Thanksgiving Prayer. A gift from LEAD.

Oh God - Creator, Savior, Helper - We thank you and we gather with all our languages and customs, all our heights and weights, all our genders and eye colors at one table - made perfect in its almost infinite diversity to sing to you our songs of Praise and Thanksgiving.  View Thanksgiving Prayer in entirety here.

ELCA Advent Devotion Resources - 1st Day of Advent, November 27

A variety of resources are available for you & your congregation as we wait in abundant hope for the birth of Jesus. Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton wrote one devotion in a four-part series with other ecumenical leaders.
ELCA World Hunger offers an Advent study with a focus on responding to hunger and poverty throughout the world. This study is available in both English and Spanish. Finally, there is a devotional that focuses on living out your baptismal calling during Advent and Christmas that focuses on the five gifts of discipleship.

RECTOR, Applicant & Nominee Invitation - Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary

Congregation Constitution Updating.

We have people ready to help your congregation update your constitution.  You will find a helpful resource by downloading the 2016 model constitution for congregations at elca.org.  Send your draft to the Alaska Synod office [email protected] for our review team to review and return to you.  They are well-practiced at constitution updating and want to help you.

Las Posadas - Latin American Celebration.  Dec 3rd, 4 - 7pm

A Celebration that remembers the journey that Joseph & Mary made from Nazareth to Bethlehem.  An evening of singing, candle light & worship; Potluck & pinatas.  Christ First United Methodist Church, Wasilla.  Additional Info, 841-8543  View flyer here.

Byberg Preaching Workshop 2017.  January 16-18 in Cannon Beach, Oregon

"David J. Lose: Preaching in a Postmodern, Post-Christian World"
The Byberg Preaching Workshop is pleased to announce that the speaker for 2017 is David Lose. The Rev. Dr. David J. Lose is president of The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP). Lose assumed his duties at the start of the 2014-2015 academic year. He was Marbury Anderson Associate Professor of Biblical Preaching at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, before accepting the presidency at LTSP.  Register for Workshop here. Registrations due by December 31.

Rooted in Christ: Connected in Comm unity. 1st of 4 Workshops - Feb 24-25, 2017

Join Us!  A discipleship & mission journey for the Alaska Synod.
Whether you've already participated in an October "Rooted" workshop and are interested in the cohort or if you haven't heard of "Rooted" at all, here's a summary of what we're doing and what's up next.  Contact Rev. Lisa Smith Fiegel, Director for Evangelical Mission, at [email protected] or 907 272-8899 for questions or additional information.

Joshua Grant Program.  Proposal Deadline Nov 30.

Joshua Grants are one year grants of $1,000-$5,000 to Lutheran congregations, organizations and agencies committed to launching new ministries of health and hope in their community.
Proposals for the Joshua Grant Program are accepted year-round with grants awarded quarterly.  Visit the website here for additional proposal information.  To view recent grant recipients with detail of awarded ministry, click here.

LEAD Advent Resources for Home and Congregations 2016

Free print-ready resources for worship & reflection using texts from the Revised Common Lectionary which include; Weekly bulletin with liturgy and prayers, weekly images to color, & prayer prompts for praying with prayer beads.  These resources were created by LEAD featuring art by Vonda Drees, Director of the Grunewald Guild.  View Resources here.

The ELCA Resource Catalog

Just in time for Holiday gift giving or a jump-start to the new year for Synods and Congregations alike.  Make the online catalog of resources for members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America your first stop.  View catalog here.

Lutheran Outdoor Ministries offers Curriculum Package for VBS

Did you know that Lutheran Outdoor Ministries (LOM), a non-profit organization that supports the outdoor ministries of the ELCA, has a Vacation Bible School Curriculum for use by congregations?  LOM's curriculum from the last few years, including the 2017 theme, "The Water of Life," is available in a bundle for use in congregational VBS programs.  As Augsburg Fortress no longer produces an annual VBS curriculum, this could be a valuable tool for the congregations that you work with who are looking for a curriculum with a solid theological background.  Interested?  View Details Here.

Ecumenical Stewardship Center, A Network for Growing Stewards

The Center provides resources that encourage the development of generous giving and faithful stewardship as transformative spiritual practices for faith communities and their leaders. Twenty denominations and several stewardship-related organizations in the US and Canada are partners in ESC's mission and ministry.  View resources here.

Respecting Choices First Steps® Advance Care Planning (ACP) Facilitator Certification Course

Respecting Choices® First Steps® ACP Facilitator Certification is designed for professionals and others involved in assisting patients and residents in making end-of-life treatment decisions. This course yields 15 C.E.U. hours. Details and registration are here.

Yarn Donation Request.

Christ Lutheran Church-Soldotna regularly accepts yarn donations for the "Crocheting Their Way" Ministry.  The women at the Wildwood Pre-Trail Facility in Kenai, AK continue to create fantastic articles for our community.  Yarn donations are accepted and gathered at 128 N. Soldotna Ave, Soldotna, AK, (907) 262-4757.  Thank you for your support.

Looking Ahead

2016
November 30: Kairos Webinar, "From Destination to Training Ground..."
December 3: Las Posadas, Latin American Celebration
December 3: Interior Cluster Women's Advent Brunch
December 3: Anchorage Bowl Lutheran Women's Advent Brunch
2017
February 24: Congregation Council Workshop 101 (for those who haven't attended previously) Anchorage area
February 25: Congregation Council Workshop 201 with Linda Babbitt on Congregational Vitality Anchorage area
July 13-16: Women of the ELCA Gathering- Minneapolis, MN

Standing Together- Veteran's Program. 1st Tuesday, Monthly.

Joy Lutheran, in partnership with the Chugiak- Eagle River Library, has launched "Standing Together," an effort to reach out to those veterans who may be positively connected through the reading of selected literature and discussion regarding the reading.  This is made possible by a grant from the Humanities Forum. Learn more here.

3230 Lake Otis Parkway, Anchorage. Join the September conversations. How a Homeless Teen Rose to the top of Her Class. Media Bias. Confronting Bullies. Hurt By Church. See more here.

Kairos Webinar, "From Destination to Training Ground - Rediscovering Your Congregation's Vocation".  November 30

With Rev. Dr. David Lose, join us as we discuss some of the primary challenges and opportunities of vibrant ministry in this cultural moment.  Registration Details Here.

National Conference for Sacred Music. January 4-7, 2017

First Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, NC
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. Learn more.

Visit Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and more!  Join Pastor Gabi Aelabouni, Dr. Rod Schofield, and Sara Wilson on a 15 day study tour of Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and more!  Pastor Gabi was born and raised in the Galilee area, near Nazareth. Learn more about the trip, leaders and costs here.