Wondering what happened today at the Delaware-Maryland Synod Assembly?
Social Media team member Emma Wagner has your daily digest here.
Social Media team member Emma Wagner has your daily digest here.
What a beautiful day in Ocean City, Maryland!
Dr. Cheryl Pero introduced us to the 38 Theses from the Conference of International Black Lutherans. The first is that "cultural diversity is a gift of God, that there are a plurality of cultural ways of being Lutheran, and this diversity/plurality enhances rather than compromises the unity all Lutherans have in Jesus Christ." When one person in the community is broken, the entire community is broken.
Pastor Stuart Luce, our Leadership Development Director, is called to be the "light, salt, and yeast in the area of leadership in our synod." Find the videos he's been creating over the past year on our website.
Candy Maxwell, our synod’s new Lay Leadership Development Director, shared her BHAG (big, hairy, audacious goal): that the church is a place for individuals to receive the master class on leadership and is the place of raising up effective Christian leaders not only for the church, but for families, workplaces, and communities.
We adopted a Resolution on Ecological Justice that encourages congregations to practice energy conservation, educate our communities, and equip individuals to advocate for ecological justice issues, and designate an annual Ecological Justice Sunday. Let's make the earth great again!
We adopted the 2018 Faith Spending Plan with one friendly amendment, to change the designation from Gettysburg Seminary to United Lutheran Seminary.
Pastor Russell Fink reflected upon his 65 years of ordained ministry, reminding us that "we are here to live."
Pastor Bettye Wolinski, our new Assistant to the Bishop for the Eastern Cluster, taught us a new way to look at the Lord's Prayer, through the eyes of several 13-year-old young women in her congregation.
Pastor Albert Starr brought us greetings from the ELCA Churchwide Organization. "We must make sure that every culture, race, and ethnicity has access and opportunity to be a part of the life of this church ... thank you for your commitment to support this whole church."
We elected several people to synod council and other leadership roles in our synod. Thank you to everyone who is willing to serve in this capacity!
And we have some news - Synod Assembly is moving! Following a resolution at last year's Assembly to consider new locations, the Synod Assembly Relocation Task Force looked at several different venues, and eventually settled on the Delta Hotels Baltimore Hunt Valley. Look for more information about the 2018 Assembly in the next few months.
The closing of Second English Lutheran Church in West Baltimore and the sale of their building sent appreciable gifts to many active ministries including $650,000 to our synod to be dispersed among the Forward in Faith Capital Campaign, our synod's Campus Ministries, and Augsburg Lutheran Church in Baltimore. Thanks be to God.
After the business of the day, we gathered at St. Luke Roman Catholic Church for a service commemorating the 500th anniversary of the reformation. It was a beautiful service led by Bishop Gohl and Bishop Malooly (of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington) and assisted by clergy members of both traditions. It was especially meaningful to repent of our sins together and recite our common creed.
Finally, a group of youth and young adults gathered for a time of evening prayer on the beach led by Pastors Mark and Christine Parker and Pastor Tim Jahn. Our synod is blessed by their commitment to making sure young people are lifted up as leaders.
Dr. Cheryl Pero introduced us to the 38 Theses from the Conference of International Black Lutherans. The first is that "cultural diversity is a gift of God, that there are a plurality of cultural ways of being Lutheran, and this diversity/plurality enhances rather than compromises the unity all Lutherans have in Jesus Christ." When one person in the community is broken, the entire community is broken.
Pastor Stuart Luce, our Leadership Development Director, is called to be the "light, salt, and yeast in the area of leadership in our synod." Find the videos he's been creating over the past year on our website.
Candy Maxwell, our synod’s new Lay Leadership Development Director, shared her BHAG (big, hairy, audacious goal): that the church is a place for individuals to receive the master class on leadership and is the place of raising up effective Christian leaders not only for the church, but for families, workplaces, and communities.
We adopted a Resolution on Ecological Justice that encourages congregations to practice energy conservation, educate our communities, and equip individuals to advocate for ecological justice issues, and designate an annual Ecological Justice Sunday. Let's make the earth great again!
We adopted the 2018 Faith Spending Plan with one friendly amendment, to change the designation from Gettysburg Seminary to United Lutheran Seminary.
Pastor Russell Fink reflected upon his 65 years of ordained ministry, reminding us that "we are here to live."
Pastor Bettye Wolinski, our new Assistant to the Bishop for the Eastern Cluster, taught us a new way to look at the Lord's Prayer, through the eyes of several 13-year-old young women in her congregation.
Pastor Albert Starr brought us greetings from the ELCA Churchwide Organization. "We must make sure that every culture, race, and ethnicity has access and opportunity to be a part of the life of this church ... thank you for your commitment to support this whole church."
We elected several people to synod council and other leadership roles in our synod. Thank you to everyone who is willing to serve in this capacity!
And we have some news - Synod Assembly is moving! Following a resolution at last year's Assembly to consider new locations, the Synod Assembly Relocation Task Force looked at several different venues, and eventually settled on the Delta Hotels Baltimore Hunt Valley. Look for more information about the 2018 Assembly in the next few months.
The closing of Second English Lutheran Church in West Baltimore and the sale of their building sent appreciable gifts to many active ministries including $650,000 to our synod to be dispersed among the Forward in Faith Capital Campaign, our synod's Campus Ministries, and Augsburg Lutheran Church in Baltimore. Thanks be to God.
After the business of the day, we gathered at St. Luke Roman Catholic Church for a service commemorating the 500th anniversary of the reformation. It was a beautiful service led by Bishop Gohl and Bishop Malooly (of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington) and assisted by clergy members of both traditions. It was especially meaningful to repent of our sins together and recite our common creed.
Finally, a group of youth and young adults gathered for a time of evening prayer on the beach led by Pastors Mark and Christine Parker and Pastor Tim Jahn. Our synod is blessed by their commitment to making sure young people are lifted up as leaders.