After a long and difficult year, we rejoice in the season of Easter. This year, Bishop Pedro Suárez has recorded a special Easter message for all to enjoy.
You can also read a text version of Bishop Suárez's Easter message on our Florida-Bahamas Synod website. To read in English, click here. Para leer en Español, oprime aquí.
|
Join a Virtual Course on Gender Justice
Global Mission's Jamaica Team, led by Judith Olsen, is pleased to announce a virtual course on gender justice offered virtually by our companion, the United Theological College of the West Indies (UTCWI) in Kingston, Jamaica.
Gender and Leadership in Church Society is intended for lay leaders, clergy, and anyone interested in growing in their understanding of the ways gender identity has been used to exclude individuals from leadership. This is a nine-week "short course" offered Thursdays from 5:00pm to 8:00pm (Jamaica Time) beginning April 15th. The cost is just $100.
Click here to download the application. To Register: Print out the registration form and complete the information requested. Scan and email the form to Jacqueline Thompson, Registrar at jthompson@utcwi.edu.jm with copies to hellen.rios-carrillo@elca.org (ELCA representative) and revkhc@gmail.com (Pastor Katie, synod chair).
The fee for the course is $100. Checks should be made payable to the Florida-Bahamas Synod and sent to 3838 W. Cypress Street, Tampa, FL 33609. The memo line MUST indicate the money is for the UTCWI course.
|
|
Mission Partners 100:
St. John’s Lutheran Church, Jacksonville, Florida
|
Our Florida-Bahamas Synod Mission Partners 100 congregation is St. John's Lutheran in Jacksonville. Founded in 1877, St. John’s grew with Jacksonville, then experienced the decline many city churches had as people moved to the suburbs and highways carved out the impoverished areas left behind. Through ups and downs, the congregation has remained faithful to the gospel. Now the area is desirable again.
St. John’s sits in the historic district of Springfield, just above downtown Jacksonville. It is the oldest Lutheran church on the First Coast, located in the urban core and incarnating the gospel of grace in a neighborhood desperate to hear God’s favor. It’s the center of the city where people live on the margins. It is where Jesus does ministry in the New Testament.
St. John’s is there for those who remain and those who are moving in. However, they need your prayers and support. Help us make this place truly a place where welcome is known and felt in Christ’s name.
One big challenge is repairing St. John's facilities. The roof leaks, windows are broken, ceilings have fallen, and the building must be sealed to keep animals out. They also want to expand their food pantry. As the pandemic lifts, the church would like to welcome more community groups dedicated to loving their neighbors and promoting justice in the streets.
St. John's is in the right place, with the core desire, and real need surrounding their congregation. Your help will make the difference. Your Mission Partners 100 gifts will rejuvenate St. John’s Lutheran Church and make Christ known in the historic Springfield area.
|
|
One Florida-Bahamas Synod school was highlighted by Living Lutheran this month in a special article about schools navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.
Linda Chambers, director of Memorial Lutheran Chapel School in St. Augustine, explored the impact of the pandemic on school-age children in her interview. She explained that, because of current safety policies, families were unable to gather in the sanctuary for daily chapel services as they had previously done.
Instead, the staff of Memorial Lutheran created “chapel areas” in each of their classrooms. Each chapel area includes a Spark Story Bible, a battery-powered candle, a cross, a plush Jesus, and toy sets of Noah’s ark and the nativity.
This is just one of the many beautiful examples of our synod churches and schools adapting during the pandemic to create a supportive space for faith formation in a safe environment.
|
|
Developing a Foundation for Planned Gifts - Presented by the ELCA Foundation |
|
Thursday, April 15th - 1:00pm Eastern / 12:00pm Central
We cordially invite you, as a leader in your congregation, your synod or an ELCA-related ministry, to learn more about setting the cornerstone for your planned giving program through the real-life experiences of congregations and synods working with the ELCA Foundation.
The ELCA Foundation offers expertise and guidance for congregations and donors as they explore their options for endowment investing and planning. Those plans, often called planned giving or estate planning, are created by your congregational members — your donors — to benefit the future ministry of your organization and other charities.
There are things you can do to create a plan that promotes this giving within your organization. Having policies in place for accepting gifts, honoring the life of the individual, and supporting the goals and ideals of the congregation or ministry are important elements of inspiring donor confidence and generosity. Your regional gift planner can help you create endowment bylaws and gift acceptance policies designed specifically for your ministry. The ELCA Foundation provides this service to all ELCA congregations and related ministries at no charge.
|
|
 |
Emmanuel Academy Full & Partial Scholarships Available for Fall 2021!
Programs for Every Age/Christian-based innovative learning models
- Emmanuel Academies offers Bachelor’s Degrees in Ministry or Christian Thought & Practice AND a B.A. in Global Leadership offered in Spanish
- Five-year program with a combined BA and Master of Divinity
- Master of Divinity for adult learners
- Degrees customized for all Christian faiths
- Accredited Academic Partners: Palm Beach Atlantic University, Sioux Falls Seminary and Kairos University
Want to make a difference? Invest in Future Leaders!
You may partner with Emmanuel Academies as an Angel Donor for students. Your partnership will ensure funding does not stand in the way of a student receiving an education.
|
|
|
|
Florida-Bahamas Synod WELCA Awards Scholarships |
The women of the Florida-Bahamas Synod have been awarding scholarships through the ELCA Fund for Leaders since 2011. This year, Trixie Richter and Macy Kennedy will each receive $1,600 scholarships.
Trixie has received a scholarship each year since 2018. Beginning in the fall, this will be her final year at Wartburg Theological Seminary.
Macy is starting her first year at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. She was able to work as a Young Adult in Global Mission in Australia.
Through the generosity of the FL-BA Women of the ELCA, these women have assistance with their educational debt. If you would like to donate to the Fund for Leadership Scholarship, please send your donation to Treasurer Laurie Nelson, 1071 E Woodpecker Lane, Hernando, FL 34442. Be sure to identify your donation as Fund for Leaders Scholarship.
|
|
|
|
Just Love Prayer of the Week
God of mercy and compassion, we come before you today in grief, in anger, in mourning over the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castille, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Sean Bell, Sandra Bland, George Floyd and the litany of names of men and women who have died at the hands of those charged to protect and serve. You know each one of them by name, and we know that each were wonderfully created in your own image and likeness. Their lives matter to you and to us, and so we ask you, God, to etch their memories forever on our hearts.
Lord, we are tired of the senseless acts of violence, the injustices, the oppression, the racism, and the ignored laments of black and brown communities. Hear us, Lord. Open the hearts, minds, and ears of all your children to hear and understand the cries of pain, of sadness, of trauma, and of immense loss. Your Son, Jesus came to us that we “may have life, and have it abundantly.”
May each of us be committed to sharing life and love in our world. May we speak truth to power. May we allow the Spirit to lead us to act for justice. Lord, we invite you to use us so that we might bring about a transformation in our world; a transformation that makes a beloved community real here on this earth. Amen.
This prayer for racial justice was written by Jo Cecilio, rector of a women’s hall at the University of Notre Dame, and submitted on behalf of the Just Love team by Pastor Reginald Hansome.
|
|
|
Conflict Resolution Tools for the Church in the Pandemic |
The South Carolina Synod of the ELCA is offering a free webinar titled Conflict Resolution Tools for the Church in the Pandemic. Pastor James Henricks will be leading it on April 22nd at 3:00pm Eastern / 2:00pm Central.
This webinar will equip pastors, deacons, and church leaders with tools for creating more collaborative discussions as they face challenging conversations.
As a result of this webinar, participants will be able to select the proper approach to the conflicts they face and have a framework for creating more collaborative conversations.
Church leaders of all kinds can take this information and immediately see more fruitful and less tense conversations despite disagreements by putting these practices in place.
|
|
|
|
Florida-Bahamas Synod Hunger Team Mini-Grants
The Florida-Bahamas Synod Hunger Team is seeking mini-grant applications for 2021 from synod congregations in the amount of $250 (with the possibility of renewing a second year) to support existing or to grow new and innovative hunger ministries in the areas of relief, sustainable development, community organizing, education, and advocacy.
Proposals must involve those who are or will be active in the work. Priority will be given to those living in poverty. All applications must be received by the Hunger Task Force by June 1st, 2021.
The Team will review all applications and make decisions. Approved funds will be sent to the congregation soon thereafter. At the end of the project, grantees will submit an evaluation of the outcome detailing established goals and people served.
For more information and an application form, interested applicants should contact Barbara Miller by email at BarbaraMercerM@iCloud.com or by phone at (586) 321-1118.
|
|
|
|
Looking for a way to serve the larger Church beyond your congregation? |
|
The Synod Nominating Committee has 34 ways for you to choose from! Over the next month we will highlight these opportunities and then starting in mid-April you will be able to submit nominations to take on these exciting Synod Roles.
This week we highlight the top elected leadership position for a Layperson within our Synod - Synod Vice President. This position chairs the Synod Council and Synod Executive Committee and performs other duties as are assigned by the Synod Council or the Bishop.
Cheryl Stuart describes her time as Synod Vice President this way: I was "tapped on the shoulder" more than 12 years ago to run as Synod Vice President. I believe one is called to serve in this office, and when the Spirit says "get up", one "gets up" and trusts that the Spirit knows what She is doing! This year, all 65 Synod Vice Presidents got together (virtually) and did a study and a survey about what Synod Vice Presidents do and what a VP perhaps should do in the future. The saying "if you've seen one synod---you've seen one synod" was affirmed! The Spirit seems to call very different people with different gifts to their very different contexts. Constitutionally, the Synod VP chairs the synod council. But much of what a VP does is shaped by the history of each synod, the relationship with the bishop, the gifts of the VP, and the needs in the moment. In our synod, we have been blessed with bishops who welcome a partnership with lay leaders and who value the discussion and discernment of the entire synod council. Just as each bishop brings different gifts, so too, does each Vice President. For me, my gifts as a lawyer, my perspective as a parent and spouse, and my deep personal commitment to "do justice" have been tested, strengthened and grown. This role is not for the faint of heart, but it is for one who wants to deepen one's faith. My prayer life, in particular, has blossomed. The VP role is also for one who welcomes collaboration and can work with groups of people to move them to make decisions. Each year, we elect some new people to the synod council, and every single time, I am amazed at who the Spirit taps and says "get up"! I give thanks to God for the faithfulness of the saints in this synod, past, present and yet-to-be-called!
The Vice-President is always a layperson, male or female, and elected for a term of 4 years. Those nominated will be asked to give a 10-minute speech to the Assembly prior to first ballot on Friday evening. Please prayerfully consider yourself or another strong leader for this highly important role in the Synod. Nominations are encouraged prior to the Assembly so nominees have time to prepare their speech.
|
|
|
Don’t forget those annual reports… |
Parochial Reports – These congregational reports are submitted online with your congregation’s ID number and password. Passwords available by calling the synod office, 813-876-7660.
Mission Support Covenant – If your congregation has not already return the support card, please submit your congregation’s mission support covenant through the Florida-Bahamas Synod website by clicking the link above.
|
For further assistance or questions, please call Ileana Sardinas at the synod office, 813-876-7660 ext. 225 or via email at ileanas@fbsynod.org
|
|
|
|
Have you completed Boundaries Training? |
Boundaries training is crucial for rostered ministers. Rostered ministers can attend our Synod's boundaries & sexual ethics training online during COVID-19 here:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
