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Bishop Eaton's November Column
In her November column for Living Lutheran, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reminds us that God has given all of us a mission to invite more people into the way of Jesus. Read her column in
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We are closing in on the first registration "deadline" for the 2022 ELCA Youth Gathering but
please know that if you aren't able to get your group fully registered by this Sunday it is ok!
You still have PLENTY of time - even if you have just started or not even begun to think
about planning to attend the Gathering. The first “deadline” is this Sunday, November 21
but we still have now 249 days until the start of the Gathering so you can still begin
planning with your congregation.
We know preparing for this Gathering is very different but we are here to support you in
anyway we can. To learn more about these next steps, please read the most recent
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need help planning:
Jason Poole-Xiong
Gathering Synod Coordinator
(847) 893-9226 - Call or Text
**Note that Jason will be out of the office on vacation November 22-28.
Marie Leafblad
Assistant to the Bishop for Leadership Support
(608) 270-0201
**The synod office will be closed for Thanksgiving on November 25-28.
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Letter to Congregations from Council Vice-President Jane Cahill-Wolfgram about Boys Scouts of America
BSA Bankruptcy Question & Answer
Webinar Information
When: Dec 2, 2021 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information
about joining the meeting.
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Critical Congregational Help Needed:
Volunteer to be a Council Member or Representative
What does this entail? Being a council member means attending a zoom meeting every other month to help LUAD set policy and vote on expenses. The job description can expand as the member wishes. LUAD became important enough to me that I have gone on to be treasurer and now president as well as being an active volunteer at disaster sites. Other members attend meetings, contribute insights and ideas, but otherwise have limited their involvement to meeting attendance.
What does this entail? Being a congregational representative would mean that you are a person our disaster coordinator could call and you would help find volunteers within your congregation. This duty might mean a couple of years go by before you are asked to find volunteers for disaster work.
Contact LUAD at 888-237-0433
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The Reconciling in Christ team of the synod would like to invite you to the event below. |
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Advent Pilgrimage in Palestine is a four-week virtual pilgrimage from the ELCA’s Peace Not Walls and Young Adult Ministry teams featuring young adult voices from the ELCA and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.
Join us this Advent Season on the WAY to Bethlehem: Prepare, Journey, Arrive, Witness
What is “the way to Bethlehem,” as Advent practice, and as Christian engagement in Palestine? What does it mean for us as Christians, and for the church, to be called to resist the injustice of “the way things are” in favor of following the disruptive and transformative way of the Lord? What does it mean for us to be “on the way”?
Opening Webinar on Nov 22: Join us as we kick-off the series.
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Giving Tuesday is November 30th.
This year we are featuring an organization within the synod that could use donations.
Diakonia is a two year program for lay members of congregations to get together. The expenses of a course are a $400.00 stipend for the instructor. We are also part of the National Diakonia program where we pay "dues" so the program can run on the national level. It has been suggested that each synod belonging to Diakonia pay $750 per year. We have not been able to do that.
To break even we need to have at least 7 paying students. At the present time, those that have graduated can audit a course. Right now we are unable to provide scholarships for students. Which is something we would really like to do.
With your donation we would be able to pay dues, pay for graduation expenses and other expenses that may occur. Most importantly we would be able to provide scholarships to students.
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Follow the Synod Racial Equity Team on Facebook
Stay up-to-date on local and denominational events and resources related to racial equity by following the Racial Equity Team on Facebook. You can find the page at Facebook.com/SCSWRacialEquity. And let us know if there are events or resources you'd like to share. Become part of the network of individuals and congregations in our synod actively working for racial justice!
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Watch Party & Discussion of "Native Nations" Documentary
Discuss on Zoom on Tuesday, November 30th at 7:00pm
The Racial Equity Team of the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin ELCA invites you to watch "Native Nations: Standing Together for Civil Rights" during the month of November in honor of Native American Heritage Month. "Native Nations" is a one-hour documentary exploring the role of the Lutheran Church in the American Indian civil rights movement of the 1970s and 1980s. More information here.
The documentary is available on YouTube and can be viewed anytime on or before November 30th. You're invited to watch it on your own or with a small group from your church. At 7:00pm on Tuesday, November 30th, the Synod Racial Equity Team will host a discussion on Zoom.
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After a two-year pause during the COVID-19 pandemic, the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program is preparing to send volunteers out into the world again! Applications are now open, and you can invite young adults on this journey abroad for the 2022-2023 program year.
If you know young adults aged 21 to 29, this is the time to reach out. Encourage them to apply for YAGM by the deadline of Feb.1, 2022. (Priority deadline is Jan. 15, 2022.) Talk to them personally about what this opportunity will mean for their faith, identity, career and understanding of God’s work in the world. Share these videos about the YAGM experience.
The deadline to apply is Feb. 1, 2022.
Priority will be given to those who apply before Jan. 15, 2022.
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Applications Are Open for the
2022 Contemplative Renewal Cohort
Increased demands and stress have marked the work of pastors over the last 18 months. Clergy who completed “Contemplative Renewal” had resources and companions that helped them maintain resilience and health.
Are you looking for ways to be renewed in your sense of call and more ready for the next set of challenges that the future holds? Would you benefit from time away to deepen your spirit?
If you are an ordained pastor currently serving half-time or more in a congregational setting, you are invited to apply for the next cohort, to begin in July of 2022. Funded by a Thriving in Ministry Grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc., this unique experience is available at no cost. Online applications may be completed at www.holywisdommonastery.org/eccsr
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ELCA World Hunger Advent Resources
As members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, we are called to share in God’s work in the world. Through ELCA World Hunger, our church creatively and courageously works toward a just world where all are fed. Together, we act, pray and hope for truly sufficient, sustainable livelihoods for all.
ELCA World Hunger’s Advent resources are designed to equip you and your congregation in your work to end hunger and poverty. Through God’s work and together as a church, we are achieving things on a scale and scope we could never do alone.
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Churches Beyond Borders Devotional inspired by UNs
Anti-Violence Efforts
The devotional — an annual tradition for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), The Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada — dives into each of the 16 days in the U.N. campaign, which begins with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Nov. 25 and ends on Human Rights Day, Dec. 10. This year, Mary's Magnificat — found in Luke 1:46-55 — was selected as the guiding text for the booklet in recognition of the campaign's alignment with Advent.
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Holy Land Advocacy Synod Team
- Rev. Peder Johanson (Broadhead, WI)
- Rev. Julie Krahn, Zion (Rock Springs WI and St. John, North Freedom, WI)
Pastors and Congregations in our Synod
- Pastor Tim Knipfer and Members of Bristol Lutheran (Sun Prairie, WI)
- Pastor Rebecca Ninke and Members of Brooklyn Lutheran (Brooklyn, WI)
Neighboring Synod
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Bishop Anne C. Edison-Albright East-Central Synod of Wisconsin
Members Elected to Churchwide Assembly
- Jim Jennings, Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod
- David M. Lenz, Northeastern Ohio Synod
We give thanks at this time for the ministry of those who celebrate their anniversary of Ordination during this coming week:
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Kristin Rice, November 19, 2019, Synod Call – Specialized, Attic Angels - Middleton, WI coffeepastor83@gmail.com
- David Froemming, November 19, 2005, Pastor at Christ Lutheran - Lancaster, WI pastorfroemming@yahoo.com
- Gene Talley, November 22, 1997, Pastor at Shepherd of the Hills - New Glarus shepherd2322@gmail.com
- Bonita Vize, November 22, 1985, Retired Deacon living in Middleton, WI bonitavize66@gmail.com
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Kelli Schmit, November 25, 2012, Pastor at McFarland Lutheran in McFarland, WI kellischmit@gmail.com
- Daniel Anderson, November 25, 1973, Retired pastor living in Madison, WI danderson5537@charter.net
May these leaders continue to be blessed for service!
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Congregations In Transition |
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As always we would love for you to continue to share your news. If you have something you would like considered for publication in What Matters, send it to us via email to Stephanie Bill, Communications Manager at
stephanieb@scsw-elca.org. The deadline for consideration of inclusion in the current weeks e-newsletter is 12:00 p.m. (CT) on Wednesday.
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