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Metro NY CONNECT MOBILE APP
Our newest events app,  Metro NY CONNECT,  is now available for download, here .

Metro NY CONNECT is an exciting and convenient way to unite with your faith-centered community and stay informed about upcoming events and news from your synod.

In addition to having synodical events, congregational events and news, all in one convenient place, you can custom- create your own schedule, invite friends to join you, spread your enthusiasm about events nearby, connect with fellow Lutheran New Yorkers through chat and private messages, and even share photos with one another. 

In a manifestation of community and connectedness, the Metro NY CONNECT app places Church Together right at your fingertips.

Help us to get the word out (!!!)
WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU!
The  MNYS Weekly Newsletter could be an excellent tool for your congregation to help create awareness about its events.

To list an event please send us an email with the event's information, digital ads or link (if any), and a 50-word description (for publication).

We Are Church Together!
CAN'T ATTEND IN PERSON?  NO PROBLEM!
2019 MNYS ANNUAL ASSEMBLY
" Care for Creation " | May 16-18

Don't miss our 2019 MNYS Annual Assembly via Facebook Livestream!
Responses* from the Pre-Identified Pastors for the Office of the Bishop

*The comments of pre-identified pastors represent their opinions only.
— Synod Council Executive Committee.
In response to the major themes identified during our  2018 MNYS Town Hall Meetings, each pre-identified pastor was requested to complete the “Questions for the Prospective Bishop” form. These responses from the pre-identified pastors will be removed before Plenary Session I of our Synod Assembly.  At the Assembly, any pastor of the ELCA is eligible for consideration.

We are thankful for the pre-identified pastors and their willingness to follow this process.
Dear Christian Education Teacher:
We are inviting the little ones from our congregations to share their talents with us! During our 2019 Synod Assembly, we will curate an art exhibition related to our theme, " Care for Creation," and we would love to feature art from our kids. 

If you can coordinate a " Care for Creation" art class as part of your lessons and would like to share the final artworks (or pictures of the artworks) during our assembly, please send them to the synod office by  May 1. To learn more about the specs of the art pieces, please click  here. 
Congregational Capital Improvement Challenge Grant
For 2019 Congregational Capital Improvement Challenge Grant consideration, all annual reports are to be submitted by Tuesday, April 30, 2019 .

Three annual reports are due each year from Congregations/Ministers:
  • 2019 Mission Support Commitment. Click here for the form. Email completed report to annualreports@mnys.org. (Note "2019 Mission Support Commitment" in the subject line.)
  • Congregational Report for the Year Ending December 31, 2018 – Form A & C (Parochial Report). This report is completed online; click here for the ELCA website link.
  • Report for Minister of Word and Sacrament. Click here for the ELCA website link. Email completed report to annualreports@mnys.org.

If you want to confirm your reports have been submitted, please email annualreports@mnys.org. Include your congregation’s name and city, and the pastor(s) name.

The 2019 Congregational Capital Improvement Challenge Grant Application became available on April 1 . The application submission deadline is Monday, June 3, 2019, 5:00 pm.
The Rev. Winston Bone
MNYS MEMORIAL SERVICE
Rev. Bone's Memorial Service will be held on  Sunday, May 5, 2019:

Epiphany Lutheran Church, Hempstead 
4:00 pm
Bishop Donald McCoid,  presiding
MNYS Former Bishop Stephen Bouman,  preaching

A fellowship reception will follow the service.
Bishop's Election Discernment Gathering
Delaware-Hudson Conference 
St. John's Lutheran Church, Middletown
Del-Hud Sunday, April 28
3:30 pm to 5:00 pm, potluck follows
FROM OUR CONGREGATIONS & PARTNERS
A NIGHT OF GAMES, PRAYER AND PINECRESTING!  
Good Shepherd, Pearl River
TODAY! Saturday, April 27
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Pinecrest ELCA Summer Camp for young adults is hosting this evening event and welcomes you and your community to join. The activity will help Pinecrest to support young people to join the 2019 summer session. For information about the camp, send an    email. For more information about Pinecrest, click  here. 
SISTERHOOD
Nassau County or Queens* 
Friday, May 10 | 11am - 2pm

An invitation is extended to all ordained women clergy for an informal gathering. The purpose is to get to know each other better, welcome new pastors and to socialize. For more information or registration, e-mail Pastor Linda Bell, here. 
*Location to be announced upon rsvp
GALA DINNER "GOD IS LOVE" 
St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Parkchester
Saturday, May 4
5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

You are invited to a celebration fundraiser of Blessings & Life's Thankfulness through classical music, Some Jazz, Laughter & Dinner. This Gala features several performances by Barbara Purdy's Cabaret Jazz Combo (Jazz, Love Ballads, Classic Pop), comedy and more. Get tickets online, in person, or by phone. For more information, click here.
INTERFAITH CEREMONY  TO REMEMBER THE HOLOCAUST
Woodstock Jewish Congregation, Woodstock
Sunday, May 5, 4:00 pm

Rabbi Jonathan Kligler and the Woodstock Jewish Congregation are pleased to host guest speaker  The Rev. Sonja Tillberg Maclary, pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Woodstock , and beloved community chorus Ars Choralis for a special interfaith remembrance of the Holocaust. This program is free and open to all; no reservations required. For more information, click  here.
PINECREST  COMMUNITY EVENT
St. Paul's Lutheran Church Flatlands, Brooklyn
Saturday, May 11 
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

All are welcome to this event that will help PINECREST, a community that inspires young adults in their faith formation and helps develop leaders in the Lutheran Church. You are invited to hang out for a night of games and prayer. For more information, click  here.
COMMUNITY CLERGY TRAINING PROGRAM   
Church on the Sound, Stony Brook
Thursday, May 16 - Thursday, May 23
Registration at 8:00 am; sessions start at 8:30 am

This free, interactive training is co-sponsored by the National VA Chaplain Center and the PTS Committee of the Suffolk County American Legion. This event can help prepare you to support many veterans and their family members who are looking for help from clergy. For more information, click here.
AWARDS DINNER
Sophia’s Greek Orthodox Church, Albany
Wednesday, May 29
5:30 pm - 8:30 pm

All are invited to attend the NY State Council of Churches Fourth Annual Awards and Fundraising Dinner. A reception with a cash bar, dinner and awards presentations. This year, The Reverend Aaron Baughman, Pastor of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Port Jervis, will receive the Excellence in Ecumenicism Award. To purchase tickets, click here.
THE NAMING PROJECT SUMMER CAMP
Bay Lake Camp, Minnesota 
July 28 - August 2 

Organized by the Naming Project, this is a faith-filled camp for  LGBTQIA+ teens who want to explore faith, identity, and community. The camp will welcome teenagers 14-18 years old, of any sexual orientation or gender identity, interested in understanding their own spiritual journey, while canoeing, swimming, hiking, singing, and doing arts and crafts. For more information, click  here.
JOB OPPORTUNITIES & MORE
PRESCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: Dix Hills—more information here
PARSONAGE AVAILABLE: Nassau County—more information here
TEACHER FOR TANZANIA: Metropolitan New York Synod—more information here

––––– CALENDAR –––––
TODAY! APRIL 27 :  Synod Council Meeting—more information  here
APRIL 28 :  Service of Holy Closure: New Hope for All Saints and Transfiguration, Bronx—more information  here
MAY 5  :  The Rev. Winston Bone Memorial Service—more information  here.
MAY 6  : Worship Committee Meeting—more information  here.

WE'RE PRAYING FOR...
• Our siblings in Sri-Lanka
• The Rev. Amandus J. Derr, recovering from a surgical procedure due to a collapsed disc
• Our work toward shaping a more inclusive church that welcomes and affirms all of God's people, specifically our  LGBTQIA+  brothers, sisters, and siblings 
• The asylum seekers who are waiting to be processed at our southern border
• Refugees and immigrants, and those who come to their aid
• Those affected by violence in their schools, workplaces, and homes 
• The unity of this church and its mission
• Peace in our world
• Peace in our nation
• The care of God's Creation 
• ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission, Dejaneria Hartsfield and Eric Jensen, serving in Argentina and Uruguay
• ELCA missionaries The Rev. Dr. James and Carol Sack, Theological education, music ministry, and Randall Tallent, ESL teacher, serving in Japan
• MNYS missionary Melanie Nelson, and her husband David Kingery, serving in Bukoba, Tanzania
•  Bishop Tracie L. Bartholomew, the staff, and the people of the New Jersey Synod