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06/26/2013
Details About 'God's work. Our hands.' Sunday (Sept 8) from ELCA
Many of you may have already received an email containing the information provided below. If you did not, we are providing the text from Bishop Mark Hanson regarding 'God's work. Our hands.' Sunday set for September 8, 2013 as part of the ELCA's 25th Anniversary Celebration. If you and your congregation plan to be a part of this special Sunday of service, please send an email to sbarton-nonno@southernohiosynod.org or call 614.464.3532 to let the Southern Ohio Synod Bishop's Office know how you plan to participate. We'd like to share this news with the rest of the synod.
On Sept. 8, 2013, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America – 4 million members in nearly 10,000 congregations – will have an opportunity to celebrate together the 25th anniversary of the ELCA by taking part in "God's work. Our hands." Sunday, a day dedicated to serving the communities in which we live. You work every day to love your neighbors and make your community a better place. Now let's do it together.
We hope that many of you already have heard about "God's work. Our hands." Sunday and have made or are considering plans to participate. Whether you are just learning about the day of service or knew of it previously, there is a wealth of information about the day at www.ELCA.org/25years. Be sure to download the toolkit to help your congregation prepare.
The more members and congregations that participate, the greater the witness to our commitment to share God's love among our neighbors. We are a church that rolls up our sleeves and gets to work, whether it is cleaning up neighborhoods, delivering meals, collecting supplies for refugees overseas, visiting our neighbors or helping a child learn to read. The possibilities are boundless.
To help us celebrate our participation in this special day together, I invite you to sign your congregation up for "God's work. Our hands." Sunday by following the simple steps listed below. Doing so will only take a couple of minutes and will allow us to keep your congregation updated with new information for what we pray will be a remarkable day of service.
Register in four steps
- Click here to go to the sign-up survey
- Insert your Congregational ID number
- Insert your ELCA member number: (varies by person)
- Provide contact information and answer a few questions
Shortly after Sept. 8, we will be inviting you to share – through measurable results, stories and photos – your successes and your congregation’s impact as a result of this day of service. We will be in touch then to provide the means of sharing this information, so we can celebrate together what God accomplishes through us.
This will be a day for us to celebrate who we are as ELCA members, living out our faith in service to others. Together we work through our congregations and various Lutheran agencies to respond to human needs and to bring healing and hope. Thank you for the work you do every day to welcome your neighbors and make your community a better place. I look forward to our doing this together as one church, freed in Christ to serve and make known God’s many blessings on this church now and for our next 25 years together.
In God's grace,
Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
