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11/11/2019
Last Call to Register for November 17th Thrive! Congregation Leader Training
Last Call to Register for November 17th Thrive! Congregation Leader Training
Pre-Registration is requested for the November 17th Congregation Leader Training Events being held in Zanesville and Lancaster. Pre-registration by noon, November 16th, is requested because, in addition to receiving training, Leaders will also receive brochures, bulletin inserts, and other printed Thrive! materials for their churches, and we wish to have sufficient material pre-packaged for each congregation.
November 17, 2019
2:00-3:30 St. John’s, 116 North 7th Street, Zanesville
5:00-6:30 First English, 220 North Columbus Street, Lancaster
Congregation Leaders need to be registered
Congregation Leaders will learn how to run the Thrive! Campaign for their congregations, which will also equip them to lead future special gift appeals for their churches.
Stewardship Team members, pastors and deacons are welcomed and encouraged to attend, also, but please let us know they are coming so we may prepare for them.
Convenient online registration may be done here: Online Fillable Congregation Leader Registration Form.
If you prefer, download and complete a Congregation Leader Appointment Form, email it to Thrive@SouthernOhioSynod.org.
For more information, please contact Pastor Larry Donner, the Thrive! Campaign Manager, at Thrive@SouthernOhioSynod.org.
Thank you!
More What Others are Saying about Thrive!
When I first learned about the Thrive! campaign, I was immediately inspired. It can be a real struggle for congregations to remember that "we are stronger and better together" - to stay connected as a Synod. The Thrive! campaign reminds us of what we can do, together.
There are several aspects that appealed to me about this campaign. First and foremost, we're working together for the greater good of the Church. Within that, I am excited that we are providing leadership training for congregations. This will increase the health of congregations, which will in turn help us focus on our mission of serving God. Also, Thrive! will help smaller congregations in a number of ways, which is wonderful news. Many of our congregations are small in number but still committed to Christ, and this campaign will give them tools to live out their call.
In addition to these reasons, I pledged to Thrive! because I would not be where I am - or who I am! - without the generosity of others. I graduated from seminary without having to take out any student loans, because a couple in the ELCA funded my scholarship through "The Fund for Leaders." This in turn allowed me to accept a part-time call, because I didn't have the enormous weight of graduate school loans to consider. Being able to work part-time in ministry has helped me balance being a parent and being a pastor. It has given my congregations the opportunity to have a pastor, as with both of them paying a full-time pastor is too much stress on their budgets.
So, in a very real way, the generosity of others has made my life what it is today. I am so thankful to them. The couple who funded my scholarship never met me, but they thought helping people go to seminary was good for the Church. Their generosity, and their trust that God would work through their generosity, continues to inspire me. Thrive! gives me the chance to be generous and trust God will work through that generosity too. I cannot wait to see what God does through this campaign.
In Christ,
Pastor Michelle
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Middletown
St. Peter Lutheran Church, Trenton
