Wondering what happened today at the Delaware-Maryland Synod Assembly?
Social Media team member Pastor Lauren Muratore has your daily digest here.
Social Media team member Pastor Lauren Muratore has your daily digest here.
For the Sake of the World
The business of Assembly day two began with outgoing Synod Council Vice President, Yolanda Tanner, leading us in Bible study - or, as we’ve come to think of it, “abiding in the Word.” In the spirit of today’s theme, For the Sake of the World, we began to ask hard questions, like, “What does my congregation stand for?” This call to name and claim our mission as disciples of Jesus has been a mark of Vice President Tanner’s leadership. As she completed her term we gave thanks for her eight years of service with a well-deserved standing ovation. Later in the day the Assembly elected John Auger to the office of Synod Council Vice President.
Other business session highlights include:
And in the midst of our work, we worshipped. Bishop Eugene Sutton of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland preached a sermon on John 1, reminding us that we can "...stay in our churches and hear the Word, but for the Word to become flesh, we're gonna have to go outside."
Mission Festival
The mission festival was a time to celebrate ministries of the synod that exist For the Sake of the World. Ministries like the Hunger Task Force, Companion Synods, Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries and the Hurricane Sandy relief efforts in Crisfield, Maryland, Campus Ministries, and the Lutheran Development Alliance. Nicely done, good and faithful servants!
Bishop’s Report
The work and play of the day brought to bear this truth: all we do as church, from the sometimes-tediousness of business sessions, to worship in our congregations, to the justice-oriented actions of accompaniment and advocacy, we do For the Sake of the World. There is, in fact, no church apart from the world so beloved that God sent Jesus to dwell here.
And so, in his report to the Assembly, Bishop Wolfgang Herz-Lane invited us to engage in ever-deepening relationship with one another and with the world. Recalling the words of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Bishop Wolfgang preached that we are caught in an “inescapable network of mutuality,” and that it is in Spirit-filled community that we find hope and strength- even in chaotic times.
We do find ourselves in chaotic times. Fast-changing times. We lament that often enough. But here’s the thing- we serve a living God who’s always on the move, creatively disrupting the status quo For the Sake of the World. So, church, change can’t be our stumbling block. The past can’t keep us from our future. Fear is a luxury we can no longer afford.
Jesus is on the move- let’s keep up!
The business of Assembly day two began with outgoing Synod Council Vice President, Yolanda Tanner, leading us in Bible study - or, as we’ve come to think of it, “abiding in the Word.” In the spirit of today’s theme, For the Sake of the World, we began to ask hard questions, like, “What does my congregation stand for?” This call to name and claim our mission as disciples of Jesus has been a mark of Vice President Tanner’s leadership. As she completed her term we gave thanks for her eight years of service with a well-deserved standing ovation. Later in the day the Assembly elected John Auger to the office of Synod Council Vice President.
Other business session highlights include:
- Election of delegates to the 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, Synod Council, and the Consultation and Discipline Committees.
- Approval of Vision 2018: Discerning God’s Plan, which focuses on discipleship, communication, connectedness, and leadership, while maintaining our synod’s mission-minded passion for evangelism and justice.
- Passing of new compensation guidelines, which hadn’t been updated since 2009. These guidelines offer considerations for years of experience on the roster, challenges in ministry contexts, and cost of living.
And in the midst of our work, we worshipped. Bishop Eugene Sutton of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland preached a sermon on John 1, reminding us that we can "...stay in our churches and hear the Word, but for the Word to become flesh, we're gonna have to go outside."
Mission Festival
The mission festival was a time to celebrate ministries of the synod that exist For the Sake of the World. Ministries like the Hunger Task Force, Companion Synods, Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries and the Hurricane Sandy relief efforts in Crisfield, Maryland, Campus Ministries, and the Lutheran Development Alliance. Nicely done, good and faithful servants!
Bishop’s Report
The work and play of the day brought to bear this truth: all we do as church, from the sometimes-tediousness of business sessions, to worship in our congregations, to the justice-oriented actions of accompaniment and advocacy, we do For the Sake of the World. There is, in fact, no church apart from the world so beloved that God sent Jesus to dwell here.
And so, in his report to the Assembly, Bishop Wolfgang Herz-Lane invited us to engage in ever-deepening relationship with one another and with the world. Recalling the words of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Bishop Wolfgang preached that we are caught in an “inescapable network of mutuality,” and that it is in Spirit-filled community that we find hope and strength- even in chaotic times.
We do find ourselves in chaotic times. Fast-changing times. We lament that often enough. But here’s the thing- we serve a living God who’s always on the move, creatively disrupting the status quo For the Sake of the World. So, church, change can’t be our stumbling block. The past can’t keep us from our future. Fear is a luxury we can no longer afford.
Jesus is on the move- let’s keep up!