E-Spirit

Weekly Newsletter

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News, Stories, and More


From the

Florida-Bahamas Synod of the ELCA

September 21, 2021


Upcoming Installations and Ordinations


September 25, 10:30 AM – The Rev. Kari Niedermaier as Pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Port Orange. The Rev. Rob Carlson will officiate.


October 3, 2:00 PM – The Rev. George Cruz-Martinez as Pastor of Hope Lutheran Church in Satsuma. The Rev. Rob Carlson will officiate.


October 23, 2:00 PM - The Rev. Gayle Nelson as Pastor of St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Ocala. The Rev. Rob Carlson will officiate.


October 24, 3:00 PM – The Rev. Kelly Pensinger as Pastor of Lutheran Church of the Palms in Palm Harbor. The Rev. Rob Carlson will officiate.


October 26, 11:00 AM – The Rev. Edward G. Barnett as Pastor, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Leesburg. Bishop Pedro Suarez will preside.



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Join the Just Love Team for:

"The Doctrine of Discovery: Unmasking the Domination Code" with

Rev. Dr. "Tink" Tinker.


The 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly adopted a repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery. What does repudiation mean for our ministries and mission going forward? 


When: Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021

11am to 1:30pm.

CLICK HERE to register.

News, Stories, and More...

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Synod Assembly Voting Members:


Floor Nominations are Now Open!


Floor nominations for the upcoming Synod Assembly are now open and will be taken from Voting Members only until October 4, 2021. Floor nominations may be for any of the 34 open positions as identified in the Nominations Book, click here for the floor nomination form. Voting Members, your help is especially needed to identify Layperson Male nominees from the Southeast Mission District to serve on Synod Council for a three year term.


Floor nominations are also being accepted for Female Laypersons and Female Rostered Ministers to fill one-year At-large Synod Council positions. The actual number needed and Layperson to Rostered Minister breakdown of At-large positions will be determined once the current Synod Council open positions have been decided. It will not exceed four positions. Nominees for these positions will be announced and biographical information shared after the first ballot for Synod Council has been completed.


The At-large position is used to maintain the Constitutional balance (†S6.04) of Synod Council members:

· At least 60 percent of the members of the synod assemblies, councils, committees, boards, and other organizational units shall be laypersons

· 45 percent of the lay members of assemblies, councils, committees, boards, or other organizational units shall be female and 45 percent shall be male

· Where possible, the representation of Rostered Ministers shall be both male and female.


Floor Nominations may only be made by a registered Voting Member for the upcoming Synod Assembly. Voting Members may make Floor Nominations using the link received via email from the Synod Office on Monday September 20th.



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Don't Forget to Register for Synod Assembly!


The 2021 Virtual Synod Assembly will be here before you know it! If you're a voting member, make sure that you're registered today.


Registration is open until September 30. Late registration will be available October 1 through the 7, with an increased registration fee. After October 7, you will no longer be able to register and there will be no day of registrations.


Comprehensive information regarding the Virtual Assembly can be found on the Virtual Assembly page on the Florida-Bahamas Synod website. CLICK HERE to visit the page.


If you registered for the in-person Assembly, you will need to re-register for the virtual assembly. CLICK HERE to register for Synod Assembly.


During the week of October 4, training will be provided so everyone knows how to use Zoom, vote, and participate during the assembly.



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Be a guest participant in a course at

The United Theological College of the West Indies!



Our partner in Global Mission, United Theological College of the West Indies (UTCWI) recently welcomed a Lutheran professor, Dr. Carolyn Schneider, to teach at UTCWI. She is offering a course on The Book of Concord for a student from Suriname, and you are invited to participate virtually in the classes! The next class is on Monday, September 20 on the Ten Commandments. There is no charge to join in, however, Dr. Schneider does ask that you prepare for the class. The course runs through November; it is possible to join in some, but not all, of the classes. The syllabus can be found here.



A new zoom link will be provided each week.

For the September 20 zoom link, CLICK HERE. Passcode: 38EddP  

The class will convene at 9:00am Jamaica Time, which is 10:00 Eastern Standard Time. Questions? Contact Rev. Katie Carroll, Global Mission Chair, revkhc@gmail.com  or Judith Olsen, Jamaica Team Leader jl13905al@gmail.com.

National ELCA News

It’s Time to Register for Addiction & Faith Conference

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The Center of Addiction & Faith will hold its third Addiction & Faith Conference October 7-9, 2021 in Bloomington, Minn., to give faith communities tools for responding to the addiction crisis. Registration is open for in-person and virtual attendance at 

www.addictionandfaithconference.com


The Center grew out of the Fellowship of Recovering Lutheran Clergy. Founder Ed Treat was an active Lutheran pastor in 2018 when he held the first Addiction & Faith Conference. The success encouraged him to leave parish ministry after 25 years and dedicate himself full-time to the Center of Addiction & Faith, which became a 501©(3) nonprofit organization in 2020.


Contact:  

The Rev. Dr. Ed Treatpastored@addictionandfaith.com, (651) 356-1073 or CAF director of communications & advocacy Stephanie Wernerstephwerner@hotmail.com, (804) 986-2953, @virtualdeacon