Seeking Nominations for Synod Leadership

At the 2023 Synod Assembly in Orlando (June 8-10), voting members will elect a bishop. Voting members will also elect people to serve on the Synod Council and the Consultation Committee. Additional information will be provided by the Synod Council relating to the election of the bishop as we move closer to the period leading up to the assembly.   

We strongly encourage nominations to be submitted prior to the Synod Assembly so they may be included in the Nomination Packet for Voting Members. This will also facilitate a smoother and more efficient voting process for the open positions.

Click here to view a list of open positions and descriptions. Deadline for nominations is May 1, 2023. You can complete the nominations form here.

Installations & Ordinations

Lynn Ann Marlowe will be ordained Saturday, February 4, 2023 at 11 a.m. at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Jacksonville. Bishop Kevin Strickland (Southeastern Synod, ELCA) will preside. Lynn has been called to serve as pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Carrollton, Georgia.

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 (Alaska Synod, ELCA) will ordain Deborah at St. Timothy, her home church.

Joint Synod Holy Land Pilgrimage

Join Bishop Pedro Suarez and Pr. Khader El-Yateem along with Bishop Yehiel Curry (Metropolitan Chicago Synod) on a journey to the Holy Land in April 2023. This joint pilgrimage includes 10 days of sightseeing and unforgettable experiences. 

Space is limited.

Visit our website for the travel itinerary and registration links.

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.

Join us for the Webinar!



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/ .

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?

1. You fill out an application.
2. 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.
3. When the applications are complete, the FBSynod grant distribution team will review the grant requests and determine grant amounts. 
4. The approved grant info is transmitted to the NC Synod who will send out the actual grant checks.

Portico Update: Getting Started on Your Taxes Early?

Getting started on your taxes early? The Richard R. Hammar Clergy Tax Guide and the Federal Reporting Guide for Churches are both available on myPortico at no cost to you.

Calvary Church in Ruskin Goes Green

Calvary Church in Ruskin, Florida will be celebrating the conclusion of the “Let The Sun Shine” Project. Calvary Church has installed a photovoltaic system (solar panel installation) to ensure good stewardship. With the completion of this project, Calvary Church is being good stewards of the money we receive (not spending it all on the electric bill) and being good stewards of God’s creation. Read more...

Free Piano Available

A Hyundai Upright piano, currently in Sun City Center, FL, is available for donation. If interested, please contact Janet Lichtenberg at 813-812-6671 or at Hlichtehberg@tampabay.rr.com.

The Synod’s School of Lay Ministry – diakonia program - celebrated groundbreaking changes over the past 18 months which culminated with a graduation for five of the first students to participate in the self-study program. Pictured above left to right: Deacon Aura Suarez, Kathy Smith (Hope, The Villages), Diane Ward (Redeemer, Winter Park), Bishop Pedro Suárez, Peggy Torda (Hope, The Villages), Carol Dunn (St. Paul's, Clearwater), John Baskin (Messiah, Cape Coral) and Deacon Connie Schmucker. Read more...

To feature your church in E-Spirit, email a photo and caption to comms@fbsynod.org.

Living Lutheran: The Blurring of Law and Gospel - By Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton

Martin Luther once said, “I felt that I had been born anew and that the gates of heaven had been opened. The whole of Scripture gained a new meaning. And from that point on the phrase ‘the justice of God’ no longer filled me with hatred, but rather became unspeakably sweet by virtue of a great love.”

Luther had been studying the Bible—Paul’s letter to the Romans to be exact—when he finally came to understand that it was not up to human beings to make themselves worthy in the eyes of a righteous God. Luther had tried—he quit his study of law, entered a monastery and was so rigorously observant that his health suffered. The word of God only seemed to bring condemnation. It tormented him. Read more...

• February 1: Practical Stewardship Tips Webinar

• February 11: Valentine's Day Event: Lutheran Intentional Village of Upper Pinellas

• February 12-13: Spring Seminary Snapshot: Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary 

• February 14-15: Advocacy Days

• February 19: Three Organ Spectacular: Prince of Peace Lutheran Church

• February 21: Trauma and It's Healing: Lutheran Faith Community Nurse Association

• February 24-27: In-Person Silent Directed Retreat: The Franciscan Center

• March 3-4: Synod Parish Deacon Retreat

• April 10-20: Joint Synod Holy Land Pilgrimage

• September 18-27: ALOA 10-Day Tour of Greece: Walk in the footsteps of Paul 

• September 23: - diakonia graduation/retreat and conversation with the Bishop, Location TBD

• October 16-18: Conference on Ministry featuring keynote speaker Tod Bolsinger. Location TBD.

• November 10-12: WELCA Fall Gathering