09/11/2014

Southern Ohio Synod E-bulletin for the Week of September 11, 2014

Missed last week's e-bulletin? Click HERE to view our archived weekly e-bulletins and get caught up on what's happening in our synod.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Giraffe is traveling the synod this summer!

Look for Giraffe and Bishop Dillahunt or another member of the Southern Ohio Synod staff at a ministry event near you!

See our Facebook page for photos of Giraffe's visits. Listed below are the sites he's visited so far. Did you see him? 

• First English, Lancaster
• St. Paul, Ironton
• St. Paul, Bridgeport
• All Shepherds, Lewis Center
• Augsburg, Cincinnati
• St. Paul, Pomeroy
• St. John, Racine
• Holy Trinity, Newark
• St. John's, Martins Ferry
• St. Paul, North Berne
• Emmanuel, Coshocton
• St. Mark's, Delaware
• Roselawn, Cincinnati
• First English, Columbus
• St. Paul, Ashville
• New Lebanon, Junction City
• Holy Trinity, New Lexington
• St. John's, Zanesville
• Zion, Middletown
• Fellowship, Columbus
• St. Luke, Marietta
• Region 6 Candidacy Retreat
• Peace, Beavercreek

New Amazing Grace Day Camps and Giraffe photos posted to Facebook. Click HERE to see them.

 

SAVE THE DATE! 2015 SOS Assembly

June 5-6, 2015 Southern Ohio Synod Assembly at Capital University in Columbus. Assembly plenary sessions will take place on Friday and Saturday, June 5 & 6. Please begin planning now to attend.

 

Synod News

'The comfort of hearing Swahili' Article from Living Lutheran re SOS Congregation, Ibada ya Kiswahili

Check out the article on our Swahili-speaking congregation in Columbus, Ibada ya Kiswahili. This congregation and their pastor, Ipanya Mwakabonga, were welcomed into the Southern Ohio Synod, officially, by Bishop Suzanne Dillahunt at the 2014 Southern Ohio Synod Assembly.  

ELCA Malaria Campaign Update: Find Out Where SOS Stands & What Progress is Being Made Against Malaria

The Southern Ohio Synod has given over $180,000 to the ELCA Malaria Campaign as of September 1, 2014. 

September is National Preparedness Month--What is your family or congregation doing to be prepared for a disaster?

"Be Disaster Aware, Take Action to Prepare"

Not Sure if 'Region 6 ELCA Networks for Mission Event' is for You? Check Out the Schedule to See Where You Fit in and Where You Can Contribute!

Do you want to learn more about the ministries of the ELCA and how you and your congregation can get involved Register for the ELCA Region 6 Networks for Mission Event.

October 9-11, 2014, Zoar Lutheran Church, Perrysburg, Ohio

Special Guest Speaker, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton

Advocacy Updates from ELCA Advocacy Office and SOS Public Policy Task Force

In an effort to highlight Lutheran advocacy actions happening throughout the country, we present the ELCA Advocacy Update for the month of September! There's also an update from Nick Bates regarding Moral Movement Week at the Ohio Statehouse in August.

Reminder! Sign Up Today for the 2014 Fall Southern Ohio Synod Lay School of Theology Course--'Christian Ethics'

he course is “Christian Ethics: Theology, Method and Practice” promises to be an interesting and meaningful learning experience. It is geared for the person-in-the-pew and also for people in positions of lay worship leadership in the congregation. 

Good Shepherd Announces Availability of Grant Funds, up to $10,000--Deadline Sept 26

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Kenwood, Ohio established an endowment fund in 1996. Its Articles of Operation allow income from the fund to be dispersed in the form of grants for:

• Projects or programs by Christian organizations that advance the gospel; or

• Projects or programs by secular organizations whose mission and proposed use of funds is in keeping with the Christian gospel; or

• Help to individuals dealing with severe hardships. (Requests for this grant must have a Good Shepherd member sponsor the applicant and complete the application.)

Mental Illness Awareness Week Activities Scheduled by SOS Mental Wellness and Recovery Task Force for Oct 7 & 8

The Southern Ohio Synod Mental Wellness and Recovery Task Force has teamed up with The Castle, a ‘safe haven for adults with mental disorders,’ located in Centerville, Ohio, to offer two programs featuring Amy Simpson, award-winning author of Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and the Church’s Mission and Anxious: Choosing Faith in a World of Worry. 

Many Volunteer Opps for 2015 Youth Gathering in Detroit--Check Out What's Available and How to Apply

There are three volunteer opportunities. Read on to learn more about each category of service. The application fee is $75. 

 

ELCA News

Invitation from Bishop Elizabeth Eaton to Hold Conversations About 'The Use of the Means of Grace'

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! I’m writing about an important conversation that I need your help to facilitate across our church. The question we have been invited to consider is: Who is welcome and invited to receive Holy Communion in ELCA congregations?

ELCA Young Adults Begin Year-long Journey of Global Service

Sixty-three young adults from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) have begun a year-long journey in which they will “live and learn and serve” with ELCA companion churches and partner organizations around the world. The young adults are participants in the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission program – an international mission opportunity for young people from the ages of 21 to 29.

ELCA Campaign Nears $25 Million Mark

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is celebrating the first six months of its five-year, comprehensive campaign, Always Being Made New: The Campaign for the ELCA, with nearly $25 million raised.

Celebrating Disaster Preparedness Month with new ELCA Congregational Disaster Preparedness Guidebook

September is National Disaster Preparedness Month, and what better way for us to celebrate than to announce our new Congregational Disaster Preparedness Guidebook!  

'Divine foolishness' is Title of ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton's Column in the Sept Issue of The Lutheran

In her September column for The Lutheran, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton reflects on the foolishness of the cross. 

Reminder! Sign Up Now for the 2014 ELCA Ohio Women Clergy Retreat, Oct 23-24

Sign up today to attend the 2014 ELCA Ohio Women Clergy Retreat at Camp Mowana, Fleming Falls Retreat Center, October 23-24.

Get Ready Sponsoring Employers and Plan Members--2015 Portico Open Enrollment Starts Soon

Sponsoring employers and sponsored plan members, this fall as you look ahead to a new year of worship, witness, and learning, you'll also be asked to select ELCA benefits to help you live well in the year ahead. 

Global Church Sunday Toolkit Ready for Your Use--Download Today!

The toolkit is now available at www.ELCA.org/resources/globalchurch, along with stories, posters, a bulletin insert and other resources. 

Stories of Faith in Action: Changing Lives Together--Order Your Copies Today!

Stories of Faith in Action is a free resource, sharing dynamic stories of how regular congregational offering, shared with the synod and the churchwide organization is changing lives. It gives witness that together we can accomplish more than we could do alone. 

Global Mission of the Month--Abby Henderson, Young Adult in Global Mission

As a Young Adult in Global Mission, Abby Henderson mentored teen girls and encouraged them to stay in school. Inspire your congregation with her story! 

 

 

Invitation to Attend Region 6 Discernment Retreat Sept 19-20 2014

"I'm curious where the Holy Spirit is leading me." "Lately, I've been feeling a sense of call to serve the church in a new way." "I'm intrigued by becoming a leader in the ELCA."

If you identify with any of the statements above, please plan to attend the ELCA Region 6 Discernment Retreat on September 19-20, 2014 at Lutherwald in Howe, Indiana. 

 

Partners and Affiliates 

Invitation from Lutheran World Federation Center in Wittenberg, Germany to Attend 11th Int'l Seminar Feb 28-March 14 2015

You are invited to send a pastor to the 11th seminar which will take place in Wittenberg from February 28th until March 14th, 2015 and will be led by Prof. Dr. Timothy Wengert, USA, and Prof. Dr. Paulus Ndamanomhata, Namibia. The theme of the seminar will be: "Holy Scripture, proclamation, doctrine."

Katharine Hayhoe: Climate Change Evangelist to Speak at Ohio's Earthkeeping Summit 2014 in October

Don't miss this opportunity! Register for Ohio's Earthkeeping Summit 2014 on October 12 and 13th. 

'Explore Trinity 2014' Sept 7 & 8 at Trinity Lutheran Seminary--Come Explore and Find Out What Trinity Has to Offer You!

Are you discerning where God might be calling you? Is seminary a part of that discernment process? Trinity Lutheran Seminary would like to invite you to our campus to explore your faith, your passion, your purpose, and your calling. Discover surprising places where God is working in our world today. 

Northwest Ohio Synod Invites SOS Members to Two Upcoming Events in October

Sustaining Disciples in Worship
Saturday, 18 October 2014
Emanuel Lutheran Church Marion, OH 

Can this Church Live?: The Miracle of Life in Forming New Christians 
Monday, 20 October 2014 10:00 am to 1:00 pm 
St. John Lutheran (Windfall) Cardington, OH

Coming This Fall to Wittenberg University--Kenneth H. Sauer Luther Symposium & Festival Choral Eucharist for Reformation 

Please mark your calendars and gather up your family and friends to attend the Wittenberg Series events on October 14 and 26. Guest presenters/preachers are The Rev. Dr. Cheryl Meese Peterson and Bishop Suzanne Dillahunt.

Outdoor Fun Continues at LOMO Camps with Fall Festivals for Everyone!

Don't let the end-of-summer blues set in. Round up your family and friends and head to one of the Lutheran Outdoor Ministries in Ohio (LOMO) camps in September and October for fall fun and fellowship! 

 

Prayers    

• The Rev. Gerald Mansholt as he is installed as Bishop of the East Central Synod of Wisconsin
• Please pray for our ELCA missionaries!
• The Rev. Abraham Allende as he becomes Bishop of the Northeast Ohio Synod on Sept 13
• Family and friends of Pat Tickner, widow of The Rev. John Tickner, regarding her death
• Family and friends of The Rev. Ray Wolf regarding is his death
• Congratulations to Pr. Grant Eckhart and his wife, Tammy on the birth of their son
  
• Congratulations to Deaconess Candidate Lisa Marie Reshad on being invested into the ELCA Deaconess Community
• Pastor Roger Quay and Mrs. Ginny Quay regarding the death of Ginny's mother, Jo Secrist
  

Employment Opportunities 

Case Manager
OPEN M, Cleveland

Organist
Zion Lutheran Church, West Jefferson

Director of Music
Lord of Life Lutheran Church, West Chester

If your ELCA-affiliated organization or congregation has an open position you'd like to advertise, please send the position description, contact person information and a deadline for submitting applications to sbarton-nonno@southernohiosynod.org.

 

Upcoming Events in Our Synod

September 15, 2014
2015 Youth Gathering Soft Registration Opens

September 16, 2014 7:00-8:30PM
Fall 2015 Youth Gathering Informational Meeting
Zion, Tipp City

September 17, 2014 11:30AM-1:00PM
Vision Team Youth Ministry Listening Post
Young's Dairy, Yellow Springs

September 17, 2014 11:30AM-1:15PM
Springfield Cluster Meeting, hosted by Pr. Leslie Fox, Guest Pr. Ed Williams
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Springfield

September 18, 2014 8:15-9:50AM
Northwest Columbus Clergy Cluster Gathering--Prs Jim Wilson & Elizabeth Clothier
Lord of Life Lutheran Church, 2480 W. Dublin-Granville Rd, Worthington

September 18, 2014 10:30AM-12:00PM
Vision Team Youth Ministry Listening Post
Christ, Bexley

September 20-21, 2014
Leadership Institute: Leader as Spiritual

September 20, 2014 9:15AM-3:00PM
Synod Council Meeting
Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus

September 21, 2014
International Day of Peace

September 21, 2014 12:30-5:30PM
Fall Festival and Benefit Auction
Camp Mowana Mansfield, Ohio

September 25-26, 2014
Trinity Days
Global Pentecostalism
Trinity Lutheran Seminary, 2199 East Main St, Columbus

September 27, 2014 9:00AM-12:00PM
SOS Hunger Task Force Meeting
Synod Office, 300 S. 2nd St., Columbus, OH

September 27, 2014 1:00PM
SOS Public Policy Task Force Meeting
Synod Office, 300 S. 2nd Street, Columbus

 

To see all events on the synod website calendar click HERE.