We are pleased to share with you the following news, information and ministry opportunities taking place within our synod. If you have items to share about the ministries happening through your congregation, please email Terri Robertson at  terrirobertson@pacificasynod.org. If you know of others who aren't receiving our emails, please share this with them and encourage them to sign up here.

We are excited to share that the NEW Pacifica Synod website is now live! The location hasn't changed - you can still find us at www.pacificasynod.org - but the design is new and the content has been updated.

We know this has been a long journey and we appreciate your patience through it all. We still have some additional pages to add in the weeks ahead, but we hope you find what is there now to be useful.

We welcome your feedback and suggestions. Feel free to email us here with your input or updates to existing information.

As we shared earlier this week, we are saddened by the death of one of our friends and colleagues, Pastor Larry Koger, this past Monday, December 12. Following a number of calls in the Pacifica Synod dating back to 1989, Pastor Larry was currently serving as interim pastor at First Lutheran in San Diego. 

A memorial service celebrating his life  will take place this  Sunday, December 18, 2016 at  4:00 p.m.  at Trinity Lutheran Church,  191 S. Columbia Street, Hemet.

Clergy are invited to leave their vestments at home and sit with family and colleagues.  A reception will follow the service.

We ask that you keep Pastor Larry's wife Sharan and their daughter Janae in your thoughts and prayers.  Condolences may be sent to them at:

41634 Avenida de la Reina

Temecula, CA 92592

Memorial gifts in honor of Pastor Larry may be designated for Third Avenue Charitable Organization (www.tacosd.org), 1420 Third Avenue, San Diego CA 92101.

This scholarship is made possible by the Cathryn W. Wright Bequest specifically designated for Stephen Ministry lay leaders.  It is expected that congregations send a pastor and two to four lay leaders for the training. 

For more information about Stephen Ministries, please go to their website at  www.stephenministries.org. For training course information and to receive a registration packet, call Stephen Ministries at 314.428.2600. 

The synod scholarship program will provide the following:

1. $800 scholarship per lay leader, available for up to two lay leaders per congregation. Additional $285 scholarship per lay leader for non-commuters will be added. 

2. $1,000 per congregation toward your congregation's enrollment in the Stephen Series, if not currently enrolled. The Leader's Training Course is designed for congregations enrolled in the Stephen Series.

3. $400 travel assistance per lay person for up to two people for Hawaii congregations. 

To apply for this synod scholarship, please use the  attached application form. All applications must be received by close of business on December 16, 2016. Scholarships will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until available funds are exhausted.

If you have any questions, please contact Hitoshi Adachi at 714.352.8734 or by email at hitoshiadachi@pacificasynod.org.

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it."

John 1:5

We live in a deeply divided nation - politically, racially, between the haves and the have-nots. Our world is in the same sad state, one crisis away from chaos. This time of year as we see the days growing shorter and the nights longer, so too do we see a world moving deeper and deeper into darkness.

Advent calls us to stand in the midst of such darkness and proclaim the One who is light; to stand in the midst of a fractured and divided people and preach community and unity; to stand in the midst of fear and uncertainty and to incarnate faith and courage. Advent calls us to stand and speak the truth that is revealed from the cross - that love is stronger than hate, that hope will not disappoint, that tho the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. Advent points us to the One who is Emmanuel, God with us and for us.

We thank God for your congregation as you continue to stand in these difficult days and proclaim in word and deed the Light that brings hope and strength to those around you and around the world. Your witness is much needed in our world and we treasure your partnership in the gospel.

We also thank God for your gifts that support the work we do together as the Pacifica Synod. Because of you, the Light shines in seminaries and universities, soup kitchens and food pantries, in renewing and emerging congregations. WE ARE the Pacifica Synod and for this partnership we give thanks.

As 2016 comes to a close, we ask that you consider an end of the year gift to the Synod. At the end of October, we had an operating shortfall of $25,293. We have confidence that this will be made up by regular congregational giving for the last quarter of 2016 but hope your congregation might be willing to help us start 2017 strong with an additional gift. Also, as congregational budgets are being developed, we ask that you consider increasing by 1% your giving to the Synod. Thank you in advance for considering these requests.

We have a message the world needs to hear, a message of hope and peace that came forth in a manger in Bethlehem. May we all trust in that hope and peace.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."  Romans 15:13

Applications are now being received for the Charles and Mable Warner Trust fund proceeds being administered by the Pacifica Synod. The application deadline is January 15, 2017.

Charles and Mable Warner were members of First Lutheran Church, Los Angeles. They had no children and loved their church as evidenced by the following quote from their will:  "...The entire remainder of the trust estate shall go and be distributed to the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of the Southwest, Los Angeles, California, with the request that such estate be used in the construction of Sunday School facilities and to further youth Christian education."

As legal successors to the Southwest Synod, the principal was divided among the five ELCA synods in Region 2. The principal from the fund has been placed in the ELCA Mission Investment Fund and the interest is made available annually in March, as grants. Depending on interest rates we anticipate receiving about $4,500 on our investment this year that will then be distributed as grants.

The Warner Trust Fund Committee, appointed by the Pacifica Synod Council, is empowered to approve all grant applications. Any project that received a grant last year will not be eligible again this year, but may apply again in the third year.

Please follow the link below to download an application and return it to the Pacifica Synod office no later than January 15, 2017.

Questions? Please contact Hitoshi Adachi ( hitoshiadachi@pacificasynod.org) or Terri Robertson ( terrirobertson@pacificasynod.org) or at 714.692.2791.

CLICK HERE FOR AN APPLICATION

"I wanted to let you know that a federal court in Texas issued a nationwide injunction on November 22, enjoining enforcement of the new FLSA overtime regulations. This does NOT prohibit anyone from complying with the new regulations, but does appear to mean that, for now at least, the new regulations do not take effect December 1. An appeal is likely, however, and this decision is not final, so this road still has some twists and turns left in it.

As you know, we cannot give legal advice to congregations or advise on specific situations. Please consult with legal counsel regarding your specific situation and whether it makes more sense in your context to start complying with the new regulations, or to hold off pending further court proceedings."

When we come to worship, we come as part of many cultures: congregational and church cultures, the cultures of our family, towns or cities, cultures of country and many more. Worship both transcends culture and embraces the diversity of particular cultures. Communal worship also challenges cultures and highlights sharing between cultures. It is these many intersections that make thinking about worship and culture both exciting and challenging. 

What questions do you have about how culture and worship intersect in your place? "Worship at the Center: Engaging Worship and Culture" will give you opportunities to address theses questions. These two days of worship, presentations and workshops are geared for pastors, musicians, worship teams and anyone interested in vibrant worship in their communities.

Come to beautiful Santa Monica, California on February 19-21. St. Paul's Lutheran will be our host for this event

Registration will go live on December 16 at www.elca.org/worship.

Join places of worship across the nation, the Newtown Foundation and Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence, a coalition of more than 50 national denominations and faith-based organizations, to remember those who have lost their lives to gunfire, pray for those whose lives have been forever changed because of the loss of a loved one, and to educate one another on proven strategies to reduce gun violence.

Your congregation is invited to participate and provide educational and advocacy opportunities to end gun violence in America. For more information or to register your congregation, please go to  www.decembersabbath.org/

  dwgibson61@gmail.com

Pre-registration is encouraged to allow for preparation for the meal. Please do so by using the registration form found here, which should be mailed in along with payment. There will be the ability to register at the door the day of the event, beginning at 9:00 a.m.

For more information and to register go to:
http://spiritinthedesert.org/jan-13-19-2017-california-lutheran-executive-skills-for-clergychurch-workers