Fund for Leaders Scholarship Awarded to Two FBSynod Candidates
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from Pr. Mark Bernthal, ELCA Fund for Leaders Advisory Table and pastor at Our Savior, Vero Beach
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The ELCA Fund for Leaders scholarship program supports students of tremendous promise attending ELCA seminaries. By making seminary more attainable financially, the ELCA Fund for Leaders enables those whom God calls into ministry go and serve as the church needs and the Holy Spirit leads.
Through an endowment of over fifty-six million dollars, 57 full tuition, mission developer/redeveloper, and federal chaplaincy scholarships were recently awarded at the special banquet on September 28 during the Bishop’s Conference in Chicago.
Among this year’s full tuition scholarship recipients were two Florida Bahamas Synod seminarians, Callie Torres (Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary) and Terresa Stewart (Wartburg Theological Seminary).
The Florida Bahamas Synod and our Synodical Women’s Organization also have funds invested in the Fund for Leaders Endowment and award partial annual scholarships. As part of the final year of the Campaign for the ELCA’s focus on leadership, our upcoming Synod Assembly will highlight Fund for Leaders and our two synodical funds.
Thank you to donors! Congratulations to all scholarship recipients! To learn more, to begin a scholarship application, or to discover how your generosity and advocacy can impact our life together as church, visit
Fund-for-Leaders.
(Pr. Mark Bernthal, a member of the ELCA Fund for Leaders Advisory Table, can be reached at pastormark@oursaviorelca.com.)
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When Caring is Killing Us
by Peggy Hahn
Peggy Hahn is the Executive Director of LEAD. LEAD will be our keynote presenters at the upcoming Conference on Ministry, where the theme is "Up on the Rooftop".
Read the rest of this article HERE
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The practice of adaptive leadership* requires us to go up to the balcony. We need to drag ourselves up the stairs to look over our own lives, then take concrete steps to DO something.
Here are the next steps I’m making space for in my own life:
Confidants: (beyond your partner/spouse): get a coach, spiritual guide, therapist, peer group to talk with outside the people you work with every day. Do this now.
Sanctuaries: make time in your life to create, exercise, garden, read, worship, pray, study… whatever it is that renews your soul. Get disciplined about this. Do this tomorrow.
Learn: get a continuing ed plan cooking. What do you want to learn? Get out of the conference world and into more transformative learning. Go on a pilgrimage by digging deeply into something you love. It doesn’t have to be church related. Do this as often as you can.
Gratitude: practice optimism and realism with a grateful heart. Hold these together no matter what. Do this every day.
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Global Mission Sunday at St. Paul, Sarasota
submitted by Pr. Ashley Nicolls
St. Paul Lutheran Church in Sarasota celebrated Global Mission Sunday EPCOT style. The congregation members were invited to dress up in their Disney attire as the worship service focused on connections between Disney and Christianity with a global focus. Each person received a flag of a different country when they came into worship. They waved the flags during the singing of the song "This is God's World After All" to the tune of "It's a Small World." Other Disney songs were changed to Christian words. During the children's message there was an offering taken for the Global Companion Synods while the congregation sang, "Feed the World" to the tune of "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins. The congregation collected over $160. After worship the fellowship time of "Tastes Around the World" displayed flags of different countries with food from that country. A great time was had by all.
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Brewery Blessing on Reformation Day
The Bishop is robing up and ready to kickoff the life of Castle Church Brewing Community with our evening Reformation Day Brewery Blessing, October 28, 4-7:30pm .
It's last call on pre-registration, but there is still time for you and members of your congregation to reserve a space the evening of. If you register now for the catered German style meal, your first tasting of our one off Batch #1 is included in the price. Encourage kids 12 and under to bring their trombones, tamborines, Spanish castanets and other instruments of noise and mayhem to help us get this place blessed right.
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Click on the calendar to go to the synod calendar to learn more about these events
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Register for these events!
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Online registration for the Conference on Ministry is closed. Please call the office (813-870-7660) to register.
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Oct. 23 -
Installation of Pr. Rani
Abdulmasih, Hope, The Villages (5:00 pm)--
CORRECTED TIME
Oct. 26 -
Trunk or Treat, Faith, Lehigh Acres (6 pm)
Oct. 27 -
Installation of Pr. Steve Winsor, Nativity, Palm Beach Gardens (11:00 am)
Oct. 27 -
Oktoberfest, Christ Our Redeemer, Temple Terrace
Oct. 28 -
Installation of Pr. Richard Leseganich, Messiah, Cape Coral (3:00 pm)
Oct. 28 -
Castle Church Brewery Blessing (4:00-7:30 pm)
Oct. 28 -
Service of Healing and Lament, Immanuel, Palm City (6:00 pm)
Nov. 2-3 -
Candidacy Committee Meeting (Synod Office, Tampa)
Nov. 5-7 - Conference on Ministry
Nov. 5-6 -
STS Retreat, San Pedro Retreat Center, Winter Park
Nov. 9-11 -
"Living Forward" retreat, Luther Springs
Nov. 11 -
Installation of Pr. Stephen Brisson, Hope, Citrus Springs (4:00 pm)
Nov. 15-16 -
Synod Council Meeting (Synod Office, Tampa)
Nov. 18 -
Music at Peace, Ft. Myers
Nov. 23 -
Thanksgiving Day Worship and Meal, Grace, Tallahassee (11:00)
Nov. 22-23 - SYNOD OFFICE CLOSED FOR THANKSGIVING
Nov. 28-29 -
Generosity NEXT Stewardship Event (Tampa)
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Thank you--Seeds for Haiti Takes Root
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L’eglise Lutherienne d’Haiti (ELH), the Lutheran Church in Haiti would like to thank the Florida-Bahamas churches that generously donated for the summer “Seeds for Haiti” program.
24 churches from Big Pine Key to Ft Walton beach, all along the east and west coasts, and in the middle of Florida, participated in this initiative. Pastor Livenson Lauvanus, President of the ELH, thanks everyone for their support. Between the offerings donated and $2,500 from the Global Mission Committee fund,
we were able to fulfill the $10,000 requested by the ELH in a Project Concept Note. The money has been sent to Haiti for a food security program where people from two different communities will be able to plant seeds and plants.
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Software Survey results!
Thanks to all who participated in the Software Survey a few weeks ago….we had over 50% participation! How does this information help us? We now have contact info for the congregations who responded with specifics. So, for example, say your church was considering online giving--we can share with you a contact so you can learn how others are using the program, what all is involved etc.
>>>If you are interested in the summary of the results from the survey,
click HERE
<<<
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Portico Benefit Annual Enrollment
It’s time to enter your organization’s 2019 health benefit option.
Congregations and organizations who sponsor employees through Portico: Choose the ELCA-Primary health benefits option you will offer for 2019 and
enter it on EmployerLink
before Oct. 26. You must do this even if you want to continue your current option, your plan members waive ELCA-Primary health benefits, or your plan members are eligible for ELCA Medicare-Primary coverage. There’s information to help your organization make its selection on EmployerLink — or call the Customer Care Center, 800.352.2876, for help.
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Below are some great resources for the seasons of Advent and Christmas. They can be used for families or for congregations.
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Christmas Bundle from Beaming Books
Beaming Books is part of the 1517 Media line (formerly Augsburg Fortress). Free shipping and an additional 30% off on books ordered by Oct. 26, 2018.
Invite the families in your church to experience the true meaning of Christmas with four titles designed to delight, inspire, and create lasting family traditions. As a fun extra bonus, two free downloadable Christmas pageants are included with purchase of this special bundle.
Included in this bundle:
The Birth of Jesus: A Christmas Pop-Up Book
The Star in the Christmas Play
Rufus and the Very Special Baby: A Frolic Christmas Story
A Cold Night: A Christmas Fable
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- Hope, The Villages (Installation of Pr. Rani Abdulmasih)
- Tampa Office
- Nativity, Palm Beach Gardens (Installation of Pr. Steve Winsor)
- Orlando (Castle Church Brewery Blessing)
- Tampa (LSF Board meeting)
- Leesburg (Conference on Ministry
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