FROM THE OFFICE OF THE BISHOP A Message from Bishop Bryan Penman Radical Generosity for a Radical Time Dear Beloved in Christ, As we move into the final months of the year, many of our congregations are entering their annual stewardship appeals—those intentional moments when we pause to reflect on God’s generosity and our call...
Category: Bishop messages
November 20, 2025
November 2025: Radical Generosity for a Radical Time
FROM THE OFFICE OF THE BISHOP A Message from Bishop Bryan Penman Radical Generosity for a Radical Time Dear Beloved in Christ, As we move into the final months of the year, many of our congregations are entering their annual stewardship appeals—those intentional moments when we pause to reflect on God’s generosity and our call...
October 19, 2025
October: Rostered Minister Appreciation Month
FROM THE OFFICE OF THE BISHOP A Message from Bishop Bryan Penman Dear Beloved Siblings in Christ, October is recognized as Rostered Minister Appreciation Month, a time to pause and give thanks for the pastors and deacons who walk with us in faith — proclaiming good news, tending souls, and leading communities of hope in a...
Bishop Penman highlights SEPA Fall Learning Events
September 1, 2025
September: Embracing Change
FROM THE OFFICE OF THE BISHOP A Message from Bishop Bryan Penman Dear Beloved in Christ, September is always a season of change. The air turns crisp, school doors open, routines shift, and the long days of summer give way to the colors of autumn. The world around us reminds us that change is constant—sometimes gentle, sometimes disruptive, but...
August 14, 2025
August: We Are Renewed in the gift of Baptism
FROM THE OFFICE OF THE BISHOP A Message from Bishop Bryan Penman Dear beloved in Christ, As August arrives, the air begins to shift ever so slightly—school supplies fill store shelves, calendars get updated with new schedules and families prepare to return to more regular rhythms of daily life. There’s something about this season that...
July 14, 2025
July: Ponder Anew and Grow Deep
A Message from Bishop Bryan Penman Ponder Anew and Grow Deep Dear Beloved in Christ, It’s the middle of summer, and for many congregations, this is the time of the so-called “summer slump.” Worship attendance dips. Budgets tighten. Things feel quieter. But what if this season is not a slump at all—what if it’s...
June 17, 2025
June: An apology and clarification
FROM THE OFFICE OF THE BISHOP A Message from Bishop Bryan Penman I am writing today to apologize and clarify my June Bishop Message which was published on June 16, 2025. First, I ask your forgiveness for what was an oversight on my part. While I was attempting to raise awareness around the process the...
June 16, 2025
June: Ponder Anew What the Almighty Can Do
FROM THE OFFICE OF THE BISHOP A Message from Bishop Bryan Penman Dear beloved siblings in Christ, This month we find ourselves at the intersection of solemn remembrance and sacred possibility. On June 17, we mark the commemoration of the Emmanuel Nine—faithful saints gunned down during Bible study at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston,...
May 13, 2025
Vocational Affirmation and Discernment
FROM THE OFFICE OF THE BISHOP A Message from Bishop Bryan Penman Dear Siblings in Christ, It’s graduation season—a time when we gather to celebrate years of hard work, study, and perseverance. Degrees are conferred, papers submitted, exams passed, and dissertations defended. If you’re celebrating a 2025 graduate in your family, congratulations ! For many, this...
April 19, 2025
An Easter Message from Bishop Bryan Penman
Fearful, Yet Overjoyed. The Women at the Tomb By Sister Mary Stevens, CRSS FROM THE OFFICE OF THE BISHOP An Easter Message from Bishop Bryan Penman April 19, 2025 The Vigil of Easter “But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.” – Luke 24:11 Dear Beloved in Christ,...
December 23, 2024
Christmas Message from Bishop Penman
December 23, 2024 Grace and peace to you this Christmas season. At the heart of the Christmas story is a journey—a journey of a young couple, Mary and Joseph, searching for a place to stay. When they arrived in Bethlehem, there was no room for them. Yet in the kindness of a stranger, they found...
December 11, 2024
December Message from the Bishop
December 11, 2025 Dear Beloved in Christ, December often feels like a whirlwind in the church. The steady progression from Advent to Christmas overlays the festive chaos of the secular holiday season, making this time especially busy. Those who’ve worked with me over the years know that I’m a “special kind of crazy” when it...
November 1, 2024
November Message from the Bishop
Dear Friends in Christ, As we enter November, many of our congregations celebrate the Feast of All Saints—a time rich in tradition across our synod. Some congregations honor the saints who have died in the past year by reading their names, tolling bells, lighting candles, or pausing in silence to remember those we’ve loved and...
October 14, 2024
October Message from the Bishop
Dear Friends in Christ, Did you know that Clergy Appreciation Month has its roots all the way back in Paul’s letters to the early church? Paul encouraged believers not to grow weary in their ministry, and that same spirit of encouragement continues today through Clergy Appreciation Month. Gaining momentum in the 1990s (thanks in large...
September 10, 2024
Pastor Rick Summy named as Program Director of the Love Revolution
It is with immense joy and excitement that I announce the appointment of The Rev. Richard (Rick) Summy as the Program Director of Love Revolution. Pastor Summy brings nearly 40 years of rich and faithful service to this vital work, and his deep experience will be a tremendous blessing to our synod. We are thrilled...
June 8, 2024
Bishop Eaton’s Message on War in Gaza
Resources for the Crisis in the Holy Land – Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (elca.org) June 5, 2024 Dear church, For eight horrific months war has raged in Gaza. Thousands of people have died, and thousands more are suffering. In recent days we have seen unspeakable images of violence in Rafah and escalating violence in...
May 7, 2024
Rev. Bryan Penman Elected Next Synod Bishop
The Rev. Bryan Penman, pastor of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Conshohocken and co-Director for Evangelical Mission in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, was elected Saturday as the synod’s next bishop. Bishop-elect Penman received 203 votes on the fifth and final ballot for bishop. The Rev. Karl Richard, pastor of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Springfield...
April 11, 2024
Statement by Bishop Patricia Davenport on Eid al-Fitr Shootings
Beloved, I was deeply troubled and saddened to learn of the shooting that erupted yesterday during a joyous celebration of Eid al-Fitr, the festival that closes the holy month of Ramadan, in the Parkside neighborhood in West Philadelphia. It is sobering for every person of faith to know that even public expressions of religious faith...
March 27, 2024
Holy Week Message from Bishop Davenport
For This Reason A Holy Week message from the Rev. Dr. Patricia A. Davenport, bishop. Adapted from her sermon on John 12:20-36 at the SEPA Chrism Service, March 26, 2024. Download printable PDF Watch sermon video “Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say: ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No,...
October 10, 2023
Pastoral Message: War in Israel and Palestine
Dear Beloved, Grace, peace, power, and love in the name of the One who can do all things but fail, Jesus Christ! The eruption of war in Israel and the Gaza Strip opened a heart breaking and a terrifying time for Palestinians, Jews, Christians, and all people around the world. We join people of all...
