We are church in an environment that is “volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous,” Synod Vitality Team co-chair the Rev. Bryan Penman told the 2019 Synod Assembly. But by working toward what research has shown are key marks of vital congregations, SEPA congregations can become more connected and relevant in their communities, he said. The Vitality...
Category: Communications
May 15, 2019
Vitality Team Offers New Vision
We are church in an environment that is “volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous,” Synod Vitality Team co-chair the Rev. Bryan Penman told the 2019 Synod Assembly. But by working toward what research has shown are key marks of vital congregations, SEPA congregations can become more connected and relevant in their communities, he said. The Vitality...
May 10, 2019
Bishop Davenport: “We are co-creators of our joint mission”
Bishop Patricia Davenport, the Fifth Bishop of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the ELCA, opened the Synod’s 2019 Assembly (her first as Bishop) with a reading from Psalm 34: 1-3. “… O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt God’s name together.” From the excitement of her election at the 2018 Assembly, to...
May 29, 2019
ELCA Student Minister Deported
Betty Rendón, a synodically authorized minister in the Greater Milwaukee Synod, and members of her family were detained by immigration officialsMay 8. On May 28,Rendón and her husband, Carlos Hincapie, were deported to Colombia, from which they fled civil war in 2004. Her daughter (a DACA recipient) and granddaughter (born in the U.S.) were released...
May 23, 2019
‘Are We Willing to be Transformed?’
The beloved community is like this: ‘God takes it very personally how we treat one another,” the Rev. Dr. Wyvetta Bullock said in her sermon at the Assembly’s Saturday Eucharist. “The compassion we express to others is our expression of our love for God.” As humans we struggle with love that seeks nothing in return....
May 22, 2019
Laments of a Death-and-Resurrection People
“It is time for our inadequate dreams to die in order for Christ to rise in us, and our church.” This observation by one pastor to Bishop Patricia A. Davenport grounded the preaching, prayer and lament during the opening worship service of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod’s 2019 Assembly. Several preachers and prayer leaders explored the...
May 20, 2019
Balanced 2020 Budget Approved
The Assembly adopted a budget for fiscal 2020 that anticipates total revenues of $3.33 million and expenditures of $2.88 million. The budget takes effect Feb. 1, 2020. Finance Committee Chair Albert Glenn outlined one significant change to the 2020 budget. The synod regularly gives support to United Lutheran Seminary, including about $50,000 for tuition support...
April 10, 2019
Pastor Karen Sease Joins Office of the Bishop
The Rev. Karen M. Sease has been appointed Assistant to the Bishop for Vocations and Leadership/Mission Advancement by Bishop Patricia Davenport. Pastor Sease currently serves as Major Gift Officer and Director of Alumni Relations at United Lutheran Seminary. She brings over ten years of experience in fundraising, stewardship, and vocational discernment to her new role....
March 20, 2019
Lutherans Respond to Midwest Floods
Heavy rainfall last week caused rapid snow meant that has resulted in major flooding in parts of Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Illinois. At least three people have died thus far, and hundreds of homes, businesses, and farms have been affected. Estimated farm losses could top $1 billion. Mandatory and voluntary evacuations are in place,...
March 5, 2019
Lenten Message from Bishop Patricia Davenport
Greetings, Beloved. As I ponder my Lenten journey, I was thinking it’s not as much about giving up as it is an invitation to give ourselves over to the love of God; to be aware of our blessings, and our call to share those blessings. In that sense it is a call to action, to recommit to...
February 25, 2019
Lutheran Day in the Capitol May 19-20
Bring Your Faith to the Table — On May 19 and 20, join people of faith from around Pennsylvania for inspiration, education and participation — in worship, service, learning and advocacy. We will focus on setting bigger, more welcoming, tables in our lives, our congregations, our communities and our Commonwealth. Come for our traditional Lutheran Day...
February 25, 2019
Women of the ELCA Gathering: Water of Life
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Women of the ELCA 2019 gathering will be held Saturday June 1, 2019 at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lansdale. Registration will begin at 8:45. Bishop Patricia Davenport is the keynote speaker. Our theme is Water of Life. We will give thanks for God’s gift of water and learn ways to care for...
February 15, 2019
Lutheran Settlement House Gets Boost from Fishtown’s Boom
From The Philadelphia Inquirer: A century ago, immigrants who arrived in Fishtown from Eastern Europe found themselves at the doors of the Lutheran Settlement House on Frankford Avenue, an urban ministry that helped families acclimate to their new lives. The nonprofit agency, which has never moved from the stately building where it was founded in 1902,...
January 23, 2019
Lutheran Marriage Prep Sessions
Marriage Preparedness Series is still around! Although Lutheran Congregational Services is no longer sponsoring the Marriage Prep Series, the instructor, Pastor Sandra Brown, is still offering the classes. The class is a full day, designed to cover some of the basic topics of pre-marital counseling, such as communicaton, finances, and self-care. The schedule for 2019...
January 23, 2019
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Devotions Available
The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and leaders from The Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church of Canada, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada have prepared a series of devotions for the annual ecumenical celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, observed this year...
January 23, 2019
Lutheran Night at the Phillies in Honor of Dick Reimet
Our late, beloved former Synod treasurer, Dick Reimet, started Lutheran Night at the Phillies decades ago, one of the – if not the – first such partnership between a religious organization and professional baseball. In Dick’s memory, we’re dedicating this year’s event in thanksgiving for his long-time stewardship of this ministry and support of our...
January 3, 2019
Nominations for 2019 Synod Council Elections
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod’s Nominating Committee is asking for your help in identifying gifted and qualified persons, both clergy and lay, to serve as nominees for election at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod Assembly on May 3-4, 2019 The deadline for nominations is Friday, Feb. 15. Every year the Synod Assembly elects members of the Synod...
January 3, 2019
Remembering in prayer the saints at St. John’s, Quakertown
St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Quakertown, a congregation in the Upper Bucks Conference, will hold their final worship service on Sunday, January 13, 2019 at 2:00 pm with Bishop Davenport presiding. Rostered leaders and congregational members of the SEPA Synod are welcome to attend a service of thanksgiving for the life and witness...
December 18, 2018
Once he vandalized a church; Now they share a hopeful bond
‘What I did probably saved my life because I got the help I needed.’ By Mark A. Staples Reunions are commonplace during the holidays, but the one that took place between Christopher Rhoads and leaders of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lansdale in early December could not have been imagined three years ago. Early on...
December 15, 2018
Officials Celebrate Our “Inspiring” Bishop
Bishop Patricia A. Davenport was honored with citations from Mayor Jim Kenney and the state House of Representatives at a reception at City Hall on Dec. 13. State Rep. Joanna McClinton, a Democrat who represents the 191st District covering parts of Philadelphia and Delaware County, read part of a proclamation by the legislature congratulating the...
November 7, 2018
2019 Compensation Guidelines Published
New compensation guidelines for rostered ministers are now available online. These Rostered Ministry Compensation Guidelines are written to assist the members of your congregation in determining fair compensation for pastors and deacons. A compensation package includes, but is not limited to, salary, housing allowance, medical and other benefits, social security offsets and pension contributions. These...
