Greetings
from the Partners in
Evangelical Worship event! I am in Houston, Texas
with Pr. Susan Scott and Pr. Joseph Leon for three days to
worship, learn, engage, and connect with lay folks, clergy and
church leaders from all over the country.
I was struck this morning by the words of Pr.
Robert Schaefer, Executive for Worship of the ELCA. His keynote focused on
three areas.
Worship
is missional.
Pr. Schaefer reminded us that word and sacrament is the
heart of mission. When the assembly gathers for praise,
proclamation and the meal, it is the beginning and grounding
for our work in the world, partnering with God in God's
mission to serve the poor, to share the good news and to
proclaim justice. And worship has a changing
dimension. While it is ancient and ecumenical there is a
"flexible stability" so that God's mission informs the style
and form of worship.
Worship is contextual.
Mentioning a conflict in the early church
described in the Acts of the Apostles,
Pr. Schaefer pointed out that worship must be faithful to the
locality in which worship is conducted. But more than that, he
reminded us that the church is shaped and changed when others
are met and welcomed into the community of faith. His words were an
invitation to move out of our comfort zones with what is easy
or preferred.
Worship is community.
Worship is not ours alone. Pr. Schaefer suggested
to those here --
church musicians, women and men, lay and clergy -- that often
the worship tasks can seem overwhelming. It is, of course, when
we choose to take on all the tasks alone. It is critical, he
said, that we invite others to the worship planning and to
hear many voices as worship is developed. The community is made
stronger when several and a variety of views and voices are
included.
Given
this morning's session, the event
promises to be informative, challenging, and
refreshing.
Director
for Evangelical Mission
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We remember in
prayer...
Bishop Mark scheduled for a sinus procedure
Pastor Russ Mueller (retired) scheduled for surgery
Pastor Bill Keys (retired) hospitalized last week with
pneumonia
Pastor Holly McHale-Larsen (Our Savior's, Lafayette) and
her husband, Stephen, proud parents of a baby girl, Lily
Pastor
Sandy Bentz (Trinity, Porterville) receiving treatment for
severe neck and shoulder pain related to discs in her neck
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NEW SYNOD
ADDRESS EFFECTIVE June 25,
2010
Sacramento, CA 95827-6648
The phone numbers will stay the
same
510-430-0500 and 800-275-3522
to reach synod staff or leave messages for us.
The
Office of the Bishop -Sacramento
Opening June 28, 2010,
temporarily located at Calvary Lutheran Church
515 L Street, Rio Linda, CA 95673
The Office of the Bishop - Bay
Area
(facility
being remodeled - open later this summer) located at
the
Urban
Life Center
St.
Mark's Lutheran Church
1031 Franklin Street, San Francisco, CA
94109
The Office of the Bishop
- Fresno
(facility being remodeled - open later
this summer) located at the
Lutheran Campus
Ministry
Fresno State
University
2311 E. Shaw, Fresno, CA 93710
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Save the Date!!
Rite of Reception
4PM, Sun., July 25
St. Mark's Lutheran Church,
San Francisco, CA
Join us as we worship and celebrate the
reception of the clergy of the Extraordinary Lutheran
Ministry onto the roster of the ELCA.
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ORGAN & LITURGICAL
ITEMS
FOR SALE
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church of Sacramento will be
closing in July. The congregation will be offering a
number of items for sale, including a 3-manual Allen
Organ (model MDS-41-S), paraments, a baptismal font, Christ
Candle, and other items. The items will be listed on
their website Gloria
Dei.
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MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
END
CHILDHOOD HUNGER
IN THE UNITED STATES!
In
February, President Barack Obama proposed that, over 10 years,
an additional $10 billion be invested in child nutrition
programs through the federal Child Nutrition and WIC
Reauthorization Act of 2004. It is expected to come
before Congress for reauthorization later this year.
The
bill supports such federal school meal and child nutrition
efforts as the national school lunch and breakfast programs,
and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women,
Infants and Children, more commonly known as WIC. Many
advocates say President Obama's proposal is one piece of a
perfect storm brewing in childrens' favor. NOW is the time to
make the contact with your senator and representative.
Encourage them to insist on finding the monies to fund the
full $10 billion in the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act.
Ask them to make
sure it is re-authorized this year, by September 30th. For more information
on advocacy for the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act go to:
Faith in
Action
In
addition to the multi-billion-dollar proposal, the
president recently established a Task Force on Childhood
Obesity. First Lady Michelle Obama launched her own
child health campaign known as "Let's Move." If your congregation
wants to be connected with your neighborhood in community
service, take a look at www.letsmove.gov.
Also, encourage your congregation to consider to
become a summer feeding site for the Summer Food Service
Program. You can find out more about this from
Summer
Lunch or by calling
1-866-348-6479. During the school year
17.9 million children participate in the school lunch program.
During the summer only 2.2 million participate, but the
need for these children hasn't changed. While it may be too
late for your congregation to participate this summer, how
about looking into it for summer 2011?
This article was submitted by the Synod Hunger
Network. For more
information about the Synod Hunger Network or assistance in
starting a regular hunger advocacy program in your
congregation, email or phone Edie or Denny Lott at thelotts@gmail.com or
530-582-5362. You can
also check out our blog at http://spshunger.blogspot.com/.
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ELCA.org
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Upcoming Events
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2010
June 24 Closing of the Office of the Bishop,
Oakland
June 25-26 Synod Council
June 28 NEW Office of the Bishop, Sacramento opens
July 11-16 Mt. Cross
Shalom Camp
July 25 Rite of Reception,
St. Mark's, San Francisco
August 27-28, 2010 Candidacy
Committee, PLTS, Berkeley
September 18 District B Fall
Assembly 10:00 - 3:00
Resurrection, Granite Bay
September 24-25 Synod
Council
September 30 - October 5
Conference of
Bishops
October 12-14 Professional
Leaders Conference
Granlibakken Resort, Tahoe City
October 15-17 High School Event
at Mt. Cross
October 16 District E Fall
Assembly 10:00 - 3:00
Shepherd of the
Valley, Merced
October 17 District C Fall
Assembly 2:00 - 5:00 pm
St. Mark's, San Francisco
October 23 District A Fall
Assembly 10:00 - 3:00
Our Savior's, Lafayette
November 6 District D Fall
Assembly 10:00 - 3:00
Advent, Morgan Hill
November 12-14 Junior High Event
at Mt. Cross
2011
January 5-9 Bishop's
Academy
January 19-20 Council of
Deans Retreat - Christ the
King Retreat Center,
Citrus Heights, CA
January 28-29 Synod Council
February 25-27 Elementary
Retreat #1 - at Mt. Cross
February 28 - March 1
Retired Clergy/Spouse/Lay
Rostered//Widows/Widowers
Retreat
March 3-8 Conference of
Bishops
March 25-27 Elementary
Retreat #2 - at Sly
Park
May 12 Synod Council
Burlingame, CA
May 13-15 Synod Assembly
Hyatt Regency Airport
Burlingame, CA
June 24-25 Synod Council
August 14-20 Churchwide
Assembly - Orlando,
FL
September 23-24 Synod Council
September 29 - October 4
Conference of Bishops
2012
January 5-9 Bishop's
Academy
January 18-19 Council of Deans
Retreat - Christ the
King
Retreat Center, Citrus
Heights
July 18-22 ELCA Youth
Gathering
New Orleans, LA
2013
February 28 - March 5 Conference
of Bishops
October 3-8 Conference of Bishops
Lutheran Center,
Chicago
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SUPPORT STAFF
FAREWELLS
This week we bid farewell and Godspeed to
Mary Brown who has worked for the synod 19 years and PLTS for
12 years before that; to her daughter, Kanika, who was support
staff for aproximately 6 months; and to Barbara Nelson, who
came back to the Office of the Bishop,
offering experience
and
wisdom. Synod Executive Staff invite you to
express your appreciation to each by email.
Mary Brown at
Barbara
Nelson at
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SAFE FAMILIES AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
TRAINING
Is your congrega-tion interested in making your
church and community safer places for families by ending
domestic violence?
You are
invited to apply for a three-day "Lutheran Advocates for Safe
Families" training session. Choose from one of two
dates:
- Monday, September 13 through Wednesday,
September 15, 2010
- Thursday, October 7 through Saturday, October
9, 2010
Training session and materials are available at no cost,
and some financial assistance for travel and lodging is
available. Locations are forthcoming.
For more information,
contact Susan
Hayes or Mikka
McCracken with the ELCA Justice for Women
program.
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SYNOD
YOUTH TRAVEL TO RWANDA
25 members of the Sierra Pacific Synod
Youth Committee will be soon be in Rwanda. They
will become familiar with the culture, visit sister parishes
and schools, learn more about themselves while growing in
their faith.
Please
offer your support through prayers and donations which may be
mailed to Pacific
Lutheran Theological Semi-nary, 2770 Marin Ave.,
Berkeley, CA 94708. Write "FAIL 2010" in the memo
line of your
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Sierra
Pacific Synod 