Some thoughts from Elizabeth
Parks, one of our synod's voting members, about the ELCA
Churchwide Assembly meeting this week in
Minneapolis:
Three Thoughts about Churchwide
Assembly
We're just past the halfway point for
the ELCA's 2009 Churchwide Assembly, and here are a few
thoughts I have at this point:
A joy: Worship has
been amazing! I had high expectations before I arrived,
based on my experiences at previous synodical and churchwide
events, but they've been exceeded. Powerful preaching,
energetic singing, a variety of liturgies and music and
readings, all very Spirit-filled. Worship is at the
center of our days - literally. It's scheduled for 11:30
am, after the morning plenary and before lunch and the
afternoon plenary. So we all pause in the work and
gather together - and worshipping among 1500-2000 others
creates a wonderful energy. It is definitely a high
point of each day.
A frustration: floor debates
during plenary (business) sessions. They amount to
sequential monologues - there's no chance to respond to and
hopefully dialogue with others. People who have
something to say line up at the For & Against microphones,
and if I have a question or reaction to a speech, I can join
the line, but it's likely that there are 20 folks ahead of me
and someone will call the question before I get a turn.
Or I could hunt the speaker down and try to have a
conversation - but it'd just be the two of us, with the
assembly as a whole missing out and us missing what others are
saying. Thursday morning, however, was different.
We gathered at assigned tables of ten, each from a different
synod, and spent 90 minutes in structured conversation around
the proposed Ministry Policy Recommendations. At my
table opinions ranged from "I'm leaving the ELCA" to "it's
about time we open up the rosters". In this setting we
had the opportunity and time for conversation at a deeper
level and I came away from it with a great deal more
understanding of the range and nuances of our varied positions
and the concerns in our home ministry
settings.
Something I've been pondering:
Wednesday's preacher, Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla, asked us
"Do you agree that the church of Jesus Christ has a mission?"
and we mostly agreed. He then said, no, turn that
around: "the mission of Jesus Christ has a
church!" That has stuck with me. One thing it
implies to me is that the church is a tool, one of many ways
to accomplish Christ's mission in this world. That makes
me ask: what else is out there? What other tools
are available or are waiting to be developed? What
possibilities are we missing if we concentrate too much on
"church" and don't pay enough attention to Christ's
mission?
If you want to know more about the Churchwide
Assembly, check out the Sierra Pacific Synod's blog at cwa2009.wordpress.org, the webstream at
www.elca.org, or attend one of the conference gatherings
this fall. The Sierra Pacific Synod's voting members are
planning to be there!
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We remember in prayer . .
.
Voting
members of our synod as they participate in
the churchwide Assembly being held August 17-23 in
Minneapolis
Joan
Grochau, wife of retired Pastor Robert Grochau, as she
continues treatment for melanoma
All
who suffer as a result of natural disasters, especially those
affected by the tornado in Minneapolis and wild fires in
California
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SYNOD VICE PRESIDENT
RESIGNS
This is the text of a
letter that was mailed to congregations, retired clergy and
lay professionals, ministry partners and specially called
pastors. It is offered here in case you have not yet
received this information.
Dear Friends in
Christ,
I write to announce that Mr. Larry
Moeller, who has served as Vice President of the Sierra
Pacific Synod for the past six years, has resigned his
position, effective immediately. I invite you to hold
Larry and the Sierra Pacific Synod in your prayers as we move
into a time of discernment regarding leadership for the Synod
and the Synod Council. I have been in consultation with
Mr. David Swartling, Secretary of the E.L.C.A., and Pr. Walter
Mays of the Office of Synodical Relations since receiving this
news and will continue to seek their advice and counsel as we
move forward.
I invite you to express your
thanks to Larry for his faithful service to the Sierra Pacific
Synod, not only as Vice President, but as a member and chair
of the Witness and Service Discipling Team before that.
My office has suggested that the members of the Synod Council
will be able to express their thanks and appreciation to Larry
at a special gathering during the September Synod Council
Meeting. A further expression of appreciation for his
service is being planned for next year's Synod Assembly, at
which time an election for a new Vice President will take
place.
The Executive Committee will meet in the
coming weeks to determine how the work of the Synod Council
can best be conducted during this interim time. We will
keep you informed as decisions are made, and invite your
prayers for the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit for our
synod's ministry. Please do not hesitate to contact me,
Bishop's Associate Nancy F. Nelson, and the rest of the
members of the Executive Committee - Secretary Pat Cash,
Treasurer Elaine Alexander, Pr. Sarah Isakson, Pr. Tom Beck or
Pr. Susan Birkelo if you have any questions, concerns or hopes
you wish to express.
God's
Peace,
Bp. Mark
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SYNOD YOUTH ELECTED TO NATIONAL
POSTS The Sierra Pacific Synod Youth Committee
is pleased to announce some exciting news concerning two of
their members.
In March Kyle Teague was elected to
serve as the Male Youth Advisory Member to the ELCA Church
Council, which also serves as an advisory member to the
Board of the Lutheran Youth Organization.
At the end of July Paul Larson was
elected to serve as the Region 2 Member at Large on the Board
of the Lutheran Youth Organization.
Congratulations to these fine Synod youth! We look
forward to hearing more about them and from
them in the future.
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NEW SYNOD
RESOURCE CENTER NEWSLETTER
ISSUED Synod Resource Center Director Cindi
Eckert has issued the August edition of The
Resource Review, the newsletter of
the Resource Center. It contains
some great information for congregations
and professional leaders.
The Resource Center newsletters are
posted on the Synod website under "Synod Resource
Center." Check out this latest
edition at: Resource
Newsletter.
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Upcoming Events
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August 17-23
Churchwide
Assembly, Minneapolis,
MN
August 29 Book of Faith
Conversation - Trinity,
Pleasanton
September 7 - Synod Office
closed for Labor Day
holiday
September 14-15 Region 2
Consultation - PLTS
September 19 10:00 - 4:00
District B Conferences
Assembly - St. John's,
Sacramento
September 22 LSS Garrison
Keillor - Live in Concert
Memorial Auditorium
Sacramento
September 23 PLTS
Founders' Day
September 25-26 Synod
Council - Mercy Center,
Burlingame, CA
September 26 Women's
Retreat - Mt. Cross
October 1-6 Conference of
Bishops - Chicago
October 10 10:00 - 4:00
District A Conferences
Assembly - Elim,
Petaluma
October 11 1:00 - 4:00
District C Conferences
Assembly - PLTS
October 1-6 Conference
of Bishops, Chicago
October 19-20 Council of
Deans - Asilomar
October 19-20 Pre-
Conference Professional
Leaders Women's
Retreat - Asilomar
October
20-22 Professional
Leaders
Conference,
Asilomar Conference
Center
October 23-24 Word &
Sacrament Event - ELW
Freedom & Flexibility
Good Shepherd,
Fresno
October 24 10:00 - 3:00
District E Conferences
Assembly - Good
Shepherd, Fresno
October 24 Book of Faith
Conversation - Good
Shepherd, Fresno
November 1 Joint Lutheran /
Roman Catholic Service in
Stockton - 4:00 pm
November 7 10:00 - 3:00
District D Conferences
Assembly - Grace,
Palo Alto
November 7 - Book of Faith
Conversation - Faith, Chico
November 13-14 WELCA
Gathering - Peace,
Grass Valley
November 13-15 Spouses of
Clergy, AiMs & Diaconal
Ministers Retreat - Eagles
Rest, Sonora, CA
November 14 - Book of Faith
Conversation - Christ the
King, Orangevale
2010
January 4-9 Bishops'
Academy, Itasca, IL
January 13-14 Council of
Deans Retreat - Christ the
King Retreat Center,
Citrus Heights, CA
January 15-16 Synod
Council - Mercy Center,
Burlingame, CA
January 30 - Book of Faith
Conversation, Bethel,
Cupertino
March 1-2 Retired Clergy/
AIMs/Widows-Widowers/
Spouse Retreat - San
Damiano Retreat Center,
Danville, CA
March 4-9 Conference of
Bishops
May 6-8 Synod Assembly
Silver Legacy Hotel
Reno, NV
September 30 - October 5
Conference of Bishops -
Chicago
2011
March 3-8 Conference of
Bishops
August 14-20 Churchwide
Assembly - Orlando,
FL
September 29 - October 4
Conference of Bishops
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BOOK OF FAITH WORKSHOP
August 29, 2009
10:00
am - 2:00 pm
Trinity Lutheran Church
1225
Hopyard Road
Pleasanton, CA 94556
925-846-6363
Register by e-mail to Diane McGeoch
at dlmcgeoch@juno.com or Karen Woida at karenwoida@yahoo.com by
August 26, 2009. There is no registration fee.
Please bring something for your lunch. Beverages and
some snacks will be
provided.
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WORSHIP & MUSIC FORUM
Evangelical Lutheran
Worship: More Freedom and
Flexibility
October 24,
8:30 am - 4:00 pm
Good Shepherd Lutheran
Church
Fresno, CA
To register, go to the Word and Sacrament
website
and click on "Events and
Resources."
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PROFESSIONAL
LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE OCTOBER 20-22
The Professional Leadership Conference
will be held October 20-22 at
Asilomar. A link for registering for the conference
available on the
Synod
website.
Please note that online registration is
for conference registration
only. Housing registration must be handled
directly with Asilomar using the form available on
the
Synod
website.
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PRE-CONFERENCE PROFESSIONAL LEADERS WOMEN'S
RETREAT
Dates:
Mon., Oct. 19 -Tues., Oct. 20
Cost: $40, exclusive of
housing & meals
Leader: Carolyn
Kees
Theme: The Enneagram
and Spirituality
Room reservations for this event must be
made directly with Asilomar Conference Center. To
register or for more information, please contact Katy
Grindberg at Pastor Katy.
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Sierra
Pacific Synod 
