This past Sunday was the first Sunday in Lent!
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Opportunity for Musicians |
Calling all musicians! You’re invited to submit vocal and instrumental recordings for the virtual Easter hymn, “Jesus Christ is Risen Today.”
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Beginning February 14th, a polar vortex descended over the United States. The harsh conditions severely impacted Southern states, such as Texas, which lack the infrastructure to handle the freezing temperatures and record-setting snow and ice. This has led to power, food and water shortages throughout the region. At the peak of power shortages, 4.5 million homes and businesses in Texas were without electricity and heat.
Lutheran Disaster Response is communicating with and standing ready to support the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod, the Southwestern Texas Synod, the Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod, and Lutheran Social Services Disaster Response.
Your gifts will support storm survivors. Gifts to "U.S. Severe Storms" will be used in full (100%) to assist those affected by severe storms.
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The United As One COVID-19 Special Appeal continues to provide support to congregations during this pandemic.
Join the Florida-Bahamas Synod and lift up your neighboring congregations!
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Resources For Your Lenten Journey |
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We invite you to study, pray, reflect and give with us during ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving — for our families, our neighbors and communities around the world.
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Lutheran World Relief has developed Lenten resources to help your congregation care for our global neighbors.
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Sparkhouse has created a devotional app for youth this Lenten season. Create a space for youth to reflect and pray during Lent 2021. Each day will include Scripture, a reflection, a prayer and a pop art image.
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Join ELCA Young Adults for #NoPlasticsForLent!
This Lenten movement is designed to increase our awareness of our own plastic usage and encourage the formation of new habits!
Click here for more information and to sign the pledge!
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ReconcilingWorks has developed “An LGBTQIA+ Stations of the Cross Lenten Journey” devotional. This new resource is one you can download for free and use in your personal life or in community with others.
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Make a Difference on International Women's Day! |
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International Women’s Day is in just two weeks! This is a wonderful time for your congregation to celebrate women leaders around the world while doubling your impact for the next generation.
The ELCA celebrates this day by uplifting the International Women Leaders (IWL) program. On the Sunday before International Women’s Day on Monday, March 8, your congregation can take an offering for IWL that will go twice as far. Thanks to generous IWL supporters, your congregation’s gifts will be matched dollar for dollar until we reach $50,000. Your support makes it possible for emerging women leaders from our companion churches to study at ELCA colleges and universities, ELCA seminaries, and other institutions around the world.
Thank you for investing in the future of women leaders!
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Misconduct Prevention Workshops
Virtual Workshop about
Sex Offenders, Child Abuse,
and Mandated Reporting
Learn valuable information about mandated reporting of child abuse and ministry with sex offenders during this virtual workshop.
If you plan to attend one of these dates, please email Connie Schmucker at connies@fbsynod.org.
Time: 10 am – 11 am CST
Dates:
Sex Offenders: Pick one date
- Tuesday, February 23
- Thursday, February 25
- Tuesday, March 2
- Wednesday, March 3
Child Abuse - Mandated Reporting: Pick one date
- Tuesday, March 9
- Thursday, March 11
- Tuesday, March 16
- Thursday, March 18
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One Year Changed:
Faith in Pandemic
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Thursday, March 11
7:00-8:30pm Central
Hosted Digitally
A Ready-Made Lent Retreat for you and your congregation! Retreat will include:
- How might we be moved into a different sort of spirituality this Lent?
- Seven-minute talks from faith leaders and more
- Time in prayer and reflection
- FREE to attend live OR On-Demand Access available for Group Use ($149)
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Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary earns 10-year accreditation
Good news from our friends at LTSS! The Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary of Lenoir-Rhyne University announces accreditation has been reaffirmed by the Association of Theological Schools.
LTSS received the maximum 10-year term from ATS, which oversees more than 270 graduate schools in theology and ministry in the United States and Canada. The seminary has been accredited by ATS since 1944.
“I’ve seen the commitment of our faculty and friends of the seminary,” said the Rev. Dr. Mary Shore, rector and dean of LTSS. “It is very gratifying to have other people witness that, as well.”
The accreditation process is notoriously difficult, and we commend the leadership of LTSS for their dedication to their work and ministry. Please pray for their continued success.
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Racial Justice Prayer of the Week |
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Christ Jesus put other’s needs before the concern of self-preservation, even when called to go to the cross. With open speech and public action, the Savior taught the disciples, and the Spirit teaches us to set our mind on the things that are of God. May the Church also be an ever-widening circle of inclusion without regard to race, nationality, gender, sexuality, or religion and take up her cross to follow Christ.
This prayer was submitted by Pastor Tom Holdcraft on behalf of the Synod Racial Justice Team.
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NLC Virtual Hymn Festival: Hope Lives! |
Join the National Lutheran Choir and guest artists, the Keith Hampton Singers, for a FREE virtual program blending spoken reflections, songs and familiar hymns of joy and hope with new music that speaks to our present time, inviting all people of faith to sing in joy together!
Sunday, March 14 @ 4pm (Central Daylight Time) @ NLCA.com
This online presentation is FREE for all. For a Virtual Subscription to exclusive content ($10/month), visit NLCA.com.
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Have you completed Boundaries Training? |
Boundaries training is crucial for rostered ministers. Rostered ministers can attend our Synod's boundaries & sexual ethics training online during COVID-19 here:
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Justice Trivia: Did You Know How Mike Became Martin?
By Denise Beumer, Justice Advocacy
This past January, we celebrated the long fought for National Holiday celebrating the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.--he would have 90 years old this year. However, a review of his birth certificate would have shown the name, Mike King. The story of how it was changed is one of profound circumstances that Rev. Michael King Sr. went through after attending a Baptist World Alliance meeting in Berlin in 1934. He was confronted by the racism of Hitler and supporting a resolution deploring “all racial animosity, and every oppression or unfair discrimination towards Jews, toward coloured people or toward subject races in any part of the world.”
The senior King toured Germany and saw the birthplace of Martin Luther and the Wittenberg castle church. When he returned to the United States he was, according to Clayborne Carson, Director of the King Institute, a different man. “It was a big deal for him to go there, to the birthplace of Protestantism”, said Carson. Soon after he changed his name to Martin Luther King and changed his son’s name to Martin Luther King Jr. This change was reflected in Martin Luther King Jr.’s final sermon on April 3, 1968. In a steady cadence he talked about “standing at the beginning of time, with the possibility of taking a kind of general and panoramic view of the whole of human history up to now, and the Almighty said to me, ‘Martin Luther King which age would you like to live in?’ I would take my mental flight by” Egypt, then to Greece and Mount Olympus, and added he would see the heyday of the Roman Empire. King then added that “I would even go by the way that the man for whom I’m named had his habit, and I would watch Martin Luther as he tacks his 95 Thesis on the door at the church of Wittenberg.”
The next evening, as Martin Luther King Jr. prepared to leave his room at the Lorraine Motel for dinner, a shot rang out, killing him on the balcony of the motel.
Did you know that this connection existed? Let us celebrate our Saints.
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Important Reports Reminder
2021 is here, and reports are due soon! You can submit Annual Ministers Reports to reports@fbsynod.org. By clicking here, you can download the report which corresponds to your roster status. You will need to download the form, fill it out, save it to their computers, and attach to an e-mail to reports@fbsynod.org.
Every congregation submits an annual Parochial Report. For Parochial reports, please visit the ELCA website here. You will need your congregation ID number and a password. If you have misplaced the password, please call the synod office.
If you need assistance, please contact the Synod office. If you have trouble submitting your email, please contact Ileana at ileanas@fbsynod.org.
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Click here to access the Mission Support form on our website. This form is submitted right through the website, and can be used if your card hasn’t been returned to the synod office.
Questions? Need help? Please contact Ileana at ileanas@fbsynod.org
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