08/13/2015

Reminder! God's Work. Our Hands. Sunday Day of Service coming up Sept 13

The following message was sent via email to rostered leaders and others in the ELCA as a reminder that God's Work. Our Hands. Sunday Day of Service is coming up September 13, 2015. 

Please take photos and send them the synod office (sbarton-nonno@southernohiosynod.org) or post them to your Facebook page and tag Southern Ohio Synod so we can link to your photos on our Facebook page.

If you can't do something September 13, that's OK! Any Sunday or other day where you're serving the community demonstrates God's love and is worth sharing! Send those stories and photos our way too!

 Dear sisters and brothers in ministry,

Thank you for considering participation in “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015. This dedicated day of service builds on the work ELCA congregations do every day, serving the communities in which we live. Whether we clean up outdoor spaces, fill back-packs with much-needed school supplies or write letters to soldiers and veterans, “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday celebrates who we are as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America — one church, freed in Christ to love and serve our neighbor.

If you haven’t done so already, please sign up your congregation for the day of service.

Need help planning? Find new resources such as a study guide designed for congregations to discuss what it means to serve with a joyful heart. You’ll also find the 2015 version of the toolkit, bulletin inserts, posters and a new worship resource for your dedicated day of service. Do you want to get the word out about your congregation’s activities? The toolkit includes a special section about sharing your congregation’s activities with your local newspaper, television and radio outlets. We want to hear from you!

Shortly after Sept. 13, please share stories about your congregation’s participation. Send your stories and photos to LivingLutheran@elca.org, so that together we can celebrate what God accomplishes through you.

Mark your calendars today, but if it’s not possible for your congregation to participate on Sept. 13, please consider another day. With our hands we do God’s work of restoring and reconciling our communities in Jesus Christ’s name throughout the world. I look forward to doing this work together on “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday.

God's peace,

Christina Jackson-Skelton
Executive Director for Mission Advancement
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America