Lay leaders and rostered ministers are invited to attend a forum sponsored by the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin:

“Courageous Collaboration”

April 27, 2024, 10:00am - 12:00pm

at

St. Matthew New Life

(7564 Cottage Grove Road, Madison, WI 53718)

The purpose of this event is to create a space where congregations can share hopes and dreams as well as challenges while confronting the need to adapt in a time of rapid change in our local communities.

During this forum four congregations from our synod will be sharing their learnings on practicing adaptive approaches in their local context.

This invitation is for both rostered ministers and lay leaders. If you have questions about the forum, please contact the Rev. Walter Baires, Associate to the Bishop and Director of Evangelical Mission, at walterb@scsw-elca.org.

Click the button below to register. Registration will close on April 19, 2024.

Mark your calendars! The SCSW Synod Assembly will be held on May 18, with a pre-event worship service and reception on May 17, both at First Lutheran Church in Janesville.

Registration for this year's Synod Assembly will open at 10:00am Tuesday, April 2. Registration will close on Monday, April 22.

Information and updates about this year's assembly can be found on the Synod Assembly page on the synod website.

We are thrilled to share that the Rev. Lorenzo Lebrija will be this year's keynote speaker.

From his website: Internationally noted as an expert in the innovation field, Fr. Lorenzo Lebrija is the chief innovation officer of Virginia Theological Seminary and the executive director of TryTank Research Institute, which focuses on advancing theological research to meet the evolving needs of the church in the modern world. 

We have many synod leadership positions to elect at this year's assembly, including our voting members for the 2025 Churchwide Assembly.

Click here to view the list of open positions. Please review and prayerfully consider if you or someone you know may be called to one of the roles listed in the document.

To nominate someone (or yourself), click the button below to go to the 2024 Synod Assembly Page on the synod website. From there, click on the "Nominations and Elections" menu, where you will find the nomination form and instructions for how to fill it out. If you have any questions, please contact the SCSW Synod Assembly Manager, Trevor Thom, at trevort@scsw-elca.org.

You Still Have Time to be a 2024 Faithful Innovation Learning Community!

Participating congregations will discern their unique answer to this question: “As we listen to God, one another, and our neighbors, what future do we imagine God is bringing forth in our midst?” 

Click the button below to download an informational flyer.

If your congregation would like to participate, or if you have any questions about Faithful Innovation Learning Communities, contact the Rev. Walter Baires, Associate to the Bishop and Director of Evangelical Mission at walterb@scsw-elca.org.

ELCA Region 5 (the synods of Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, and the Nothern Great Lakes Synod) will gather in satellite locations for a combined boundaries education day for rostered ministers on Thursday, November 7, 2024, from 9:00am to 3:00pm (lunch will be provided).

Satellite locations for the SCSW will be announced and registration will open in early August 2024. The cost for registration will be $100.

Save the date!

The SCSW Care for Creation Team invites you to a "Church in the Wild" gathering at Bethel Horizons camp on Saturday, May 4 at 10:00am.

The day will include opportunities to wander and worship on the Bethel Horizons grounds, a communion service, and an earth-friendly and (free!) lunch. More information, including how to register, will be shared soon!

The South-Central Synod of Wisconsin’s Children, Youth and Family Ministry Team invites all who work with youth, whether as a volunteer or in a paid position, to take a brief survey about how you are engaging with youth in your congregational setting.

Like everything else in the Church, the way youth ministry happens has seen many changes in recent years. This survey is intended to learn about the landscape of youth ministry around our synod and to begin the conversation about how to respond to the ministry needs of our youth in today’s world.

Click the button below to access the survey. Please feel free to forward the survey to others in your congregation who are engaging in this important ministry.

The Spring SCSW Alive night will be Wednesday, April 24, 5:30pm to 7:30pm, at Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mt. Horeb. This event is open to middle and high school youth.

All congregations are invited to gather under the theme of "Alive in Community" for an evening of a light dinner, games, icebreakers, fun, worship, and music.

The cost of the event is just a suggested donation of $5.00 to cover the cost of food (paid via cash/check onsite).

We ask for an RSVP with an estimate of attendance prior to each event for planning purposes but know that everyone is welcome. Please RSVP by no later than April 11.

Click the button below for more information and to RSVP.

The 2024 South-Central Wisconsin Synodical Women's Organization conference meetings are coming up in April. Click the button below for a flyer listing the different conferences and their meeting dates.

You may also visit the WELCA page on the synod website to read the latest edition of the Trumpeter and find out more information.

In 2022, the Synod Assembly, the highest legislative body of our synod, passed a resolution requiring the synod to provide anti-racism education for rostered ministers.

In adherence to this resolution, The SCSW Racial Equity Team is pleased to offer "Imago Dei and Racial Identity Development" led by Rhonda Hill of Race & Faith. On February 8 an email was sent to rostered ministers in the SCSW with details about this upcoming education, including dates and information about how to register. Click here to view the email.

Rostered ministers can register for the training on Racial Equity Team page on the synod website or by clicking the button below.

Rostered leaders in first 3 years of call: MARK YOUR CALENDARS! 

The spring virtual event with bishops will take place Tuesday, April 9, 1:00-3:00pm (Central Time). The first half of this time slot will be spent with many of our bishops with a chance to interact with the topic. The 2nd half will be a chance for individual synods to meet outside of the larger group.

Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) shared the following opportunity offered through our ministry partners in the United Methodist Church.

Solar Direct Pay 101: Federal Funding for Houses of Worship

March 21, 12:00pm - 1:00pm EASTERN Time, via Zoom

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute's (EESI) Miguel Yañez-Barnuevo will be speaking at a webinar for people interested in direct pay funding available for solar on U.S. buildings owned by non-profit organizations through the Inflation Reduction Act. You'll learn about program eligibility and criteria, questions to consider if this program is right for your house of worship, and learn about the process of requesting payment from a church member who has done it!

Click the button below to register for the webinar.

We are pleased to share the ELCA Mission Support Memo for March 2024. This month shares the story of the "Ministry Lab," where ministries and congregations can go for resources, to ask questions, and to learn.

Click the button below to view and download the March 2024 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.

Below is a learning opportunity that the Office of the Bishop has been made aware of, which may be of interest to our rostered and lay leaders.

The Grace Institute for Spiritual Formation invites you to an in-person event where you can learn more about Grace Institute for Spiritual Formation and experience what it is like to attend our program. The event will be:

April 26, 2024, 10:00am - 3:30pm

Franciscan Spirituality Center

920 Market St., La Crosse WI 54601

We will worship, have an overview of Grace Institute, and introduce the covenant group experience. Lunch is provided. We will be exploring a new location at Franciscan Spirituality Center in La Crosse, WI. Click here for an informational flyer about the event.

Click the button below to learn more and to register.