News from the Indiana-Kentucky  Mission Territory 

SYNOD NEWS

         
   
Give us this day our daily bread.
The Lord's Prayer, 4th Petition, Small Catechism 
 
AJ Jacobs, a self-professed agnostic who is not sure he believes in God, spent a year of his life living as literally as possible according to the "rules" or commands that he found in the Bible.

"At the beginning of the year," he says, "I wrote down every rule, every guideline, every suggestion, every nugget of advice I could find in the Bible. It's a very long list. It runs 72 pages. More than 700 rules. Some rules were wise, some completely baffling.  Read more or download a copy to share with your congregation. 


Portico 2017 Annual Enrollment Deadline
Friday, Oct. 28, 2016 is the deadline for congregations
and organizat ions
 
 to select one ELCA-Primary health benefit option to provide in 2017, even if all their plan members currently waive ELCA health benefits. This section must be made annually, even if the health benefit option remains the same from the current year. As of Oct. 26th, there were 16 congregations in the I-K Synod who had yet to make their selection. If you have questions or need to make your congregation's selection, visit the Annual Enrollment Center
 
  
Before You Vote... 
As election day approaches, I am sharing with you two resources that I'd encourage you to share with your conference ministerium members and others as you see fit.
  • A letter written and signed by four Episcopal bishops from Indiana and me. This is an invitation to prayer and civility as Election Day approaches. The referent is Indiana, but, of course, it applies in Kentucky as well.  The letter is attached here.
  • Vote Faithfully Sunday toolkit. This is an ecumenical, non-partisan resource for use by leaders and congregations on Sunday, November 6 (and at other times, of course). You will note that we, the ELCA, were involved with the development of this. It is available for download at http://www.uccfiles.com/VoteFaithfully_Toolkit.pdf.
 Peace be with you, 
+Bishop Bill Gafkjen

    
Faith & Pastoral Care in Modern Medicine  
Lutheran Child and Family Services is hosting their fall  symposium  on November 17 th  at 9:00am. The speaker is Dr. Richard Gunderman, M.D., Ph.D Indiana Unversity / Riley Hospital and the topic is "Faith and Pastoral Care in Modern Medicine" There was a time in which the church had a strong influence in the shaping of society. This influence has been slowly changing over time and the church is now more of a participant rather than a director. Evidence of this can be seen in the medical field. Modern medicine and advancement of medical technologies are changing the role of faith and religion in our physical care and well-being. How do advances in modern medicine inform pastoral care in congregations? What is the role / impact of our closely held religious ideologies as they pertain to what is evolving in the field of medicine? How do clergy provide pastoral care in the midst of a radically changing health care environment? How does the modern Christian navigate the ethical dilemmas present in healthcare today?
To RSVP for the event, click here or call Brady Gurganious at 317.359.5467 ext. 300



New
in the Augsburg Choirbook Series 
Easy Choirbook, vol. 3 is a rich collection of unison and 2-part, accessible music for church, school, and community choirs. In this third volume are 11 varied selections for the church year, with beautiful, useful, and inspirational music on every page. Many of the selections are suitable for use with various ages-children, youth, or adults. For more information go to the Augsburg Fortress Store.




DATES OF NOTE
 

October 29 
Bishop's Youth Day, Christ the Savior, Fishers, IN

November 22 
Conference deans and synod staff, Synod Office
10:00-2:30

November 24-25 
I-K Synod Office Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday

January 13-14 
Synod Council (Conference deans encouraged to attend) 
 


2017 
  
June 1-3, 2017 - Indiana-Kentucky Synod Assembly, Covington, KY
 
 

CONGREGATION NEWS

Prayer Concerns
During the weekly I-K Lutheran Center staff devotions we included these individuals and mission centers in our prayers: 

Redeemer, Bryant, IN and Pr Robert Abner       
Redeemer, Jasper, IN and Pr Adam Ruschau
Resurrection, Fort Wayne, IN and Pr Will Smith,
                                           Associate in Ministry Barb Limbach
Resurrection, Indianapolis, IN and Prs Dave Schreiber and Mitch Phillips,
  Associate in Ministry Julie Peralta 
Resurrection, Madison, IN and Pr James Smith
Resurrection, Marion, IN and Vacancy Pr James Hilleson
 
Rostered leaders not under congregation call 
Rev Richard Miller, retired, Evansville, IN
Rev Mark Minnick, retired, Fort Wayne, IN
Rev John Moe, retired, Greenwood, IN
Rev Jim Wetzel, Franciscan St Francis Health, Indianapolis, IN
Rev Dennis Zimmerman, interim ministry, Alexandria, KY

The Southwestern Washington Synod and Bishop Richard Jaech  
 
We also lift up in prayer 
Rev Paul Krebs, retired, upcoming cancer surgery on Friday.

We offer our love and prayers to the family of Pr David Russell, whose father, William Russell, died on October 13. Obituary.


Give a Gift that Isn't Easy to Wrap!
GOOD GIFTS is a wonderful way to ease the stresses of Christmas shopping and raise funds for ELCA World Hunger! Click here to see The Good Gifts catalog.

If your congregation wants to do a Good Gifts Fair or display, information can also be found at the ELCA website above. Need help or more information? Contact Mary Anderson at
[email protected]





Special Guest Choir
The "Something Good" choir will sing at St. John Lutheran Church, 501 S. 7th St., Richmond, IN on Sunday, Nov. 6th at the 10:30 am worship service. The choir will sing several numbers during the service and communion.  Something Good is well known throughout the eastern Indiana/western Ohio area and have sung at the Cincinnati Reds baseball games also.  You are invited to hear their great sound on Sun. Nov. 6th at St. John Lutheran.  The public is invited.


Time to Update Your Constitution!
The 2016 Churchwide Assembly made several important changes to the Model Constitution for Congregations. The most important of these changes include provisions addressing the unification of the three lay rosters, revising the provisions for parishes, and updating the membership rules. These follow similarly important changes made in 2013, which included changes to the procedures for disciplining members of congregations. There will be no changes to the Model Constitution for Congregations until at least 2019, making it an excellent time to update yours now. Read more...

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.

Questions? Contact April Lynch at [email protected]   


CHURCH-WIDE NEWS
 

A Big Look at the Small Catechism  

In October, Living Lutheran shares a reprint of ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton's column from July 2014. Just as she did at the 2016 Churchwide Assembly, Eaton encourages people to "dust off" their Small Catechism and take another look at the basics of our faith as we near the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Read her column here or download a copy to share with your congregation here.

Small Catechism app - - You can have Luther's Small Catechism with you everywhere with the new Luther's Small Catechism app put out by Augsburg Fortress. Great for confirmation and adult faith classes, the app contains the central sections of the Small Catechism and is available in English and Spanish. The app is a free download. For an upgrade ($1.99), you can also download the study version.
 

Invitation to Webcast October 27  
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
Please mark your calendars for the next live webcast, "Ecumenical and Interreligious Witness on the Eve of the Reformation Anniversary," on Thursday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. CDT. As Lutherans, we have 499 years of history, but on this day we will explore:
  • What was the Reformation, and what does it mean for Lutherans and ecumenical partners?
  • What is "Declaration on the Way," and why is it significant for Lutheran-Catholic relations?
  • What might ecumenical and interreligious relationships look like in the future, and what does this mean for our faith community?
Tune in to the live webcast on Oct. 27 by visiting ELCA.org/webcast, where a link to the recorded video will be made available after the broadcast. A live stream also will be available at Facebook.com/Lutherans. 
God's peace,

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America



Joint Ecumenical Commemoration of the Reformation 
On October 31 (of this year, just a month away) the Lutheran World Federation will host an ecumenical Reformation event in Lund, Sweden, the birthplace of the LWF.  The event will include worship and Pope Francis has agreed to participate. The event will have a live stream!  Follow this link for all the information you need to be part of this special event.  
 
 
 
National Conference for Sacred Music 
January 4-6, 2017, Charlotte, NC 
Leading the Church's Song: Featuring Robert Hobby, Allen Hightower, Craig Mueller, Tom Shelton, Stephen Mitchell, and Mark Lawson.

National Conference for Sacred Music is a unique conference designed to provide the practicing church musician with fresh new ideas to help create a vital, growing music ministry. The emphasis of this conference is to provide a wide variety of new approaches to revitalize and reinvigorate the church's passion for music in worship. To learn more or to register, click here.  
 
   
 
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