Featured in the
September, 2018 issue:
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Are you connected with us on Facebook?
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October 5 - 7
Cal Lutheran, Thousand Oaks
October 5 - 7
Oak Glen
October 20
October 22 - 25
Embassy Suites, Palm Desert
St. John's, Palm Desert
October 26 - 28
El Camino Pines
November 16 - 18
Woodland Hills
SAVE THE DATE
Synod Assembly
and Bishop's Election
May 30 - June 1, 2019
California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks
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Jobs in and Around the Synod
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Bishop Eaton's Column
Fear not
For Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, Isaiah 43:1-7 is one of the most hopeful and lovely passages in all of Scripture. Find out why in her September column for Living Lutheran, where she says it is possible for us to fear and fear not.
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Dick Buma, husband of Pastor Christine Buma, died of cancer related to pneumonia on Sunday August 19
. A gathering is planned for November 3
in Pine Mountain. Notes may be addressed to Pastor Chris Buma, P.O.
Box 6502,
Pine Mountain, CA 93222-6502
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#ELCAVotes: Voter Guidelines for People facing Homelessness
Local ministries and advocacy groups can play a monumental role in ensuring inclusive access for all people interested in civic engagement and guaranteeing tha
t no voice is lost in our democratic process. Churches engaged in the margins and faith activists are often the best positioned, and sometimes only, means to expand voter outreach to people struggling with homelessness."
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Foothill
Wednesday, October 3
6:00 p.m.
Los Angeles Metropolitan
Thursday October 4
6:30 p.m.
Community, Los Angeles
Central Coast
Saturday, October 6
11:00 a.m.
Gloria Dei, Santa Maria
San Gabriel Valley
Thursday, October 11
6:00 p.m.
Channel Islands
Tuesday, October 16
6:00 p.m.
South Bay
Thursday, November 1
6:00 p.m.
First, Torrance
Tehachapi
Saturday, November 3
9:00 a.m.
Greater Long Beach
Tuesday, November 13
6:00 p.m.
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Please pray for the following:
- The Family of Dick Buma, who passed away on August 19.
- Pastor Ray Kibler, battling immuno-deficiency disease and cancer, and for cognitive recovery.
Your prayer requests are important to us and will continue for two months in Synews.
If you would like to be added to the prayer list or if we should continue your request, please contact Robin at rlujan@socalsynod.org
.
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Southwest California
Synod Staff
The Rev. R. Guy Erwin, Ph.D.
Bishop
The Rev. Reg Schultz-Akerson
Rostered Leadership
The Rev. Marj Funk-Pihl Congregational Mission Evangelical Mission
Maria Paiva
Latino Ministries
Children, Youth and Faith Formation
Andreas Hirsch
Finance and Administration
Sheri Dillon
Assistant to the Bishop
Office Manager
Sherri Miller
Bookkeeper
Robin Lujan
Administrative Assistant
Receptionist
Thomas Yuschak
Region 2 Archivist
Edward Duarte
Administrative Assistant
Samantha Henderson
Communications
1300 E. Colorado Street
Glendale, CA 91205
(818) 507-9591 Phone
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Synews, the weekly email newsletter of the Southwest California Synod, ELCA, brings you news and information from the synod office in an environmentally friendly format. Please share this information as you are able. You can sign up to receive the Synews and special emails from the synod office here.
News, information, and corrections for
Synews should be emailed to
Samantha Henderson
(shenderson@socalsynod.org). To follow Bishop Guy Erwin's daily schedule, search #thebishopsday on Facebook.
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Women and Justice Social Statement Hearing
Sharon Heck
Eighteen women and men gathered at the Lutheran Center on Saturday, August 25 to study and recommend changes to the DRAFT social statement on Women and Justice. Responses to the DRAFT must be received no later than September 30, 2018. Creating the social statement has been a ten year process, and it will be voted on at the Churchwide Assembly in the summer of 2019. A two-thirds yes vote of the voting members is required for adoption.
ELCA social statements are teaching and policy documents that assist members in forming judgments and in guiding action on social issues. They also set policy for this church, guide advocacy efforts, and support its public voice.
Dixie Hanson has been the synod representative for the social statement, and she was charged with holding listening sessions throughout the years. Dixie led part of the discussion, and she was aided by Sharon Heck and The Rev. Dr. Pam Challis. Bishop Guy Erwin was able to attend a portion of the morning session.
The group who gathered contained several female pastors, lay women, and lay men. The discussion was lively at times, and many suggestions for changes were recorded. A report from the whole group is being sent to the ELCA Task Force on Women and Justice in Chicago. A few members of the group completed their own response forms. Those in attendance agreed it was a good opportunity to join in conversation and discernment about this concern as people of faith.
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You are a vital congregation of our synod - Part 2
"Love One Another"
Rev. Marj Funk-Pihl, Director for Evangelical Mission
Every congregation in our synod who has taken the Congregational Vitality Survey (about 33 so far) has high scores for how close members feel to one another. This is the great strength on which we need to build, because those same congregations gave themselves low scores for their satisfaction with communication and how decisions are made. My guess is that we need to have more intentional conversations between friends. We aren't utilizing the network of relationships in our congregation as a communication tool. The result is that people who feel deep love for one another are, paradoxically, also feeling left out.
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Global Church Sunday
Rev. Ellen Jennrich
Every fall, ELCA congregations and ministries are invited to celebrate our church's connections and common mission within Christ's global church by celebrating Global Church Sunday.
This includes long- and short- term missionaries, YAGMs (
Young Adults in Global Mission
), ELCA connections with
Lutheran World Relief
,
worldwide hunger
,
water
,
malaria
,
AIDS
and church building projects, our
Companion Synods in El Salvador and Hong Kong
and more, as well as the projects and visits through our individual local congregations. Resources for worship or special events are available through
ELCA Global Missions
, and resources and videos are linked here.
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"We are Santa Monica" profiles Mt. Olive's Students 4 Students Shelter
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Pastor Eric Shafer on the Students 4 Students Shelter
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Mt. Olive Lutheran Church is a bustling place, hosting monthly jazz concerts, 12 Step groups, a preschool, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Opera, and the offices for the Westside Coalition For Hunger And Homelessness - and now the
Students 4 Students shelter, also known as the "Bruin Shelter."
Run by 80 UCLA student volunteers, the shelter is a stunning display of collaboration. Volunteers prepare breakfast and evening meals, and an outside caterer donates lunches. It's a safe space where students can get rest and meals while they're pursuing their academic careers.
Pastor Eric also hopes that other houses of worship and community organizations will be encouraged to open up their space to house students. If you're interested in talking about setting up a shelter, contact them - they'd love to talk to you about it.
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Scam Warning!
Scammers pretending to be from
the
DWP have been targeting churches in the synod territory (
including
the synod office!). They will call,
claim you have an unpaid bill, and threaten to cut off water or power that day unless a large cash or electronic payment is made immediately. Scammers will clone official numbers so that the DWP number appears on your caller ID, and have recorded DWP voicemail to seem more authentic. Utility companies such as the DWP will not ask for social security or bank account numbers over the phone, and will not ask you to pay with cash, gift cards, or at ATM machines. You can always call 1-800-DIAL-DWP to check on the status of your
account, and if you receive a suspicious phone call, write it down and relay it to the department.
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Statement of Information Alert
Don't pay more than you have to!
As corporations, congregations are required to file an annual Statement of Information (SI100) with the Secretary of State, and should do so by accessing the California Secretary of State's website, submitting information, and paying the $20 fee online.
Many congregations have been receiving a mailed form called "Statement of Information Submission," designed to look like an official form from the California Secretary of State, which requests $150 to submit the congregation's SI100. This is actually an unsolicited service, charging $150 for what should be a $20 filing fee.
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New Video Discussion Guides Available from ELCA Hunger
Use for study groups, temple talks, and Sunday school
ELCA World Hunger supports ministries around the world and here in the United States that are committed to ending hunger and poverty for good. Nothing quite captures the stories of God's work in these communities quite like videos where viewers can hear directly from the participants and leaders.
These guides are designed for study group sessions of up to 45 minutes, though they can be adapted for shorter sessions. The information in them can also be used to guide short temple talks to highlight the work our church supports together through ELCA World Hunger.
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Southwest California Synod, ELCA
1300 E. Colorado Street
Glendale,
California
91205
(818) 507-9591
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