We've had a pretty incredible year in the Virginia Synod! Now that 2016 is here we thought we would pause to reflect back and celebrate fifteen of the great moments of 2015:

 

Guidebook, IPads and electronic voting-oh my! If you came to the 2015 Synod Assembly it was hard to miss the new technological advances this year. The Guidebook app for smart phones and tablets meant that the event schedule was always at the tip of your fingers, not to mention you didn't have to shuffle a packet of papers around. Electronic voting went smoothly, eliminating counting up the ballots which meant the whole  was faster than ever. Even Bishop Mauney got into the technology movement during his large group session where he encouraged small groups to use IPads and other similar devices to look up demographic data for the neighborhood surrounding their congregation. If you couldn't make it to Synod Assembly (or you were the Synod support staff who were stuck in the office), the entire event was also livestreamed so you could watch everything on your computer.

While there may have been a few minor hiccups during the Assembly, 2015 was a big leap forward and 2016 promises to be even better!

 

For the past several years several people have been working tirelessly to assemble a comprehensive 25 year history of the Virginia Synod. Rev. Jim Utt, the author of the book, was able to see the project completed and published just in time for Synod Assembly (in fact, it was delivered just a few days before opening worship). The book could not have been completed in such a timely manner without the help of George Kegley and Rev. Jean Bozeman who helped track down facts and photos that spanned more than two decades.

 

Bob Yates from College Lutheran in Salem helped to man the table at Synod Assembly

You caught us-this was also a top moment of 2014, but we couldn't resist talking about the Week of Service. What a great example of being on a "Journey Together" (which is what Synod means) than by moving out in our communities all over the state to share the love of Jesus through service.

The second week of September, over 75 of our congregations participated in the Virginia Synod Week of Service by picking up trash, visiting nursing homes, serving food, and completing a whole host of other projects. Our week led up to the ELCA's "God's Work, Our Hands" Sunday, a day where church members were encouraged to get out of the pew together and serve their communities. We ventured into our neighborhoods and many of us even rocked those iconic "God's Work Our Hands" t-shirts.

 

 

Last year we formed the Virginia Synod Childhood Hunger Task Force, this year we have branched out and created an interfaith movement. In July 2015 we had our first Interfaith Childhood Hunger Conference and since then we have met two other times with participants adding up to almost 100 different people from various faith groups. Representatives from Jewish, Christian, Islamic, and Unitarian Universalist communities have come together for one mission-to end childhood hunger in Virginia.

During the last few days of 2015, a Virginia Delegate agreed support a possible legislative bill for 2016 that could result in more children in Virginia eating breakfast in the mornings before they begin to learn in the classroom. To keep up with our fight against Childhood Hunger, go to www.virginiafeedskids.org.

 

Several of our interfaith partners discuss strategies to end childhood hunger in Virginia at our gathering in November.

When you partner with eight amazing organizations, there are too many moments to count so we had to condense all of them into one point. It's been a big year for our mission partners! Caroline Furnace Lutheran Camp and Retreat Center received a major bequest which allowed them to spruce up the camp and buy new equipment which will make everyone's camp experience even better in the next year. GraceInside launched their first ever annual campaign. Hungry Mother Lutheran Retreat Center hired a new camp director. Lutheran Family Services of Virginia has helped more than 1,500 people this year. National Lutheran Communities and Services awarded more than $221,000 in grants to local organizations. Roanoke College had many students and faculty members receive prestigious awards this year which were shown off on their new website that they launched in the summer. Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary created certificate programs which allows non-degree seeking students the opportunity to explore further theological education. Virginia Lutheran Homes opened the John P. Fishwick Rehabilitation Center in Roanoke. We can't wait to see what they will do in 2016!

 

This was the second year that Renew and Retreat, an event for Faith Formation workers, was held at Caroline Furnace with participation from the Metro DC Synod.  The emphasis this year was on "power" found in the practice of a "still life and knowing God" (From Psalm 46:10). Also this was the year of the Forming Faith Conference, which happens once every two years. This year Marcia Bunge challenged participants to recommit themselves to the divine call to equip parents/grandparents in the raising of their children in the faith. In the Virginia Synod, we don't want to just help people develop their own faith, we want to equip people to help others grow in faith as well.

Power in the Spirit, an adult faith formation event held at Roanoke College, is always an exciting Synod event, but this year the Friday night entertainment was a Lutheran duo known as Lost and Found who were making a stop on the Farewell Tour. After keynote speaker Rev. Jay Gamelin left the stage Michael Bridges and George Baum took up their instruments and had the audience singing and laughing along with their witty lyrics. This show was one of the last live concerts that Lost and Found ever performed so if you missed this show, you'll have check them out online.

 

The Virginia Synod is made up of 11 conferences and each year Bishop James Mauney comes to each conference for a time of learning together, worshiping together, and fellowshipping together. This year the theme was "Finding Your Voice" and youth were encouraged to join in on the fun. In the Richmond conference the room was packed and 65 youth showed up and even stayed for an impromptu youth gathering with Dave Delaney.

 

The Ambassadors Community for Theological Study  (ACTS) is intended to enrich and equip laity for intentional service as ambassadors for Christ. Since the first fall course in 2002, exactly 575 different individuals have participated in the program! Participants have the chance to learn from theological scholars and process through the content of each course with a small group.

 

Each summer hundreds of high school students gather at Roanoke College for a summer Virginia Synod Youth Event called Kairos. Under the direction of Rev. Dave Delaney, the director for youth and young adult ministries from the Virginia Synod, and a team of adult volunteers, a planning group of high school students plans the theme for the event which includes coming up with skits to perform during the large group meetings. This year the planning group was a super hero team and who was their final foe? None other than a villain named colon (like the character on a keyboard) played by Bishop Mauney!

 

 

In 2015 we added three new pastors to our roster! Rev. Leslie Scanlon, the pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Chesapeake, Rev. Katie Pocalyco, the pastor of Lutheran Church of Our Saviour in North Chesterfield, and Rev. Austin Propst, the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bristol are all new to the Virginia Synod this year.

 

From left to right_ Rev. Katie Pocalyco_ Rev. Austin Propst_ and Rev. Leslie Scanlon

This year Bishop Mauney officially announced that he will be retiring after his current term as Bishop of the Virginia Synod ends in May of 2017. Bishop Mauney is dearly loved in the Synod and will be missed when his term is over. In order to prepare for not only the election of a new bishop in 2017 but also the transition to a new leader, the Synod Council put together a transition team this year with representatives from every conference.

Top row from left to right: Rev. E. Roy Riley, Bishop Emeritus of the New Jersey Synod, Rev. Lou Florio, Rev. Jim Utt, Mark Reed, Rev. Larry Shoberg. Middle row from left to right: Elizabeth Smythe, Jody Smiley, Charles Poston, Steve Fredericksen, Robert Bob Yates. Bottom row from left to right,  Rev. Karen Van Stee, Rebecca Walls, Office Manager of the Virginia Synod, Maren Corliss, Blythe Scott.

At our Gathering of the Ministerium event Bishop Mauney announced that the Synod Council voted to launch the Forwarding Faith Campaign, a $2.5 million campaign to create an endowment for youth ministry and faith formation in the Synod. You will be sure to hear more about this campaign in the coming months but if you want to learn more now, you can go to  www.forwardingfaith.org.

 

The Vice President and the Secretary of the Synod Council are two of the highest elected lay leadership positions in the Synod and in 2015 both positions were on the ballot at Synod Assembly. Charles Downs, an attorney from Roanoke and member of College Lutheran Church in Roanoke, was elected as Vice President. Blythe Scott, an attorney from Norfolk and member of First Lutheran Church in Norfolk, was elected as Secretary.

 

Blythe Scott (Left) is pictured with the outgoing Synod Secretary, Janet Gomez

Charles Downs Jr. (Right) is pictured with the outgoing Vice President of the Synod, Charles Poston

They were labeled as "The Skittle Explosion" in Detroit this summer. The 30,000 youth and adult volunteers earned their name as they donned brightly colored shirts while they were at the ELCA National Youth Gathering in July. The attendees not only worshiped together in Ford Field where the Detroit Lions play (what an incredible sight!) and had plenty of free time for the plethora of activities set up by Gathering staff, but each Synod also was assigned a day of service. During this day, everyone set aside their various colored shirts and instead wore the official orange "Rise Up" National Youth Gathering T-shirt. The result was a unified effort to physically spread the love of Jesus throughout the city and neighborhoods of Detroit.

Watch the Virginia Synod video of the National Youth Gathering here:

Rise Up Virginia! Highlights from the ELCA National Youth Gathering