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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.
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Warner Trust Fund Grants - Deadline January 15, 2017
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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.
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Day of Theological Reflection & Dialogue - February 2, 2017
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ALL are invited to be with us - rostered and lay leaders - for our 2017 Day of Theological Reflection & Dialogue that will take place on Thursday, February 2, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
at the Vina de Lestonnac Retreat Center, 39300 De Portola Road, Temecula. The cost will be $50, which includes lunch. Financial assistance will be available by request.
In Philippians, Christ is described as not grasping to the status he deserved but emptying himself and taking on the form of a slave. In light of this teaching and in response to the Synod Assembly resolution that we address power and privilege, we invite our leaders to a day of theological reflection entitled, "Philippians, Power, and Privilege". We will gather for worship, scripture study led by Bishop Taylor, and a facilitated discussion. This is not another lecture on racism, sexism and other forms of exclusion, but a place for sharing stories and seeking God's guidance as a church. Pastor Ron Werner from Portland, Oregon will be our facilitator. He is trained in group process to ensure that key conversations take place. We pray for renewed vision as leaders, commitment for change, and steps to ensure a more inclusive future.
Online registration will open on Friday, January 6, 2017. Watch for more details to be sent out tomorrow.
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2017 Congregational Statement of Intent for Mission Support
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From Victoria Flood, Director, ELCA Mission Support and Nick Kiger, Associate Director, ELCA Mission Support...
Budgeting - just the sound of this word makes some people cringe. Yet, we know in our personal lives as well as in the lives of our congregations, budgeting enables us to responsibly steward our financial resources. The same is true for our ELCA synods and churchwide organization. Both rely on unrestricted giving, called Mission Support, from congregations like yours to support ministries locally and globally.
ELCA synods and the churchwide organization can better make, fulfill and expand ministry commitments when they hear from your congregation about its giving intent for the next year. We ask you to prayerfully consider your congregation's financial support for ministries of the wider church and then share this intended support with your synod using the form provided. We are church together, doing so much more than any one of us could do alone.
Your ministry partners in the ELCA invite congregations to make a statement of intent to synod and churchwide ministries for 2017. As your congregation considers its commitment, please note this invitation models the spiritual practices of regular reflection and faithful response to God's abundant grace. We encourage each expression of the church (households, congregations and synods) to engage in these practices regularly. In this way, we move beyond ourselves to do God's work together.
Congregations are asked to submit their 2017 Statement of Intent as soon as your 2017 budget is approved. You may find a copy of the 2017 Statement of Intent here for you to complete and return to the Pacifica Synod office at your earliest convenience.
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Annual Reporting for Ordained Ministers & Rostered Lay Persons
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All rostered leaders in the ELCA are required to complete an annual report. Follow this link to select the applicable report. This report is a fillable PDF. To ensure that your report is saved properly before sending or printing it, please follow the instructions below. Once completed, please return this form to the synod office by email (see below), fax (714.692.9317), or by mail to the Pacifica Synod office at 1801C Parkcourt Place, Santa Ana, CA, 92701.
- Go to the ELCA webpage to get the form.
- Right-click or control-click (on a Mac) on the file you want to use and select "save file" so it gets saved on your computer in a place you can find.
- Close the webpage! Don't type your answers in the webpage version!
- Find the file on your computer, and open it in Acrobat or Preview or another .pdf reader.
- Fill out a couple lines of the form. Save it. Close the file. Reopen it to see that the data is being saved correctly.
- Finish completing the file and save it.
- Find the file on your computer and attach it to an email sent to office@pacificasynod.org
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Pacifica Synod Assembly 2017 - Reform, Transform, Inform
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We will gather for our 30th Annual Pacifica Synod Assembly from Thursday, May 11 to Saturday, May 13, 2017 at the Town and Country Resort in San Diego. Our Assembly Planning Team is working hard and details will be available very soon. Thanks for your patience.
Watch for your congregation's early bird registration invoice to arrive mid-January. You will have until February 28, 2017 to take advantage of the discounted registration fee. Online registration for voting members and guests will open in March 2017.
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2017 Resolutions Process for Synod Assembly
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THE DEADLINE FOR PRESENTING A RESOLUTION TO THE 2017 SYNOD ASSEMBLY IS FEBRUARY 11, 2017
Resolutions may be submitted by a congregation of the Synod, a Ministry Team, an ELCA institution or agency, a conference, or the Synod Council and must be signed by the appropriate leadership (i.e., president, chair, dean, etc.) Individuals may submit a resolution with the signatures of 10 other members of the Synod. The maker(s) of the resolution must be identified separately from the required signers.
Resolutions are to be submitted in writing 90 days in advance of the Synod Assembly (by February 11, 2017) for review by the Resolutions Committee and for placement in the pre-assembly materials. They may be mailed or faxed to the synod office (address at bottom of this page) to the attention of the Resolutions Committee.
Resolutions submitted are reviewed by the Resolutions Committee for proper form, appropriateness of subject, appropriateness of desired action, inclusion of a plan of implementation and for elimination of duplication. The Resolutions Committee has the responsibility to ensure that resolutions brought before the Assembly are grammatically correct and factually correct as to existing church policies or structure. Therefore, the Resolutions Committee has the responsibility to edit resolutions if necessary so that the Assembly can deal with the substance of the issues presented. The Committee shall report its action to the makers of the resolution and to the Synod Council, to which the makers can appeal the decision.
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Synod Council Nominations Requested
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The Nominating Committee for the 2017 Pacifica Synod Assembly needs your help in surfacing names of persons able to serve our synod in an elected capacity. If you provide their contact information, the committee will make contact with the nominee to determine a willingness to serve. To meet the inclusivity requirement of our Synod Constitution (S6.04), we will accept nominees to fill the following council positions as shown below. We are seeking two nominees for each position. Designations male/female are made in an effort to provide 50/50 balance. Please contact Rachel Line by email at
rachelline@pacificasynod.org for more information.
2017 Synod Council Positions To Be Filled:
Four-year term:
Treasurer (lay or clergy)
Three-year terms:
Youth Representative (age 20 or younger at time of election)
Hukilau Conference Lay (male)
Lay at Large (female, ethnic or English as a second language)
Big Bear Conference Clergy (female)
Saddleback Conference Lay (female)
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The IRS has released the 2017 mileage rates. Business and ministry rates have
been reduced to 53.5 cents per mile.
To see the entire list go here:
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In her January column in Living Lutheran, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reminds us that the "gift of grace, especially as it comes to us in baptism,"
helps us "make sense of our lives and resolves the stress" of making resolutions.
Read her column at:
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New Churchwide Position
Candidacy and Leadership Manager for Regions 1 & 2
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The Candidacy and Leadership Manager is a member of the Domestic Mission Candidacy Team working collaboratively with bishops to mentor, resource and train synod candidacy committees. Their work will be in collaboration with other leadership team members, and may include leadership formation, Assignments, mobility, vocations and recruitment, relate to the Lifelong learning and campus pastor networks to identify and resource the formation processes for people responding to their call to rostered ministry. This full-time position will be based in the Region 1 or 2 area.
Follow this link for more information and/or to apply. The application period closes January 20, 2017.
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ELCA Regional Gift Planner Job Opportunity
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The ELCA seeks a Regional Gift Planner that will support the Pacifica and Southwest California Synods. The Regional Gift Planner is responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting and securing new and ongoing gifts from individuals in support of churchwide ministries, congregations, synods and related ELCA ministries. Each Gift Planner lives and works within their assigned territory (home office).
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ELCA Annual Report Cover Page
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The 2016 Annual Report Cover Page and other resources are now available on the
Stewardship page of the ELCA website:
- Annual Report Cover (Folder version)
- Annual Report Cover (Single page version)
- Where your offering goes (Poster)
- Where your offering goes (8.5x11)
The Annual Report Cover also includes a message from Bishop Eaton and an opening litany.
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Celebrating Ministry Together!
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Artwork at Redeemer Lutheran, Seal Beach
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Shown above is a 5x7 feet painting mounted on the front of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Seal Beach Leisure World. From left to right are the two who mounted it, Sylvia Makus and Larry Norlander; then the two artists Barbara Symondza and Carmen Leslie. Below is a photo of the two artists beginning the project (Barbara is on the left and Carmen on the right.)
Carmen is a member of Redeemer and asked her friend Barbara to assist her in creating this large work. Barbara is also an artist, who for years lived and worked in Long Beach. Both Carmen and Barbara are art instructors and live here in Leisure World. This project was funded by a gift from Greg Janke, who regularly worships at Redeemer. This is the first of what will be four large paintings depicting different seasons of the church year. Redeemer Lutheran Church is in the center of Leisure World and we feel these art works can be a witness to the community.
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Golden Anniversary of Ministry in the Neighborhood
Lutheran Church of Our Savior, San Bernardino
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All are invited to the Lutheran Church of Our Savior in San Bernardino as they celebrate 50 years at 5050 North Sierra Way on Sunday, January 15 at 10:00 a.m. with a reception and refreshments following in the Parish Hall. Pastor Ken Caudill will preach, Pastor Scottie Lloyd will preside, and Pastors Lester Hoffman and Eugene Holtz will participate. Neighbors and friends from everywhere are invited to join us for food, fun, and story sharing of ministry past and exciting new ministry emerging in our neighborhood. Call for details at 909.882.5013.
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ELCA "Engaging Worship & Culture" Event in Santa Monica
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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
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Registration is NOW OPEN for
Western States Youth Gathering - June 28 to July 2, 2017
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Held on the campus of California Lutheran University in Southern California
June 28 - July 2, 2017
For all high school youth in ELCA Regions 1 - 4
Western States Youth Gathering occurs every three years. There will be mass gatherings with great speakers and musicians; learning and small group experiences; a beach day; immersion experience in Los Angeles; worship that takes you in new directions; and much more!
The current registration cost is $460 per person. For more info, go to the website at www.wsyg.com.
Questions? Contact
Linda LeBlanc, Assistant Director for Congregational Relations at leblanc@callutheran.edu or 805.493.3936.
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