“When I was a young boy, I once went fishing with my grandfather in northern Wisconsin,” began the Rev. Dr. Stephen Bouman, and at one point his grandfather simply said, “‘the only death to be afraid of is already behind you in baptism’…and then he went back to fishing.” With that reflection Bouman, executive director...
Category: Assembly
May 12, 2015
Bouman Shares ELCA Story
“When I was a young boy, I once went fishing with my grandfather in northern Wisconsin,” began the Rev. Dr. Stephen Bouman, and at one point his grandfather simply said, “‘the only death to be afraid of is already behind you in baptism’…and then he went back to fishing.” With that reflection Bouman, executive director...
May 12, 2015
VP: Congregations Doing “A Great Job”
“Despite fewer people who may be engaging in our churches, less money to work with, and closing of some of our congregations, we are still reaching out to change the lives of people and make a difference in our communities,” said Vice President Tracey Beasley. She raised up ministries that contribute to the work of...
May 12, 2015
Pastoral Transition Process Reviewed
The conversation on the floor of the 2015 Synod Assembly around the Report of the Resolution Task Force on Transitional Ministry was at times both encouraging and tense. A forum, attended by about 60 people later in the afternoon, offered the opportunity for people to discuss the transition process in more detail. While acknowledging that...
May 11, 2015
2015 Assembly Elections
At the 2015 Assembly, we elected the Rev. Karl Richard as our new secretary, and elected clergy and lay members of the Synod Council and the Churchwide Assembly. SYNOD COUNCIL TICKET #1 SYNOD COUNCIL, Secretary (2019) Karl Richard TICKET #2 SYNOD COUNCIL, Clergy (2018) William Rex Tyler Rassmussen TICKET #3 SYNOD COUNCIL,...
May 9, 2015
Richard Elected Secretary
Pastor Karl Richard loves history and scripture. He will utilize both in his new role as synod secretary, to which he was elected Saturday, May 9. “The secretary is not writing scripture, of course, but as we gather together I feel I would be recording the Acts of the Apostles of this day,” he says....
May 9, 2015
Forward Together in Faith: Networking
The Forward in Faith initiative will be empowered in part by a networking emphasis. Pastor Jim Goodyear of Gloria Dei, Huntingdon Valley led a discussion about networking, and synod voting members viewed special videos about successful networking enterprises in synod churches and beyond. They also had fun tossing balls of yarn around to begin the...
May 9, 2015
Forward Together in Faith: Communicating
So many communications channels are available today, and they all can be used to share the Gospel. And therein lies the challenge for the church, says the Rev. Keith Anderson of Upper Dublin Lutheran Church, author of The Digital Cathedral. Introducing the Communicating component of Forward Together in Faith, Anderson noted that fewer people know...
May 9, 2015
Congregational Giving Continues to Increase
Congregations’ mission support giving to and through the synod has been on a slight increase since 2012, Treasurer Janet Huber Neff, CPA, told the Assembly. In 2014, 81 of the synod’s 157 congregations maintained or increased their mission support, of which 50 percent is offered as support to the ELCA churchwide organization. Neff said as...
May 9, 2015
Forward Together in Faith: Innovating
Innovators have an innate ability to create something out of nothing; they have a passion for transformation, said the Rev Patricia Davenport, the synod’s Director for Evangelical Mission. Innovators are focused on meeting needs, solving problems. “Innovators are connected collaborators between church and community,” she said. Watch the session Davenport began by enumerating some of the...
May 8, 2015
Forward Together in Faith: Equipping
“Thanks to significant work by the people of the synod, God has cast a vision,” and now it is the time for the people of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod (SEPA) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to take on the work God is dreaming for them to do, said Jeff Kjellberg of Kairos Associates....
May 8, 2015
Forward Together in Faith Introduced
Ms. Ellen S. Daneke, St. Peter Lafayette Hill, Chair introduced the Forward Together in Faith campaign. Watch the session Dank called us a strong synod of people who let their voices be heard. She asked the following questions, and challenged us to answer “yes” to each (we did): Is SEPA synod ready to make changes...
May 8, 2015
Adopting a Budget for 2016
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod adopted in assembly today a $3,174,121 budget for 2016. In presenting the budget, the Rev. Karl Richard, chair of the Finance Committee, commented that this budget is not about dollars, but about people, and there are 3 million 170 thousand ways to touch them. This is our budget; it represents what...
May 8, 2015
Unlocking the Future
Bishop Claire Burkat invited worshipers at the 2015 Assembly’s opening Eucharist to keep our fear in perspective as we courageously meet the challenges of ministry in the 21st century. To do this we remember the promises of God and the gifts God gives to unlock the secrets of doing ministry in a rapidly changing world....
April 29, 2015
Synod Assembly Goes Mobile
Track your Synod Assembly experience in one place with the 2015 SEPA Assembly guide in the ELCA app. The guide is available for iOS and Android devices. Just go to your app store and find and install the free ELCA Organizations & Events app. Open the app and tap Get your first guide, then tap...
February 3, 2015
Ministry Partner: Communicators’ Network
Together as SEPA Synod we confidently declare it’s “God’s Work – Our Hands”. Those of us who work in SEPA’s Communicator Network declare further that it’s “God’s Message – Our Channels” Who is a “communicator”? It’s anyone in our congregations who is working in: Print communications Email Web and social media Video Multimedia for worship...
July 17, 2014
Nurturing Vibrant Congregations
Growing the vibrancy of a congregation is not something that can be imparted by a new pastor or a consultant, but is the result of congregations taking ownership of the need for change, understanding any gaps between where they are and where they want to be, and experimenting with ways to make faith useful to...
May 27, 2014
Highlights of 2014 Assembly
Capture the spirit of our Synod’s 2014 Assembly in summary report, which is suitable for sharing with members of your congregation by printing it or linking it to your email, website or social media. A formal summary of legislative actions and elections is also available, as are preliminary minutes of the Assembly. Full coverage of...
May 14, 2014
Ignorance is Not Bliss
Social Media for Adults Who Care about Youth Summary of an Assembly 2014 Forum led by Molly Beck Dean, Assistant to the Bishop/Youth Ministry Specialist. Contact Molly by email to arrange a presentation in your area. Factoid: 80% of internet-using teens say they are active with social media, engaging with it on a regular...
May 13, 2014
‘Be Communities of Discernment’
“To do God’s work with our hands, we need to know what God is about,” the Rev. Dr. Mark S. Hanson told the 2014 Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod Assembly in his keynote address. “We need to be communities of discernment,” the former ELCA presiding bishop said. To do that, “we need to be fluent in the...
May 13, 2014
VP Lifts Up ‘Out-of-the-Box’ Ministry
Through a year full of some hard decisions requiring much thought and prayer, the congregations of the SEPA Synod have increased their benevolent giving and increased their outreach efforts on behalf of their members and communities. Tracey Beasley, Synod Council vice president, used her report to praise the congregations and their efforts. “(This) hard conversation...
