Hybrid Ministry Zoom Event with Ryan Panzer |
As of Sunday, March 8th, 2020, less than one in ten churches live-streamed their worship services. Most didn’t have a website. Many didn’t use social media.
In a matter of days, Christian leaders rapidly reinvented their ministries for a digitally distributed world, comprised of almost exclusively digital interaction.
In this workshop, we will envision how to apply what we have learned since March towards the church’s new normal. Let’s imagine a future where digital apps and tools deepen faith formation, enrich congregational bonds, and strengthen Christian fellowship, even as our buildings reopen.
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Biography: Ryan Panzer is the author of “Grace and Gigabytes: Being Church in a Tech-Shaped Culture” (Fortress Press, December 2020). Ryan has spent his career in the worlds of church leadership and technology. For more writings and resources, visit www.ryanpanzer.com.
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New Issues of the Parish Paper Now Available! |
The Parish Paper has released their May and June 2021 issues! Click the titles below to access the articles.
You can find past and present editions of the Parish Paper on our Florida-Bahamas Synod website by clicking here.
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Important Reminder to Submit Yearly Reports
Parochial Reports – Click here to log in. These congregational reports are submitted online with your congregation’s ID number and password. Passwords available by calling the synod office at 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 here.
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
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Discipleship Training Opportunity for Lay Leaders
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Are you a lay person who is interested in growing the church and sharing the Gospel? Is there a member of your congregation who is passionate about church planting and making disciples?
There's an exciting new opportunity for lay leaders through Discipleship Ministries. The ELCA: Lay Planter Training course is a basic course designed to help lay leaders strengthen their skills in discipleship. The goal of this course is to equip lay people to make disciples in the formation of new faith communities.
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Just Love Prayer of the Week
God of love and true life, we turn to You in our distress, in our fears, and in our longings. You blessed your servant, Diedrich Bonhoeffer, with the bold hope and constant trust which are needed in times of darkness and relentless assault by the forces of evil. The Easter victory of Your Word brings back to life those in whom It found a welcoming place. Your Word cannot be silenced no matter how the powers and principalities of this world appear to be victorious over the children of the light. Strengthen us to be lovers of the Word and not of the things of the world. Affirm us in our baptism. Help us to endure the assaults of hate, and make us bold in witnessing to your justice. Amen.
This prayer for racial justice was submitted on behalf of the Just Love team by Pastor Giuseppe Mattei.
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“God’s Earth and People Restored” Gathering |
“God’s Earth and People Restored” April 18-21, 2021 is a time of process and issue learning, worship, as well as (virtual) Capitol Hill visits with policymakers on climate impacts due to historic racial and colonial inequities.
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April Newsletter from The Community Church at Babcock Ranch |
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Mission Partners 100:
St. John’s Lutheran Church, Jacksonville, Florida
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Our Florida-Bahamas Synod Mission Partners 100 Spring 2021 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. To support the MP100 appeal, please click here!
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Have you completed Boundaries Training? |
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Deacon Connie Schmucker says, "I just completed the Faith Trust Institute online Boundaries Training and am very impressed. It is thorough, easy to navigate and offers variety (information, scenarios where you select a best answer and get feedback, short videos and written responses). Although I have participated in many Boundary Training courses this felt new and fresh and it brought some things into a different perspective for me. I especially liked the fact that I could save my work, take a break, and then pick up where I left off. An important tip that I found helpful was to compose my answers in a Word document and then copy and paste them into the answer boxes. I got all the way to the end of the course only to discovered that I had forgotten to save two of my answers."
How Long Does the Course Take? It varies from person to person. The course is designed to take 4 to 6 hours, although it is our experience that some enrollees are able to complete the work more quickly and others need substantially more time. Need Help? Email the Lewis Center at lewiscenter@wesleyseminary.edu. You can also phone the Lewis Center by calling 202-664-5700. Staff are on duty Monday - Friday, 8:30 - 4:30 Eastern time.
Thank you for taking the time to complete this course if you have not taken a Boundaries Training Course in the past three years. Through our baptism, we have been granted God’s grace and love and made holy in his sight through Jesus’ death and resurrection. We are called to be in a right relationship with God and each other. As Rostered Ministers, we must create a safe space for all of God’s people and by taking this course we are affirming our ordination vows and demonstrating that we value relationships built on trust and integrity.
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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.
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LAST CHANCE to Join a Virtual Course on Gender Justice
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. 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 rep) 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.
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Developing a Foundation for Planned Gifts - Presented by the ELCA Foundation |
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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.
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Looking for a way to serve the larger Church beyond your congregation? |
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The Synod Nominating Committee has 34 ways for you to choose from!
The final position we highlight is the Synod Secretary. The Synod Secretary’s primary responsibility is recording the minutes of all meetings of the Synod Assembly and Synod Council. They are also called upon to attest all instruments signed and sealed by the bishop, classify and arrange all important papers and documents and deposit them in the archives of this synod, and provide to the secretary of this church a certified list of the voting members elected by the Synod Assembly.
Our Synod’s current Secretary, Pastor Ken Blyth is completing his first term and shares this about serving as Synod Secretary: “From my vicar year through each of my pastorates, I’ve been engaged in ministry beyond the congregation I serve. That’s because my sense of call has always had local, regional, national and international facets. (I think the ELCA constitution says something about that, doesn’t it?) Serving on Synod Council was very much in keeping with that vision of ministry; one in which we simply must come together to accomplish what we cannot achieve individually. (To be “Church together for the sake of the world.”) Why secretary? Well, despite being an avid reader, I learn and thrive by doing and engaging. So, when the opportunity came to serve on Synod Council the role of secretary was an ideal fit: to be an active listener and participant, while taking notes and producing minutes - what a great combination!”
The Synod Secretary may be either a Rostered Minister or Layperson, male or female, and is elected for a term of 4 years. This position requires computer skills and the ability to listen and communicate with an attention to details. Please prayerfully consider yourself or another detailed oriented leader for this important role in the Synod.
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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.
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.
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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. To become an Angel Donor please contact Info@EmmanuelEd.org.
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