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  [email protected]. If you know of others who aren't receiving our emails, please share this with them and encourage them to sign up here.

The 2018 Pacifica Synod Assembly will meet at Hope Lutheran in Palm Desert for a two-day assembly in an effort to make the assembly more efficient and less costly.  Our Assembly Planning Team has been meeting and has chosen the theme for the Assembly - "Go and Tell: Giving Voice to Faith, Justice 

and Blessing".

The assembly will begin on Friday, May 18 with registration opening at 7 a.m., Hearings at 8 a.m. and the opening business session at 9 a.m. The assembly will end on Saturday, May 19 at noon. 

The 2018 Synod Assembly webpage has been updated with information about nominations, memorials and resolutions. Please note that the deadline to present resolutions and memorials or to make a nomination for the 2018 Assembly is February 15, 2018. 

The registration fees for this assembly will remain the same as they were this year. Each congregation will be sent an invoice in early January 2018, detailing voting member assignments for your congregation and allowing congregations to take advantage of an Early Bird Discounted Congregational Registration Fee ($545 for 3 voting members) if paid by February 28, 2018. After that date, this fee increases to $600. Additional voting members are $125 and visitors are $75. Online registration for voting members and visitors will open on March 1, 2018.

The application period for the Pacifica Synod Latino Ministry Endowment Fund Partnership Support Grants is now open until December 31, 2017.

The Pacifica Synod Latino Ministry Endowment Fund, formed from a merger of the St. Mary's and Santa Ana Accounts by action of the Synod Council on March 12, 2005, provides assistance and support to congregations with existing Latino ministries and/or congregations intending to develop new Latino ministries. Congregations that can demonstrate financial need and have a defined plan for outreach may apply for a partnership support grant from the Pacifica Synod, Latino Ministry Endowment Fund (PS-LMEF).

More information about the grant and application information may be found here.

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, 2018.

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."

Please follow this link to download a fillable application and return it to the Pacifica Synod office no later than January 15, 2018.  If you have any questions, please contact Hitoshi Adachi at [email protected] or Terri Robertson at [email protected] or by phone at 714.692.2791.

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Disengage the autopilot. In secular culture, it's easy to "barrel through to Christmas." In her December column for Living Lutheran, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reminds us that Advent is a season that bids us to be present, to be still. She suggests we reflect on four words: "Just this. Just now." 

Read her column in English at http://bit.ly/2AB3Kjz or in Spanish at http://bit.ly/2nAmnBa.

For a video version of Bishop Eaton's message, see below:

Advent and Christmas are right around the corner and can be a very busy time in the life of this church. To support your communication needs, the ELCA has prepared a number of invitational tools created specifically for congregations. Many people will look for a place to worship this Christmas. Extend a welcoming invitation to your neighbors and community by sharing your worship times and location!

The Christmas collection is available in English and Spanish and offers customizable posters, post cards, doorhangers and social media. "Let us be your home for the holidays," "This Christmas, there is a place for you here" and more - all concepts include a welcoming invitation for others to come and experience worship at your congregation. Select the creative design that will work best for your congregation.

Thank you for the work you do each day in your congregation and in your community. Visit ELCA.org/CongTools often and find links to a variety of tools to help with your communication needs, and continue to send suggestions for other tools that might be good resources for congregations.

On Sunday, December 10, we celebrated with the congregation of Hope Lutheran in Riverside and The Rev. Julie Kelly, as she was installed at their pastor. Congratulations and blessings on your ministry together!

A monthly discussion group exploring alternate beliefs about God and the Bible is being organized by Pastor George Johnson at Regents Point (19191 Harvard Avenue) in Irvine.

"A growing number of people have found that ideas and beliefs we have been taught do not square with science or current experiences..." Pastor George said. "Some traditional liturgies and dogmas that once gave us comfort and security no longer seem to satisfy." Many religious leaders are reluctant to explore new ideas.

Change is seldom easy. Where is there a place to go to discuss alternative beliefs? This is the question that motivates this gathering. Differing views are welcome.

The book,  The Great Spiritual Migration by Brian McLaren (2016) will be one resource along with a variety of articles such as those found in the book, Courage To Think Differently. There are free copies. McLaren's book is available in audible format. 

The first monthly meeting will be in January 2018. A room has been reserved. People who wish to learn more may contact Pastor George at 949.380.0044 or by email at [email protected] or stop by the Johnson villa (19191 Harvard Avenue #116E) for a visit. 

Come to Lutheran Retreats, Camps and Conferences Winter Retreats, where we will be given a deeper understanding of the God that has already named and claimed each one of us, with a love too abundant to comprehend.

Our Winter Retreats at both sites feature special programming designed by our year-round staff.

Friday - Sunday retreats run from 7 pm on Friday evening through lunch on Sunday. Saturday - Monday retreats run from 4 pm on Saturday through brunch on Monday.

Come with your youth group, come by yourself or invite a friend and be ready for a weekend you won't forget. Click here for more info, pricing and a registration link.