Pacifica Synod News & Notes
November 20, 2020
|
|
We share with you the following news, resources, information and event updates taking place within our synod and throughout the ELCA. If you have items or information to share, please email Terri Robertson at terrirobertson@pacificasynod.org. If you know of others who aren't receiving our emails, please share this with them and encourage them to contact us using the above email or sign up here.
|
|
Current Synod News & Resources |
|
2021 Pacifica Synod Assembly Information
& Congregational Fee Update
|
Dear People of the Pacifica Synod,
On June 17, 2020, the Office of the Bishop announced that Synod Council voted to postpone the 2020 Pacifica Synod Assembly and designated Saturday, May 1, 2021 as the date for our next synod assembly. This one-day assembly will be held completely online and planning for our time together has already begun.
Please begin to consider who your voting members will be, keeping in mind the following:
- Voting members will need to be familiar with computers or tablets (such as iPads) and able to learn an additional voting program/app.
- As this will be a one-day assembly on a Saturday, consider electing people whose schedules have prohibited them from attending past assemblies during weekdays.
- Each voting member will need to have their own device. Even if voting members live together, they cannot share one device. Each person needs their own device to vote.
Each congregation will receive their voting member allocations and assembly invoice in January. There are still costs involved in creating an online assembly, but there will be no costs for travel or housing.
We anticipate that the congregational fee (for rostered ministers and all voting members assigned to the congregation) to be as follows:
Early Bird Rate (paid by Feb 28, 2021) - $295 per congregation
Regular Rate (paid March 1 or later) - $315 per congregation
Watch your mail for your assembly invoice and voting member allocations to arrive by mid-January 2021. Online registration of your voting members will open in early March 2021.
This Assembly will elect Synod Council members and will also elect voting members from Pacifica to attend the Churchwide Assembly which will be held in August 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. Applications to be nominated for Synod Council positions or to become a Churchwide Assembly Voting Member will be coming soon.
|
|
Assembly Resolutions and Memorials Process |
THE DEADLINE FOR PRESENTING A RESOLUTION OR MEMORIAL TO THE 2021 SYNOD ASSEMBLY IS FEBRUARY 1, 2021
The resolutions process enables individuals or recognized groups within the synod to bring a request for action or a request for a statement to be made by the Synod Assembly. Since the ELCA Churchwide Assembly meets in 2022, this Synod Assembly will consider both resolutions and memorials. For information and resources about the differences between a “resolution” and a “memorial,” please visit the ELCA Office of the Secretary webpage found here.
Resolutions and memorials may be submitted by a congregation of the Synod, a Ministry Team, an ELCA institution or agency, a conference, or the Synod Council and must be signed by the appropriate leadership (i.e., president, chair, dean, etc.). Individuals may submit a resolution/memorial with the signatures of 10 other members of the Synod. The maker(s) of the resolution/memorial must be identified separately from the required signers.
Resolutions/memorials are to be submitted in writing 90 days in advance of the Synod Assembly (by February 1, 2021) for review by the Resolutions Committee and for placement in the pre-assembly materials. They may be mailed or emailed to the synod office at rachelline@pacificasynod.org, to the attention of the Resolutions Committee. Any resolutions received after the 90-day deadline will be considered by the Synod Council at its next meeting. Any memorials received after the deadline will be considered in the 2022 Synod Assembly.
Resolutions/memorials submitted are reviewed by the Resolutions Committee for proper form, appropriateness of subject, appropriateness of desired action, inclusion of a plan of implementation, and for elimination of duplication. The Resolutions Committee has the responsibility to ensure that resolutions/memorials brought before the Assembly are grammatically correct and factually correct as to existing church policies or structure. Therefore, the Resolutions Committee has the responsibility to edit resolutions/memorials as needed so that the Assembly can deal with the substance of the issues presented. The Committee shall report its action to the makers of the resolution/memorials and to the Synod Council, to which the makers can appeal the decision.
The Resolutions Committee shall report its action on each resolution/memorials to the group submitting it and to the Synod Council who can overrule the committee’s decision.
|
|
Office of the Bishop Worship Service
for Sunday, December 27
|
The Pacifica Synod Office of the Bishop is pleased to announce that we will be providing a recorded Service of the Word for congregations to use on Sunday, December 27. The service will include a sermon from Bishop Andy Taylor and will be based on the lectionary texts for that day. The service will be available on December 15 and shared in an email to Rostered Ministers and congregations. A link to both the MP4 version and YouTube recording will be provided.
|
|
2021 Synod Clergy Compensation Guidelines
Now Available
|
In October 2020, the Synod Council approved recommendation of a 2% increase in the Baseline Salary for Ministers of Word and Sacrament of the Pacifica Synod for the year 2021. This action brings the 2021 baseline salary (including salary and housing allowance) to $68,246 for Ministers of Word and Sacrament.
The updated 2021 Synod Clergy Compensation Guidelines for Rostered Ministers and documents are now available on our Pacifica Synod website, found here.
|
|
Coaching for All Seasons:
Pr. Manuel Retamoza on Life & Ministry
Monthly Online Gathering for
Pacifica Synod Rostered & Lay Leaders
Tuesday, December 1 at 11:00 a.m.
|
Pr. Manuel Retamoza grew up in Northern California, received his BA from Seattle Pacific University in 1994, taught preschool for Head Start in San Joaquin Valley for three years, and graduated from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota in the spring of 2004. On graduation, he moved his family to San Diego and served as Associate Pastor at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church until he was called to become their Senior Pastor in 2017. Through these experiences, Pr. Manuel has gained a unique perspective, and he will share his story with us.
To register for the December 1 gathering and receive the link to join by Zoom, click here.
The December 1 forum will be the sixth in the monthly series Coaching for All Seasons that began in July 2020. Click here to view our Synod Coaching web page and access the resources from previous presentations. Our Pacifica Synod Coaching Team designed this forum to provide encouragement and support to Synod leaders as we navigate the unknown. Each month, participants will hear a short presentation related to how we currently are called to be Church. Then they will have an opportunity to be in a small group discussion facilitated by an ELCA coach. We are creating a safe space for processing our responses to uncertain times and for discerning steps forward in our unique contexts.
Pacifica Synod has invested in training coaches to work with rostered and lay leaders one-on-one or in groups. Coaching provides an opportunity for rostered and lay leaders to experience a partnership focused on the unique objectives they want to achieve. A coach’s role is to support a leader in naming challenging issues and identifying constructive responses to them. Pacifica Synod coaches are volunteering their time to create presentations and coaching opportunities that provide a hands-on resource for addressing your challenges.
If you would like information on having a coach, please contact Deenna Eley, Pacifica Synod Coaching Coordinator at mikedeenna@gmail.com.
|
|
Pacifica Synod AMMPARO Network Meeting
Saturday, December 5 - 10:00 a.m.
|
The ELCA AMMPARO network stands for Accompanying Migrant Minors with Protection, Advocacy, Representation and Opportunities. elca.org/ammparo. Pacifica Synod has an active AMMPARO Network. For more information about their work, please email ammparonetworkinpacificasynod@gmail.com.
Upcoming Pacifica Synod AMMPARO Online Events
Pacifica Synod AMMPARO Zoom Meeting
Saturday, December 5, 2020 10:00 AM Pacific Time
Meeting ID: 815 7711 0996
Password: AMMPARO
If you would like the additional resources provided from our last meeting, please contact Pastor Karla Halvorson or Deacon Roberta Wall at roberta_k_2000@yahoo.com.
|
|
#Calistrong - A Joint Youth Ministry Opportunity
for Pacifica, Southwest CA, & Sierra Pacific Synod Youth
Save the Date - Saturday, December 5
|
We are excited to announce that a joint synod opportunity is in the works for high school students in the Pacifica, Southwest California and Sierra Pacific Synods to learn leadership skills and engage with other students across our synods in dialogues around race, diversity and culture. Our first gathering on Zoom will take place the evening of Saturday, December 5 (time TBD) to connect, meet one another, and learn more about future plans. To register to receive information about this new ministry, go to
To download a PDF flyer to share in your congregation, click here.
|
|
Save the Date!
Installation of Pastor Karla Halvorson
St. Mark's, Chula Vista
|
Please save the date of Saturday, December 12 at 3:00 p.m. to celebrate with Pastor Karla Halvorson and the congregation of St. Mark's in Chula Vista as she is installed as their pastor. More details on how you may join this special event will be shared as they are available.
|
|
Remote Meetings for Congregations |
During this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, many congregation leaders are asking how they can use technology to hold necessary meetings and conduct the business of the congregation.
You should first consult your congregation's constitution. If your constitution does not do not explicitly forbid a remote meeting, California law allows for remote voting for non-profit corporations.
Below are two documents that may be helpful as you navigate this topic. The first is provided by the ELCA. The second, is more specific to California and has been provided by the Pacifica Synod's attorney.
Further questions may be directed to the synod office.
|
|
Warner Trust Fund Grant Application Period
Now Open Until January 15, 2021
|
Applications are now being received for the Charles and Mable Warner Trust fund proceeds being administered by the Pacifica Synod. The application deadline is January 15, 2021.
Charles and Mable Warner were members of First Lutheran Church, Los Angeles. They had no children and loved their church as evidenced by the following quote from their will:
“…The entire remainder of the trust estate shall go and be distributed to the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of the Southwest, Los Angeles, California, with the request that such estate be used in the construction of Sunday School facilities and to further youth Christian education.”
For more information about the grant, including criteria for use, requirements to apply and a downloadable application, please visit our Warner Trust Grant webpage.
|
|
Latino Ministry Partnership Support Grant Applications Now Being Accepted |
The Pacifica Synod Latino Ministry Endowment Fund, formed from a merger of the St. Mary's and Santa Ana Accounts by action of the Synod Council on March 12, 2005, provides assistance and support to congregations with existing Latino ministries and/or congregations intending to develop new Latino ministries.
Starting in 2019, we encouraged individual grants for Latino members of the Pacifica Synod using the funds for seminary and the TEEM (Theological Education for Emerging Ministries) program.
Congregations grants must have a defined plan for an outreach, worship or other specific ministry. These funds are not intended to cover staff positions. Our committee views these grants as a partnership with financial support from the Pacifica Synod, Latino Ministry Endowment Fund and additional resources of the Latino Area Ministry Committee as appropriate for both congregations and individuals.
The application period for these grants is now open through November 30, 2020. For full information on the requirements and process for application, click here to visit the grant webpage.
|
|
Synod Work Towards Equity, Diversity and Inclusion |
On June 15, Bishop Andy shared a letter with our synod, inviting us to work together for racial justice. If you missed this, you may read the Bishop Andy's full letter here. The Pacifica Synod Council has released a Racial Justice Statement and encourages congregations and individuals to join them in taking the ELCA Anti-Racism Pledge.
We also have created a synod web page with information and anti-racism resources for individual and congregational use. We will continue to add resources, so check back often. If you have resources to recommend or would like to share stories about how you or your congregation are currently working towards equity, diversity and inclusion, please contact Pastor Lara Martin at pastorlaramartin@gmail.com.
|
|
Global Mission Update - Hitoshi & Satoko Adachi |
Pastor Hitoshi Adachi and his wife, Satoko, are currently serving as missionaries with the Japan Evangelicial Lutheran Church in Kumamoto, Japan. To learn more about what is taking place in their ministry, please click here for their November 2020 newsletter.
The brochure attached here details the Adachi's ministry in Japan and how to best support them. You can give through the synod office or mail your check to Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Gift Processing Center, P.O. Box 1809, Merrifield, VA 22116-8009. Make checks payable to “ELCA Missionaries” with “(Hitoshi and Satoko) Adachi GCS2051” in the memo line. To donate by credit or debit card, go to https://community.elca.org/Japan or call 800-638-3522 and specify “(Hitoshi and Satoko) Adachi GCS2051”. To set up an automatic monthly bank withdrawal or to establish a covenant of prayer, communication, and support, please contact 800-638-3522, ext. 2657, or globalchurch@elca.org.
|
|
From the ELCA & Other Partners |
|
ELCA Future Church Design
Affirmed by ELCA Church Council
|
The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has affirmed the proposed Future Church design that is focused on a renewed purpose to activate the entire church so that more people may know the way of Jesus and discover community, justice and love. The council, which serves as the ELCA's board of directors and legislative authority for the church between churchwide assemblies, held its electronic meeting Nov. 12-14.
Future Church is based in the belief that members, congregations, synods and the churchwide organization must work together to share the powerful witness of the gospel in the world and to invite more new, young and diverse people to experience God's grace in action. The new design identifies three priority areas: a welcoming church that engages new, young and diverse people; a thriving church rooted in tradition and radically relevant; and a connected, sustainable church that shares in a common purpose and direction.
The Future Church structure will be implemented in the churchwide organization on Feb. 1, 2021. The structure will introduce three new home areas: Christian Community and Leadership, led by the Rev. Philip Hirsch; Innovation, led by Ms. Mikka McCracken; and Service and Justice, led by the Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla. Approximately 5% of the churchwide organization staff will be separated as a result of the new design.
Read more about this and other ELCA Church Council decisions here.
|
|
LSS Southern California Estate Planning Series
Begins December 16
|
For a downloadable PDF flyer to share with others, click here.
|
|
Advent Resources and Opportunities |
ELCA World Hunger Advent Resources
New resources are now available from ELCA World Hunger to enrich the life of your congregation this Advent season. As congregations across the ELCA creatively find new ways to worship online and in person, and continue to support the work of important ministries including ELCA World Hunger, we want to equip leaders with useful resources this season. All of these resources are available at ELCA.org/hunger/resources. You can find ELCA Good Gifts resources and make donations at ELCA.org/GoodGifts.
|
|
Lutheran Immigration
& Refugee Service
Hope for the Holidays
Each year, with the support of our hundreds of partners across the country, LIRS collects handwritten holiday cards and donations for gifts to share hope with children and families affected by immigration detention. We call it Hope for the Holidays—and last year, we were able to raise over $30,000 to support migrant families, send more than 14,000 cards to our migrant friends, and make sure that nearly 1,500 children had a gift to open on Christmas day.
This year, our work is especially important. The coronavirus pandemic has intensified the isolation that immigrants experience by indefinitely postponing visits from their families and from volunteers in their communities. Your participation will remind them that they are not forgotten this holiday season.
As we all look for creative ways to connect and celebrate the holidays with our friends and family, let’s remember to also reach out to those who are hurting and isolated and remind them that they are not alone. Join us as we work together to bring hope this holiday season.
|
|
Lutheran World Relief Season of Hope
You’ve been busy reinventing the way your congregation does ministry. Let Lutheran World Relief help you this Advent. Lift up the experience of our neighbors in each of the regions your love reaches: Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. Lutheran World Relief will provide you with a full suite of resources that can be used digitally or in-person each week: sermon illustrations, powerful videos, candle lighting litany and at-home engagement.
Visit lwr.org/congregations to download these free resources and make plans for your congregation to experience a Season of Hope.
|
|
Luther Seminary Advent Devotional
Luther Seminary invites you to use the 2020 Advent devotional, “O Lord How Shall I Meet You?” for personal or congregational use this Advent.
This year’s contributing authors are:
-
James L. Boyce ’71 M.Div. Professor Emeritus of New Testament and Greek
-
Mary Jane Haemig Professor Emerita of Church History
-
Arland J. Hultgren Asher O. and Carrie Nasby Professor Emeritus of New Testament
As a God Pause Subscriber, you will receive "O Lord How Shall I Meet You?" in your email inbox each day of Advent. Download the devotional here.
|
|
Advent Pilgrimage in Palestine
Join ELCA Young Adults and ELCA Peace Not Walls starting November 30 for an Advent Pilgrimage in Palestine. This is a young adult led initiative that can be used by people of all ages.
Over the course of the 4 weeks of Advent young adults from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land will lead us on this pilgrimage through story, education, and theological reflection.
Every Monday of Advent we will share a video reflection and every Wednesday of Advent we will share a written blog post, accompanied by discussion questions and actionable items you can use with small groups.
Register here to receive Advent Pilgrimage in Palestine resources by email and/or to register for our opening educational webinar on Monday, November 30 8:30-9:30pm EST.
|
|
Stars and Promises Christmas Concert - December 9 |
In the first-ever event of its kind, ELCA World Hunger presents an online Christmas benefit concert featuring Peter Mayer, a longtime Lutheran and the lead guitarist for Jimmy Buffett.
Although we are in the midst of a difficult winter due to COVID-19, we know that, through God’s abundance, you have shown incredible generosity by supporting the necessary work of the church. This concert is a gift to you this Advent season. It is a way for us to say thank you and provide a place for you to gather online with the church community as we prepare for the birth of our Savior.
The concert is free and will premiere on the ELCA Facebook page, with a live chat so you can engage with the audience, ELCA staff and Peter Mayer himself. Donations to ELCA World Hunger are encouraged and will support our church’s work to respond to hunger and poverty in more than 60 countries around the world.
Register here to receive a free, exclusive Peter Mayer Christmas album download, created just for this event!
|
|
ELCA World Hunger 2021 Leadership Gathering
January 20-23, 2021
|
This signature event gathers ELCA World Hunger’s leaders for a time of networking, idea sharing, learning and planning for our shared ministry to address hunger and its root causes in our local and global communities. Next year's event, January 20 through 23, we will center on John 6:11-12 and the theme “And All Were Satisfied.” For the first time in the event’s history, we will gather virtually!
We celebrate the new opportunities this gathering brings, including the chance to welcome more participants than ever before. As we look forward, we know that our future church is younger and more diverse; who do you want to invite to be part of the conversation and our ministry together?
To register, please visit bit.ly/2021WHLG. The event fee is $20, with sponsorship opportunities available to those for whom the cost would be a barrier to attending. Once you register, you will receive the information needed to join in the event.
|
|
ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission - Apply Now! |
Applications for the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program are now being accepted, and you can invite young adults on this journey abroad for the 2021-2022 program year.
If you know young adults ages 21 to 29, this is the time to reach out. Encourage them to apply for YAGM by the deadline of Jan. 15, 2021. Talk to them personally about what this opportunity will mean for their faith, identity, career and understanding of God’s work in the world.
YAGM volunteers will begin in August 2021 and will be placed in one of the country programs. As YAGM continues to monitor the COVID-19 situation and we communicate with our global companions, please know that the list of country programs for the 2021-2022 service year may change.
Through YAGM, young adults will learn what it means to serve in a spirit of accompaniment as they walk alongside global church companions. They’ll become immersed in a new community and form deep relationships. And they’ll confront issues of wealth and poverty, racial privilege, gender privilege, economic disparity and globalization, all through the lens of faith. Learn more at ELCA.org/YAGM.
|
|
Giving Tuesday Opportunities - December 1 |
Lutheran Retreats, Camps & Conferences (LRCC)
Lutheran Retreats, Camps & Conferences (LRCC) is inviting you to celebrate and support the ministry of camp by joining us for Giving Tuesday on December 1, 2020. Today, we’re asking you to join our Better Together campaign. While we know it’s better to be physically together, it’s not safe to gather at camp.
The pandemic has left a $600,000 hole in our 2020 budget thus far. That’s why we need your help!
Our challenge is to survive the pandemic so that LRCC is ready to host groups when it is safe to gather again. We need to be together virtually, on Giving Tuesday. Will you join us?
Together we can make sure our camps survive the pandemic.
Together we can ensure every child can come to camp.
Together we can feel the joy of community.
Even when we are forced to be apart, we are Better Together!
We can’t do this without you! Will you help to spread the word? Tell your friends and family why you believe in our work and encourage them to support us too!
Join the movement today!
Lutheran Social Services of Southern California (LSSSC)
|
|
Care Connections Network
Aging. Better.
|
Care Connections Network is changing the face of aging in Orange County. We are dedicated to helping older adults, 50 and over, age in their own homes and communities. We connect our members to the community programming and expertise they need to continue living lives of purpose and promise. We strive to empower older adults by offering educational opportunities to help them age with confidence, social and cultural events to keep them connected with the community, referrals to vetted service providers and a volunteer program providing additional support and assistance.
To find out more about upcoming events and other services, click here for the Care Connections Network November newsletter.
|
|
ELCA & Other Partners
News & Ministry Links
|
|
ELCA World Hunger "Go & Do News" - Nov 2020
|
|
Executive for Administration
ELCA, Chicago
|
The ELCA seeks its next Executive for Administration (EA), who will serve as the chief operating officer for the ELCA’s churchwide headquarters located in Chicago. The EA will work closely with the presiding bishop and all ELCA staff leaders. Importantly, the EA position presents the unique opportunity to be deeply involved in the redesign of the churchwide leadership structure and to serve as a primary driver of the strategic planning process, including addressing challenges facing congregations such as an aging membership and diversity in membership.
For a position guide and to apply, send a current resume and letter of introduction to Kittleman & Associates, LLC at https://bit.ly/3jHyQuu. For best consideration, interested parties should submit their resume and cover letter asap.
|
|
Clinical Case Manager
Survivors of Torture, International - San Diego
|
Survivors of Torture International of San Diego has a full-time position opening for a Clinical Case Manager.
General Purpose of the Job: With the clinical team, provide holistic, strengths-based, trauma-informed, integrated mental health and social services to individuals and families.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities: (The examples of functions are not necessarily exhaustive. Management is not precluded from assigning other related functions not listed herein if such functions are a logical assignment for the position.) This position will require remote work, in-office work, in-the-field work, or a combination thereof.
For a complete job description and application procedures, click here.
|
|
Youth and Family Coordinator
St. Paul Lutheran, Fullerton
|
St Paul Lutheran Church (SPLC) in Fullerton is seeking an enthusiastic, creative and energetic individual for a position leading our Youth and Family Ministries. The Youth and Family Coordinator (YFC) will be responsible for designing programs that engage, guide and mobilize the gifts of others to develop multi-faceted programming that includes spiritual formation, education, mission, service, fun and outreach. This position will require flexible hours including Sunday morning worship, weeknights, weekends, and potentially full weeks for retreat/mission trips.
Candidates will have a heart for youth, a passion for Christ, a faith perspective in agreement with the teachings of the ELCA Lutheran Church that includes both a personal and social understanding of faith, an awareness of the struggles and faith questions of modern youth and young adults, and create a safe space of inclusion and diversity.
A complete position description may be found here. In addition, those interested are asked to complete and submit this application.
|
|
Webinars and Other Events |
|
LRCC Coffee & Conversations
December 23 at 10 a.m.
|
Join LRCC’s Executive Directors Lauri & Glen Egertson for a Live Q & A on Monday November 23 at 10am. They will be sharing how camp has been affected this year, what joys they have discovered in 2020, why coffee is important to them and more! The conversation will live streamed on the LRCC Facebook page.
This special conversation is part of our #BetterTogether. campaign to get ready for #GivingTuesday2020!
|
|
Here to Serve: Being Church in the Times of Crisis
Weekly Online Gathering for ELCA Leaders
Wednesday, November 25 at 11:00 a.m. PST
|
You are invited to join this weekly gathering designed to provide encouragement and support for ELCA leaders across the church. Participants will hear topical presentations related to how we are called to be Church in times of crisis, as well as an opportunity to be in small group discussions with an ELCA group coach facilitating the conversation. All of this is designed to help us process our feelings in this strange and fearful time and to create a space where we can each name our next most faithful step forward in our unique context. You are welcome to share this invitation with any other ELCA leader, rostered or lay. #ELCAChurchTogether
November 25 Gathering - Being an Ally: Principles and Practices
We often hear the word ally in the work of kingdom building. When social justice issues meet the church, what does it mean to practice allyship? We will look at some bedrock principles for practicing genuine allyship and see how we can apply them to our ministries, no matter what our work is. Come with your questions and curiosity, and expect some spirit-filled conversations!
Jory Mickelson is a writer, educator, and ministry leader. Currently an entranced candidate for Word & Sacrament in the Northwest Washington Synod, he has recent experience working with the Coast Salish peoples. He has a passion for working in the LGBTQAI+ community and building connections across difference and promoting neighborliness and solidarity. His first book, Wilderness//Kingdom, is the inaugural winner of the Evergreen Award Tour from Floating Bridge Press and won the 2020 HIgh Plains Book Award for Poetry. You can order his book here and learn more about his writing at jorymickelson.com.
We understand a number of folks are unable to make this day and time each week. We record the main session and debrief time and share each recording with supporting documents here, typically by the following week: https://www.elcacoaching.org/podcasts/media.
Below is the link for each Wednesday's Zoom meeting. For a list of upcoming topics and recordings of prior meetings, go to https://www.elcacoaching.org/.
ELCA Coaching is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Being Church in Times of Crisis - Weekly Gathering for ELCA Leaders
Time: November 25, 2020 11:00 a.m. PST
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 180 439 412
Password: 648160
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,180439412#,,1#,648160# US (San Jose)
Dial by your location
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 180 439 412
Password: 648160
|
|
PLTS 2020 Mohrenweiser Lecture Series - December 4 |
Learning to Love Other People's Children:
Climate Justice, Migration,
and the Ethics of Care
with Nancy Berlinger, PhD, MDiv
Friday, December 4, 2020
9:00 AM via Zoom
Free to Join, Registration Required
Please join us for a lecture and panel dicussion as we consider two contemporary problems of collective moral action — the care of the planet and the care of migrants — and argue for linking these problems.
An additional afternoon workshop is open to those who wish to apply the content of the lecture and panel toward action in local faith communities, nonprofit organizations and other groups.
|
|
California Lutheran University
Executive Skills for Church Leaders
|
$450 for the whole week
Deadline to register: December 10
Space is limited!
The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented challenge for our lives and the lives throughout the world. In particular, the church is impacted in its ability to provide the very ministry it is called to embody – presence. How do we embody presence when we aren’t present or severely limited? How do we lead for the future? How do we reimagine ministry? How do we stay adaptive? How has life and ministry changed for us and how has life and work changed for our congregations and the communities we serve? How do we live and lead in uncertainty?
We will draw on the insights from the world of management exploring these questions from the perspective of entrepreneurship, marketing, leadership, finance and fundraising.
|
|
National Lutheran Choir Christmas Festival
Friday, December 11 at 6:00 p.m. (PST)
|
The pandemic of 2020 has swept around the globe – a virus that knows no geographic limits! We may feel like we need healing now more than ever, but the world has always been in need of healing – in need of the peace of Christ.
The incarnation has no geographic limits either. How do various world cultures understand and receive the Christ child as their own? How does music and visual art reflect and celebrate these understandings?
Don’t miss the National Lutheran choir’s signature Christmas Festival program of music, scripture, poetry and faith. Filmed in the glorious Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis, and drawing on five years of live-streamed programs plus multi-media videography, the program celebrates a global nativity; Christ incarnate; being born in each of us, in every time and place.
Nothing – not even our pandemic year – can separate us from God’s love and the music that conveys the peace and joy of Christ’s birth!
This online presentation is FREE for all at NLCA.com. For a Virtual subscription to exclusive content ($10/month), visit NLCA.com
|
|
Lombard Mennonite Peace Center Workshops |
Multiple sessions of the following workshops will be available online from now through the end of the year. For a complete list of learning opportunities, including 90-minute webinars and multi-day seminars, please visit our website at https://lmpeacecenter.org/brochures/. Registration forms can be found on the brochures; otherwise, you can register online at BrownPaperTickets.
Healthy Congregations: Could your congregation use a wellness check? Attend this 8-hour workshop and learn ways to minimize or prevent destructive conflict, manage negative reactivity, and help your church stay focused on its true mission and purpose. Attend this 8-hour event online via Zoom on December 8, 2020. Register as a group, using this HC Discount Coupon, and save up to $50 per person.
Leadership and Anxiety in the Church: Participants will look at the challenges presented by the rising levels of anxiety experienced in churches today, as well as the role that self-differentiated leadership plays in calming such anxiety. Works of fine art are integrated at various points to facilitate theological reflection. Attend this 7-hour event online via Zoom on Dec. 3, 2020. Register as a group, using this LAC Discount Coupon, and save up to $50 per person.
|
|
We Remember in Our Prayers |
|
We ask that you hold the following people in your thoughts and prayers:
- Eric Sweetman, spouse of the Rev. Sherry Sweetman
- The Rev. Ken Severa
- The family and friends of James Gray
- The family and friends of the Rev. David Lindberg
- The family and friends of Marianne Nelson, the wife of Southwest California Synod's Bishop Emeritus Dean Nelson.
- All affected by natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires, as well as those providing relief efforts
- Those affected with the COVID-19 virus and those who have lost loved ones
- Our healthcare providers, first responders, essential workers and all who continue to serve so that others can remain safely at home
In our synod e-newsletter, prayer requests may be shared for our synod's rostered ministers, spouses, key lay leaders and congregations.
Prayer requests included are subject to the following guidelines:
- Only the names of those to be prayed for will be included in our communications. Additional information (with permission) may be shared with the bishop or synod staff, but will not be publicized.
-
Those being prayed for must have provided the requester with explicit permission for their names to be shared with the synod.
- Names will remain in the synod communications for one month, unless we are notified by the Conference Prayer Coordinator to extend the request.
- Prayers MUST be added through your Conference Prayer Coordinator, who will submit the prayers to the synod office for distribution.
The following people are serving as your Conference Prayer Coordinators:
|
|
Pacifica Synod - ELCA
Lutheran Center for Mission & Learning
1801 Park Court Place, Bldg. C, Santa Ana, CA 92701
714.692.2791
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
