E-Spirit Weekly Newsletter | March 4, 2025 | |
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The 2025 grant season of Vision to Action (V2A) is ready for your new ideas! V2A is the granting entity of the Florida-Bahamas Synod—a funding source for innovative, new ministries that focus on forming new faith communities and inviting people into a relationship with God.
Catch the excitement!
The 2025 V2A website is ready for you to explore. Review this year's funding goals, application roadmap and important dates.
Make plans now to attend an Introductory Workshop—virtual gatherings designed to explain the V2A grant process and to answer your questions. Attending a workshop is required of all applicants. You can register now for any of the following workshop dates by clicking here:
Take note of the important deadlines:
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Project idea form is due by June 30, 2025.
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Application deadline is August 15, 2025.
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Grants will be announced late November 2025 with disbursement in January 2026.
Watch for a special e-mail coming soon showcasing project ideas, steps in the process and more!
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Registration Now Open for Synod Assembly
Registration is now open for this year's Synod Assembly—a vital gathering where we will elect our next synod vice president, Synod Council members, and other key leaders who will shape our shared ministry.
This is your opportunity to learn, connect, and engage with the inspiring work of our synod’s ministry areas and agencies. A variety of workshops will be offered, equipping you with valuable resources for your congregation and community.
As part of our commitment to service, we will be collecting toiletry items as well as offering a hands-on volunteer opportunity for Hope Partnership in Kissimmee—a meaningful way to support those in need.
Don’t miss this chance to be part of the conversation and the mission. Register today—we’ll see you there!
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Ash Wednesday Devotion: A Call to Faith in Uncertain Times
by Pastor Rob Rose
"Yet even now," declares the Lord, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and he relents over disaster." — Joel 2:12-13
Dear beloved in Christ,
Tomorrow we step into the season of Lent, marked by the ashes that remind us of our frailty and the call to repentance that draws us deeper into the heart of God. We come to this Ash Wednesday in a time of uncertainty, where the world around us seems unsettled, and the road ahead is unclear. The weight of the unknown can be heavy, and yet, the ashes placed on our foreheads are not just a sign of mortality, but a symbol of hope—a reminder that we belong to the One who formed us from the dust and breathes life into us still.
Jesus, too, walked through uncertain days. In the wilderness, He faced temptation and hunger (Matthew 4:1-11). In Gethsemane, He prayed through the weight of an unknown future (Luke 22:42). Yet at every step, He remained faithful to God, trusting not in what He could see, but in the promises of God. So too, we are called to lean into trust, not fear—to turn our eyes from the chaos around us and set our hearts on Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
Lent is not merely a season of sorrow but a time of renewal. As we journey toward the cross, we are invited to strip away the distractions, the anxieties, and the false securities we cling to, and return to the One who holds all things. Even now, in this moment, God is calling us to return with our whole hearts—to seek Him not just with words but with lives that reflect His mercy and love.
May the ashes remind us not only of our need for repentance but of the grace that meets us in the dust. May this season deepen our faith, even when the world feels uncertain. And may we find, in the cross of Christ, the sure and steady hope that does not fade.
A Prayer for Ash Wednesday
Merciful God,
In a world that shifts like sand, You alone are our solid rock. As we wear these ashes, let them not be an empty sign, but a true mark of our longing to turn back to You. In the face of uncertainty, strengthen our faith. When fear rises, steady our hearts. When we grow weary, renew our spirits.
Draw us deeper into Your presence, where grace abounds and love is unshaken. Teach us to trust in You—not in our own strength, not in the security of this world, but in the promise of Christ, who goes before us. As we walk this Lenten path, may we surrender all that hinders us, knowing that beyond the cross, the light of resurrection awaits.
In the name of Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer, we pray. Amen.
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Installations & Ordinations
March 16, 2 p.m.: Rev. Dr. Joann Heaney-Hunter will be installed at Shepherd of the Hills in Clermont; Rev. Dr. Derek Hoven will preside.
April 5 & 6: Rev. Chelsey Weech will be installed as Pastor at Our Savior, Vero Beach during all worship services, Saturday, April 5, at 6 p.m. and Sunday, April 6, at 8:30 a.m. & 11 a.m. Rev. Nicole Eastwood will preside.
June 1: Rev. Carl Taylor will be installed as Senior Pastor at Advent in Melbourne; Bishop Suarez will preside.
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| MINISTRY & PARTNER UPDATES |
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New Lenten Devotional: Promised Land and Land of Promise
This Lent, journey through Promised Land and Land of Promise: Belonging, Exile, and Community, a new devotional from the Just Love Team. Through scripture reflections and real-world insights, this devotional explores themes of exile, belonging, justice, and radical welcome. From the struggles of biblical exiles to today’s challenges of displacement and division, these devotions call us to embrace God’s vision of reconciliation, healing, and hope.
Join us in reflecting on what it means to surrender to God’s will, break down barriers, and co-create a world where all are welcomed and valued. Read along this season and deepen your understanding of God’s call to justice and love.
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Luther Springs Open House
March 8, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Bring your family to camp! Join us at Luther Springs for a day of fun that includes canoeing, kayaking, archery, crafts, a nature hike, swimming (weather permitting), and lunch. Cost is $25/family. For anyone traveling from a distance, we have limited overnight availability in our cabins or RV/tent camping area for an extra cost. There is a place to mark extra requests on the registration form if you would like to request lodging. Register here: https://tinyurl.com/Luther-Springs-Open-House. For additional information, contact Deacon Macy Bakken at 239-789-0408 or mbakken@novusway.org.
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Florida Council of Churches Announcements
Savvy Citizen Advocacy Training
The Honorable Jennifer Webb will offer a webinar on how to do effective advocacy with lawmakers. While serving as a Florida Representative, Jennifer Webb had one of the most accomplished records in creating bipartisan legislation of value. This webinar will help you learn how to get your stories and policy ideas in front of elected leaders. Register and join us on Tuesday, March 4, 7 p.m. and learn how to advocate for justice and wellbeing with state lawmakers, whose 60 day legislative session begins on March 4.
Click here to register.
Climate Action Assembly and Cosmic Mass
The 6th Florida Interfaith Climate Actions Assembly is March 21-23, in St Petersburg. Fr. Matthew Fox, leading scholar of creation spirituality and founder of the Cosmic Mass, will give the opening address Friday evening on recovering ritual to help heal Earth in this time of crisis. On Saturday, a wide range of climate action workshops and presentations will be offered. The Assembly concludes Sunday afternoon with the Cosmic Mass, a communal ritual of grief, recovery and creation renewal drawing from Christian liturgy yet open to all people, regardless of religion or belief. See www.fl-ican.org for registration.
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Synod Parish Deacon Retreat
All Florida-Bahamas Synod Parish Deacons and those in the candidacy process are invited to the "Empowered by the Holy Spirit" Annual Retreat on April 25-26 at St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Longwood, FL (north of Orlando). This inspiring gathering will feature Rev. Johan Bergh as our guest speaker and coach. For registration, hotel details, and more information, click here.
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Applications for the May Education Grant Now Open
Established by a generous gift from Pastor Rusty and PJ May, the purpose of the May Educational Grant is to make funds available to provide grants to ministers of Word and Sacrament rostered in the Florida-Bahamas Synod who desire and seek aid for advanced studies and/or continued education in the United States or in other countries in order that they might increase their knowledge and skills in ministry. The Mays know how life-changing a professional grant can be for a pastor early in their ministry. They are also aware that often the funds designated by congregations for their pastors for this purpose may not be enough. Therefore, the May Grant seeks to supplement congregational continued education funds. Grants will be “one-time” grants.
To apply, please go to the following link: https://fbsynod.com/resources-and-forms/the-may-education-grant/
The deadline to apply is March 31, 2025. For questions, please contact Pr. Ana L. Lugo at Ana.Lugo@elca.org or (904) 219- 2769.
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Announcing the O’Reilly Stewardship Fund
The Florida-Bahamas Synod Endowments team is pleased to announce that we are receiving applications for the O’Reilly Stewardship Fund.
The purpose of the Fund is to make grants available to congregations in the Florida-Bahamas Synod participating in financial stewardship programs such as Stewardship For All Seasons, Building A Culture of Generosity, etc. Except for special circumstances, the grant will apply to synod-wide programs rather than individuals.
The Fund was established by a generous gift from Tom O’Reilly, former synod treasurer and council member. Tom has a passion for making sure our congregations remain financially stable. As such, he established this fund to assist congregations that may have difficulty paying the fees for financial stewardship programs that will benefit them.
The grant amount will depend on the number of applicants and funds available for disbursement. The deadline to apply is March 31, 2025. Apply today via this link.
For questions, please reach out to Rev. Ana L. Lugo, Regional Gift Planner:
Ana.Lugo@elca.org
(904) 219-2769 or (773)380-2997
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Concordia Choir in Concert at Prince of Peace, Largo
Hear one of the nation’s finest college choirs perform on Saturday, March 8 at 7 p.m. at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Largo. Michael Culloton conducts the 70-voice a cappella choir in a varied concert ranging from Renaissance motets to contemporary choral works. Adult tickets are $25 for general admission or $40 for preferred seating. Student tickets are free. Purchase tickets online at ConcordiaTickets.com.
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Hymn Festival at St. Mark's, Jacksonville
Mark Sedio is one of the church’s most gifted cantors. A sensitive composer and a brilliant organist, his hymn festivals are captivating and relevant to the Christian life. We are excited to have him lead a hymn festival at St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church on Sunday, March 9, at 4 p.m.
Hymn festivals are organized around a theme. The theme for this festival is “In God There Is Welcome. May That Welcome Be Our Song.” The theme is drawn from one of the hymns we’ll sing during the festival.
St. Mark’s Festival Choir will participate in the presentation, as will Eric Olson (oboe) and Ellen Olson (viola.)
The festival is free and all are invited! Please join us. St. Mark’s is located at 3976 Hendricks Avenue in Jacksonville, FL.
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Job Opportunity: Part-Time Church Administrator at All Saints, Lutz
All Saints Lutheran Church in Lutz, FL, is seeking a part-time Church Administrator to support the ministry and operations of the congregation. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact Beth Conley at 813-963-0969 or email office@allsaintstampa.org for more information.
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Recently, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem issued an urgent plea to the global church, 'A Humanitarian Plea From the Churches of Jerusalem: Defending the Dignity and Presence of the People of Gaza.' I write to uplift the timely and crucial words of these beloved siblings in Christ in Jerusalem and to call on our church to respond in prayer, action and solidarity." Read more...
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June 12-14: Synod Assembly, Embassy Suites, Kissimmee
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September 20: School of Lay Ministry Graduation Retreat & Worship, New Life Lutheran Church, Sarasota
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September 29-October 1: Conference on Ministry, Mission Resort & Club, Howey-In-The-Hills
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