E-Spirit Weekly Newsletter | January 24, 2022 | |
Survey: Hurricane Damage to Our Congregations | This past hurricane season was a hard one. Many of our buildings sustained significant damage. Bishop Suárez and the Synod Council would like to know if your congregation is dealing with damage and to what extent. If this is the case in your community, please take this two minute survey so we can start to collect information regarding the total extent of damage and costs. |
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Installations & Ordinations
Deborah Gelerter will be ordained on Sunday, February 12, 2023 at 3 p.m. at St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Tarpon Springs. Deborah has accepted a call in the Alaska Synod, and Bishop Shelley Wickstrom will ordain Deborah at St. Timothy, her home church.
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Weekly Prayer
Lord God, your loving kindness always goes before us and follows after us. Summon us into your light, and direct our steps in the ways of goodness that come through the cross of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
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Lutherans You Should Know in Black History | |
To honor Black History Month in the ELCA Florida-Bahamas Synod, the Just Love Team presents “Lutherans You Should Know in Black History.” We present four outstanding African Americans who made a difference in the Lutheran Church. Their stories are not widely known, but they made significant impacts to the church. We will hear how they persevered during the following four eras in U.S. History:
- Pre-Civil War Era (Pastor Jehu Jones)
- Jim Crow Era (Dr. Rosa Young)
- Civil Rights Era (Rev. Dr. Nelson Trout)
- Contemporary (Bishop Yehiel Curry)
We ask each congregation to present the Lutherans You Should Know in Black History summary each week in February. It can be done during announcements, a bulletin insert, or wherever fits best into the service. Each week we offer songs and prayers for use during the service.
Click here to view the weekly summaries.
Then, join us on Thursday, February 16 at 7 p.m. EST for the Lutherans You Should Know in Black History webinar hosted by the JUST Love Team. Bishop Yehiel Curry from the Metropolitan Chicago Synod will present on history-making African-American Lutherans followed by a time of Q&A. Access the Zoom here.
For more JUST Love resources, visit our website at https://fbsynod.com/just-love/ .
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Rostered Minister Student Loan Grants Are Distributed | |
The Florida-Bahamas Lilly Grant Distribution Team is happy to share that the first round of education debt relief grants has been distributed. In this first round, $28,000 in grants were approved and sent out through the work and ministry of the partnership between the North Carolina Synod, the Florida-Bahamas Synod and the Lilly Endowment Education Debt Relief program.
In 2016, with a generous grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc., the North Carolina Synod began the Faith+Finances+Freedom initiative to help leaders and congregations address economic challenges facing pastoral leaders. This initiative birthed The Lifeline Fund which provides grants for rostered ministers for education debt relief.
Any rostered minister in the Florida-Bahamas Synod who has education debt can qualify.
We are now receiving grant applications for the second round. Grant awards will be distributed in June 2023.
Go to www.nclutheran.org/leaders/lifeline-fund
How does it work?
- You fill out an application.
- The NC program administrator, Rev. John Mocko, will be in touch with all applicants. Information on the process, which includes financial debt education, is then shared with participants.
- When the applications are complete, the FBSynod grant distribution team will review the grant requests and determine grant amounts.
- The approved grant info is transmitted to the NC Synod who will send out the actual grant checks.
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Interim Pastor/Transition Ministry Training
In-Person, January 31- February 2, at Luther Springs! Register now!
| In the bestseller, Passages, Gail Sheehy argues that life, from birth to death, is really a series of twists and turns, with each being an opportunity for creative change. There are many factors that come into play when a congregation is in transition. Whether that congregation has just received an interim pastor, a newly-called pastor, or is seeking new direction into God's future, it is a time of transition from something that was to something that is yet to be. If you are in your first call, On Leave from Call or retired, this may be an opportunity for you. Click here to register. |
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Synod Parish Deacons Retreat | |
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“Growing in Faith, Hope and Love” Retreat will be held March 3-4, 2023 at Epiphany Lutheran Church in Oviedo FL. We encourage all Synod Parish Deacons to attend this in-person retreat to hear updates, learn about new opportunities, meet other Synod Parish Deacons, and more! Please visit the Florida-Bahamas Synod website for more information and the registration form.
You can also find this information on our Synod Parish Deacon Facebook Page at FBS Synod Parish Deacons.
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Portico Update: Retirement on the horizon? | |
Retirement on the horizon? Increase your confidence and peace of mind by learning more about developing a withdrawal strategy, utilize Social Security, plan for health care costs, and more. Participate in live virtual workshops later in January, or watch the recordings whenever it works for you. Learn more, or sign up to participate, on myPortico. |
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Photo of the Week: Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land | |
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On Sunday, January 22, hundreds of people, including international guests from around the world, gathered at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in the Jerusalem Old City to celebrate the ordination of Rev. Sally Azar as the first Palestinian woman to become ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. Click here to read more about Rev. Azar. To watch the ordination service, click here.
(Photo by Albin Hillert/The Lutheran World Federation)
To feature your church in E-Spirit, email a photo and caption to comms@fbsynod.org.
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Upcoming Stewardship Webinar | |
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Have you ever wondered why people are generous in the ways they are? Curious to explore how you can tap into giving motivations to encourage generosity? In this increasingly post-pandemic world, rostered and congregational leaders might well explore some of the nuances of giver motivation with the upcoming webinar “Practical Stewardship Tips,” which is free and open to all.
Wednesday, Feb. 1, 6 p.m. Central
Join from computer or mobile:
https://iu.zoom.us/j/86372108860?pwd=NXpScVRWS1ZORXUyU3NIREpqcEg5UT09
Meeting ID: 863 7210 8860
Password: 938447
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September 23: - diakonia graduation/retreat and conversation with the Bishop, Location TBD
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October 16-18: Conference on Ministry featuring keynote speaker Tod Bolsinger. Location TBD.
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