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SYNOD NEWS
Rummage Sale Season
Letting Go of the Ineffective
"The Right Reverend Mark Dyer, an Anglican bishop known for his wit as well as hiswisdom, famously observes from time to time that the only way to understand what is currently happening to us as twenty-first-century Christians in North America is first to understand that about every five hundred years the Church feels compelled to hold a giant rummage sale. And, he goes on to say, we are living in and through one of those five-hundred-year sales."
[Phyllis Tickle, The Great Emergence, Baker Books © 2008, p. 15]
To read more of Bishop Gafkjen's newsletter or to download a copy to share with your congregation,
click here
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Seasonings: Christmas Worship Planning
On October 22, the I-K Worship Committee will sponsor the second intheSeasonings series. The event will be held at Christ the Savior Church in Fishers, IN. Dr Hank Langknecht will again be the plenary presenter. Workshop tracks for preachers, lectors, worship committee members, musicians, artists, assisting ministers,council members, and mission planners will include sessions both in liturgical foundations and practical applications. Click
here to download a bulletin insert or
Register here.
Changes at the Indiana-Kentucky Lutheran Center
The lease for our office space was nearing the end of its term last year. When the owners of the office park discussed the possibility of signing another multi-year lease with Bishop Gafkjen, they offered to make any useful renovations
at no cost to the I-K Synod. How awesome is that?! The work began this summer and was just finished last week. The major changes that have been made include a larger conference room, an expanded work room, an updated entry space, additional storage and new flooring throughout much of the office. Several staff members have moved offices due to the reconfiguration of the space, so make sure you get a quick tour the next time you stop by the Indiana-Kentucky Lutheran Center!
With these changes, we have also decided to update some of the décor of the office. The entry way will become a place where a collection of crosses will be hung. We want this collection to represent the diversity that exists within the Indiana-Kentucky Mission Territory, including our partners beyond the synod (the cross in this photo was a gift to Bp. Bill from our companion church the Iglesia Evangelica Luterana en Chile). We invite any congregation that wishes to contribute to this collection to send one cross to the I-K Lutheran Center. Churches may choose a cross that is representative of your community, the area surrounding your congregation, a cross made by a local artist, or simply any cross that you favor. If you have any significance to your selection or a story that accompanies your cross, please include that and we may feature your church's cross in an upcoming e-news email.
Lutherwood Open House & Praise Festival
Join us (1525 N Ritter Ave, Indianapolis) Saturday, October 1 from 11:30-1:30 for free food, fun & music. Learn more about our programs including The IMPACT Program, winner of the 2016 Indianapolis Impact Grant for our work with victims of human trafficking, and the expansion of The Trinity House, a group home designed to teach young men skills necessary to live as successeful independent adults. For more information or RSVP contact Susan 317-359-5467 ext. 235 or
[email protected]
DATES OF NOTE
September 23-24
Synod Council Retreat with Conference Deans
Waycross, Morgantown, IN
September 25-27
Professional Leaders Conference, Clifty Falls State Park
October 22
Seasonings: Christmas Worship Planning, Christ the Savior, Fishers IN
October 25-26
New to Roster Gathering
October 29
Bishop's Youth Day, Christ the Savior, Fishers, IN
2017
June 1-3, 2017 - Indiana-Kentucky Synod Assembly, Covington, KY
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CONGREGATION NEWS
Prayer Concerns
During the weekly I-K Lutheran Center staff devotions we included these individuals and mission centers in our prayers:
Hope, Columbia City, IN and Vacancy Pr Matt Converse
Hope, Frankfort, KY and Pr Stephen Flynn
Immanuel, Plymouth, IN and Pr Dennis Wenzel
King of Glory, Carmel, IN and Pr David Hewitt
Church of the Cross, Muncie, IN and Pr James Bischoff
Retired rostered leaders
Rev Jim Kuchera, Columbus, IN
Rev Nola Lillie, Louisville, KY
Rev Al Lorentzen, LaPorte, IN
Called to specialized ministry or on leave
Rev Ben Stallings, Great Lakes Hospice, Terre Haute, IN
Julie Stegelmann, Diaconal Ministery, Pathways Retreat Center, Goshen, IN
The Florida -Bahamas Synod and Bishop Robert Schaefer
Condolences
Please lift up in prayer the family of Bishop Gafkjen on the loss of his father,
Sherney Gafkjen. The funeral will be at 3:00 pm Central Time Saturday September 24 at West Lake Lutheran Church, Sunburg MN, the congregation where he was baptized and confirmed. Visitation will be at the church beginning at 1:00 pm." For a full obituary, please read more here. Memorial gifts may be sent to St. Croix Hospice Foundation, 7200 Hudson Blvd, Suite #230, Oakdale, MN 55128. Please include in the memo line of checks: in memory of Sherney (or "Guffie") Gafkjen. This is the hospice that provided such wonderful care for Guffie in his last months and days, particularly his nurse, Deb Loew. This Foundation provides financial assistance for hospice patients who have financial need.
Congregational Leadership Changes
Help us keep the IK Synod database current so we can serve you more effectively. If you recently elected new officers or soon will, please click below to download and complete the "Congregational Leaders Update Form" and return it to the IK Synod via fax, email or postal mail.
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Bishop Eaton's column first appeared in Living Lutheran's September issue.
How will people know? In her September column for Living Lutheran, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton wonders how people will learn about the ELCA Churchwide Assembly and how we will make the event's actions and experiences part of our life together. She says the work belongs to all of us-participants and those who watched the event online or read about it in Living Lutheran. Read Bishop Eaton's column online here or download a file to print for your congregation here.
ELCA congregations gave $1.8 billion in regular offerings last year. Where does it go? This video shares how your congregational offerings support the ministries of the ELCA and the church around the world. Click
here to download a video that is easy to share with your congregations so they can see how God is working through them!
Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest
The Summer Language and Hispanic Ministry Intensive is a resource for Lutherans and those of other denominations who recognize the growing need for competency in the Spanish language and an understanding of Hispanic culture in light of the increasing Hispanic population in this country and in the church. The course focuses on study of the Spanish language and Hispanic culture. For further information about next summer's training events, click
here.
It was ten years ago that Evangelical Lutheran Worship was commended for use in this church. Yes! The "new, red" book is now ten years old and is used by over two-thirds of ELCA congregations. But the project that led to the development of ELW was never solely about a book. It was primarily the ongoing renewal of worship. Renewing worship is never for its own sake or because we crave something shiny and fresh. The Holy Spirit who "renews the face of the earth" (Psalm 104:30) is the same Spirit we invoke to work in us and to renew the face of worship for the life of the world. "Strong Center - Open Door" is about that ongoing renewal of worship and you are encouraged to participate. Pastors, musicians, lay leaders, worship committees, and anyone interested in worship are welcome. Read more
here.
Free Fair Labor Standards Webinar - October 18
Description: The U.S. Department of Labor has adopted new overtime regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which go into effect on December 1, 2016. Among other changes, these regulations increase the minimum salary for exempt employees from $23,000 to $47,476. Many congregations, synods, and other ministries of the church have questions about how this impacts their employees and ministries. Does it apply to churches? What about pastors? Youth workers? Sextons? How about schools? Or camps? Join us for a free webinar on how the new regulations will affect religious institutions, and try to answer many of these questions. Register
here for this free webinar. Instructions for connecting to the webinar will be sent to all registrants prior to the event.
Portico Fall
Pre-Retirement Webinars
It has been reported that 40% of workers are not offered financial education and those who cited their employers as their first or second source of financial education save more than those who rely on family or friends for advice.* We are blessed to be part of the ELCA where are financial well-being is recognized and supported with some wonderful opportunities! To help prepare you for retirement, click here
Living Lutheran, an online publication of the ELCA, invites you to share in the sense of
purpose that our faith brings to our lives. The goal is to provide a place for members and friends alike to find lively engagement in faith and life. Here you'll find the voices of ELCA members, as well as what's happening in our church both across the country and around the world. We have resources for congregations, ideas to inspire and places to share what's on your mind. Click here for the most recent issue!
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