Cause > Org

Save the Date! Celebratory Worship Service 
Sunday, October 20: 4 PM
St. John's Lutheran Church of Highland

[Facebook Event]

Begins Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Meets Weekly for 90 Minutes at Either:
•    10:30 AM- 12:00 PM  Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (10:30 AM- 12 PM)
•    St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Mt. Lebanon (7:30-9 PM)

If you or a member of your congregation would like to serve as a certified lay worship leader in the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod, this training is your opportunity. 

Saturday, October 5
9 AM – 2:30 PM

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church

Grow a personal, household, and congregational culture of sharing and transformation.

Optional Add-On:

RSVP at swpasynod.org/generosity

The month of September has traditionally been a time for Assistant to the Bishop Gatherings in Conferences, and under the synod relational models used in the past, this was a chance for Rostered Ministers to gather with “their” assigned assistant for breakfast and/or lunch, to receive a list of upcoming synodical events, and to gather in fellowship and sharing.

This year, we are not scheduling these conference gatherings in the fall, but instead are looking to new ways to gather as a ministerium.

As many of you know, over the past 2 years, we have been trying out new ways of relating to one another as synod, with the main change being that synod office staff are relating to the synod congregations and Rostered Ministers programmatically rather than geographically. This relational change has also been cultivated in the intentional way Assistants and the Bishop have been attending cluster and pericope gatherings so as to listen, share and study scripture with one another.

Adding to this relational change, the synod engaged Lauren Wolcott as Synod Communicator.  As a result, the way we share events, stories, news and information has improved by leaps and bounds, showing us that a gathering to communicate events is no longer needed in the same way.

However, we do well when we gather together as a ministerium. This is why we are offering other opportunities to learn, share and grow with each other.  We are still gathering at the Fall Theological Convocation in October, and Rostered Ministers are invited to attend all or a part of this time together.

But instead of an informational meeting, we are inviting you to an Ember Day with the Bishop on September 12, looking ahead to a year of Matthew. (Want to know what an Ember Day is? Come join us!)

We are inviting you to gather with your congregational leaders and ecumenical partners for a number of different events, trainings and opportunities that you see in this weekly email. And we are working to create even more opportunities for fellowship, study, resource sharing and relationship building.

So for those who had planned on Assistant to the Bishop gatherings this fall, we hope you will join us for one of these other synod events. However, if you do find you miss this chance to gather in conference, please reach out to one of us, or your conference Dean, for no change we make is set in stone, and we are always learning, adapting and responding to the needs of a changing church in our changing synod.


Thank you for your witness on the road together,  
Peter and Melissa 

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania is conducting surveys of our network as a whole and of rostered leaders in particular in order to better discern how we might be church together in Pennsylvania for the sake of the world. All of the survey responses will help guide our work when LAMPa's policy council gathers Sept. 22-23.

The survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete. Your thoughtful responses will be used to shape our common ministry.

Take the Survey

Sometimes in the life of the Church, it can feel as though nothing really changes. Yet, at the Synod Council meeting for July 2019, a big change was passed: Our Synod will be selling our office building on Perry Highway and looking for a new location to rent office space. 

Hear more about how pursuit of our mission has prompted this move from Bishop Kurt Kusserow and Vice President Barbara Nugent:

Download this bulletin-insert summary of the highlights, meaningful moments, and important actions that took place at Assembly. 

Download Bulletin Insert

---

The 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly will be held in Columbus, Ohio

Last week, Churchwide Assembly declared our church’s commitment to inter-religious relationships and to reject sexism and racism. They also nearly-unanimously declared the ELCA to be a “sanctuary church body.” Being the first denomination to claim such a distinction has left many of us wondering what it means and how to speak to our congregations about it.

The desire to be a sanctuary church is not new – in fact, it is our legacy.  William Passavant put the Biblical mandate to care for the orphan and widow into practice when he founded sanctuaries for children and the elderly in Western Pennsylvania.  Nor is the action of the assembly a call for congregations to engage in illegal behavior, as some have wrongly claimed.  It is rather a pledge to be our best selves for the sake of our neighbors in the world we share today. 

In every time and place, the Church strives to manifest the love of God in its care for all people, especially for those who do not have a safe home or homeland. To aid in the upcoming work of informing and engaging our congregations, we are providing a quick list of talking points as well as my pastoral message, which is a longer read, but one that I hope may be helpful in thinking about being our best selves.

Thank you for your faithful engagement with the ministry of the Gospel in this synod,  

Bishop Kurt F. Kusserow

October 14 - 16, 2019
Antiochian Village Conference & Retreat Center

www.swpasynod.org/convo

Keynote Speaker: Bishop Erik K. J. Gronberg
Northern-Texas Northern Louisiana Synod

"Beyond Diagnosis: Understanding & Implementing Adaptive Leadership"
The crisis of leadership in our congregations cannot be denied. Systemic symptoms of this crisis have been identified and thoroughly discussed. So what are leaders to do? 

Move beyond diagnosing and towards action. Learn leadership theories with a particular emphasis on adaptive leadership in crisis, use case studies of leaders who have addressed crises, and recognize the uniqueness of each context. Come away with a plan for taking action.

---

A budget is more than just a balanced checkbook; it’s a statement of values. View our narrative budget and print resources at: swpasynod.org/budget2020