SED Congregational News and Events June 7, 2010
June 8th, 2010 by lucasjsTending the Flame Conference
July 30 – August 1, 2010
Richmond VA
Save $30 and Register by June 15
Special guest Reggie McNeal presents:
Living Letters
Conference highlights:
Amazing Workshops! – Five sessions of workshops covering topics of prayer, witnessing, mission planting, faith-sharing, evangelism, and discipleship.
* The praise team from St.Stephens Lutheran Church in Hickory NC will be leading the worship and music for the conference.
* Sunday Morning Prayer Breakfast features Rev. Dr. Jonathan Blanke, a professor at Japan Lutheran College and Seminary in Tokyo, and son of the SED.
* Youth Program – We are excited to have Echelon, an incredible Christian band, along with Andrew Kassouf to lead the youth program with fun activities such as “Minute to Win It.”
* Children participating in the Children’s Program will once again be able to play, rejoice, sing, and have fun.
* Put the date (July 30 – August 1, 2010) on your calendar and encourage others in your congregation to plan on attending. Save $30 and register early - Early Bird registration is $60 (must be postmarked by June 15). You will find more information on our website at www.se.lcms.org
Central Region Events
Good Shepherd in Midlothian VA received thirty-three new members Sunday, May 23, 2010 (pictured on left). Since the launch on September 13, 2009. Good Shepherd has accepted 125 members. Sixty-eight have joined this year. Attendance averages above 100 per Sunday.
Fun Fishing Day at New Kent: New Kent Mission held a Fishing Day last Saturday. This family event was open to young children through those in the 5th grade. The event was also open to their parent congregation, King of Glory in Williamsburg. The morning included: Fish Tales (faith-building Bible stories and puppet show), Kids doing “Gyotaku,” a Japanese fish print craft. Lots of learning about fish…and, of course….FISHING! Contact Vicar Larry McReynolds for more information.
Christ Community, Leesburg VA: God has richly blessed the congregation of Christ Community Lutheran Churchwith a wonderful new worship facility and on June 13th they will gather together to give praise and thanks to our Lord with a Grand Opening Celebration Service beginning at 1 pm. The ribbon cutting ceremony begins at 12:00 noon.
Choir Robes Needed : Grace Ethiopian mission is in need of 8 – 10 choir robes for their new choir. If you have extra robes, please contact Hoppy Hohenstein at twofps@aol.com or call him at 703-455-6052.
Individual Glass Communion Cups Needed: Does your congregation have any small, individual glass communion cups that you are not using and are willing to donate? If so, St. John’s in Alexandria can use them and will reimburse you for the shipping costs. Contact Cathy Long
Southern Region Events
Fan into Flame mission plant becomes a chartered LCMS congregation: Jordan Lutheran Church in Apex, N.C., is one of the newest congregations in the Southeastern District. Jordan Lutheran Mission was launched in 2009 and in early May 2010, became a chartered congregation of the LCMS. Jordan is a church plant of Ablaze! Covenant Congregation Resurrection Lutheran Church in Cary, N.C. They give thanks to God for the financial support of SED’s Ablaze! for God’s Mission, which allowed this church to receive funding for sharing the Gospel in the Raleigh, N.C. region.
Bethlehem, Aiken held a very special Friendship Sunday, May 30. As a result of a worship service that included delivering 200 flyers to the Aiken Estates neighborhood and having all members invite their friends to come to church, 100 witnessing events were recorded. A potluck held after the service gave members of the church an opportunity to talk informally to those who attended.
Northern Region Events
Pastor Attempts The Great Alleghany Passage : Pastor Fred Hedt is preparing to ride his bike 129 miles to raise scholarship funds for Ascension Lutheran School in Landover Hills, MD. He will ride on the Great Alleghany Passage from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania to Cumberland, Maryland on July 15, his 62nd birthday.
Supporters are pledging per mile to raise scholarship funds for the school. Principal Donna Lucas explains, “This year Ascension Church provided $208,000 in scholarships and reduced fees for our students in grades kindergarten to eighth grade.” This fundraiser will enable Ascension to continue this strong tradition of supporting quality education. Hedt’s progress on the ride will be updated throughout the day on July 15th on Ascension’s website, www.alutheranchurch.com. Donors can also use the website to support the school and its Pastor.
Bikes needed at Our Savior, Rehoboth Beach: Each year hundreds of international students come to Rehoboth Beach for summer work. Many of these students work two or three jobs and get around by bicycle. Our Savior Lutheran Church is one of the churches in the area to welcome these students by providing a safe environment, offering meals, bikes and bike repair, emergency assistance and fellowship. They usually serve about 200 students a week with a home-cooked meal. Like the ESL students, these kids are getting a glimpse of the church and of Christianity they have not seen before. There is always a need for bicycles for these students. If you have an extra bike sitting around, consider donating it to Our Savior. You may contact them at 302.227.0723.
St. Paul in Catonsville, MD has a wooden, electric roll top organ to donate to anyone who could use it. The organ is in good condition. It is a Baldwin Model RX 620. Contact Karen Ridgway at stpaul228@hotmail.com or call 410-747-1897 if you are interested.
St. Paul Annapolis, MD hosted a breakfast for Circuit 4 Evangelism Teams on Saturday, June 5. The purpose of this event was to share what is happening in the area of outreach and evangelism in Circuit 4 congregations and to encourage one another in the work of sharing the Gospel. Five circuit congregations participated.
Celebrate 5 years of Chinese Ministry June 27 : The Chinese Outreach Committee cordially invites you to come and celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Chinese Outreach Ministry in Montgomery County MD from 5:30-7:30 at the New Fortune Chinese Seafood Restaurant in Gaithersburg MD. Contact Annette Morgan at 301.762.7565.
From the National LCMS Office
Mission U and The Lutheran Hour New Outreach Resource for the Church: Where will you now find brand-new materials to strengthen your daily witness? The answer is MISSION U. This new online project from Lutheran Hour Ministries features a 21st century university theme with detailed curriculum, seminar-style presentations, expert speakers, in-class and online student interaction, and take-home study resources and practice. A course catalog of curriculum options gives congregations choices from which to tailor their own mission strategies.
To learn more about MISSION U or to schedule a workshop, please contact Sarah Guldalian, manager of evangelism training, at 800-944-3450, ext. 4144. She can be contacted via e-mail at equipping@lhm.org
“DOWNTOWN” IS NOT JUST FOR THOSE IN THE DOWNTOWN : A free bi-monthly electronic newsletter, “Downtown” is being enjoyed by those across the country involved in all shapes, sizes, and locations of mission and ministry. Geared to be practical and down-to-earth, “Downtown” spotlights different downtown ministries across the country that carry on ministry in creative ways, in ways that may be imitated by others. This newsletter is for pastors, ministry leaders, and lay people alike. Issues of “Downtown” can be viewed at http://www.downtownlutheranchurches.org/ Free subscription is possible by sending an email request to downtownchurches@aol.com
SEMINARY RECOGNIZES HONOREES: ST. LOUIS-The Concordia Seminary faculty selected five individuals to receive special honors during Commencement exercises on May 21.
Dr. Richard L. Alms received the honorary degree of doctor of divinity. Rev. Alms has served his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as counselor-chaplain at Lutheran Service Society, Buffalo, N.Y. (1960-1961); pastor of Resurrection Lutheran Church, Baltimore, Md. (1961-1967); and the Lutheran Mission Society, headquartered in Baltimore, as well as Ministry Missions in Annapolis and Essex, and Havre De Grace, Md. (1967-2006). Rev. Alms has served with distinction in several community and governmental positions: the National Private Sector Board, Office of Economic Opportunity, White House Appointment (1970-74); chairman of the Advisory Committee, Religious and Community Services, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for the State of Maryland (1972-1980); chairman of the Board of Directors, Look and Live Ministries, owner of Channel 24 TV, a Christian and family station covering Baltimore and Washington, D.C. (1982-1987); and member of the Office of Government Information, the LCMS (1986-1990). Since the spring of 2006, Rev. Alms has served as Alumni Phase Committee chairman, and as a member of the National Steering Committee of the How Will They Hear? campaign of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.
“Building Homes and Hope in Haiti”: LCMS World Relief and Human Care (WR-HC) is working to provide permanent housing in Haiti through a project called “Building Homes and Hope in Haiti,” employing the Lutheran Village concept of building communities and economic stability through home ownership and small business development. This program gives the people of our LCMS a chance for hands on support of the thousands of victims of the tragic January 12th earthquake in Haiti. Share this link to a few short videos about the project : http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=16815
The following is a link to a pdf about the project : http://www.lcms.org/ca/worldrelief/dnews/bhhh.pdf
Please share this information in your congregation and encourage others to respond as our fellow Lutherans in Haiti reach out with mercy and love to so many in need.
Want to keep up with the 64th Regular Convention of the LCMS?
Everything you want to know about the convention can be found online at www.lcms.org/convention http://www.lcms.org/conventionincluding:
Quick facts
Adopted resolutions
Schedules
Bible studies
Official election results
Videos and photos
Sabbaticals for Christian Pastors
The National Clergy Renewal Program, a program of the Lilly Endowment, provides support to Christian congregations throughout the country whose pastors wish to take time for reflection and renewal. The program provides grants of up to $50,000 to congregations whose pastors and parishioners, working together, produce compelling plans for an extended sabbatical time for the minister and a complementary set of activities for congregational renewal. Lilly Endowment: National Clergy Renewal Program http://www.clergyrenewal.org/
