Synod Assembly Service Project to Benefit Harbor House of Central Florida

This year's Synod Assembly service project will benefit Harbor House of Central Florida. Harbor House is a nonprofit organization that provides safe shelter, counseling, and support services to individuals and families affected by domestic abuse. As part of our service project, we will assemble welcome baskets that will help the survivors feel more comfortable and supported during their stay at Harbor House. These baskets will contain essential items such as toiletries and sheets to help survivors feel more at ease in their new environment. To assemble the baskets, we need your help to collect the items on this list.

We will also be collecting items from Harbor House's continuing needs list. These are essential items that are needed to provide ongoing support to survivors and include clothing, household items, and other essentials. By donating these items, we can help ensure that Harbor House can continue to provide the critical services that survivors need to rebuild their lives. Click here to view the continuing needs list.

With our collective efforts, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of survivors and support them as they begin the journey of healing and recovery.

For more info on the service project, contact Tina Fritz at TinaF@fbsynod.org.

Synod Assembly Registration is Open

This year's Synod Assembly will take place from June 8-10 at the Caribe Royale in Orlando. Registration is now open and will close on May 15, 2023. Click here for more details and to register today!

Don't Forget to Submit Your Annual Reports

This is a friendly reminder to submit your annual reports, if you haven't already done so. These reports are another point of connection between your congregation and the Bishop's Office. They help us track categories like attendance, baptisms, expenses, mission support, and more. They also help us plan programs and events to best support the ministries of the congregations throughout our synod. The reports you need to complete are the Congregation Report (Parochial) and the Rostered Minister Report, which are both found at: https://elca.org/Resources/Office-of-the-Secretary#Synods.

• The Congregation statistics report (Forms A & C) is submitted online. If you need your congregation ID and passcode, please contact the synod office at 813-876-7660 ext. 0.
• The Rostered Minister Report must be downloaded and saved to your computer. Once filled out, please attach it to an email to ileanas@fbsynod.org.

2023 Rostered Leaders Retreat 

We have a gift for you! Through a generous grant from Lutheran Disaster Relief-US, the Florida-Bahamas Synod is offering a free healing and renewal retreat for rostered leaders. We recognize how difficult it has been these past two years to lead a congregation through the pandemic and hurricanes while trying to care for our own wellbeing. Many of us are tired and hurting. 

We are offering our second retreat on Monday, June 26 - Wednesday, June 28, 2023 in Clearwater Beach, Florida. The cost of all activities, meals, and housing (single room) and optional healing modalities are covered. The only thing you need to cover is your transportation to the event.

We will be housed at Sheraton Sand Key Resort. Events and sessions will take place at the hotel and surrounding areas.  

Our goal is to provide a safe and healing space for you to learn and experience spiritual practices and receive emotional and spiritual support both in individual and small group settings. All of this will be framed by the beauty of water, sun, and sand. 

There are different activities will be throughout the event such as dolphin tour and much more.

"Come to the Well” with an open heart, ready to receive the grace of God’s healing and unconditional love.

Spouses are welcome and the cost is $200 to cover meals and activities for the three days.

Please note that even though the event is free, a cancelation fee of $428.00 will be required if canceled after May 26, 2023 to cover the hotel room fee. Registration closes Thursday, May 25, 2023.

Click here to register.

May Educational Grant for Ministers of Word and Sacrament

Deadline for the first round of grants is March 15, 2023

Established by a generous gift from Pastor Rusty and PJ May, the grant is available to rostered ministers of word and sacrament of the Florida-Bahamas Synod for continued education.

The grant amount will depend on dollars available and the number of applicants. To apply click here or visit the synod website. Deadline for the first round of grants is March 15, 2023.

Possible areas of study may include (but not limited to):

• Festival Homiletics
• On-line or in-person continued education courses at a seminary
• Participating in community organizing training on faith-based social justice ministries
• Participating in trips to the Holy Land/Germany/St Paul sites
• Accompanying a synod Global Mission Table trip
• Attending workshops

Grants will be awarded by the decision of the grant’s committee meeting during the first quarter of 2023. Questions may be addressed to Rev. Ana L. Lugo, Gift Planner for the Synod, at ana.lugo@elca.org.

Just Love survey and newsletter sign up

The Just Love Ministry Team has released a new survey as a follow-up to the initial survey sent to the synod last year. Please complete the survey by April 14th at the following link: https://forms.gle/pg5fqPsBtah3pp9KA

To receive Just Love updates, such as the daily Lenten devotionals, upcoming event information and resources directly to your inbox, click here to subscribe to the mailing list.

Respite in the Wilderness for Rostered Leaders & Church Professionals

As a congregational leader, you spend all your time taking care of and ministering to others. Come to Luther Springs and let US care for YOU. Rostered and congregational leaders come home to camp for some deliberate time away. We offer a couple of different opportunities for you to spend your time of respite. Read more...

Christ the King Lutheran Church, Miami recently hosted the God’s Work, Our Hands Beach & Mangrove Cleanup. Together they removed 155.2 pounds of trash from Matheson Hammock Park. (Photo from Christ the King Facebook page.)

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

Reveal Your Path to Leadership

Are you interested in becoming more involved in the church—perhaps even feeling a call to lead—but unsure what direction to take? The ELCA has a new online tool called Journi that can help. Read more...

New “Stories of Faith in Action”

Across the ELCA we are connected through the stories we tell, the stories we hear and the stories we experience in ministry with, among and for one another. Our church has stories that span the country and the globe. By engaging with these stories, we become connected to those people and places, not physically present yet still responding to God’s call to serve.

We are so pleased to share with you one of the ways to engage with the stories of this church, through the new format of “Stories of Faith in Action.” As we have continued to transition “Stories of Faith in Action” to a fully digital resource, we also wanted to offer a more dynamic experience. That is what we hope you find on the new Stories of Faith in Action website.

On this site is a helpful graphic showing how Mission Support starts as a congregational gift from regular offerings shared with ELCA synods and the churchwide expression to fund ministries near and far. You will also find a snapshot of the Mission Support financials. Then, to really show your Mission Support dollars in action, you will find five inspiring stories from around the country and around the world, paired with beautiful images. Each story also has a .pdf version available to print and share.

We share these stories with you as a reminder of our gratitude for your generosity through the sharing of Mission Support. We invite you to not only read these stories but engage with them personally and with others. We have also included a devotional guide to deeply consider how Scripture, engaging questions and these stories bring us together through this “Stories of Faith and Action.” We hope they lead you to be inspired, to ask questions, to share with generous hearts and to be thankful for the work God is doing through the ELCA.

• March 21: Overcoming Racial Faith: What Acts 2 Teaches Us about God: Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary

• March 25: Spring Gathering of the Gulf Coast Conference of the WELCA

• March 25: Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary Vocational Panel

• April 10-20: Joint Synod Holy Land Pilgrimage

• April 22: Space Coast Conference Women of the ELCA 2023 Spring Gathering

• September 10: "God's work. Our hands." Sunday: 10th Anniversary!

• 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: Save the date! Florida-Bahamas Women of the ELCA Fall Gathering