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A communications service of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, ELCA copyright 2007.
Attention council presidents and vice presidents: There's still time to register for the meeting with Bishop Burkat Sept. 29. Get all the details at the synod website.
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Got 60 Minutes for stewardship help?
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 Get a quick overview of 12 different aspects of stewardship ministry at the next "60 Minutes" workshop Tuesday, September 18, 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church, Norristown. A series of brief presentations will give you an overview of topics including year-round stewardship, program budgets, stewardship of the environment, stewardship with youth and more.
Get more information at our website.
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"Evenings with the Bishop" this fall
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 Bishop Claire Burkat will again visit with leaders in each of our synod's nine conferences this fall. Pastors, lay rostered leaders, council presidents and other key leaders are invited.
There will be a meeting in each conference between Sept. 20 and Oct. 30. Leaders can attend any session that works for them. The events will begin with refreshments from 6:30-7 p.m., followed by a presentation by the bishop and conversation. The dates are:
- Sept. 20, Lower Bucks conference at Advent, Richboro
- Sept. 24, Northeast Phila. conference at St. John, Mayfair
- Oct. 1, Upper Montgomery conference at St. James, Limerick
- Oct. 15, Upper Bucks conference at St. Paul, Telford
- Oct. 17, Delaware conference at Reformation, Media
- Oct. 23, Chester conference at St. Paul, Exton
- Oct. 24, Lower Montgomery conference at Faith, Montgomeryville
- Oct. 29, Central Phila. conference at Old Zion, Philadelphia
- Oct. 30, NW/Olney conference at Christ Ascension, Phila.
Please contact the church hosting the meeting you plan to attend so that they have an idea how many to prepare for. Thanks!
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Celebrating 100 years of campus ministry
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The following article is adapted from a series of resources to help your congregation tell the story of our common ministry in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The articles were sent to congregation presidents last month and are available at our Mission Interpretation web page.
 With more than 30 diverse institutions of higher learning on our territory, campus ministry is an important focus for our Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod. And this year campus ministry is a big deal, as Lutheran Campus Ministry is celebrating its 100th anniversary!
SEPA is no slacker when it comes to supporting campus ministry. There are two very active campus ministries, one at Temple, and another at University Lutheran Church of the Incarnation, which serves Drexel, the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Community College, Philadelphia University and quite a few others. Lutherans have been providing ministry at Penn for 91 continuous years!
The campus ministry at Temple is almost brand new, but it's very special. It's a joint campus ministry for Episcopal and Lutheran Students on Temple's campus and it's called the LECM (Lutheran Episcopal Campus Ministry). This is a great step towards better ecumenical relations. The campus minister, Fr. Greg Wilson, is an Episcopal priest, but he dedicates his time to both Lutheran AND Episcopal students and events.
Through our Synod you offer financial support to both these ministries - and it's greatly appreciated. Campus ministry always needs your support through prayer, action, and contributions. Campus ministry is the church's chance to keep young adults active in the faith.
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| Junior Youth Gathering registration now open |
 This fall, our annual Junior Youth Gathering will focus on how our faith in God can make the seemingly impossible happen. Youth in grades 6-8 are invited to attend JYG with their adult leaders. JYG 2007 will serve as the perfect confirmation retreat or junior high youth ministry event! Two one-night gatherings will be held back to back, October 12-13 and 13-14. Each gathering will start at 6:00 p.m. on day one and end at 3:00 p.m. on day two. Congregations will be able to register for their preferred gathering, but space is limited so register early! The JYGs will be held at Refreshing Mountain Camp again in Stephens, PA, Lancaster County.
Youth worker training
There are two awesome youth worker training opportunities this fall - Foundations for Effective Youth Ministry Level 1 and Level 2 (SEPA Synod is the first place in the ELCA to present this new Level 2 training!). Level 1 is Saturday, September 29 and Level 2 is Saturday, October 27. Each training is $40 a person and includes a binder full of resources, lunch and giveaways! Go to our web site now to download registration brochures for these trainings. Bring a team of people from your congregation to absorb as much as possible!
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The delicate balance of partnership
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 On her SEKUCo blog, Amanda Grant offers some reflections on the work of partnership that Bishop Burkat and Joanne Carlson have been doing these last weeks in Tanzania:
Their visits were
not simple "greetings" but rather the complex work of partnership.
Bishop Claire, for one, was put to work preaching, baptizing and laying
cornerstones.
In
the evenings when they returned to the hostel we had an opportunity to
reflect on the day's work and the delicate balance of partnership.
In our conversations it was clear Bishop Claire found that balance. She was respectful
of cultural dynamics. She wore her clerics proudly everyday and even
learned the Swahili greetings that bonded her to the hearts of many.
And yet, when asked to preach or take part in dialogue with
congregations she did not conform to what she thought people wanted to
hear but rather stayed true to the call of the gospel viewed from
within her beliefs and cultural background. More good news: SEKUCo expected 100 students for its first term, and enrollment has now been closed at 178!
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Bishop's Convocation: Seedtime and harvest
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 This year's SEPA Bishop's Convocation, to be held November 12-14 at Willow Valley Resort in Lancaster, invites rostered leaders to reflect on their stewardship of creation, their care for our neighbors, and their self-care. The Convocation offers leaders time for refreshment and the stimulation of inspiring presentations by the Rev. Dr. Robert Robinson, Jerome Ringo, and Tammy Devine, Diaconal Minister. Check out the schedule, download a brochure, or register online at our website.
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Ministry resources
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Seminary Day Sept. 29
 The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia will hold Seminary Day on Saturday, Sept. 29 at its Mt. Airy campus. Experience a day in the life of a seminarian - get to know the Seminary campus and community -- find new ways the Seminary can help you, your family, and your congregation on your own journey of faith. And enjoy a beautiful fall day on our historic campus. Learn more or register online.
Affirmation of Baptism Festivals
 Registration is now open for "Living Peace," the Theological Education with Youth (TEY) Affirmation of Baptism Festivals to be held November 3, 2007 at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg and November 17, 2007 at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP). These one-day formation events will offer dynamic exploration of the calling to "seek peace and pursue it." (Psalm 34:14) Each congregation may send up to four ninth-grade youths and one adult mentor.
Visit their website for more information or to register.
 Keep in touch with SEKUCo
Want to know the latest about the Sebastian Kolowa University College, which our Tanzanian companion Synod is opening in October? There are two easy ways to get the latest:
· Download the Fall 2007 SEKUCo newsletter from our website
· Visit the blog of Amanda Grant, a member of St. John, Mayfair, who is teaching at the new university's opening semester.
 Interim Ministry refresher course in October
The Interim Ministry Network and the SE Pennsylvania Region of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, are co-hosting an intentional interim minister's refresher course at the St. Luke Church in Devon, PA October 22-26, 2007.
Learn more and download a flier at our website.
Take lay ministry to the next level
Looking for a way to energize gifted lay leaders in your congregation?
The 2007 Faith and Leadership Academy will be held from October 13 -
November 17. The Faith and Leadership Academy is sponsored each year by
the Philadelphia Seminary and the SEPA Synod. The purpose is to help
laity develop their gifts for leadership in the church and in the
world.
The six-sessions (9:15 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.) will meet in the Brossman Center on the Seminary campus.
The cost is $170 which covers tuition, notebooks, weekly outlines,
morning refreshments, and noon lunches for the six Saturdays. Several
congregations make the Academy an expectation for those who are council
or teach. Many congregations share the cost.
Brochures have been sent to all congregations. See the Synod website for more information, or contact George Keck by email or phone 610.489.1202.
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| ELCA News |
ELCA Disaster Response Alerts
After extensive and damaging U.S. flooding in several states, prayers, financial gifts, and volunteers are needed in support of the ELCA Domestic Disaster Response efforts. Prayers and financial gifts are also needed in support of ELCA International Disaster Response efforts after the Peru earthquake and devastating flooding in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. These disaster alerts are available online.
Lutheran students help clean up
 More than 60 students, faculty and staff from the ELCA's Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kan., began the academic year with a lesson in hands-on help. On Aug. 25 the group traveled to Greensburg, Kan., to assist with tornado recovery efforts there. Lisa Runnebaum, Seneca, Kan., a third-year volleyball player, said, although months later, the damage from the tornado is "still shocking. It made me realize my priorities in life."
ELCA supports earthquake relief in Peru
The ELCA responded to an appeal for funds from its Lutheran companion church in Peru to help 420 families affected by an Aug. 15 earthquake that struck the coast of Peru. Peruvian authorities indicated that 510 people died and about 1,600 were injured by the earthquake and its aftershocks. Through its International Disaster Response, the ELCA sent $38,773 Aug. 24 to support the local church's distribution of food, tents, blankets, water and flashlights.
Lutherans participate in tornado relief
 A church building of the ELCA and a Lutheran-affiliated health service center in Northwood, N.D., sustained major damage from a tornado that swept through the town Aug. 26. Preliminary damage assessments carried out by the American Red Cross indicated that more than 90 percent of the homes in Northwood sustained damage, according to Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR).
Spirit of Wholeness in Christ: A Racial Ethnic Multicultural Event
More than 700 Christians, wanting to see the racial, ethnic and
multicultural diversity of their churches, gathered July 12-15 at
the Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotel. See the video report online.
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