutheran Worship, our new worship book, is an exciting resource that will help individual congregations and Lutherans see our worship with renewed understanding. Pre-orders for Evangelical Lutheran Worship are currently being made and congregations are eagerly awaiting the arrival of this new resource. Containing ten settings of the Holy Communion service, (several which are already familiar) and 700 hymns, ELW will contain the service orders for many of the special days not included in earlier service books. The synod ELW introduction team has been busily preparing for the events that will help congregational members, worship teams, musicians and pastors become familiar with the new worship resource. The attendance goal is for a minimum of 10-15 participants from each congregation. The events, locations and dates listed below will help present some of the unique characteristics of ELW and will allow for an opportunity to sing through some of the liturgical music and hymns both familiar and new. The cost for the introduction event is only $20.00 and will include a light meal and a copy of ELW—a real deal for the price. Congregations will want to send a number of persons to attend in order to have a core group that can help answer questions regarding ELW in the local parish setting. ELW is the result of many years of research and testing of various renewing worship efforts in congregations throughout the ELCA. This excellent resource will aid our worship and serve Lutherans well for many years to come. The dates and locations of introductory events, listed below, will help as each congregation builds a team of people to attend. Please register through the Synod Office by the Tuesday preceding the particular event. *Saturday, Oct. 28, Faith Lutheran, Janesville, 8:00 a.m. *Saturday, Nov. 4, Immanuel Lutheran, Watertown, 8:00 a.m. *Sunday, Nov. 5, St. Luke’s Lutheran, Middleton, 1:30 p.m. *Saturday, Nov. 11, St. Stephen’s Lutheran, Monona, 8:00 a.m. *Sunday, Nov. 12, Grace Lutheran, Dodgeville, 1:30 p.m. *Saturday, Jan. 13, Our Savior’s Lutheran, Sun Prairie, 8:00 a.m. Registration forms are available online through the synod Web site. Consider sending a significant number of persons from your congregation to participate in an informative experience with Evangelical Lutheran Worship, our new worship resource. |
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The Wisconsin Council of Churches has developed a 30-page educational resource booklet on the death penalty. It includes: 1) a Bible Study; 2) a death penalty quiz; 3) a pastoral letter from religious leaders; 4) facts about the death penalty; 5) arguments for and against the death penalty; 6) sample sermons; 7) a listing of denominational statements on the death penalty and 8) a listing of online resources. The synod’s own Rev. Jerry Folk and Rev. Nick Utphall were involved in producing this resource and Bishop George Carlson signed the pastoral letter. Each congregation in the synod has received one copy of this Educational Resource Packet for Wisconsin Congregations. You also can obtain it at www.wichurches.org. Consider using it as an individual or for an adult forum in your congregation. And attend the Oct. 21 gathering, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, at Advent Lutheran Church (Madison Christian Community), 7118 Old Sauk Road, Madison. There will be workshops on both the death penalty advisory referendum and the constitutional amendment on marriage and civil unions. (See insert for more information.) |
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Natural Church Development (NCD) is a systematic approach to healthy church growth that is spreading around the world, and the ELCA has become very involved. It is a process that takes a developmental approach to building healthy, growing churches over a period of several years. The Outreach Committee of the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin is actively promoting NCD as a way for churches to be strong in spreading the good news of new life through Jesus Christ. A key element in NCD is matching a congregational leadership group (“church health team”) with a Natural Church Development coach who assists in providing direction to the team. There is an upcoming opportunity for people to receive training to be a part of this ministry of NCD coaching. The Outreach Committee is providing the second workshop at a discounted rate for people from the synod who are willing to become NCD coaches ($125 instead of the usual $150). The training schedule is as follows: Friday, Nov. 17, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Saturday, Nov. 18, 8:30 a.m. to noon “Coaching Basics” Friday, Feb. 2, 9
a.m. to 5 p.m. through Saturday, Feb. 3, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Both training workshops are required for NCD coaches. To register contact Lori Richardson in the Synod Office: lorir@scsw-elca.org or (608) 270-0201. For more information on NCD or the training contact Rolfe Nervig: rolfen@scsw-elca.org or (608) 270-0201, ext 106. |
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By Nick Utphall For three years, new pastors participate in our synod’s First Call group, gathering bi-monthly with each other and Bishop Carlson for personal sharing and discussion of a book. This month we decided to share with you some of our reflections of the book’s value. The discussion book for our most recent gathering was Douglas John Hall’s autobiographical sketch, “Bound and Free: A Theologian’s Journey.” His pilgrimage through “theology as vocation,” then, serves as a jumping-off point for the theology itself, which makes up the substance and value of the book. Though not a Lutheran (nor an American), Hall continues to encounter Luther and live in the “key signature” of the theology of the cross. For our conversation, a particularly valuable aspect of that is the inherent ambiguity, the absence of certitude. So often Christians around us demand fast answers and insist on a single political solution, a theology of glory paired with a “politics of glory,” in Hall’s words. Lutherans, on the other hand, are not afraid to live the difficulties and uncertainties of life amid that dialectic. Perhaps with Hall’s lead, we could find it worthy to advertise the freedom to doubt for the thinking people around us, living faithfully with our heads as well as our hearts. |
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Hope Lutheran Church Women present their 36th Annual Bazaar, Cookie Walk and Luncheon on Saturday, Nov. 4 at Hope Lutheran Church, McFarland. For times and ticket prices, contact the church at (608) 222-0422. |
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Continuing our covenant of companionship with the Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church in India, we offer these petitions to be used weekly in prayer for our companions: October 1 Loving parent God, it has been one year since the delegation from the South Central Synod of Wisconsin traveled to Chennai, India, to meet with leaders from our Companion Synod from the Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church in India. We thank you for the blessings that have grown from this renewed partnership and we ask for your blessings to grow in our congregations during this upcoming year. Help us to connect with each other through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen. October 8 Compassionate parent God, there is an old saying in India, that it is only through divine compassion that the universe is held together, and that anger is the root of every destruction. Help us to realize this truth, and help us to show our compassion to your people all around the world, especially to those of the Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church in India. Call us to action in your name. Amen. October 15 Gracious parent God, Look with favor upon the Don Bosco School, and especially their principal, Rosemary Hembrom, and all of their dedicated teachers. Bless the children who come there to learn with good health, patience for learning, enough food to eat, and a place to sleep. Fill their hearts with your love. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. October 22 Missionary parent God, We ask for your guiding and protecting love to be upon retiring missionary Naomi Torkelson as she travels in India at this time. Bless her presence, in your name, to the Indian people for years to come. May Christ’s presence live and grow through the commitment of all those who are called to serve as missionaries all around the world and may many disciples be born to give honor and praise to your holy name. Amen. October 29 Reforming parent God, As we remember the ways in which you have reformed your Church through Martin Luther, and continue to reform your Church, bring us again and again back to the center of your love and justice, truth and compassion. May the congregations in the South Central Synod of Wisconsin and the Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church of India see the reformation that you desire more clearly through our partnership with each other. Amen. |
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Plan to attend this year’s Discernment Day at St. James Lutheran Church, Verona, if you are interested in learning more about the Synod Lay School of Ministry. Scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 14, this event begins at 8:30 a.m. and concludes by 4:00 p.m. Director James Bailey and Coordinator Kim Eighmy will describe the Lay School’s courses, schedule, mentoring program, fees, etc., and a current LSM student will share a perspective as a participant. A representative of the Synod Candidacy Committee will discuss the various tracks for public ministry in the synod and ELCA. One or two LSM instructors will offer samples of their courses. And a representative of Wartburg Seminary’s Center for Theology and Land will demonstrate various online courses available and compatible with the LSM curriculum. The day will begin and end with brief worship. If you are interested in registering for the LSM Discernment Event, contact Kim Eighmy, Coordinator, at St. James Lutheran Church, Verona. Contact her at (608) 845-6922 or keighmy@stjamesverona.org. The registration fee is $10, which includes the cost of lunch, and should be mailed to Eighmy or paid on the day of the event. |
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By Solveig Carlson, chair of the SCSW Companion Synod team Where in the world is Dumka (doom-ka)? Jharkhand? Assam? Don Bosco School? Mohulpahari? Parkijuli? Dumka is a rural village (relatively speaking) located in Jharkhand state of northeast India. The headquarters for our companions/partners, the Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church (NELC), reside in Dumka. Jharkhand and Assam, bordering Bangladesh or Nepal, are two of three states in which the 506 congregations or churches of the NELC are located. This church body of nearly 80,000 members has five dioceses, each with a bishop—three of whom have visited Wisconsin. The bishop has oversight of pastors, catechists and “Bible women.” Every six years a bishop is elected to serve as the Moderator (Presiding Bishop) over its annual assembly. The Morai Tea Garden (plantation) in Assam continues to generate support for NELC’s educational, healthcare and outreach ministries. Rev. Shiblal Soren, Bishop of Dumka Diocese, is current NELC Moderator. The Don Bosco School, located at the edge of the NELC headquarters compound in Dumka, is one of three English-medium schools owned and operated by the NELC. Two regional healthcare centers are Mohulpahari and Parkijuli Hospitals, each with skilled care, outpatient clinic and nurses’ training centre. About 20 people from our synod have visited sites in the NELC to establish a growing global connection for mutual concern and support as partners in mission and ministry. A letter received recently from Executive Secretary Saroj Jha (below) gives a personalized glimpse into this partnership. Watch for subsequent articles related to this companion synod relationship. Dear Chairperson, Greetings in the sweet name of our Lord Jesus Christ! We are really sorry to know that your team visit programme to NELC has postponed until future time. We wish and do pray, may the Lord make this program success in coming year 2007. At the same time we are happy that Miss Naomi Torkelson is visiting NELC. We do hope we will have a nice time with her to discuss about how to grow and walk together as companion in Christ’s Ministry. We do appreciate your concern and desire to build on the positive relationship to fulfill the purpose of companionship. It is true that each of us are “rich in gifts” and therefore, we also have concern that how best we can use our gifts to share and witness the love of Jesus Christ. The relation of our companionship has to play a very positive roll in our Mission and accordingly we both partners had agreed in our Chennai meets that Mutuality and transparency are the key factors in our partnership… Concerning to your invitation to attend South-Central Synod’s Assembly in next spring May, 2007. First of all, I on behalf of NELC express our sincere thanks for your kind invitation. It is a great privilege for NELC to send his representatives to bring the greetings in your Synod Assembly meets and also it would be opportunity for us to gather new experiences for our Ministry. Therefore we assure you that we shall honor your invitation. Names and other details of the representatives, we shall let you know after our Synod Ex.Com. meets in September. We don’t think that there is any difficult for clergy to travel in and out of India these days. We shall not exclude our special thanks for your support and cooperation for the Don Bosco School. It is pleased to inform you that the inspection of School has already completed. The Inspection Report would be placed before their Board Meeting for the necessary action. As per the information their Board meeting is scheduled to be held in the month of October. Therefore, we need to wait till the date. However, we are positive in the reports. This is all for now. Greetings to you all from NELC. Looking forward to hear from you again. Thanking you, Together in Partnership, Saroj Ch. Jha |
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The South-Central is published electronically 10-12 times per year by the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin, ELCA, 2909 Landmark Place, Suite 202, Madison, WI 53713. Submit all articles and inserts by the 10th of the month preceding publication to address above, or send via e-mail to the editor at debra_greene@sbcglobal.net. For more information about inserts, call the Synod Office at (608) 270-0201. Visit the synod’s Web site at http://www.scsw-elca.org. |
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Do you and your congregation run the other way every time you hear the word “Evangelism”? Do you think “Evangelism” only means to go out knocking on doors? Fear not; there is a better way! Come on Saturday, Nov. 11 (8 a.m. to 3 p.m.) to find out firsthand what has worked for fellow congregations in the synod. Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Sun Prairie, will host this Outreach Committee-sponsored event. Ruben Duran, ELCA Director for Congregational Development, is the keynote speaker. In his position, Duran is responsible for promoting the development of area strategies, local initiatives and emerging models for the multiplication of new communities of faith in the US and the Caribbean. Workshops will include: 3 Pray, Listen, Act Have you every wondered what God is telling your congregation to do? Learn how to achieve results from this simple, yet profound process. 3 A Better Way to Fly Learn how to utilize “asset-based planning” as a way to incorporate the strengths and capabilities of your congregation in actions that reach out to those who really want to fly by God’s spirit. 3 Welcoming New Guests Without effort, our churches can feel like unwelcome places for guests who are unfamiliar with our congregations. Learn practical ways to help guests feel welcome through intentional planning. 3 Natural Church Development Ever wonder why we have such a hard time with church growth? God provided everything we need. We just need to learn how to use it. Learn about the Natural Church Development process for nurturing healthy, growing churches. 3 Nuts and Bolts of Small Group Ministry Why small groups? Changes in our society have brought about the need to connect in new ways. Hear how small groups can be the catalyst for people to connect in a way that facilitates personal spiritual growth and, as a result, growth in service and evangelism. 3 Men’s Ministries Why a men’s ministry? Learn how to get the word out to men and how to form a men’s ministry in this panel discussion. 3 Video Outreach The Jesus Video project is an evangelism tool that can help congregations share the gospel of Jesus Christ with neighbors, prospective members and inactive members, and it is a teaching tool for all ages. Congregations are invited to register a team of three people for $50 and additional members at $10 each. Single registration is $20. Register with Lori Richardson at the Synod Office, lorir@scsw-elca.org. Deadline for registration is Nov. 2. Questions may be directed to Rolfe Nervig in the Synod Office at (608) 270-0201, ext 106, or rolfen@scsw-elca.org. |
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ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: Mount Horeb Evangelical Lutheran Church seeks administrative assistant for 30 hours per week, Monday through Friday. Flex hours possible. Minimum of two years administrative support/secretarial experience with strong computer and organizational skills. Compensation based on qualifications and experience. E-mail resumes to Randy Thompson elc@mhtc.net. |
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The next Sabbath Day for rostered leaders will be held Nov. 12-13 at the Bishop O’Connor Pastoral Center in Madison. Cost is $20 for overnight and $10 for the day on Monday. To register, send your registration fee to the Synod Office. For further information, contact Chris Lee-Thompson at (608) 222-0422 or pastor@hope-in-action.org. |
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October 5
VENTURES workshop, St. Martin’s Lutheran, Cross Plains, 7 p.m. October 17
Outreach Committee, Synod Office, 4 p.m. ***Coming February 24, 2007—LEAD at a new location—St. Luke’s Lutheran, Middleton*** |
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