I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. Psalm 139:14

Even after 26 years, I still remember my first ELCA Youth Gathering. The memories are some of the most formative and joyful of my entire life. I remember being nervous, scared to travel, and overwhelmed to be in a place I had never been before. However, it was the number of people, the enormous number that I remember most – being with over 35,000 Lutherans – was something I was never expecting to be so unforgettable. I know now that it wasn’t the sheer number of people with a shared faith that impacted me; it was the astounding sense of community that I experienced that remains with me.

We are created to be in community with one another.

I’m not going to lie, that reality is a hard thing to hold onto in our world today. There is so much that is seeking to unjustly divide us that we find ourselves holding on for dear life just to make it through each day. That is hard. It is hard for us and it is hard for everyone around us – including the young people in our congregations. The theme for the 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering next summer is “Created To Be”. The theme seeks to bring our youth together in a safe space to allow them to discern what it means to be created by a God of unconditional love and grace that they are free to be who they are and who God has created them to be.

We all need the reminder that God has created every one of us to be our authentic selves regardless of what the world around us may say. It is not easy, but we do not enter this world alone. God is always with us – reminding us that we truly are enough. Reminding us that it is ok not to be ok. Reminding us that we have been created to be who we are in community with one another by allowing others to also be their authentic selves. May we be open to the work that God is doing alongside us in this world today and always.

In Christ,

The Rev. Jason Poole-Xiong

Synod Champion for the 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering

Every three[ish] years, 30,000 high school youth and their adult leaders from across the ELCA gather for a week of faith formation known as the ELCA Youth Gathering. Through days spent in interactive learning, worship, Bible study, service and fellowship, young people grow in faith and are challenged and inspired to live their faith in their daily lives. The 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering will take place July 16-20 in New Orleans, LA.

New for 2024: The ministry of the Gathering is excited to partner with Young Adult Ministries to host the first-ever ELCA Young Adult Gathering for individuals who will be 18-35 at the time of the Gathering.

Registration for all events opens on Friday, September 15 and runs through April 15, 2024 (although the registration costs are dependent upon when you register).

Here are (we hope) all the links to information you will need to learn more about the Gathering and get your group registered and ready:

Gathering Website: The place to start to learn more about the Gathering and all that it encompasses.

Congregation Registration Page: All ELCA congregations are eligible to register for the Gathering. Congregations should select one adult to serve as the primary adult leader. The primary leader will coordinate registration, payments, transportation, and rooming lists for the group. Youth who are in 8th to 12th grade at the time of registration (Fall 2023) are eligible to attend. Adult leaders must be at least 21 at the time of the Gathering.

Registration Handbook: Accompanying the registration page is a comprehensive handbook with all the information and forms needed to complete online registration.

gLearn: Our new e-learning portal that allows you to dive deeper into the ministry of the Gathering and how to prepare your group. There are courses available now including a great “Gathering 101” that is perfect for first-time adult leaders.

SCSW Synod Gathering Page: Our synod page will house information about how we are ready to accompany our congregations before, during, and after the Gathering including helpful resources and tips, pre-events, and group transportation options to New Orleans (see below).

Need Resources? Have Questions? We are here to help.

We are excited to again be offering congregations one less thing to have to worry about: travel to & from New Orleans for the Gathering.

The synod will be offering a group travel option by air* for groups who the ease of traveling together while meeting others from our synod also attending the Gathering. We anticipate information and the cost for flights to be available by September 15.

You can find full details and the link to reserve your group's space (when available) on the synod website at: https://scsw-elca.org/elcayg2024/

*Being good stewards of financial resources we have chosen to travel by air due to the prohibitive nature of the costs associated with bus travel.

Thank you to everyone who braved the heat and spent time at the SCSW booth at the August 20 Magic Pride festival, and to those who attended and participated in the Community Interfaith Pride Service on Monday, August 21 (see photos below)!

Is your ministry site interested in engaging in conversations about Reconciling in Christ? The SCSW LGBTQIA+ Team is ready and willing to help. Feel free to contact Pastor Nick Utphall from Advent Lutheran Church to begin the conversation. You can view the complete list of RIC congregations on the LGBTQIA+ Inclusion page on the synod website.

Synod Fall Stewardship Kick-off!

Saturday, September 16 10:00am - noon 

Gather with friends, peers, and colleagues from other area congregations to worship, share stewardship advice and resources, share your joys and concerns and be inspired by what works in other congregations.   

There are THREE host sites across the synod for this event. Click the button below for more information and to RSVP. The event is free, however, for planning purposes we'd love to know who is coming. Questions, reach out to the Rev. Peter Beeson, Associate to the Bishop for Generosity or the synod Stewardship Team. View additional resources on the Stewardship page of the synod website.

The SCSW Youth and Family Ministry Team invites rostered leaders, youth workers, volunteers, and all who have contact with young people in the church and the world to participate in the "Beyond the Policy" workshop. This is a workshop designed to empower faith communities to recognize and respond to child abuse and sexual assault.

The workshop will be Friday, September 22 from 9am to noon, held via Zoom.

Click the button below to register for the Zoom. Click here for an informational flyer to download and share.

The SCSW WELCA Biennial Convention and Gathering will be held on Saturday, October 7, 2023 at the Midvale Community Lutheran Church, 4329 Tokay Boulevard, Madison.

ALL women and friends are invited!

Event Details:

•  The business meeting/convention is 8:15 to 9:15 am and the Gathering is from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm.
• The Gathering includes an opening service, workshops, lunch, and a closing session led by Bishop Joy and Marie Leafblad, Associate to the Bishop for Leadership Support.  
• Find details regarding in-kind gifts and how you can volunteer on the registration page!

Click here for an informational flyer you can download and share.

Click the button below to register! Early bird registration ends September 9.

The One Year to Live Retreat for men, a ministry of Lutheran Men in Mission (LMM) will be October 13-15, 2023 at the MacKenzie Center in Poynette, WI. This retreat has been life changing for many attendees! Join with men of all ages seeking to follow the guidance of Proverbs 27:17.

Click the button below for more information, to view participant testimonial videos, and to register. Space is limited so register today.

Register before September 13 for the early bird discount. Scholarships are also available.

Questions? Call or text LMM synod leader, Jim Schieble at (920) 763-3433.

Rostered ministers, interns, and CL students are invited to the 2023 Fall Summit, to be held at St. Paul in Mayville and the Mayville Golf Course.

The event will begin on the afternoon of Sunday, October 15 and conclude with supper together on Monday, October 16.

Previously known as the Bishops' Convocation, this fall event will serve as an opportunity for synod leaders to come together and begin the work of putting our 2022 and 2023 synod resolutions in action.

Click the button below for more information and to register!

You are invited to attend a Civic Life and Faith study sponsored by Covenant Lutheran Church in Stoughton.

This study is part of the ELCA's effort in developing a social statement on civic life and faith. The study materials are excellent and are based on a model of non-judgmental discussion. We’ll have conversations with each other at a critical time in the history of our country and then provide feedback directly to the ELCA to form the social statement itself.

Sessions will be held on September 14, 21, and 28 at two different times. Click the button below for additional information, including how to register.

The ELCA Wants to Hear Your Opinion! Throughout the next couple of months, the ELCA is asking for your help. We are looking for your thoughts and ideas on how we are called to be a church in today’s world.

Please visit the ELCA's website on Future Church: God’s Love Made Real where you can watch a video from Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton that explains more about this action and complete a comprehensive survey to share your views of the church and the world today. Please plan to set aside about 25 minutes to complete the survey.

The Twelfth Triennial Convention and Gathering of Women of the ELCA in Phoenix, AZ is fast approaching. The Convention, which is the business meeting portion, will be held September 19 – 21, and the Gathering, which will feature workshops and amazing worship experiences, will be held September 21 – 24.  

There are 28 women from the South-Central Synod of WIsconsin who are registered to attend this bold women of faith event.  

We ask for your prayers for the women who will be traveling to the WELCA Convention and Gathering in September. We also ask for prayers for four women from this synod who are serving as voting members, and doing the work of the Women of the ELCA.  

If you have questions, please contact one of the 2023 Triennial Planning Committee members:

Donna Peterson, dpeter8182@gmail.com; Polly Carter, pfcart48@gmail.com; or Marlys Hittesdorf, premiermarlys@yahoo.com.

The ELCA Mission Support Team has resumed its monthly update, the "Mission Support Memo."

This month's edition offers stories from the recent Rostered Ministers Gathering. Click the button below to view and download the July 2023 Mission Support Memo to read and share.

You can view this and previous editions of the Mission Support memo on the Stories of Faith in Action page on the ELCA's website.

On August 25 we emailed a collection of Continuing Education and other learning opportunities that the Office of the Bishop has been made aware of, which may be of interest to our rostered and lay leaders. Click here to view the email.

Sunday, September 10, 3:00pm

Joseph Doegen

Bethany Lutheran Church, Wisconsin Dells