The Synod Assembly is the annual meeting of the synodical expression of the church, a gathering of lay and rostered leaders to celebrate, and encourage and direct the ministries of the church.
Activated by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we equip the saints and the congregations for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.
The Synod Assembly is the annual meeting of the synodical expression of the church, a gathering of lay and rostered leaders to celebrate, and encourage and direct the ministries of the church.
The Twenty Third Annual Assembly of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, was held at the Franconia Mennonite Church, 613 Harleysville Pike (Route 113), Telford, PA May 7-8, 2010.
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Now that the Assembly is over,
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Bishop Burkat urged the Synod's congregations and leaders to embrace the four strategic directions identified last year -- Formation, Action, Connecting and Equipping -- and to address five trends she sees emerging on the missional horizon: Shifting demographics, technological advances, new ways to collaborate, a renewed focus on spirituality, and increasing interest in (and necessity for) ecumenism. Read more...
After engaging in passionate discussion in support of the ministry of the whole church, the assembly adopted a spending authorization plan for 2011 in the total amount of $2,808,595. This was adopted in the anticipation that the future revenue will be at the same level as 2009. The spending authorization expects a $280,000 deficit for the fiscal year. Click through to view video of the financial reports and the budget discussion and vote, and to download budget slides. Read more...
Dr. Rolf Jacobon, associate professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary, gave the Assembly's keynote sessions, equipping lay members and pastors to dig more deeply into the Bible. Watch video of his two plenary sessions -- Inbreaking Word and Outpouring Word -- and his forum presentation.
“Know that your brothers and sisters throughout the church are grateful for your commitment to the gospel partnership we all share as we live out God’s calling to us,” the Rev. Walter May, assistant to the presiding bishop and executive for synodical and constituent relations, told the Assembly. He underlined the harsh realities that the ELCA has faced while trying to deal with dwindling financial resources and underscored the fact that throughout reductions in budgets, the church has not lost its sense of being called for mission. He said the questions before us are: Who are we? Where is God calling us? What is our witness in the context of our identity and mission? Read more...
The Rev. Dr. Anneth Munga visited the Assembly five years ago as a representative of the church in Tanzania with a greeting and a question that asked if we were willing to support building a university to make a difference and transform lives, especially those of people with disabilities. She said “you said ‘yes’ and you continue to do so. I am here to tell you that through hearts, minds, hands and feet and all that we are, God has done it." Read more...
For more information about the Assembly, or access to additional resources, contact Bob Fisher, assistant to the bishop for mission interpretation,
As part of the Synod's ongoing effort to use our resources wisely and become more "green", the Bulletin of Reports will not be printed but are available online.
Key parts of the Bulletin of Reports that will be needed at Assembly such as the Agenda, Rules of Procedure, Proposed Continuing Resolutions, Report of the Nominations Committee and Proposed Synod Budget are in the process of being mailed out to all registrants.
If you do not have access to a computer with internet service and, therefore, do not have access to the online Bulletin of Reports please contact Ginny Bailey at 267.323.3749 or for a printed copy.
Bulletin of Reports
Resolutions
Download these materials (in Adobe Acrobat .PDF format) below. To view and print these files, you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader program available here.
For registration related questions contact:
Ginny Bailey
267.323.3749 or
All other questions contact:
Joanne Carlson
267.323.3759 or
Assistant to the Bishop for Global Vision and Events
Mrs. Carlson coordinates major synod meetings and events and works with our international partnerships with companion synods -- the North Eastern Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania and the Lutheran Church in Silesia (Czech Republic). She also works with groups related to World Hunger, Lutheran World Relief, Advocacy (international issues), Resources and Volunteer Opportunities (international) and all other international related issues/involvements.
Contact: 267.323.3759 |
Ms. Bailey supports Global Vision/Events andcompiles the Bulletin of Reports and Minutes Book, and supports Youth Ministry activities and events.
Ginny is an avid Flyers fan and enjoys traveling, spending time with her niece and five nephews and playing with her cats, Missy and Madison.She is a life-long member of St. Peter's Lutheran Church in North Wales.
Contact: 267.323.3749 |
Our Tanzanian companion synod’s SEKUCo project, Tennessee flood relief and the Synod’s Fund for Mission have benefited from record-setting offerings received at May’s Assembly worship services. Overall, Assembly voting members and visitors contributed nearly $10,000 to these worthy causes, despite the difficult economic times. These offerings were larger than Assembly offerings in recent memory, according to the Synod’s business office.
Bishop Claire Burkat challenged the 2010 Assembly to see how the four directions launched at last year’s assembly can lead the synod to embrace five trends that she sees emerging on the missional horizon. Represented by the acronym FACE, the directions are: Faith formation, faith in Action, Connecting and Communicating, and Equipping for evangelical outreach. Read more and view video of the bishop's remarks.
After engaging in passionate discussion in support of the ministry of the whole church, the assembly adopted a spending authorization plan for 2011 in the total amount of $2,808,595. This was adopted in the anticipation that the future revenue will be at the same level as 2009.
Bishop Claire Burkat introduced the theme of the 2010 assembly of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod in her sermon, Inbreaking/Outpouring: The Living Word. She spoke of the magnitude and power of God’s creative Word in our lives. “We will hear, see and experience the inbreaking of the Word of God, and take notice of its power and beauty in our lives while we are here together for these two days” said Burkat.
After the Nominations Committee report was published, a few corrections/changes were brought to the committee's attention. The Nominations Committee report has been revised and is now available online. The changes/corrections will be announced during the committee's report at Assembly.
2012 Synod Assembly registration materials available for download. Early bird registration deadline is Wednesday, March 14.
Corrected information. The information distributed in the Jan. 19 SEPANews is incorrect. Please use this information instead. Mark your calendar for Lutheran Night at the Phillies on Friday, June 1 at 7:05 p.m. vs. Miami. This is the 37th consecutive year for Lutheran Night. A portion of each ticket cost will support Synod youth ministry programs. Ordering information will be available soon. Plan on ordering promptly, as Phillies tickets go fast. A block of tickets has beenreserved for Lutheran groups on June 1. If those tickets sell out there will be an additional block available on an alternate date.